Exercises (Involving the piano or not involving it) to develop a bigger reach

[bonesquirrel]

Hello.

Im wondering if anymore knows any hand exercises that will enable me to have a bigger reach. I can currently reach 9 (1 note above an octave) pretty comfortably, an my left hand only can reach 10 notes with a stretch (I think this is because I been playing a few Jazz pieces with big stretchs in the Bass notes).

My hands are obviously quite large and still growing, but if there is any way I can work towards more of a Rachmaninoff reach, the better.

[j_menz]

Your hands are your hands. Normal piano playing will maximise your "reach" without doing anything special, and nothing else will make it any bigger. Various pianists have done permanent damage trying to overcome that fact, and none have managed it.

[bonesquirrel]

Your hands are your hands. Normal piano playing will maximise your "reach" without doing anything special, and nothing else will make it any bigger. Various pianists have done permanent damage trying to overcome that fact, and none have managed it.

Ok, but if its dangerous to do special exercises to try and increase your reach, why isnt it dangerous to play hard Jazz pieces that require you to put your hands under a lot of stress flexibility wise.

[j_menz]

Ok, but if its dangerous to do special exercises to try and increase your reach, why isnt it dangerous to play hard Jazz pieces that require you to put your hands under a lot of stress flexibility wise.

If you can't reach a tenth, and if you don't know what to do to compensate, it is.

[stoat_king]

I have to agree that there isn't much you can do to increase the reach of your hands beyond playing the piano.

I too would love much bigger hands, which is why I'm pinning my hopes on putting my brain in a robot body. Most people will want chainsaw hands, but I will insist on gigantic robot hands with up to ten telescopic fingers on each hand.
But watch out! You'll be so strong, that if you pet a little puppy-dog, you might kill it
I'm also a little worried that pianists with normal human hands may hunt me for sport.

[Bob]

Scales in ninths.

Stepping out the reach on white keys to a 10th or minor 10th if you include black keys.

It doesn't add anything, but it does let you use what reach you've got.

[newkidintown]

I have tiny hands, and back when I was a little kid and my hands were still growing I had my heart set on jazz and blues, so I know the feeling. All I know to do without risking injury is to do one of three things: play the chords in a very fast arpeggio, leave one of the notes out, or use theory to your advantage to make a different construct of the same chord. These recommendations are mainly for non-classical genres, though, I can't say a classical audience would be okay with any of those things. For classical, I'd just stick with pieces with chords that you can reach without strain. There are plenty out there at every level.

[pianoman8]

Its not about about hand size, its about having a supple wrist, relaxed arm, etc.
Think of all the people with small hands playing Chopin op 10 no 11!, or op 10 no 1!