When you can't reach the piano, use this

Have you ever been playing the piano and suddenly felt like you couldn't reach something?

This time, I would like to introduce some methods that you should put into practice in such a case.

Everyone's hand shape is different

Of course, there are individual differences in the shape of people's hands.

Some people, when they open their hands to the limit, can reach G, an octave higher than C on the keyboard. (I'm sure there will be more in the future) People with large hands may be very lucky when it comes to playing the piano.

Not only the size of the hands themselves, but also the length of the fingers vary from person to person. If you are able to spread your finger widely from your thumb to the tip of your little finger, you will have no difficulty moving the keys or playing chords with many notes.

But not everyone is like that. Of course, there are some people whose limit is G, which is the closest to C on the keyboard.

Some songs by Rachmaninoff and Liszt include a series of chords that are played simultaneously on the keys to the right of C, one octave ahead of C. It is true that there are some people who cannot these due to their physical characteristics

My hands are just big enough to play octave chords, but some of my close friends have hands that are almost the same size and can't reach them. Even if your hands are large, if your palm is large and your fingers are small, your reach will be smaller.

pianist with small hands

There was a famous Spanish pianist named Alicia de Larrocha.

Despite having very small hands, she was able to play very difficult pieces like Isaak Albéniz's Iberia. Naturally, she couldn't play a wide range of chords, so she played arpeggios, or broken chords (more on that later), or played the base part first and then played the rest. I played the parts quickly and made adjustments.

In any case, her small hands did not diminish her status as a pianist .

People with big hands are lucky to be able to play difficult songs in their original form.

But you don't have to throw out the song just because your hands are small. , you can arrange it into a proper song

Make it easier to play with 3 stretches

First of all, let's try to play the original song as it is.

By stretching and relaxing your muscles, you will be able to hear sounds that were previously unavailable to you, and it will become easier to hear them.

Just like you would warm up before playing sports, be sure to do some before playing the piano. It is also effective to do it every day while taking a bath.

① Spread your fingers

Increase the distance between your fingers to soften your finger muscles.

Using the wall or your other hand, spread the space between your thumb and index finger first, then your index finger and middle finger, and so on. It is also effective to hold something like a ball between your fingers.

You should be able to spread your thumb and index finger wide enough to begin with, but as you stretch them further, it will become easier to fold your fingers together.

② Curl your fingers

First, put your hands in a par position and spread your fingers as wide as you can without relying on anything.

Next, slowly bend each finger from your thumb to your little finger using the ground or your other hand.

Stop at a point where it feels a little painful. Doing it too much can cause muscle pain.

③ Relax your joints

Finger joints are also important. The ease with which chords can be played also changes greatly depending on whether or not the joints move flexibly.

Massage all the knuckles of your fingers, from your thumb to your little finger, while gently pressing them with your other hand.

By stimulating the joints, it has the effect of relaxing muscles and improving blood flow.

arrange the song

If you find yourself in a situation where you can't do something no matter how hard you stretch, take the plunge and arrange the song . You'll be more motivated if you arrange the song and play it in a way that makes you feel good, rather than trying to play the original song with the tempo out of order and getting stressed out .

① Play with arpeggio

An arpeggio is a broken chord.

As the name suggests, this is a dispersion of chords. For example, quarter-note "do-mi-so" triad, you can make it into a triplet "do → mi → so."

Arpeggio can be changed into various shapes depending on the arrangement. The standard method is to divide the chord into single notes and

The key is to play while connecting the notes and maintaining the tempo.

Until you get the hang of it, slow down and slowly practice just that part, using only one hand.

② Omit the sound

Let's try to reduce the sound.

However, this is actually difficult to do, and if you get it wrong, the atmosphere of the song will change completely, so I don't really recommend it. However, it can be considered as an option if you simply cannot play it.

When omitting part of a chord, the highest note is likely to be the target.

The reason is that the lowest note is called the root note and often forms the foundation of a chord.

For example, if you can't reach the 3rd chord of "Do Mi So", you can make it "Do Mi".

lastly

Like Alicia de Larrocha, even if your hands and fingers are small, you can be more than capable as a pianist if you learn how to play. Even if she can't reach you, don't give up and try to find a way. As you overcome each wall one by one, you will gain confidence and enjoy playing the piano even more.

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