Piano Pedagogy for Small Hands: Strategies for Pianists with Smaller Hands
During my master degree in Piano Performance at The University of Auckland, I developed several practical strategies for small-handed pianists based on my personal reflections and experience with piano practice. These strategies were designed to improve the playability of challenging works, such as Alexander Scriabin’s Etudes Op. 8, but they also apply to many other 19th-century piano repertoires. These strategies are aimed at enhancing both the technical and expressive aspects of piano playing, while addressing the unique challenges faced by pianists with small hands. My thesis can be found at: https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/items/e6b32b86-de56-402a-a5cc-7ac2f76a52e0
Key Strategies for Small-Handed Pianists:
Legato:
Legato in Chains of Intervals:
Creating legato is not just about connecting fingers but using arm, wrist, and hand gestures to create a flowing musical line. For small-handed pianists, a smooth wrist motion can help avoid awkward finger stretches, resulting in a more natural and expressive legato.
When playing legato in intervals (such as thirds or sixths), forearm rotation is a useful technique to reduce tension and smooth transitions. For small-handed pianists, splitting the intervals between the hands can also enhance phrasing and legato quality.
Redistribution of Notes:
Redistributing notes between hands can solve many challenges small-handed pianists face, such as excessive stretching and poor accuracy. This strategy not only relieves tension but also improves speed and musical shape.
Octaves:
Playing octaves can be a challenge due to the hand's need for an arched position. A useful strategy for small-handed pianists is to recover the hand into a more closed position after each group of octaves, reducing fatigue and increasing speed.
Special Fingering:
Sometimes the printed fingering doesn’t fit the hand size of a small-handed pianist. I advocate for exploring personalized fingerings, such as using the thumb to play consecutive black or white keys, which helps position the hand more comfortably for larger intervals.
Omitting and Rearranging Notes:
In certain passages, omitting or rearranging notes can be an effective strategy to maintain musical flow without straining the hand. This approach ensures that the performance remains accurate and expressive while minimizing physical stress.