Thick Fingers
Found in: Musicality, Pedaling, Technique, Playing-Based Methodology
Anneka S., Australia
Has anyone got some tips for students whose fingers are so thick that they get stuck between the black notes, e.g. the IV chord of Bishop Street Blues?
Neil Moore
It is not an uncommon issue, and as you said, the reality of the situation is that sometimes we’re dealing with big hands, small spaces. I agree with a slight rotation of the hand to accommodate the fingers, and also acknowledge that there may well be some instances where the student may need to ‘edit notes out’ of the chord because the fingers just can’t fit.
One thing to try however, is that the black keys on some pianos have about a quarter to a half an inch gap right at the back edge of the key where the key meet the piano itself. At this precise spot, there is just a shade more room for the finger to ‘get in’ to the note, and if the student slides their hand into the keyboard, as far as possible, so that their 2nd or 3rd finger is actually touching the back of the instrument, they can sometimes fit in there. It is a clumsy, but effective solution, and one that larger-handed students soon become quite adept at. It can definitely be a workable solution.