How (un)comfortable is this to play?

[n0tagreatusername]

Hi all, I'm wondering if you could tell me how possible/comfortable this is to play? Particularly the 2nd & 3rd chords.

I can reach the notes myself on the piano but my ring/index finger end up at the top of the piano key which makes it hard to actually press down. Just wondering whether a good pianist would have issues with those chords.

Quarter note = 50bpm

Thank you!

[thalbergmad]

Rather depends on the morphology and size of your hands as well as the action of your instrument. I take your point about the ring finger on the 2nd chord. I don't see anyway around this, but it wouldn't prove problematic to a good pianist. A weak 4th finger is more likely to hinder those who haven't got a few years practise under their belts.

It gave me no problems and I am pretty crap.

Thal

[j_tour]

Those second and third chords are pretty gnarly.

The only way I can figure out how play them is almost "diving" from above, like into a swimming pool, with the tips of my fingers "landing" pretty close to the fallboard.

I wouldn't be able to play these at a fast tempo, or at least not easily.

The short answer is:  for me, it's rather uncomfortable.  But I probably wouldn't be enraged enough to take a black felt pen and scribble vulgarities across the notes on the score.

However, I'm not any great pianist:  sort of middle-of-the-pack, at best.  Good but limited in some ways.

[perfect_pitch]

Where the heck did you get that score from??? PLEASE tell me it was NOT musescore...



 

[ranjit]

I personally don't find the chords uncomfortable. As thalbergmad says, it depends a lot on your hand morphology.

If you can reach the notes, maybe try and play it with a slight clenching motion (idk how else to describe it). Your wrist goes slightly higher and forward while playing it, without any tension in the hand. Imagine the cartwheel that you would do with your hand if you wanted to play C#-G#-C#-G# in quick succession.

But it will only be really effortless if you have the hand size and structure for it. In addition to having reasonably large hands, you will need to be able to have enough space between the ring finger and pinky, especially in the left hand for the second chord.

[n0tagreatusername]

Where the heck did you get that score from??? PLEASE tell me it was NOT musescore...



 

It is indeed MuseScore but the music is something I'm writing. I can't actually tell what abhors you more... the fact that I notated this using MuseScore or the music itself haha

[n0tagreatusername]

Rather depends on the morphology and size of your hands as well as the action of your instrument. I take your point about the ring finger on the 2nd chord. I don't see anyway around this, but it wouldn't prove problematic to a good pianist. A weak 4th finger is more likely to hinder those who haven't got a few years practise under their belts.

It gave me no problems and I am pretty crap.

Thal

Thank you

[perfect_pitch]

I don't mind people writing music, it's just Musescore has a reputation of people putting up incredibly dodgy arrangements of other peoples music. I once saw a piece of music with like 15 leger lines in treble clef.

It's not the music itself. I just hate Musescore because you'll get students who want to play pieces which they get for free, usually in the wrong time signature and not starting on the right beat or with the right key signature either.

As a teacher, it's a pain in my arse.

[n0tagreatusername]

Those second and third chords are pretty gnarly.

The only way I can figure out how play them is almost "diving" from above, like into a swimming pool, with the tips of my fingers "landing" pretty close to the fallboard.

I wouldn't be able to play these at a fast tempo, or at least not easily.

The short answer is:  for me, it's rather uncomfortable.  But I probably wouldn't be enraged enough to take a black felt pen and scribble vulgarities across the notes on the score.

However, I'm not any great pianist:  sort of middle-of-the-pack, at best.  Good but limited in some ways.

Good to know. The tempo is quite slow (Quarter note = 50bpm) so it should be ok. In all honesty, I'd be willing to drop the G in the LH and the G# in the RH if it came to it

[n0tagreatusername]

I personally don't find the chords uncomfortable. As thalbergmad says, it depends a lot on your hand morphology.

If you can reach the notes, maybe try and play it with a slight clenching motion (idk how else to describe it). Your wrist goes slightly higher and forward while playing it, without any tension in the hand. Imagine the cartwheel that you would do with your hand if you wanted to play C#-G#-C#-G# in quick succession.

But it will only be really effortless if you have the hand size and structure for it. In addition to having reasonably large hands, you will need to be able to have enough space between the ring finger and pinky, especially in the left hand for the second chord.

Thanks

[n0tagreatusername]

I don't mind people writing music, it's just Musescore has a reputation of people putting up incredibly dodgy arrangements of other peoples music. I once saw a piece of music with like 15 leger lines in treble clef.

It's not the music itself. I just hate Musescore because you'll get students who want to play pieces which they get for free, usually in the wrong time signature and not starting on the right beat or with the right key signature either.

As a teacher, it's a pain in my arse.

Ah yes I've come across those unplayable arrangements before... the best ones are disco tunes like the Bee Gees haha

[anacrusis]

It depends on how big hands you have! I know some pianists who wouldn't be able to reach some of those chords, who would have to leave some of the notes out to play it. I have rather average hands but I can manage them, even if the largest ones are a bit stretchy!