I read the small hands post on the Student message board and it made me wonder how far people can stretch on piano. I can stretch from C to E, I just wondered what everyone else is like.

well, it depends if anything comes between! I can also reach c to e but if there are certain notes in between this can become a struggle! At the end of the day, stretch is not that important unless you what to play Rachmaninov who had huge hands!!! Depending on the music, a large gap can be bridged using the sustain pedal and separating the notes slightly.....if played well can sound good, and you could also call this 'your interpretation' of the piece of music Basically small hands are no problem...its making the pieces you can reach sound good that counts!!!

C to D, C to C in complex chords.

But I don't take exams, only accompany, so it's never a problem, and so I can still blag my way through anything!

I can reach a 9th if there is nothing in between.
For some chords of more than 3 notes an octave is not possible (unless i miss out notes.

For real maximum stretches you need to know the following

thumb to final finger (an octave for me)

thumb to index (5th)
index to middle (4th)
middle to 4th (third)
4th to final (third)

So then you can see that even at best, without moving my hand at much on C the best I could do while always having one finger on a key (and not changing) as a broken chord without moving is C,D,C,E,G

I can stretch up to a 9th but then again thats a function of hand size and practice. Stretching is good practice for pianists because some pieces require you to play 6ths or even up to an octave, especially if you do jazz piano. I found the best practice was to but Hanon's book of practice pieces its called "Hanon The Virtuoso Pianist in sixty exercises for the piano;" its excellent for developing not only stretching but equal strength in all fingers and speed. Try it, you'll like it!!!!

I can just reach an octave!! Only when I havent got any other chords in between though!! For my grade 8, I did Beethovens Allegro in F minor and the chords at the end were a nightmare!!E.g- G-Eflat-G!! Almost impossible for me!! I just normally arpeggiate everything.

I can stretch a ninth - but that's about the limit.

maggie

I can stretch a 9th, but one of my adult male students can stretch an 11th!

His hands are massive and he has great trouble getting his fingers inbetween the black notes when he tries to play some chords.

I've told him to try and twist his hand slightly so that he is playing more on the side of each finger. Not ideal and after a while his wrist hurts.

I can't think of an alternative method

Trouble with stretching is that in adults there is not so much you can do without causing injury. Even with those who begin to learn piano as teenagers there is reduced capacity for stretching.

I can just about get a 9th with a few notes in between. But in Mozart's sonata in A major (variation 3) you have to play 8ve notes fairly quickly after each other like this( C, B,A, B, C etc)!!!! I cant do that!!!!!

I can stretch an octave. I've always envy people who are able to reach mpre than an octave and can play successive octaves beautifully. luckily there are still tons of beautiful music that don't require big hands.

In addition to what has been said could I make a few suggestions?

I can stretch a ninth comfortably in both hands and can sometimes just about make a tenth!

When playing chords there are certain 'tricks' to bear in mind

a) Remember that your thumb can play two black or white notes beside each other (e.g. Db and Eb or G and A etc.
Additionally, for those who can almost stretch a tenth, remeber that your thumb can play two black notes a third apart e.g. Bb, Db Gb, Bb, Db can be played with the thumb taking the Bb and Db and the fingers the rest of the notes in the right hand (this also applies to the left but the other way round)

it's also possible to use the thumb to play a black and a white note together. e.g in the Rachmaninoff prelude in D there is a chord in the RH of C#, D, A and C#. The thumb, by aiming for the side corner of the black note can play the C# and D together making this chord much easier than fingering it 1,2,4,5 or spreading it etc.

Hope some of this helps

I can stretch a 9th

QUOTE (Natalie @ Mar 8 2004, 08:44 PM)

But in Mozart's sonata in A major (variation 3) you have to play 8ve notes fairly quickly after each other like this( C, B,A, B, C etc)!!!!

I agree with you on that one!

I can stretch a tenth. C-E

with my first and 2nd i can reach c-a and with my 1st and 5th i can reach d (the one after the one after middle c(if that makes any sence))

t dles
love sarah
xxx

I can strech a 9th and an occasional 10th if i move to the edge of the keys

i normally can get a 9th... but sometimes a 10th.... it depends really

liebe_klavier

I can strech from C - E, but I'm more comfotable with a 9th or an octave.

c to e..

I can stretch a 10th.
thumb-1, index-2, middle-3, ring-4, little-5
1-2:8th
1-3:9th
1-4:9th
1-5:10th
2-3:5th
2-4:6th
2-5:8th
3-4:5th
3-5:7th
4-5:5th
I know a friend that can stretch a 11th easily.

i can stretch the maximum 9th...
but usually i can only play an octave
(my hands are too small)

I can tell someone is going to hate me for this
again 1= thumb 2= index 3 = middle 4=ring 5=pinky
1-5:12
1-4:12
1-3:11
1-2:10

Wow! How is that possible? 10 with your thumb and index?!

I can reach a 9th, just, but an octave is more comfortable. I've been practising consecutive octaves a lot recently

I can comfortably reach a ninth, and I can get a tenth at a stretch! I've tried an eleventh, and it's just so uncomfortable!!!

I can stretch slightly further in my left hand and I can stretch from C to F the next octave up (11th) but comfortably a 10th.

Annetta

10 keys... but comfortably 9 keys

ShArOn

If there is nothing between, I reach with my left hand from C to E and with my right hand from C to D.

A similar thing happens with me too. I can do a 9th comfortably with my left hand, but though it's manageable with my right hand, I'm not actually going to be able to play it in a piece. Does anyone know why this happens?

an octave comfortably - + 1 more note if I stretch a lot

I can reach about a 9th with both hands

A 9th comfortably, and a 10th with a bit of effort. It kind of improves with time I think though. (I recall when I could barely stretch an octave!)

~Wobby~

I used to find it difficult to even play an octave, but now I can comfortably manage a ninth.

7th, and SOMETIMES a octave in the left hand if it's one of the black keys

A 10th with both hands, but brobably not if it was in a piece. I have played pianos which have slightly narrower keys and found a 10th quite easy and could maybe stretch to an 11th.
My mum used to call me ET when I was little because of my unusually long fingers!

Realistically, just an octave. I find it uncomfortable beyond an octave....

A 10th comfortably, almost an 11th!

A 9th, just about.

Car Expert

Same here.

a 10th on a good day - if I have been playing a lot- but comfortably [and realistically] a 9th

For octaves, try a rag (also keeps the piano clean - bad joke)

I can do a tenth comfortably and an 11th with less ease.

Debussy's prelude "La Fille aux Chevaux de Lin" has an "impossible" chord in bar 6 (and others in bars 13, 14, 16 etc.) where to play it as written you would have to reach a 12th with sufficient ease to be able to play other notes in between with the other fingers: When I first came to that chord I put the music away and went and had a nice cup of tea and a lie down. When I went back to it I thought it through something like this:

"It looks impossible, and yet people play it so it can't be. Therefore, since it is possible to play it, I just need to work out how".

I looked up the piece on the internet, along with references to Debussy's pedalling technique (since he doesn't usually mark much) and tried out a variety of "arpeggiations" and "pedallings" (there's no such thing as a noun that can't be verbed, and vice versa!) until I found one I was happy with. Now I can do the whole piece, impossible chords and all. I don't know if Debussy would like it, but it works for me and he isn't going to complain! Someday soon I shall play it to my teacher and no doubt have it deconstructed all over again.

ditto, if i try playing one note above, i end up touching right at the bottom of the keys with the tips of my fingers, so i don't push down other notes by accident. quite uncomfortable.

I recall learning Fugue 20 from Bach's WTC, where at the end there's an A held across several bars. Ideally, one would use a harpsichord with a pedal board, but in the absence of this, if I recall the suggestion in the commentary was to get a friend to hold the note . I managed to find a solution involving the sostenuto pedal .

Excellent LOL

I can play a chord with a 10th in both hands, i.e.

1 2 4 5
c g c e

Without the inner notes I can play an 11th and catch a 12th.