Why do pianists have long fingers

Will anyone be able to look at someone's hands and say, "Ok, you have not been practising your piano much because your hands look too delicate and fine. The typical description of a pianist's hands would be slim, slender and long? Yes, it's a quirky question but I thought it would be interesting since a person who does alot of housework would seem coarser than one who doesn't do housework at all.

Just like different people with different professions would have hands that a look different. A labourer's hand would generally look veiny and big because of the amount of manual work he has to do. So, what about a pianist? Re: Does a pianist's hands look different from a non-pianist? Joined: May Ergonomics ; Joined: Jan I remember reading somewhere, but can't recall where, that the fleshy part of the palm connected to the thumb is usually more developed with pianists because of octave playing and other extended hand positions.

Mine doesn't seem terribly different than anyone else's, but that's probably because i don't practice enough. Church pianists.. Joined: Oct Though that might be because I also rock-climb and train with pull-ups etc As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte.

I keep science for Life. Evansville, Indiana. I am sometimes rather jealous of my non piano playing friend's hands. Joined: Dec My hands look like a man's hands Also has anyone noticed that our fingertips are shaped differently than normal people? There's definite pads where the keys go.. I've played all my life and know they look quite a bit different than my 3 sisters who are similarly built. I bet i have piano bench Joined: Sep I actually get a little self conscious about my hands sometimes.

I have long fingers and the rest of my hand has really toned muscles, and they're really vascular aka they're veiny haha! I've done a lot of weight lifting in the past so that probably has more to do with it than piano playing i think.

Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well. Joined: Nov People have been remarking on my hands since I was a kid - the first time I remember it happening was some adult saying I had "piano hands" when I was around , IIRC. Some of the most interesting things that have happened regarding my "piano hands" aren't really suitable to talk about here. Let's just say that more than one person have fallen in love with them over the years, and that manifested itself in ways that sometimes really surprised me.

Joined: Apr Perth, Australia. A friend of my mum's who is studying Medicine I think he's finished now reckoned that pianists will develop what is essentially "patellas" effectively a knee-cap on the knuckles in the middle of the fingers. I don't know how true it is, but I've been carefully observing various piano players' hands, and many do seem to have wider knuckles there than average.

Algernon: I hope, Cecily, I shall not offend you if I state quite frankly and openly that you seem to me to be in every way the visible personification of absolute perfection. Yes, I have wider knuckles on some of my fingers. I have long thing fingers overall, but now that I am "older" and lost alot of the tone I was so blessed with not too very long ago, my hands look horrible. I have some arthritic looking fingers, especially thumb and index finger of right hand, and very prominent veins.

I've exercised for 30 years, and don't think it's a result of exercise - just age. Joined: Mar Ohio, US. Originally Posted by Pogorelich.

I'll figure it out eventually. Until then you may want to keep a safe distance. Maybe we should do some detailed analysis by posting some non-pianists' hands vs pianists' hands.

This is terrible advice. Some of the most enjoyable pieces to play are also hard. Some wonderful pieces are challenging, but also very rewarding. One of the biggest issues faced by new piano students and even experienced players with small hands is the big stretch between octaves or by adding the fourth note to a chord. Many players begin to panic at this stage and twist their hands or wrench them around trying to do a few crazy moves to hit the notes. Not to mention that this bad habit can cause serious injury down the road.

Aside from growing a third hand, how can someone with small hands and fingers possibly play smoothly in these situations? Interestingly enough in this case, it is less about the size of your hands or the length of your fingers and more about how far you can stretch those fingers. This, of course, comes with practice and a concentrated effort to gently train your small hands or short fingers to stretch a little more each session.

The key is to take it slow. You must be gentle while stretching your hands and fingers. Trying to stretch too far too fast can injure your hands, throwing your progress back to stage one.

Simply playing your piano a lot can help you stretch naturally, but there are also some stretches you can do to speed this up. A flexible, loose, and relaxed wrist will help your fingers and hands stretch and reach without strain.

Start here to begin training your small hands to play the piano well. Playing the piano can put an immense strain on your wrists and forearms. Many pianists end up with tired and tight muscles and tendons. Tight wrists and forearms will eventually spread to tightness in your hands and fingers, reducing your reach and making your playing sloppy. This next stretch should help alleviate that strain and prevent future issues.

This is due to extra blood flow and improved circulation. However, every effort is made to ensure such information contained on this site is accurate at the time of publication. Like this: Like Loading Search for:.

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