Big Hands versus Small Hands

About midway through my nearly twenty-year long trek towards jazz piano proficiency I became aware that I had been trudging forward with an inherent disadvantage that precluded me from playing like some of my idols – jazz piano giants like Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Oliver Jones, Ray Kennedy, Michel Camillo etc. – my fingers could only reach so far!

With regards to my left hand, octaves and ninths presented no issues but white tenths and black/black minors presented an achievable (if uncomfortable) challenge. White/black and black/white major tenths are an outright impossibility for me but I did manage to incorporate the black/white and white/black minor tenths within the past few years. Through rigorous drills and stretching exercises I was also able to include some (though not all) 5ths, 6ths and 7ths.

After years of work I finally reached a place where I could slot these tenths in… but I still couldn’t walk. Two of my varsity lecturers told me that I could enhance my dexterity by rolling these tenths but that I, sadly, would likely never reach the fluid smoothness of Tatum or Peterson.

As for the right hand, from the very beginning I struggled with certain quartadic arpeggios as well as stacked intervals like fourths and fifths. Spread voicings – or “bell chords”, as I like to call them – were uncomfortable for me to play with full octave triads. The best I could make due with were octaves with single fillers (4th, 5th or 6th).

As I encountered these inherent limitations, I was forced to assess critically the styles and techniques of jazz piano playing available to me – not in terms of what I liked but, rather, of what I was capable. This meant singling out and eliminating certain genres altogether, like stride, and also focusing more on micro techniques and approaches that were better suited to my digital disposition.

Jazz piano playing can be broadly divided into two aspects: VERTICAL BREADTH and DIGITAL AUTONOMY… or REACH and DEXTERITY, respectively. Since DEXTERITY – our ability to play both hands independently and at the required speed – is a skill inherently cultivated and nurtured by all pianists (no matter their disposition) then REACH – the outer and inner limits of what our fingers are physically capable – is the thing that separates us all in our individual journeys. I would estimate that there is roughly an equal split between pianists with bigger hands and pianists with smaller hands and each side of this coin comes with pros and cons:

On the whole, pianists with bigger hands tend to be naturally good solo performers and are easily able to operate without a rhythm section behind them. This in itself can be a disadvantage as they may not naturally develop a ‘feel’ for playing in an ensemble. Furthermore, their ability to accompany a vocalist or solo instrumentalist with sensitivity may be compromised due to their natural freedom in navigating the full register of the piano (they may interfere with the soloist). Finally, as they’re able to create wonderfully full harmonic constructs (vertical sonority) without syncopation or breaks, there can be a tendency to neglect the more rhythmic aspects of left-handed accompaniment and playing in general.  

While naturally more restrictive, having smaller hands means paying closer attention to specific styles and techniques. This can often translate to higher proficiencies in certain areas as opposed to the eclectic adeptness that comes with having larger hands. In the absence of larger intervals and voicing options there is added impetus to employ more rhythmic left-handed styles such as walking basslines, ostinatos, broken chords and syncopation, and also explore alternative harmonic approaches like quartal, rootless and neo-soul.

As a pianist with smaller hands I’ve always been envious of those that are naturally able to achieve musical feats that I struggle with. If you’re in a similar position, I would encourage you to do as I’ve done: find your jazz piano niche – not just the sound, but the finger style as well! Here are some personal suggestions taken from the pantheon of jazz piano canon:

For those pianists with larger hands: embrace your natural gift! Discover your limits and shortcomings and delve into styles and techniques that both challenge and showcase your disposition. On the other hand (pardon the pun!), check out some of these suggestions:

As a final thought, I would encourage all pianists to check out Barry Harris’ Diminished Sixth approach to harmony and improvisation. As a pianist with broad reach, the method he pioneered works remarkably well for pianist of all digital dispositions (myself included). It has become a mainstay of many modern jazz pianists and I highly recommend it!