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I just want to have an idea about the biggest interval the forum members can play on the piano

i think the average is 9th??or not?i can play a major 10th pretty easily, although my left hand has a slightly bigger span

it is said about Liszt and Rachmaninoff that they could easily hold down a 13th!
so what about you?

My recollection (sorry, can't cite sources)

Liszt - tenth
Chopin = "hands open up, rabbit-like, and cover the whole keyboard"
Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein, Cesar Franck - twelfth

Chopin - probably an easy 9, a very difficult ten. He said of Thalberg (not Liszt) that "he can do a ten as easily as I can an eight." Chopin's hands were very small but stretchy.

Me, an easy nine, a very difficult 10.

I remember reading somewhere that the average handspan of adult pianinsts (man and female combined) is a nine and that about 95% of the literature out there needs no more that a nine.

When I look at what a 13th I can't help but think 'holy sh** those are huge hands', concerning Rachmaninov.

I can do a 9th rather easily, a 10th if i streth a lot, but it hurts and it's rather unnatural.

"95% of the literature out there needs no more that a nine."

Yeah, any interval larger than that can be rolled. I don't think I have come across a piece where it would be impossible to work around a large interval somehow.

My actual handspan is a major 9th, but I can stretch to major 10th (and 11th with the left hand).

I am glad you brought this up because I have though about this for some time now. I quite small hands and find playing a 9th comfortable, but 10ths hard.

I see so many pieces with a 10th interval in the left hand (and not just a spread chord). Whether its stride jazz piano, classical, pop/film piano etc and its an interval you are required to play together, not spread(and it sounds good if you can do this rather than spread it!)

Its much harder with certain intervals I have found. For example I can just about reach C-E, D-F, E-G, F-A, and G-B. However doing C-Eb, D-F#, or Ab-C for example is very hard.

Do you think this means that certain pieces you will never be able to play?

I've got big paws. I can span a tenth comfortably with either hand.

A thirteenth, though! Wow! That's impressive!

I can thirteenth. but for fast playing and from up to down, I can only 12.

I can easily reach a tenth with both hands. Then with some trouble I can just barely reach an 11th, also with both hands.

I would have to believe that the vast majority of audience members would not throw tomatoes at you and boo you off the stage if you rolled a larger interval instead of playing it exactly as written.

i can barely reach a 9th on both hands (not major 9th though). my teacher doesn't even have huge hands himself either and can only reach a 10th.

I can do a tenth with both hands and an eleventh, if pushed, but only with my left. Don't know why that is because I'm right handed!

What was it that Freud called this?

Oh yeah.............pianist envy

I can easily do a ninth, and when pressed, I can manage a tenth. I have extremely small hands, but I started piano at five and my teacher made me to stretching exercises twice daily, so they're pretty good at that sort of thing. Nevertheless, I have the smallest hands of anyone I know.

I can do a 10, but not 10.5
Does anyone know how to start a Poll here? It'd be nice to see the distribution.
- 8 or less
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12 or more

10 is as comfortable as I can play without strecthing. 11 is too much.

I can do a tenth fairly easily if I stretch a bit. Haha, I wish I could reach more. By the way, Richter can reach a 12th too.

I can easily hit 10ths. I can hit most 11ths, but it's a stretch and not really comfortable. Really stretching I can hit a couple of 12ths.

While playing a piece, I feel comfortable reaching tenths. I can stretch to an comfortable 11th, but wouldn't care to play those in a piece.

The only tenths I can play with any comfort and certainty are the two minor ones on the black keys.