In bar 9 of this piece, it calls for 'E' in the right hand and E in the left hand at the same time. Huh?

Someone please advise on how this is supposed to be played.

Thanks.

When the same note is written for both hands the usual way is to play it with your nose.

Hickeys.com carries nose-extender kits for the amateur. You might find one used on eBay for cheap.

When the same note is indicated to be played by both hands, it's usually just a notation showing that two separate voices momentarily are on the same note. Imagine two singers, singing in harmony, and, at a given moment, they sing the same note as their voice lines cross over each other.

In this case, play the note with whichever finger is most comfortable.

Regards,

Dang. I've been in the habit of doing what Bruce suggests (i.e., just playing the note with whichever hand is most convenient), and that works well enough for the issue that the OP described. (Since it's one single key, and thus would be clumsy to fit two fingers on simultaneously, I'm not persuaded that the nose—or a nose extender—would really be useful.)

But, on the other hand, a nose extender would be really useful for the execution of chords that are either a large stretch or have more notes than one has fingers!

slowpogo, I checked the Hickey's site and couldn't find them. Do you happen to have the item number? Do you know if they're only marketed by Hickey's, or might they be more generally available? (I googled "nose extender" piano and didn't find anything relevant!)

I don't think I'll try eBay or half.com, as I don't really want a used one unless it's a huge difference in price. I don't know if the device attaches within the nose or to the exterior surface, but it wouldn't seem strictly hygienic. (If it's a non-porous material, on the other hand, any unseemly residue from the former owner could probably be removed without too much effort.)

A couple of last questions: do you know if they come in different colors and sizes? I hope I can find one that coordinates with my piano bench cushion, and adjustable length would be nice, too.

This is such a great idea! (I'm already planning to use it to adjust my metronome from a distance.) I wonder if it's a new product; I don't recall seeing any used in performances. Maybe that's why I couldn't find it at the Hickey's site?

Thanks for the information!

Steven

I usually play by ear...

That's the heart of the matter...at bottom...

There are ear extenders, too?

You're kidding, right? How do you control the lateral movement?

Steven

p.s. It occurred to me that this might be a prototype of the nose extender. (It's the cover of Parliament's 1980 LP Trombipulation.)

If I have to go with a used one, though, I wouldn't want George Clinton's. It would be ... funky.

wrong thread. nvm