Chopin's Prelude No. 20: Lack of stretching

[rafant]

I have small hands and I can't stretch the second chord [F-A-Db-F] of the second measure, which appears several times more. I wonder which note could be omitted, if any. Also, is there a general rule to omit chord notes when there is no enough stretching? Many thanks in advance.

[cziffra777]

I have small hands and I can't stretch the second chord [F-A-Db-F] of the second measure, which appears several times more.

I don't know if that was a just typo, but the "A" should be "Ab".  If it wasn't a typo, maybe changing the "A" to "Ab" will solve the problem. I'm kind of stumped as to why this chord would be hard for you. There are several other chords which require the same fingering and stretch. The last chord of the second measure is an example of this. If you can play this chord, the other should be playable.

[rafant]

You are right, Czifra777, it's Ab, sorry for my mistake in the post.  But it continues being true that I can't stretch fingers 2 and 3 enough to play Ab-Db.  Thanks a lot for your assistance.

[cziffra777]

You are right, Czifra777, it's Ab, sorry for my mistake in the post.  But it continues being true that I can't stretch fingers 2 and 3 enough to play Ab-Db.  Thanks a lot for your assistance.

Try using 1-2-4-5. I have a fairly large strecth (a 10th), and I doubt I could play the chord using 1-2-3-5.

[rafant]

Negative, Cziffra777, 1-2-4-5 don't work either, since I can't stretch enough fingers 4-5. So, I believe I have to omit a F, but I'm not sure which one. Thanks a lot again.

[Rach3]

1245 is the correct fingering... are you reading it right? If you can stretch to all the other chords in the piece this should be quite comfortable.

[rafant]

Yes, Rach3, I think I'm reading the chord right: [F-Ab-Db-F], and I can reach only any 3 of the keys, but not the 4 ones.  What F do you think could be omitted? Very kind of you for trying to help.

[xvimbi]

Yes, Rach3, I think I'm reading the chord right: [F-Ab-Db-F], and I can reach only any 3 of the keys, but not the 4 ones.  What F do you think could be omitted? Very kind of you for trying to help.

You need to decide for yourself. Try omitting either one and decide which version sounds best. Also, often, one of the notes in the chord belongs to the melody, so it may be clear from the context which one to omit. Also, if you can't reach a chord, try rolling it. This doesn't really work in your case, but it is another general approach to the problem. Hope that helps

[Hmoll]

I still don't understand. Can you play the third chord of the 1st measure - G B Eb G?
If so, you should be able to play the one you're having trouble with because it's almost the same type of stretch - the only difference is the 2nd finger is on a white key.
For practice, try rolling the chord, then roll but keep the fingers down, then slowly work up to playing it without rolling. Stop if you get too tense, or feel pain.
If you can reach an octave, you should eventually be able to play this chord.

[allchopin]

I read in another thread about turning the plane of the hand to attack the chord at a different angle.  The horizontal stretch of the fingers, when turning the hand slightly, becomes simply a natural movement at the joint.  So try rotating the hand at the wrist clockwise, and hit the chord now with the thumb, the side of 2, side of 4 (or 3 if poss.), and 5.  If you don't understand, visit: https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4957.0.html

[BoliverAllmon]

just keep trying. your fingers will stretch.

[rafant]

Thanks a lot for you kind contributions. No, definitively I don't reach the complete chord.  I decided for the moment to omit the low F, so as to play the reduced chord [Ab-Db-F]. In so doing I think the melody hold its character acceptably.  The idea of rolling seems good, it deserves more attention. Kind regards.

[cziffra777]

Thanks a lot for you kind contributions. No, definitively I don't reach the complete chord.  I decided for the moment to omit the low F, so as to play the reduced chord [Ab-Db-F]. In so doing I think the melody hold its character acceptably.  The idea of rolling seems good, it deserves more attention. Kind regards.

I'm still convinced you're doing something wrong. It is very hard for me to believe that you can play the rest of the piece, but have trouble with this one chord. In fact, I would say it is impossible. You have the exact same stretch in other chords. If you can't play that one chord, I would expect you to have trouble with the entire piece, not just one chord.

[BoliverAllmon]

i also agree that I am suspicious of you playing this correctly. I was having a little trouble playing this chord at first 1-2-3-5 but I was playing a low E instead of F. Even then it wasn't too hard. Make sure you are playing it correctly.

[lostinidlewonder]

I am wondering, omit is an annoying thing to do. Can you roll the chord instead of playing all together, sometimes small hands have to do this, and people really can't blame you, i think this is better than leaving notes out.

[dinosaurtales]

yeah.  Skipping notes is a no-no.  I am not familiar with the piece, but I have small hands, and have several tricks up my sleeve for "cheating" -

can you play one of the notes with the other hand?  Sometimes I can "crawl" a fingering to play a note with the other hand when I can't get to it from the "written" hand.

does it have to be played as a chord, or can one note be played then jump to the rest as a chord?  this can sometime be dramatic, and also ok, depending on the piece.

rolling the whole thing is usually a last resort, only because it can spoil the intended effect.  I usually try to do the jump bit first.

[rafant]

I'm not sure that rolling the chord would be pertinent to this piece, since it's not a piece of the kind where a melody is developed alone, almost independently, supported by some chords, but on the contrary every note of the melody and the accompaniment are linked to each other as curt, sharp tones.  But I promise to try, maybe it sounds good.

The idea of splitting the chord as succesive one-three notes (or three-one) is interesting, I have heard examples in some Chopin's Nocturne and it's true, it's dramatic. I'll try it too, but I hold my reservations for the same reasons above.

Thanks a lot and kind regards.