A question for the pianists...

[Guest]

How do you play harmonic notes that span more than one octave? My fingers can only stretch across one octave, so harmonic notes like that of Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief that goes from a low Ab to the middle C on the bass clef is not possible for me to play.

[Guest]

You do it by sneaking a finger from the other hand (usually your thumb, but whichever is closest) over to play it. Usually when it's written that way, this is possible. . . for instance, without having the music in front of me, I'd guess you can play the right hand notes as well as the middle c with your right hand.

It's also okay to leave notes out if you need to. People usually don't notice. Since the bass is pretty important, the middle c would be the one I'd leave out if I couldn't find a reasonable way to play it.

[Guest]

You do it by sneaking a finger from the other hand (usually your thumb, but whichever is closest) over to play it. Usually when it's written that way, this is possible. . . for instance, without having the music in front of me, I'd guess you can play the right hand notes as well as the middle c with your right hand.

It's also okay to leave notes out if you need to. People usually don't notice. Since the bass is pretty important, the middle c would be the one I'd leave out if I couldn't find a reasonable way to play it.

[pam]

I actually was going to say something similar to Eowyn. I would play the high note of the treble cleff and the base note of the base cleff.

[Backroads]

I have big hands and rarely have this problem, truth be told. But when necessary, I do what Eowyn does.

My twin brother, who is a giant, NEVER has this problem when playing the piano.

[MsMagnolia]

You play it with your feet on the organ :)

Eowyn hit the nail on the head. You play it with your right hand if possible.

[kevieb]

I sometimes play notes with my right hand--like the others have said--but, if your not playing for a choir that needs to have all the notes hit so that everyone can sing their part, sometimes you can just leave a note unplayed and no one will ever know the difference.

i can remember once, as a teenager, showing my younger sister how to fake your way through a hymn when it was more difficult to play.

Really, since so many wards have so few piano players, they are just greatfull to have anyone that is willing to play---even if their hands aren't big enough to reach more than an octave!!!

On the subject of piano playing----is anyone else surprised at the number of people who say they took piano lessons when they were younger---but do not play now, as an adult?

Having been in more than one ward where I was one of only a few that could either play or was willing to play, I think I sometimes feel a little dismayed when I see so much effort being put into dance lessons instead of piano lessons.

That being said, I'm the only piano player out of 11 girls---and i can't teach my own children how to play---it makes me crazy!!!! Fortunately my oldest daughter had more patience than me and was able to teach my twins quite a bit before i got them in to lessons---which they had to share.

[MorningStar]

Yes, sometimes you need to borrow hands or you can hit the lowest note briefly and move up to the higher note (treating it like a grace note). One thing I learned in music theory: Hymns are written for voices - not for pianists, so they are a bit awkward. We had assignments where we had to convert hymns into a more keyboard friendly arrangement. I don't remember how to do that anymore. And I spent most of that class puking my guts out.