In today’s quick lesson, I’ll cover the myth that you have to have long, skinny fingers to play the piano well. It’s simply not true! Even if you have small fingers, I’ll provide you with some simple but effective ways to play smoothly on the piano.

Most students begin to have trouble when they are trying to add a fourth note to a chord. A common habit and misconception I’ve seen in students is that they believe they have to play the notes towards the edge of the keys. All you have to do is simply move your hands up the notes, closer to the piano. You should never have to have your hands twisted or wrenched around to play a chord!

This problem also occurs when you are trying to split a chord over two measures. That can sometimes be a very long stretch. If you are ever stretching longer than you can reach, you can “rock” up to them from the bottom. This is called “to arpeggiate.”

Finally, if you are still really struggling, you can invert a chord. For example, in the video, I use a c7 chord to show that you can move the lowest note and move it up an octave and put it on top. That is typically a much easier way for students to play because it is a closer hand position.

No matter the size of your hands or fingers, you too CAN play the piano well!

– Scott Houston