# Wide Stretches



## Hjalmar (Oct 31, 2009)

Hi everybody!
I've noticed that it starts to hurt a little bit on the sides of the wrist when I play wide intervals on the piano. One day I tried to play the Chopin etude op 10 no 11 and I felt kind of a pain in the middle between the hand and the forearm at the spot where the wrist is like hardest.
So my question is: is there anything I can do to prevent from this pain, or does it go away naturally when you've played for a long period of time???


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Hjalmar said:


> Hi everybody!
> I've noticed that it starts to hurt a little bit on the sides of the wrist when I play wide intervals on the piano. One day I tried to play the Chopin etude op 10 no 11 and I felt kind of a pain in the middle between the hand and the forearm at the spot where the wrist is like hardest.
> So my question is: is there anything I can do to prevent from this pain, or does it go away naturally when you've played for a long period of time???


Can you describe your large interval techniques? For obvious starters, are your fingers entirely curved?

Also, you only have to grasp the very inside of either key, so if you get that distancing down you'll find you can reach further more comfortably.

Do you use any wrist exercises, and do you routinely stretch your fingers? Try stretching to the maximum distance between each two finger combination possible, and then reach the furthest interval you can and try to find harmonious keys within the other fingers in between. Hold this 20 note chord for a half a minute, and then play some scales, chromatics, etc. to loosen your fingers. And then go back at the 20 note chord again.

Are you having problems with wrist tension, using your fingers too much rather than your arms and wrists?

If you really want to break some physical barriers you've been dealing with, devote a week or two to practicing nothing but large intervals and uncomfortable stretches, while making sure you aren't overextending and overexerting too much.

There are different time ratios between different exercises depending on your current reach, though. What is the widest interval you can comfortably reach right now?


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## Cortision (Aug 4, 2009)

20 note chords 

I'd love to see your hands...


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Cortision said:


> 20 note chords
> 
> I'd love to see your hands...


Well, what I do is stretch from my pinky to my thumb an interval of a 12th and then lay the rest down upon harmonious notes. I meant 10 note chords


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## kmisho (Oct 22, 2009)

Advice from the field of sports medicine: Pain typically comes from tearing muscle. You should not play with pain. Continuing to play with pain can cause long term and permanent pain and damage.

Allowing the muscle to heal builds new muscle. You should allow your hands to rest until the pain subsides. Then you will be ready to build more new muscle.


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Precisely, but I already said that:



> If you really want to break some physical barriers you've been dealing with, devote a week or two to practicing nothing but large intervals and uncomfortable stretches, while making sure you aren't overextending and overexerting too much.


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