Research article on how only 13% of women can comfortably span an octave, 76% of men can

Larry_K
updated 10 days ago
19replies

https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/07/piano-keyboard-design-standard-narrow-women-research

- PViseskul
- 13 days ago
- Reported - view
I would definitely want an opportunity to try a narrower keyboard
- Have a growth mindset, no matter what!
  
  Gail_Starr
  
  13 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Priya, I'll do a Zoom with you next week to show you how my digital narrow keyboard works!
- PViseskul
  
  13 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Amazing! look forward to it!
- Guzzii
- 13 days ago
- Reported - view
Would be interesting to see the distribution on male/female who has interests in piano.
- Larry_K
  
  13 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Perhaps piano self selects for women with larger hands, kind of like how double bass does.
- Jimmy.2
- 13 days ago
- Reported - view
Not to take away from the point about different scales of keyboards, it does seem important to distinguish the difference between 'can span an octave' and 'can comfortably span an octave'.
- peter_smidinger
- 13 days ago
- Reported - view
I have chatted with a local classical performer in western Colorado who got an action, custom built with narrower keys, for a grand she uses, that can be easily switched in and out for her performances. I lack further details.
- Have a growth mindset, no matter what!
  
  Gail_Starr
  
  13 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  As far as I know, the keyboards that can switch into your grand piano only work with Yamaha pianos. I have a digital "narrow keyboard" Athena that is a stand-alone. Now that there is a patch to improve the weighted feel, it is enjoyable to practice etudes and other works that are challenging for my small hands.
- Larry_K
  
  13 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Steingraeber has built 5.5” and 6” interchangeable keyboards but I am sure that they’re expensive. https://www.steingraeber.de/en/innovationen/narrow-keyboards/
  
  Still, if the piano brings great joy, and expanded repertoire, why not?
- Akzent oder Diminuendo?
  
  Maria_F
  
  13 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  What do you mean by "a patch?"
  
  Also, how many notes can you reach?
- PViseskul
  
  13 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  my teacher visited Steingraeber last year and there are interesting customisations they can do, including curved keyboards! come with hefty price tag, of course.
- Larry_K
  
  12 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Sadly, it looks like the largest maker of narrow keyboard actions that can slide into Yamaha grands now only sells to universities, not to private pianists.
  
  The price is upwards of $17k for the action, but, if you already have a Yamaha grand, you’re almost there! There is a cheaper option for $11k that would preserve the sound of your piano and not provide a switchable action.
  
  They are located in Titusville, Pennsylvania.
  
  They are a nonprofit named D.S. Standard Foundation that is trying to foster the adoption of narrower keys.
  
  https://dsstandardfoundation.org/products/
  
  I wonder if I would switch back and forth from a narrow action at home and a wider action at lessons. I am sure others share this concern.
  
  I don’t feel that I have particularly small hands but wonder if playing narrower keys would make things easier for me in attempting more difficult repertoire.
  
  I can’t give up on acoustic pianos, though, I love the sound too much.
- Larry_K
  
  12 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  Steingraeber has all sorts of interesting innovations, like the Mozart Rail that reduces key dip to 8mm for faster more silvery passage work.
  
  The can even offer it as an adjustable feature so you can change from 8mm to the common 10mm for key dip.
  
  https://www.steingraeber.de/en/instrumente/custom-pianos/
  
  I think I saw a photograph of the curved keyboard. Someone had gone all out on a custom Steingraeber as a retirement present to themselves.
  
  It is amazing that such innovations are offered at all given the low profitability and low demand for them.
- Larry_K
  
  12 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  I think she means a software patch, an update made in software.
  
  Here is the Narrow Keys website. They make the Athena.
  
  https://www.narrowkeys.com/athena?srsltid=AfmBOorGNMSbRIz5KSlLhn5Sg2iVIDCSlDsI800CiVjpoiyJtpYtmrJ5
- Angela_Fogg
- 12 days ago
- Reported - view
I have small hands and have struggled with octaves all my life, especially consecutive octaves. For one of my diplomas the examiners asked me to play a scale in double octaves. I thought it had gone quite well. They then asked me to hold up my hands, they both nodded and one of them said ‘well yes, with hands like that, that’s probably the best you can do!’

I think the thing that made the most difference was yoga, time spent in downward dog seemed to open my hand, and strengthen it as well. It made my hand very flat so I wasn’t losing millimetres to a convex palm.
- Deana_Dossey
- 10 days ago
- Reported - view
Opportunity for composers to write amazing music without octaves. Hope some women are inspired to compose or try composing pieces that work with their smaller hands. Let's do this!
- Deana_Dossey
- 10 days ago
- Reported - view
would love to learn more about existing music and composers that work well with small hands. I know easy arrangements of many classics do that but sometimes the choices made by arranger leave something lacking and often seem to leave out things like movement between different keys within a piece.
- Deana_Dossey
- 10 days ago
- Reported - view
only 13%? thanks for sharing this as it helps me re-frame my own struggles with small hands.
- Larry_K
  
  10 days ago
  
  Reported - view
  You’re welcome.
  
  After I told my wife that number the other morning at breakfast, she said, the piano is a sexist instrument. I found it hard to refute that claim.
  
  I did a little digging into why the piano keys are so wide.
  
  Before 1880, keyboards were not standardized. Octave sizes ranged from 4.9 to 6.7 inches.
  
  The desire for louder pianos contributed to the building of larger pianos and probably resulted in wider keys.
  
  Also, Liszt and his European compatriots helped push wide keys because, well, they were males with big hands.
  
  Hand size is related to both genetics and environment, as well as gender.
  
  So, the standard got frozen in place back in 1880, and woe to all of the women who tried to play the instrument after that.