Pro Piano Tips for Small Hands

[@juanjuan5698]

I'm an amateur male pianist with small hands too :(. You're example of op 25 no 1 though is a piece where you are encouraged to roll your hands for fluidity. It doesn't require you to hold a tenth or many consecutive ninths. I've always found op 25 no 1 an easy and relaxing piece once you get the rolling of your hands down. However there are some other etudes for example, in op 25 no 5 where you have to actually hold down keys which are far away. It's so frustrating, because I can play op 25 no 2, op 25 no 11...etc without too much problem, but I find it difficult to play anything where you actually have to hold down keys. I even find the octaves on alla turca uncomfortable for god's sake.

[@ryropiano]

That bend at the knuckle, with a pivot point on the 2 or 3 finger, creates a much more natural "arc" motion in the wrist that alleviates a lot of tension throughout the arm. Better to create smooth and comfortable motions between the intervals as opposed to stretching unnecessarily to cover the whole chord and eliminate movement. Great tip for everyone, larger hands included. Relying on bad, tension-inducing technique just because your hand is large enough to compensate is still a path to injury eventually.

[@hi-uz9kg]

Thanks

[@Sitbon08]

I strongly advocate that we should never…ever…stretch the fingers apart beyond their ‘natural range of motion’ when playing, especially if you have a small hand. USA based piano pedagogue Dorothy Taubman’s spoke about many helpful concepts including the ‘walking hand and arm’ to help us move across the keys laterally and to minimise stretching. If you must stretch to warmup, stretch without playing, the same as you wouldn’t try to stretch whilst running! Always expand the fingers ‘from the palm’ allowing them to release into their natural hand shape as much as possible, the same as when the hand is hanging by your side.

[@unacuentadeyoutube13]

do you have any sources I can read/watch so I have a deeper grasp about the 'correct way' to deal with this?

[@ST52655]

I wholeheartedly agree.

[@lord.d1_]

I started playing the piano when I was 5. At 7 years old, I began learning octaves. And it's painful shit I had to go through, that my hands were sooooo frickin small (comparing to you today and 7 year old me)

[@numbercrunched]

That was very useful thank you❤

[@ValkyRiver]

Are you aware of PASK and David Steinbuhler (narrow keyboards)?

[@AxelMasbud]

So helpful, thank you!

[@NodesBender]

Thank you this really helped me play the left hand of für Elise thanks 😅

[@fara.r.8181]

Nice tip, just I have an accuracy problem by doing that

[@julestburt]

Hello. Great video - very interesting ideas! May I ask what your hand span measurement is from thumb to pinkie when outstretched? For reference mine is 7.75", so I have quite small hands for a man, in fact smaller than the average woman! :-) Watching from North Vancouver, Canada. Regards, Jules.

[@chlhpua]

Hey! Thanks

[@soemthng]

very kool ty

[@lazyguy3555]

Those reddish, slightly bulbous fingertips mean your Qi is getting all the way to your fingertips. You can see that in Taiji and Qigong masters.

[@dkant4511]

You are sooo beautiful. Not even here for the information lol

[@soda13a]

crazy

[@Blue-sl1th]

OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I’m trying to play Lost and Icarus by Tony Ann and when I tell you the struggle was real (like I thought they would fall of atp💀) 🫶🏽🫶🏽