Piano 10th stretch

1. What is a tenth in piano?
2. Can pianists reach a tenth?
3. How do you play tenths on piano with small hands?
4. What is the average hand span for a pianist?

What is a tenth in piano?

In music and music theory, a tenth is the note ten scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the tenth. Since there are only seven degrees in a diatonic scale the tenth degree is the same as the mediant and the interval of a tenth is a compound third.

Can pianists reach a tenth?

There is a very wide variation in the hand spans of pianists. Hand spans among adult men and women can vary by as much as 5 inches (12.7 cm). ... Up to this point, the pianist cannot normally play a tenth, and more importantly, fast passages of octaves and large chords can be uncomfortable and involve pain or tension.

How do you play tenths on piano with small hands?

Playing 10th Chords with small hands on keyboard

1. Move your hands to the very edge of the keys. ...
2. Your wrist should be at, or ideally below the level of the keys themselves, and as relaxed and flexible as humanly possible.
3. Don't curl the rest of your fingers under your hand. ...
4. Keep your shoulders down and devoid of tension.

What is the average hand span for a pianist?

From this study, the mean 1-5 span for males is 8.9 inches (22.6 cm) and for females, 7.9 inches (20.1 cm), a difference which is statistically significant at the 5% level. The taller peak on the left reflects the higher proportion of female pianists in the sample; the male to female ratio was about 2:1.