Does anyone have a problem with big hands? When i stretch it it goes exactly at 9 keys, and with a little effort, 10 keys. I sometimes have trouble hitting the octave. Hahah...

I've got an augmented 11th (C-F#) (not quite usable in say stride piano like a 10th or 11th though) and I haven't experienced any problems.

Everyone should have your problems.

lucky you - I can only just reach an octave and I have not got dainty hands, just short fingers I think. I recently borrowed a book of Hoagy Carmichael music from the library as I wanted a bash at Stardust and I thought it was a misprint, but I guess there are real people like you two.

You have small hands, man. Hehe!! I can reach 10 keys, 11 if I stretch.
MULLY

9 keys.. is my definition of big..

Sorry, but a 9th seems sorta average. I can also reach a 10th and sometimes an 11th but that's the limit. And I can usually play a 9th with 1-4 if I need it. My hands are NOT exceptionally large, but seem a little bigger than average from what I have seen.

Unfortunately, size isn't everything. I know lots of folks with smaller hands than mine (including my teachers) whose playing leaves me in the dust.

you worry about having big hands...sigh, you are fortunate that you will not be so limited to the choice of repertoire

I have small hands, both the size of 7th's. Easily, my left can reach an octave. My r.h can barely even reach an octave because my 5th finger is damaged. My present teacher has been trying to help me overcome this problem. my previous teacher never cared.

so you have nothing to worry about, compared to me.

I was just horsing around. I think 9 keys is big. I wasn't trying to be a jerk.

And you know what they say about guys with big hands.........we wear big gloves.
MULLY

I'm lucky to have large hands (C - G) with slender fingers that can fit in that narrow strip between black keys. Some guys my size have such thick fingers, they can't play a C# diminished chord (C#, E, G, C#).

My hands stopped growing when I was in the 7th grade. Ironically, all of my students have tiny hands. Both of my 7th graders can barely reach an octave, and can't play parallel octaves without hitting other keys.

I remember my second piano teacher. She's a small Chinese lady who can't reach an octave. She told me she considered getting surgery to cut the webbing between her fingers. Somehow that image stuck with me since third grade, when my hands outgrew hers.

AZNpiano is right. The real problem is thick fingers.

This reminds me of one of those instructional videos from Dorothy Taubman. She was giving a master class and a rather large man was at the piano. He complained about not being able to play between the black keys. Dorothy told him to enter the keys at an angle. I don't think that solved the man's problem.

I have fairly small hands. I can't quite hit a 10th (sorry N00b, a 9th is not at all oversized...) - I can play one of the notes then the other and hold them both but not hit them at the same time

However, my teacher is of the opinion that hand size should generally never come in the way of piece choice (ignoring pathological cases) and that there is always a solution. To be fair he has shown me some amazing ways to play certain passages to hold down the required notes. And if all else fails, drop some notes or use the pedal...

I think Scriabin could only reach an octave after his injury and he played Scriabin successfully! And I've seen teenagers with small hands pull off a competition winning Rachmaninov piano concerto.

Anybody disagree with him...? Essentially that hand size should not determine repertoire except in the most extreme cases - instead - problem solve the issues that arise...

I must admit I now solve my own problems rather than thinking - s*** I can't play that, my hands are too small... Although not being able to hit a 10th does irritate me a lot at times...

In fact it seems to come down more to suppleness than size... My hands are getting more flexible with time; especially after doing gentle stretchy exercices; if I could get them at 180 with the keyboard I might just hit that 10th...

Why are keys the width they are anyway - evolution or design...?

Later: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Strategies+for+small-handed+pianists-a0102521600

As a woman able to span 9 keys.. it isn't mine

I am able to reach ll, but I take the 2nd and tenth down half way with me. Ten comfortably.