Piano Forum



Rhapsody in Blue – A Piece of American History at 100!
The centennial celebration of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue has taken place with a bang and noise around the world. The renowned work of American classical music has become synonymous with the jazz age in America over the past century. Piano Street provides a quick overview of the acclaimed composition, including recommended performances and additional resources for reading and listening from global media outlets and radio. Read more >>

Topic: Increase Hand Span- does this works?  (Read 2958 times)

Offline aeongth

  • PS Silver Member
  • Newbie
  • ***
  • Posts: 1
Increase Hand Span- does this works?
on: March 01, 2018, 05:14:03 PM
A friend of mine found this website

https://www.increasehandspan.com
 
I am a short person (5’3”) an would be glad gaining flexibility and moreover increase my hand span. The theory behind these gloves sound pretty plausible but the website looks kinda sketchy, they have a lot of mistakes (grammatical mitstakes) and a lot of spammers . Does anyone have heard of this site? These gloves? Or know anyone who participated in the tests?

Offline beethovenfan01

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 288
Re: Increase Hand Span- does this works?
Reply #1 on: March 01, 2018, 06:15:04 PM
I wouldn't.

It's super expensive, and either it's not worth the money, or else will cause damage to your hands. But seriously, don't. The way I've increased my hand-span from an octave to a tenth just by playing a lot of stuff with octaves and slow, thick chords. Pianists with small hands (like myself) have to be extra-resourceful and creative about how they play big chords (and occasionally with a barely-noticeable half-roll here and there, disguised by a touch of the pedal).

But seriously, if you even have to ask the question "is this legit," it probably isn't.
Practicing:
Bach Chromatic Fantasie and Fugue
Beethoven Sonata Op. 10 No. 1
Shostakovich Preludes Op. 34
Scriabin Etude Op. 2 No. 1
Liszt Fantasie and Fugue on BACH

Offline mjames

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2553
Re: Increase Hand Span- does this works?
Reply #2 on: March 01, 2018, 06:16:09 PM
the one and only thing that'll increase your handspan is puberty, after that it's just a matter making your hands flexible enough to get to wider stretches.

Offline louispodesta

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1077
Re: Increase Hand Span- does this works?
Reply #3 on: March 03, 2018, 12:38:40 AM
A friend of mine found this website

https://www.increasehandspan.com
 
I am a short person (5’3”) an would be glad gaining flexibility and moreover increase my hand span. The theory behind these gloves sound pretty plausible but the website looks kinda sketchy, they have a lot of mistakes (grammatical mitstakes) and a lot of spammers . Does anyone have heard of this site? These gloves? Or know anyone who participated in the tests?
1)  This is a really bad idea for a number of reasons, which I do not want to go into at this time.  If you desire further clarification on this, please contact me by PM.

2)  My Youtube Video addresses the Original Performance Practice of the Composer/Pianists of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th Centuries.  Included in that was Franz Liszt!


3)  Most if not all of Chopin's students were 5' 1" Aristocratic Ladies, who rarely (if ever) practiced.  However, the one thing they did have in common was very small hands.

4)  Therefore, as my video will show, they all rolled/arpeggiated their chords.  In terms of other common performances practices (if you read my reply to Charles Blanchard's response), it will break it down into intricate detail.

Finally, a pianist by the name of J. Brahms, regularly rolled his chords (large and small) in all of his slow passages.  If you want the citation for that, I can send it to you.

Hey, have you ever heard of a pianist name Cortot?  Well, in the extensive notes to his Edition of the Brahms Paganini Variations, he often refers to different methods of articulation/fingerings as they relate to "small hands."

You are not abnormal, and you do not have a problem.  The problem is the almost century's old propaganda associated with large hands.  The late Josef Hoffmann had Steinway build him a special piano because of his supposedly small hands.  That was not necessary.

I, myself can reach an octave, and not much more.  And just today, I was practicing the fourth and five finger trills associated with Variation IV of Book One of the Brahms Paganini Variations.

Thanks for your input.
For more information about this topic, click search below!
 

Logo light pianostreet.com - the website for classical pianists, piano teachers, students and piano music enthusiasts.

Subscribe for unlimited access

Sign up

Follow us

Piano Street Digicert