Can people with small hands become concert pianists?

[@craiver00]

"I have small hands" "I can reach 10th" BRUH WHAT

[@juanjuan5698]

Trust me her hands are small. She literally makes a 180 degree angle to reach with her thumb and pinky. I bet you can't do that.

[@sianide]

@@juanjuan5698i can make 180 degree angle with my thumb and pinky and i can only reach an octave with those fingers.... (at the edge of the key as well....)

[@sianide]

I'll just quit piano fml

[@harrisonpiano8524]

As an advanced pianist (going to Berklee with full tuition covered) , I’ve always struggled with the issue of having small hands. Reaching a 9th is very hard for me. I’d say you don’t really have small hands since you can reach a 10th. I could only dream of that.

[@waggawaggaful]

My best friend was a concert pianist with much smaller hands than mine (I'm only 5'2") and she could reach a 10th. They key is flexibility. You should do the finger stretches mentioned in the video. I'm not exactly surprised that your instructors and fellow students will not give you this advice since I can only imagine how competitive and backstabbing Berklee must be. It was bad enough at the small conservatory at my college. My best friend's primary piano teacher actively tried to undermine her. He favored his male students and was gay. It wasn't fun for the male students to be hit upon. And certainly not fun for the female students to be discouraged. Very sad situation all around.

[@ValkyRiver]

It looks like you need narrower keys... ?

[@phebi._.]

There is still a limit to reaching a tenth for ppl with small hands even if you stretch well. I’ve been stretching for several years and yet the best I can do is reach an octave comfortably and a minor ninth (white keys only) on the sides. My hands are practical 180 degrees straight when I stretch to the max. 🥲

[@thefutureisnow8159]

I agree with this video- never let your hand size limit you- I happen to have a large hand for a female, with a span of 8.3 inches from second finger to 5th and I’ve seen pianists with much smaller hands play way better than me- lol My hero was glen Gould and he had large hands but I was determined to not let my hand size determine how well I play Bach- thanks for posting this and the tips on stretching sounds like good tips

[@justintran3265]

I believe that there should be a piano for small hands by now, and music schools should accommodate students with smaller hands. It’s not fair if you’re born with small hands and forced to play on an invention from people of bigger hands, and feel defeated because you’re straining a lot. I really hope schools will have pianos for these aspiring yet struggling musicians facing this dilemma.

[@rachelrebello4250]

Check out David Steinbuhler in Titusville, Pennsylvania. He makes custom piano keyboards with thinner keys for this exact reason. His keyboards are actually quite affordable !

[@FingersKungfu]

It's indeed a man's world, isn't it (like in James Brown's song). Man builts the piano so women and children can't play with their smaller hands.

[@craiver00]

@@FingersKungfu I guess you haven't seen those young asian prodigies who plays piano at advanced level. As stated on the video both small and big hands have advantages to one another.

[@Ysekai]

@@craiver00 maybe but smaller hands has much more con than pro in piano, let's be real

[@Ysekai]

@@rachelrebello4250 Lionel Yu video is mentioning this guy, I really hope one day it is going to spread for small hands people

[@mercuryli3872]

If you can play a 10th you don't really have small hands... maybe "small" comparing to most concert pianists. The fact is only a small percentage of women could reach a 10th. The majority of women can't reach a 10th no matter how stretched their hands are. I can barely reach an octave. The arch of my hands collapse almost completely when I play the octave as they are stretched to their fullest with my pinky and thumb almost at 180 degrees. Plus just because a person is petite doesn't necessarily mean his/her hands are small. Some petite people have bigger hands comparing to other people of the same height. I'm also about 5'2, but my hands alas barely reach an octave. I think the discussion should be "Can people who barely reach an octave (or can't at all) become concert pianists". I'll be dying to know The current "one-size-fit-all" keyboard is a problem as it's designed for the European male hands! Check out this video from an injured pianist with small hands: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJ-cXpZuo5WEadU

[@ayokay123]

Correct on all accounts!

[@nomorefries3616]

You've said all i want to say. Can hardly reach an octave, and it sounded dirty when i play octave scales

[@virnaalbasi2313]

Amen!

[@charlottehupianist]

Thank you for sharing. The video is very interesting!

[@jocelynleung9376]

I am 150 cm tall and can only reach an octave but really want to play Liszt and Rachmaninov 😭 is that possible

[@clara7517]

After watching carefully, I suspect that my hands are about the same size as Ching-Yun's. She says that she can play a 10th, but pay attention to how she achieves that. Her hands are completely flat, wrists level with the keyboard, fingertips carefully catching the edge of the keys. This is not the same as your average-to-large-handed pianist, being able to casually plop their hand down on a 10th from above. I don't have 180 degree flexibility in my hands. If I did, I suspect that I would also be able to reach a 10th. With my current level of flexibility, I can comfortably play octaves from the edge of the keys but not from straight above. I can also reach an open 9th from black-black or white-white in the left hand only. I learned to play the piano as a small child and took lessons for 11 years. My teacher selected my repertoire very carefully as I grew to ensure that I was never forcing my hands into positions that they were not ready for. Thanks to her, I never felt frustrated or held back by my small hands and I actually loved playing pieces with large chords, when I was finally allowed to try them. I stopped playing after highschool. When I came back to the instrument 15 years later, I finally appreciated how flexible and strong my hands had been. The first time that I tried to play again, I could barely reach an octave, I had lost all of my 8th chords, and the 7th chords were extremely uncomfortable. If I had been an adult, learning the piano for the first time, I would probably have believed that I could barely reach an open octave, and that was never going to change. I wasn't a beginner though and I knew what I had previously been capable of. Regaining my reach was a process that took about 8 months of daily stretching, and relaxation exercises, targeting progressively more difficult chords. I still can't play 9ths most of the time, that is probably not going to change. But I can comfortably handle everything in my octave span without fatigue or strain, which allows my little hands to function on the same level as the hands of much larger pianists.

[@logandavies8008]

She said, "never let another person tell you, you can't do it" Change that to anybody (as in including yourself). If you want to get better, go play!

[@marissasingleton6087]

I am glad that you are able to play the repertoire you want! Unfortunately, although I have engaged in finger stretching exercises of the sort you've described, I cannot and won't ever be able to hit a full octave from the top of the keys. At some point, the physical limitations of individual bodies' hand and wrist structures can be a limiting factor even with stretching. A year ago, I was fortunate to try a Steinway which had been retrofitted with a DS 5.5 keyboard and was comfortably able to reach a 9th. The owner of the piano also has small hands with short fingers like mine, and she said that she had been playing without injury after having her piano retrofitted with the DS 5.5 keyboard. Again, I am glad that you have found success as a concert pianist and teacher!

[@charlottehupianist]

Thank you, Marissa. :) That's a great idea to have a different design of piano to suit smaller hands!

[@MrNoxaskrad]

Another thing is, it is just fine to make slight adjustments to pieces to fit the needs of your hand size. Keep the general jist of the piece but change a large stretch to a more concise version and no one will notice the difference. For example, I'm learning Rhapsody in Blue and it requires a stretch of an octave plus a major third, which is too far for my fingers. I just removed the octave stretch and only play the third. Still sounds great and no one will ever notice the difference. You can play piano music that sounds good no matter what size hands you have, shoot there's an inspiring video out there of a person with severe deformities playing wonderfully. Don't ever limit yourself with beliefs that you can't do something because you are different, instead find a solution that works for you.

[@charlottehupianist]

That's really true and a great advise! I rewrite my fingers all the time. :)

[@tinyhandpianistyejinhan]

This video is encouraging and discouraging at the same time to small hand pianists. You don’t need big hands if you you can reach 10th with small hands or if you can play octaves and big chords comfortably. Unfortunately, majority of small hand pianists grow up not knowing the importance of exercising finger stretches if they want to be able to play big pieces. Avoiding big pieces or choose pieces you can only handle with your hand size? That only discourage your competence being a good pianist or professional concert pianist, what is the point to play piano music if you can only play certain pieces? Or if you want to become a successful concert pianist? You want to offer all kinds of repertoire to your audience not only Mozart, Bach, or just Baroque to Classical period of music. My case, none of my teachers advised me to stretch fingers nor trained me to overcome obstacles due to my small hands, so having good teachers or who cares for small hand students matters too. And it is kind of an insult saying hand size doesn’t matter to people who cannot even play octaves comfortably; it is like saying to 5ft tall people that you should no problem playing basketball because it doesn’t matter how short you are.

[@user-rf8ds3bx8s]

my hand is 9th，and I'm a man. CRYING

[@888-g4h]

Same man. Tho I am only 14, but I don't think I'll get more than 10ths when I grow up

[@anotherfoodvlogger2511]

My hand can reach the most 1 octave

[@catherineb.7461]

@@anotherfoodvlogger2511 same:( and even tho I stretch a lot I have a lot of skin between my fingers,which doesn't allow me to stretch so much😭😭

[@GabsARV]

Same ;-;

[@Dielan91]

Oh man don't worry we are a lot, I also do 9th jeje

[@jiyeonoh9555]

Are you kidding? you can reach 10th notes.

[@AseinCC]

What 10th note means? Like C and E ?

[@bullymaguire6937]

@@AseinCC yes, like lots of tenth in Rachmaninoff

[@AseinCC]

@@bullymaguire6937 oh god it's been 3 weeks? Man, time flies huh? And thanks for the information!

[@watersprint1668]

Is that considered shall hands?

[@lebronsburner9330]

@@watersprint1668 some men can’t reach tenths

[@2inchpianist486]

Elementary schoolers sometimes have bigger hands than me..haha

[@YouTube5vck5]

Being a man who has fairly small hands compared to other men, this really made me not feel too discouraged to play pieces that are easier for people with bigger hands (such as pieces by Rachmaninoff). Thank you for this

[@Piano-Love]

This is such a needed topic to tackle. No one has ever had anything to help me play with small hands.

[@RanBlakePiano]

Wish I could here audio better ,but ideas fabulous!

[@ruma6848]

Thank you for the encouraging video :) I recently started learning a piece with a lot of octaves (my very first). At first I got a lot of cramps in my hands and wrist, but now my hands are stronger, and I can now play it no problem. This just shows that if you train properly and work hard, you can truly learn any piece.

[@eberdiaz6035]

I wish i have hands like you, u havnt small hands at all

[@justin_de_leon]

Maria Joao Pires is a fine example of a concert pianist who has small hands, yet she plays anything she wants. Her Mozart interpretations, as well as the Chopin 3rd Sonata (B Minor) (a titan piece that requires primarily the flexibility of the hand), are absolutely beautiful!

[@epichdsheep]

Did not expect you to bust out the Alkan lol!

[@josephusk2787]

It is a pity that. as an undoubtedly excellent pianist and charming person, your well-meaning video is doing exactly the opposite of what it should. By talking about your 'small hands' and then spanning a tenth, you have immediately alienated countless aspiring pianists, who can just reach an octave or stretch to a ninth, by truly convincing them that they really do have small hands.

[@muminnabil7473]

True, but her hands now are more flexible, maybe she wasn't able to reach a 10th before.

[@vladimirhorowitz6646]

@@muminnabil7473 even if that is the case, she must be able to play a 9th comfortably to be able to reach a 10th after decades of practicing hand stretching, so her hands aren't small at all

[@matthewclarke5008]

Her hands are small but really flexible, it looks the same as being big.

[@vladimirhorowitz6646]

@@matthewclarke5008 no small hand could ever reach a 10th on a standard size piano keyboard, that's actually on the higher end of pianist hand stretch / size range

[@matthewclarke5008]

@@vladimirhorowitz6646 Small and flexible hands can reach large intervals too, not just large hands.

[@RobertAdcock]

Thank you so much Ching-Yun for such wonderful advice. God Bless!!

[@HannaSilver]

Thank you very much for making this video! Your experiences you shared are so helpful! :)

[@bcastromusic]

Your hands aren't small. It's true you can't be a concert pianist w/ small hands, you will not have the consistency and can't play certain pieces at speed (large chords & spanning arpeggios). Ask me how I know. I have all the training, technique, knowledge, & performance degrees but my hands are small. I can play most pieces no problem but there's quite a few I would never play in concert.

[@tintianoTV]

I needed this. Thanks a lot!

[@Sitbon08]

Thank you for sharing your story. Have you ever been injured through stretching? One of the key principles of the Taubman approach is to avoid stretching and using the finger/hand/forearm as a unit. So it is always interesting to see other points of view on this topic.

[@epichdsheep]

Stretching is healthy. You literally get perscribred hand excercises if you have carpal tunnel syndrome or other hand injuries. Banging big keys for hours on end is much more dangerous, and if you can make that less strenous on your hand through hand excercises, that's a good thing. Stretching and strength training your hand will over time change the entire frame of your hand, open it up, and make your fingers more wide set so that you can not only reach further but play dense chords as well. My hands are proof of that.

[@annies.2795]

5:15.. This made me start crying. Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement!

[@kawaiibunny4569]

I have been playing piano for almost 9 years and until 6 months ago I couldn’t even reach an octave.

[@yamakawa511]

Great attitude and great advice. Y

[@charlottehupianist]

Thank you! :)

[@annies.2795]

Amazing! Thank you so so so much! I really needed this 💚

[@Doringin]

Thank you for the advice.

[@ludwig4029]

so blessed to be able to reach an *assisted* 12th idk why my hands are so big for my height, i'm only 5'5"

[@JohannPetrak]

To me the last advice is the most important: the repertoire is so vast, especially when one includes the literally thousands of great pieces of lesser known composers, that there is always more to play than one can ever cram in a single lifetime, even when ignoring all the pieces which include impossible chords. Because I think there are pieces which are simply not playable (well) by small hands: a 10th chord that requires you to get into a mix of white and black keys and which cannot be broken or even larger chords some composers are asking for: if the effort or necessary compromise becomes too extreme, just ignore it and play something different, if possible. And yes, I am proof that one can have small hands even with a tall body ...

[@randlyons7278]

Your message is as beautiful as you. Thank you.

[@keithbarrett7]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[@allison210]

You are clearly very talented and have worked hard, that's great. You seem very nice and well-intentioned. But as others have said, it's unfortunately discouraging that your 'small' hands can reach a 10th. I wish I could comfortably reach an octave, and it makes me feel frustrated and defeated every time I try to play pieces with octaves, which is just about every piece. I wish there were more options for people with hands like mine. We definitely need more accessible alternate sized keyboards. It would make me so happy if I could just comfortably play an octave.

[@Guidussify]

A perfectly acceptable way to get around 10th chords is to break them up. If it's done well many people won't notice. Valentina Lisitsa clearly breaks the left hand chords (F-Ab) in the opening bars of Rachmaninov's 2nd in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5fFY4eoh5iId9E&ab_channel=ValentinaLisitsa

[@robbgregorrichard1009]

I am 5'3" and have also small hands. To describe them accurately: They could fit a size 6 pair of gloves in terms of high but size S/M in terme of width. After 6 month learning piano, I can say that I can now reach an octave, but not more. Let's see over time how it is. It is also true that small hands need more finger strength, at least in my expérience. It seems that it is a way to compensate. As a result, I am very vigilent on the type of action key, especially that now, I want to upgrade to a better digital piano. Another thing: I would really like to hear if you have some more advice for stretching fingers independantly.

[@audrey1358]

I love playing the piano, but my right hand just reaches an octave (barely, I have to really stretch it), so it touches a lot of notes and also gets sore easily with pieces that have octaves. Can your hands reach an octave comfortably? If not, how do you manage to play octaves in precision?

[@verysmoky3605]

Yeah, a hand that can reach a 10th is, for your demographic, definitely above average. I think a 10th would already be average for a European male. You should be able to handle most romantic repertoire without breaking chords with that stretch. It's important to make this clear because not doing so will give people a skewed impression of the size or their hands relative to the rest of the population.

[@matt566]

More important question. Can people with flimsy hands from connective tissue disorders or just generally weak hands become concert pianists? That one seems more like a resounding no than hand size.

[@cariboux2]

Thank you!

[@SarahRoseStiles]

I like the encouragement here, and that we should be careful of what we believe about ourselves. One can experiment with technique. On the other hand, it might be true that some small hands have fewer options or solutions, as some people's cartilage is naturally less flexible than other's, such as those who are hyper mobile, which will play into whether stretches can make a difference. Palm length and finger length can make a difference too. What ever experimenting we try with small hands, we hope it does not lead to injury.

[@PianoTortuga]

Inflexible, stiff fingers is also a problem, if you cannot comfortably reach a major third with fingers 2-3, 3-4, or 4-5, for example, or a major sixth with fingers 2-5, etc, you will struggle more with most repertoire, the less flexible your fingers the more awkward it becomes... however this does not mean one should quit, just have to work smarter, pick your repertoire wisely.. there are tricks for small handed pianists, you don't have to hold on to the notes, don't have to play everything legato, you can use creative fingering, adjust your interpretation to what you can do comfortably, if it is too awkward dropping a note here and there, or rearranging the piece slightly will go unnoticed, you can also use one hand to help the other, use more wrist motion, be more mindful about technique... in the worst case scenario one only has to play slower than standard tempos, which is a good opportunity to come up with a cool new interpretation... so maybe you cannot play Chopin etudes fast but you can still play them in a way that's interesting and convincing!

[@AlSween]

Thank you so much.

[@rcc3574]

Ching-Yun Hu, thanks for your useful suggestions, and especially the important message to believe in ourselves, even when others may discourage us. You are wonderful!

[@CelinnaMawar]

I can only play 8ve from the edge...and I'm a piano performance graduate. It's giving me a hard time. I can't play the pieces I want. If my hands are bigger I don't have to spend so much time working on relaxation and flexibility.

[@vladimirhorowitz6646]

For your information, Cziffra had to roll a 10th chord while playing Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 so your hands aren't small at all

[@pianotimes6476]

Very helpful video. Which student was it that you mentioned at 1:14? Hsiaohan? Sirapat? Huiping?

[@charlottehupianist]

You would have to guess! :)

[@kathleenbarrett5373]

I can see from your video that your fingers are quite a bit longer than mine (obvious from looking at the pinky--I'm only 4'11'" with really tiny hands and feet--and see from the comments that there are people whose hands may be even smaller than mine ), but I started playing at the age of 5 and was also told to stretch my hands. I can open them so that the thumb and pinky are almost parallel but can still only reach a ninth, and that is with tension. I was a piano performance major and was told that I had to drop out with only 10 credits to go because "my hands were too small to play the required material for my senior recital." My teacher had taught me to play differently than I'd been playing my whole life, however, so I am able to play things I never could have without that instruction. This includes a lot of reliance on pedaling to achieve a legato effect without actually playing legato with my fingers. I love what you say about the vast repertoire. I have gotten to the point where I am now simply attempting things my hands can manage without causing me all kinds of physical pain. Your playing, as shown briefly in this video, is amazing, and I am so glad you refused to believe you could not play.

[@jasminewong6474]

Thank you for the video! You talked about strong individual fingers and that’s what I needed most, could you share with us on how to train them in the next videos perhaps? Thank you!

[@charlottehupianist]

Thank you for your comment, Jasmine. We will try to make a video about finger strength. Stay tuned!

[@charlottehupianist]

I have finally gotten around to make a video about training individual fingers! Hope you find it useful. Here it is: bit.ly/2xG1WYT

[@yvonnetria7301]

You inspire me. I also have small hands. Your tips will help me. Thank you so much!

[@artoriasaber7606]

Thanks so much for your sharing. I have a question here. As many of us are already adults, is it still useful to practice strench our hands? :)

[@a124947]

Alkan...awesome!

[@charlottehupianist]

Thanks! :)

[@haelscheirs_haven]

@@charlottehupianist I was also quite surprised to hear a pianist on a "random piano video" break out into Le Festin d'Esope, but I guess it really works in this context. And here I am at 5'7" with pretty "big" hands still "only" able to reach tenths by the tips of the keys. Presently hoping to learn Liszt's Sonata in time for his birthday and Alkan's Symphony in time for his for which I have long had the first movement in my hands.

[@modernmozart813]

I have small hands I have trouble as always for playing Chopin’s compositions.😓😓

[@mooneulogy8717]

i have relatively large hands (can stretch to 11th) and the 4th ballade's intro is really uncomfortable. cant imagine playing it with smaller hands

[@yueyuanliang4263]

Thank you for your video encouragement❤️❤️❤️

[@danicazaramusic]

My hands and fingers are incredibly tiny. Never met a person my age who has hands smaller than me. But I've been playing piano for about 10 or so years (and some other instruments) so my hands are quite flexible. I can only reach an octave and just about a 9th if I try really hard but I think being able an octave is fine for me.i haven't really had much problems with pieces bc of the size of my hands tho. But recently I've been getting severe cramps in my left pinkie bc I can't properly bend my pinkie when playing octaves because of the stretch. And I'm double jointed I think in my pinkie so the one joint will literally just get stuck sometimes and I can't move it which is very scary. But this has only been happening recently. Might go to a doctor or my teacher?? Idk

[@terraseamapping823]

i can barely reach from C to D i think its called a 9th im not sure. for some reason im struggling more with moonlight sonata 1st movement than the first part of turkish march.

[@GabrielaOliveira-uc4qw]

My hands are very smal. I can do one octave and really strength, so when i try some songs i get really discouraged, but thaks for the tips!

[@yemachi]

I'm learning Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement, and i realized my hands are too small. I can't reach G# and A at the same time. What do i do now?

[@charlottehupianist]

Yelena_M Try rolling the notes or adding wrist rotation. In another word, making up the hand stretch with faster hand speed. Also, playing closer to the tip of black keys might help. Good luck with your piece!

[@yemachi]

@@charlottehupianist Thank you so much!

[@Gjermund-Sivertsen]

Reaching the 10th is very different from C to E, compared to B to D#. I've got short fingers but now have ordered a special keyboard at 5.5 inches (normal size is 6.5 on an octave). I sincerely believe there should be more keyboard sizes available. It's a no-brainer. At least it should be! There are manufacturers who produce narrower keyboards out there. Look them up!

[@logannslm1593]

Indeed, especially since the keys used to be narrower at Liszt/Chopin's time. I can comfortably reach a ninth, but yesterday I played on a fantastic 1926 Erard piano (Liszt's favorite brand) and I could reach quite normally a tenth. Today an octave is 18cm but back then it was 16cm...

[@FingersKungfu]

Could you tell me from what manufacturer you ordered the 5.5-size keyboard? My hands can play a 10th but only at the tip of fingers. A 5.5-size key board may actually be too small. I think 6-inch octave would be perfect.

[@Gjermund-Sivertsen]

@@FingersKungfu Steinbuhler

[@Hvranq]

It is very simple to replace the keyboard of a piano. There is no logic reason for only one standard size especially if it is based on exceptional large hands.

[@mcrettable]

Can you play chopin black keys etude?

[@charlottehupianist]

I can :)

[@PianistStefanBoetel]

I suppose small hands are better for velocity in passages.

[@charlottehupianist]

That's true. Such as Chopin Etude, Op. 10, No. 2!

[@domberta7825]

Many, many thanks from a small-hand pianist!

[@ftnhungpiano]

The video is very misleading and isn’t useful for small handed pianists at all. You have huge hands for an Asian female, probably within top 5% of the Asian female population. A 10th while not large among pianists is more than enough to play 99% of concert repertoire comfortably. As an Asian male myself not even half of the men I know can reach a 10th.

[@johnlobello1007]

how do i increase speed

[@Ysekai]

Piano manufactures still don't produce smaller piano like 5.0" or 6.0" instead of 6.5" octave I can barely reach a ninth (if I play the note one by one) and my sister only eighth, all people talk about is small hand but our hand can only stretch so far... But piano can be made much more smaller

[@teddytaffy4574]

14, 5’2 can reach a tenth very stretched in set up conditions, if asking me to play in music I could only reach a 9th, I cannot play consecutive octaves very well but I have not had my growth spurt (I’m a boy). I don’t know if I can be good if I can barely play octaves in succession

[@teddytaffy4574]

16, 5'8 same hand size 😂

[@velcroman11]

When I was in high school, a very long time ago, I remember girls doing just that stretching activity. I thought they had some sort of anxiety problem. Maybe they where actually doing finger stretches.

[@vladislavmatiusenco1089]

Small hands matter!!!

[@PianoHsiang]

妳舉的例子好棒，蕭邦的Op.10-1 第31小節我就很希望我手能在大一點....

[@lyrafiel76]

Thanks for this video; please make another, on how to develop individual finger strength.

[@charlottehupianist]

I have finally gotten around to make a video about training individual fingers! Hope you find it useful. Here it is: bit.ly/2xG1WYT

[@mandii91gates]

Whatever. Those aren't small hands. All you people out there complaining you have small hands, try being 29 years old, 4'8 and have a 4 yr old sibling who's hands are barely a few centimeters away from getting bigger than yours!!

[@3rr0r.4.0.4]

I love paino and can stretch two notes only and after awhile it hurts bad it make some sad cuz I love piano soooo much

[@xiaofan1020]

Do you know what small really mean? Im 38 years old, wear kids size 2 shoes, my hands can NEVER reach 8th no matter what, no way. There are tons of people tell me that you can strech it out, but what they talk about is how to reach from 9-10, or 10-11, I don't expect much, but just reach the 8th, but no way no way no way, unless I go hospital to cut it ope. there are so many songs I love I can not play, which is such a pity. Most people really don't know what "small hands" means

[@metteholm4833]

I´m 5,3 with hand size 7 - 7,5 - I stretch a 9th (and a 10th from the edge) and have to mind my left thumb, that is prone to collaps in the knuckle (ouch), but it is getting stronger. Chopin (ballad 2) has changed my hands, so I suddenly have to re-learn things, i have learned before. My stretch is better, my tools are more effecient. It is all about not overdoing difficult stretches too long, avoid injuries. Time-limited, but good efforts every day is the thing.

[@trashboat2687]

I have problems playing octaves but I feel like I’m getting better. I just don’t want to over stretch my hand like Shumann and not be able to play ever again!

[@southpark5555]

There actually is another solution, and I'm sure that it can be done. Big hands can also be a problem too. So this means ----- if possible, they should design the size of piano or ---- in particular --- the size (width) of keys on the piano. Basically ---- design the size of the piano (or whatever it takes) to suit a person. It's like fitting somebody with customised sports shoes, or customised tennis racquets, or ice skates. Even setting up a car for a racing driver ---- requires customised dimensions for seats, and other hardware. Now --- getting back to the piano. If somebody happens to have large width fingers, then it can be impossible to get their finger in between black keys and white keys (if they needed). Where-as people having thinner width fingers can do it easily. So this is where piano key-width customisation could address certain issues. Although - there is always one real-world issue to address, which is that pianos are generally made of some sort of 'standard' size --- at least in terms of key width etc.

[@alisacs_f.l1312]

If you Can play octaves Yes, or instaed of that play it Like an arpeggio(?

[@diwu4148]

谢谢胡老师的分享。我也被老师讲过手小。

[@diwu4148]

Thank you so much for talking about this crucial topic for almost everyone who is learning the piano Professor Hu. Do you think the stretching method also works for people who are older? Let’s say 30 and above?

[@charlottehupianist]

Stretching, for any part of our body, is always good to do, no matter what age we are. Naturally, it should be done in moderation. Hope this helps!

[@alterratz665]

@@charlottehupianist Than you for this inspirational video Ching-Yun. Could you maybe make a video on how to stretch ones hands without injury. I would like to try this too. As a male I have relatively small hands. I can barely reach a 10th from the side of the keyboard, however I think my (miserable) piano playing would benefit from stretching my fingers and hands.

[@seongtaek84]

Dully noted to stretch hands and fingers whenever possible

[@hoho_620]

Ah, playing 8.5 keys is my maximum But I can play La campanella

[@soyemilybello]

I can barely reach an octave...

[@regmonmusic]

Peace and blessings!

[@charlottehupianist]

Thank you! :)

[@sparrowdart565]

I'm 5'1 ¾ too and I have small and kind of chubby fingers and hands too and I really want to play a piano. All my fingers are pretty strong because of construction work and sports...I really want to play.

[@alisacs_f.l1312]

Yes

[@ronankenny8719]

I can reach a 9th lol. Hopefully my hands can grow a little more, but for now it's hard

[@cwywinnie]

How if ones having very small hands cant reaching 10th

[@Alexx16Z]

Hi, I am very disappointed with myself, I am 1.60cm (5.3' I think) and I can barely reach 9th notes and I want one day to play Rach2...

[@saulemaybekmakhan5119]

You literally saved my dream!😅😘😘❤️❤️❤️💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

[@ayokay123]

Too bad that you don't demonstrate your reach of the various keys in this video. All you demonstrate is your stretching at the front side of the keys.

[@logannslm1593]

I'm a man, 176cm and we have the same hands. 😂 I'm comfortable with a ninth but can only reach a tenth by stretching my fingers on the edge of the keyboard. Hopefully it becomes easier with time and that I'll be able to use it in a piece, while in movement. Great video!

[@my2l]

I'm 182 can only reach an octave lol

[@15_sdtm_bernardusegga53]

Im 179 and can reach 9th, but 10th is so uncomfortable.

[@logannslm1593]

@@15_sdtm_bernardusegga53 While Lang Lang is 1.79 and can reach a 12th. So unfair. 🤣

[@FingersKungfu]

I am only 162 cm or 5 foot 4 inch tall (a man) and can reach the 10th at the edge of the Key (left hand easier than the right). I used to think that my hands are small because I'm a short person. I imagine that if I'm 178 cm (5' 11") tall I would be able to play a 10 like how I play a ninth. But I guess people's hands are unique to themselves. There is no rule that you have to be this and this tall to be able to play piano comfortably. Men's hands can rech more notes because our palms are wider than women's, so we can spread more widely.

[@leonardocoari678]

i think i have your same hands, but i'm a man and i'm 165 cm tall, i can barely reach a 10th (only to the white keys) and i can reach quite well a 9th

[@GabrielLeni]

Brilliant

[@Anne-sd1pu]

thank you for this video, it really encouraged me, although i have way smaller hands than you, they are very flexibel aswell, I can reach a 9th just like you can reach a 10th, with a lot of stretching.

[@pakiaoo7]

In my case I have big hands but very stiff, Im working on my flexibility

[@hazelnutcase357]

The dream of becoming a concert pianist is impossible for someone with a stretch of an octave or less, it even makes it impossible to play other instruments as well. The expectation is to be able to play chords as written and not to roll them. The flashiest pieces have stretches that require large hands and the audience will pay to hear them. A smaller piano will just entice composers to write even bigger chords. Modification and embellishments should be at the forefront so we hear musicians individuality and talent. Computers already play pieces without regard to hand size, number of fingers and instrument range. Nothing is stopping someone building an android that is capable of playing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto number 2 as written. If audience expectation doesn't change we will be hearing the same pieces over and over with meticulous accuracy - boring or we won't know if it is a real person at the keyboard. I wouldn't out my concert pianist was an android - that's discrimination. I look forward to a future with performers, not humanoid parrots.

[@RoseCadenza]

Thank you for this! I'm going to be learning to play piano this fall, and I have very small hands. I can currently reach octaves, but it's kind of hard without my thumb and/or pinky touching other keys while doing so.

[@danicazaramusic]

If u can reach an octave you're set! I can just about reach an octave and have never really had too much problems with songs. Just practice hard and don't lose motivation! It's very rewarding finally learning a song. Good luck :) Edit: just realised you posted this a year ago lol. How's piano working out for u?

[@RoseCadenza]

@@danicazaramusic The piano has been going great actually. I've been learning a lot and have really improved since one year ago. I've been doing more hand stretches. So, reaching octaves isn't much of a problem anymore. But I've been enjoying it so much. Even after I'm done with classes for the two years, I wanna continue playing because I enjoy it so much. But thank you for asking!

[@danicazaramusic]

@@RoseCadenza that's awesome!! Glad you're enjoying it☺️

[@tiempoimplacable]

@@RoseCadenza Hi! it's great youre able to play octaves now, any progress towards reaching 10ths?

[@RoseCadenza]

@@tiempoimplacable No. I honestly forgot about stretching my fingers, and I can barely reach 9ths right now. I'd love to be able to reach 10ths though. That would be amazing! Reaching octaves would be so much easier then.

[@AmyiReport]

I am only 5 feet tall and I am sure my hands are way smaller than yours. I can't even reach an octave, luckily playing piano is only my hobby.

[@陳建佑-g4n]

#胡瀞云 大鋼琴家，加油！