How far do your hands stretch?

Just out of interest what interval can all of your hands stretch on a keyboard? I know it varies from instrument to instrument as to the width of the keys, but just as a rough guess for what you're comfortable at reaching whilst playing a piece?

I can stretch a 10th on the piano and an 11th on the organ comfortably.

What about you guys?

On the piano I can stretch 10ths on white notes, and minor 10ths including black notes (i.e., I can't stretch B to D#). My left hand can stretch a bit further, but not much.

I can comfortably stretch an 11th on piano, and with my left hand I can reach a 12th on white notes.

Far enough :P

I can comfortably reach a 10th at the piano, I can almost get an 12th, but not quite

On white notes, my left hand can stretch comfortably Ten notes, with my right hand nine notes.

A can do a 10th if I'm not playing anything in between....

Geez Mark, a 12th? That's rediculous...

~Kal

this is really just a manhood contest isn't it?

this is really just a manhood contest isn't it?

haha yes: mines bigger than yours!

I can get a 10th quite nicely in the left, and a 10th not so easily in the right. but then again, i havent come across many pieces that require you to have to use a 10th in the right...unless its rachmaninoff...or a broken chord.

A can do a 10th if I'm not playing anything in between....

Geez Mark, a 12th? That's rediculous...

~Kal

I have big hands. Now if I were a good pianist then that might be of some use to me...

...what interval can all of your hands stretch on a keyboard?

On a piano? Seven octaves and a third, usually.

Get yourself one of those big B

:sadtears: I suck compared to all you long fingered people. I can reach a 9th comfortably, and would be unable to play a 10th without arpeggiating it. Thankfully I don't play piano. :)

Oh it's good to see that I'm not the only one in the world with long fingers.

I can play up to an 11th

You know most of the successful pianists had stubbly fingers except a few? Odd seeings all this people on here with such talons. And what's will all the people with unequal hands? That is plain odd to me. :blink:

On naturals I can easily reach a 10th in each hand, but an 11th ... just isn't gonna happen for me. I can also reach minor 10th in both hands for black keys and ALMOST the major 10th (Gb to Bb). I can reach minor 10th with one white key and one black key for both hands (eg. G and Bb or G# and B) but I can't make any of the major 10th (like A to C# or Ab to C)

10th in both hands.. but much more comfortably in my left because my pinkie finger dislocates ahaha

hey but look at chopin

...but much more comfortably in my left because my pinkie finger dislocates ahaha

That happens to me too, except its my thumb that dislocates :P

hey but look at chopin

I'd rather not have to dig him up outta P

Brahms had huge hands too. As for me, ditto everything you said Enigmus. Except that my left hand also stretches a bit wider (that seems to be rather common. I wonder why?).

Brahms had huge hands too. As for me, ditto everything you said Enigmus. Except that my left hand also stretches a bit wider (that seems to be rather common. I wonder why?).

My left is smaller than my right, which is strange as the end of the little finger on my right hand is bent 45 degrees to the left, making it shorter lol

This is making me curious. Not being a piano player, how unreasonable is it to write compositions that require someone to play an octave with one hand from time to time? I know I've done this in a couple pieces for drones to give them a little more force.

i have always thought i had an average sized hand for a teenager, but i guess my hands are actually really small.

i can BARELY reach a 9th. :(

This is making me curious. Not being a piano player, how unreasonable is it to write compositions that require someone to play an octave with one hand from time to time? I know I've done this in a couple pieces for drones to give them a little more force.

Octave? Perfectly fine. I can hardly imagine there being any pianists who can't play an octave--and if there is one, he or she would be having great trouble with most of the repertoire.

A ninth is also pretty safe to write and expect it to sound as written, I would say. When you get to a tenth (or larger) there will be many pianists who can't play it simultaneously, but they will simply play it as a very quick arpeggio, so as long as you're aware of this (and don't expect the unreasonable) these intervals are also fine.

Octave? Perfectly fine. I can hardly imagine there being any pianists who can't play an octave--and if there is one, he or she would be having great trouble with most of the repertoire.

A ninth is also pretty safe to write and expect it to sound as written, I would say. When you get to a tenth (or larger) there will be many pianists who can't play it simultaneously, but they will simply play it as a very quick arpeggio, so as long as you're aware of this (and don't expect the unreasonable) these intervals are also fine.

Hm, I seemed to have made a mistake in reading this thread. For some reason I was reading everyone's reach as semitones (9 semitones, 11 semitones, etc.) even though I realized everyone was talking about intervals. Juxtapositions for the lose. Don't mind me.

You know most of the successful pianists had stubbly fingers except a few? Odd seeings all this people on here with such talons. And what's will all the people with unequal hands? That is plain odd to me. :blink:

Geetar in my case, I think.