# What to do when you find a piece is just barely out of your hand size range?



## Manok

I was learning a Scriabin prelude when I discovered that I was missing out on part of the title that said "for the left hand." This piece is easily doable with two hands, there's two chords I just can't reach without doing an arpeggio, I was wondering if this was ok if it didn't interfere with the overall sound of the music? Or even acceptable with Op. 9 No. 2. My hand only spans a 10th, and it seems to at least require an 11th, maybe a 12th. I thought I had read someplace Scriabin had small hands?


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## bharbeke

Use two hands if you want, or do what sounds best with the left hand (one note or arpeggio). Scriabin won't complain. If he does, you'll have a story for the rest of your life!


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## Bettina

Scriabin wouldn't complain, but the audience might, if you're performing this work in front of anyone. For a public performance of a single-handed work, it's better to arpeggiate the chords than to divide them between two hands (particularly if the title "for the left hand" is listed in the printed program!) 

On the other hand (so to speak!!), if you're just playing it for your own personal enjoyment, then it's OK for you to redistribute chords between your hands in a way that makes the music easier and more convenient to play.


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## Merl

Simples!


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## immisk

I wish I could remember who told me, It isn't the size of your hand, but the speed that's important. 

It is far more acceptable to arpeggiate rather than play with both hands when performing in public. For yourself, or when playing for friends, there's no reason you can't play with two hands. The piano police won't come to your door, I promise.


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## Gaspard de la Nuit

What do I do when the piece reaches to wide for my hands

Say the composer didn't know what the $#&* he was doing and forget about the piece


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## Klavierspieler

I'm lazy, so I often try to reduce the span by leaving notes out. If that fails (which it probably will on a piece for left hand alone), I arpeggiate. Using both hands would definitely not be acceptable in a one-handed piece.


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## Larkenfield

The famous pianist who had an international career for decades, Alicia de Larrocha, had small hands--she was only 4'9" tall--and compensated by working out her own fingerings, even for something that requires as big a reach as Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto. (He was known for having exceptionally large hands.) Well worth finding out more about her methods and career.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/6237139/Alicia-de-Larrocha.html


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## Stephen Lines

A good question! I have been composing for many years but have never learnt to play the piano due to a lack of LH RH co-ordination (which doesn't do much for my golf either). Can you or anyone else recommend a decent primer that will show clearly how best to notate for the piano? I've published numerous pieces on different forums and whereas the comments have been very positive about the music _per se_, some have said they can tell I'm not a pianist due to my non idiomatic style of writing for that instrument.


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## caters

It depends. If it is a grace note leading to an octave, I just play an interval smaller than an octave but still get like the chord it is based off of across. If it is an arpeggio, I rotate my wrist to reach it. If it is an arpeggiated chord or a static chord, I will either use my right hand or use the pedal or both(I sometimes actually delay a note by a half beat to get the lower note pedaled). In the case of a static chord I might arpeggiate it and use the pedal.


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## MelodicMi88

I have played bits and pieces of Scriabin’s music including Sonata No. 5 . He was inspired very very much by Chopin’ts piano writing which can be quite demanding for the left-hand. comments about Scriabin’s playing his own compositions included how amazingly fast , smoothly , inconspicuous , and non-intrusive was the way he arpeggiated —No doubt to capture the notes of such chords as you describe. And if I remember reading about Scriabin’s hand size, it seemed a 9th was comfortable for him. There are recording‘s of Scriabin playing his music via three different piano roll mechanisms. Listen to these and get a sense of how he’s creating colors through use of pedal .


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