So most people don't know about pianos with narrower keys to accommodate small hands,
which is why pioneers like myself and some other lovely people who I'll tell you about
have taken it upon themselves to raise awareness by collaborating with different people in
the industry and creating concerts and rebuilding their pianos.
Have you ever wanted to experience what it's like to play a piano that has narrow keys,
keys that could cut your practice time in half and make stretches feel easy?
My name is Hanna Reiman and I'm delighted to introduce you to the world of stretto pianos.
Stretto means narrow in Italian.
What is a stretto piano?
Stretto piano is any instrument with keyboards that has keys that are narrower than the conventional
size of piano keyboard.
It can be calculated different ways.
Most piano keyboards with 88 keys are 48 inches.
My reduced width keyboard is 44 inches with 88 keys, but my colleagues around the world
and other people have established a new way of measuring and that is with an octave span.
So the octave span of the conventional keys is 6.5 inches.
Stretto pianos are 6.0 or 5.9 or 5.5 and there are even some people making smaller ones.
They can be in any kind of keyboard instruments, electronic instruments, wooden metal pianos,
they don't have to have 88 keys.
Piano is the only instrument that doesn't come in multiple sizes in terms of keys for
a wood and metal piano.
Even though it does not seem like an issue to most people, there really is a history
of pianists as they play more and more difficult repertoire getting injuries.
I mean imagine playing a violin or a viola with a really small hand for years and years
and playing extremely difficult music.
Even if you have a perfect technique, you're much more comfortable with something that
fits you.
And lots of pianists have not had that opportunity yet, including the smallest children who are
virtuosos.
So you know this just opens up a whole other way of thinking as it becomes embraced.
More on this conversation with Hanna Reiman, pioneer and advocate of Stretto pianos and
creator of the International Stretto Piano Festival and Stretto Piano Concerts.
Let's join the chat during the premiere of this special episode this Tuesday, April 25th,
8pm Eastern on my YouTube channel.
The audio podcast will be split into two parts.
Part 1 will be dropped on your favorite podcasting platform at the same time of the video premiere.
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