What's your hand range?

[leroy199]

Im posting something again about this interview i just saw about Lang Lang, in the interview he says his hand range is to C to G, thats like a 12th watch the video at 7:40

this surprises me cause he seems like a small guy, Im over 6 foot tall and have big hands but i can only comfortably do C to E a 10th i haven't really practiced my hand range maybe if i practice i could get an extra key?

so anyway my question is what's is your hand range? do you feel its an important process in piano to practice exercises or etude's specialized in increasing your hand range?

[iansinclair]

This has been up before, in a different thread -- maybe someone a little more computer savvy than I can post a reference to that thread.

In answer to what's your hand range, I happen to have very long fingers and can easily span a tenth.  A twelfth?  no hope!  However, in my humble opinion that really isn't as important as it might seem: there are remarkably few places where it is really necessary to do that.  What is necessary, however, in my view, is the flexibility of the fingers in between, and this is worth practicing stuff for.  For example, it can be very useful indeed to be able to span an octave with 1-3, 1-4, or 1-5 as you choose.  It can be downright handy to be able to easily play, for example, an octave with 1-4 (I'm looking at the right hand now), with, for example, 2 on the fifth, and then shift effortlessly (!) a whole tone up, with 1-5 on the octave and now 3 on the corresponding fifth.  Or hold an octave with 1-5 -- say C to C' -- and play an intermediate figure alternating F and A wth 2 and 4 with a G with 3 -- or E and G with 2 and 4 and F with 3.  And so on.

Exercises?  Play the piano.  In my view hand exercises, unless very carefully prescribed and thought out, are likely to more harm than good...

[the89thkey]

I can reach an 11th with notes in between but usually the biggest chords you will need for any piece are something like the ones that begin Rachmaninov 2nd concerto. If you can play those chords you will be able to do anything which comes up. I can't play a twelfth, but chords like C-A-F and F#-D-B I can do. Which is above average.

[bronnestam]

ohmygod, you guys have hands like loo seats all of you, or? 

I reach 9. That's it. I hate Schumann, by the way. 

[evitaevita]

Me, I can reach a 9th 

I hate Schumann, by the way. 

I don't want to judge your taste and preferences, but why?

[brendan765]

my left hand can reach bigger chords like a up  to c# easy I can do octave & 4ths in my left, but no not really important. STRETCH is far more important how far one can accurately stretch their hands to make notes hit nearly at the same time (tiny bits of fractions of a second apart) not a rolled chord, if you do it right it sounds like a chord. Liszt did this well, because he could only reach a octave, 9th on a good day. so he stretched since he was playing some pretty technically demanding music. He could stretch around a few octaves and make what sounds like only 2 hands could do.

I can do this stretch chord method around 2octs as well, its not that hard if you play liszt alot

[p2u_]

STRETCH is far more important how far one can accurately stretch their hands to make notes hit nearly at the same time (tiny bits of fractions of a second apart) not a rolled chord, if you do it right it sounds like a chord. [...] He could stretch around a few octaves and make what sounds like only 2 hands could do. I can do this stretch chord method around 2octs as well, its not that hard if you play liszt alot

Hmm... Impressive... I'd be very interested to find out more about this method. Could you please elaborate? Or is just playing a lot of Liszt enough to learn this? I can do "twinkle twinkle little star" (you know that popular English lullaby) easily (no stretch there) at moderate tempo, and I'm now looking for something new...

Liszt did this well, because he could only reach a octave, 9th on a good day. so he stretched since he was playing some pretty technically demanding music.

Hmm... Just imagine... I must have been misinformed all my life. My sources say that Liszt had a tenth (although barely), but that the webbing between his fingers seems to have been absent, which explains the fabulous things he could do in terms of stretching.

Paul

[brendan765]

Hmm... Impressive... I'd be very interested to find out more about this method. Could you please elaborate? Or is just playing a lot of Liszt enough to learn this? I can do "twinkle twinkle little star" (you know that popular English lullaby) easily (no stretch there) at moderate tempo, and I'm now looking for something new...

Hmm... Just imagine... I must have been misinformed all my life. My sources say that Liszt had a tenth (although barely), but that the webbing between his fingers seems to have been absent, which explains the fabulous things he could do in terms of stretching.

Paul

Paul, I am not able to explain it on the internet very simply. You basically just stretch your hands over about a few octaves and when you let go of one note and it is still depressed for a brief moment ...the notes you jump for in between or an octave or 2 up are also depressed with in the same time span. The best way to check if you can do this is try it, dont hit wrong notes...if you have small hands and want to play larger handed composers works...this is of use to you.

[ruvidoetostinato]

I can only reach an octave comfortably 9ths are stretchy for me and 10ths are impossible.   

[dinulip]

I hate Schumann, by the way. 

You have to be a poet-at-heart to understand and love Schumann.  Sorry that you cannot enjoy his wonderful music. 

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I can do a 10th comfortably, an 11th uncomfortably, and a 12th maybe on a good day with the skin between my fingers ripping apart.

[adari]

I can only reach an octave comfortably 9ths are stretchy for me and 10ths are impossible.   

I have the same; if I'm playing Alkan or Bartok, I'm forced to miss out some notes (or spread chords far too much).

[the89thkey]

I have the same; if I'm playing Alkan or Bartok, I'm forced to miss out some notes (or spread chords far too much).

Surprisingly, most music requires less stretches than some people with small hands think. They post things like "I can't play Rachmaninov because my hands are too small" and "I don't want to learn Piece X because of the chords you have to play at bar Y" or whatever else. It is always possible to use a different approach to the chord (different fingering or hand position?) or simply cut notes when all else fails. It's a much smaller limitation than a lot of other things pianists can have, which I won't get into here.

[thesixthsensemusic]

10 in both hands, used to be only 9 in my left hand (shortened ligament connecting the thumb due to inactivity while being injured) but playing the piano sorted that out more or less.

[brendan765]

My left hand can reach more like A - C# 11th.  But my right hand can only reach A - C comfortably. (can reach C # but not comfortably or accurate in a fast passage. )

[teran]

10th both hands.

No complaints.

[sucom]

I can stretch a 9th ok and am very slightly short of a 10th, which I can't quite place cleanly. 

[sucom]

My left hand can reach more like A - C# 11th.  But my right hand can only reach A - C comfortably. (can reach C # but not comfortably or accurate in a fast passage. )

11th?  Are you sure you don't mean D flat? 

[liug_2012]

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[muleski]

I'm jealous of anyone who can do a 10th or more!  I can only manage 9.  I'm learning Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 at the mo & so far have had to cut one note.  I'm expecting more.  I also bought the music for Mephisto Waltz and was immediately disheartened when I couldn't reach notes in the first few bars even... that's now on the shelf!  My hands couldn't actually stretch any more than they can, they're just not big enough quite simply.