Started by
Member
Member
Hi. For a few months now I have been studying the stride repertoire of Fats Waller, J.P. Johnson and I am having some difficulty playing tenths with the left hand. Tenths are the basis of stride and I was wondering if you know of any exercises to gradually stretch the hand. I have small hands; I can play ninths, let's say, without difficulty, but tenths are always a struggle. I have to break them up and the feel and intention of those passages is lost.
Any help?
Member
Waiting for those more expert than me to intervene on the matter, a topic that "touches upon" the subject
www.pianoconcerto.it/forum/index.php?/topic/526-mani-grandi-un-vantaggio-oppure
Moderator
Are there specific exercises for the "widening" of the hand; Mozzati, in his book dedicated to piano technique ("Esercizi di tecnica Pianistica", Ricordi), contains one dedicated precisely to this purpose, the name alone says it all: "squarcio" (tearing/splitting).
If I'm not mistaken, I even have it in PDF
It would be appropriate to practice it ONLY if supervised by a Teacher because it can lead to stiffness and, indeed, if consistent, benefits can be achieved. It depends a lot on the hand and any potential problems, and it is not certain that "size" in the strict sense is always the issue.
In any case, the fact of being able to confidently take a ninth is not a bad starting point
Member
Thanks Frank for the answer. if you have the pdf could you pass it to me so I can take a look? what kind of exercises are they?
Member
Fortunately I have large and slender hands; especially with the left hand, everything goes well with tenth intervals even at speed.
I have had improvements playing pieces for classical guitar on the piano: Barrios, writing them, certainly wasn't worried about tenths since the problem on a guitar keyboard doesn't exist!
I take the liberty, however, to point out that by positioning the hand as far as possible outside the keyboard, it is easier to manage tenth intervals by exploiting those 2 mm of protrusion on the upper parts of the keys for those with small hands.
I may have written some nonsense, but please forgive me, I am not an expert!
Member
The elasticity of the hand in finger extensions can be improved with appropriate exercises. Certainly, one cannot exceed a physiological limit of objective body dimensions, but the elasticity of movements can be practiced.
Member
Chopin, étude op. 10, no. 9 in F minor. If you can't do it with a metronome, go ahead and play it slowly.
