In November 2022, I attended the “European Piano Teachers Association” (EPTA) conference at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz. Among the conference’s many interesting events, the lecture “Pianos That Grow Your Hands”, by Ulrike Wohlwender, professor for piano pedagogy at Stuttgart’s State University of Music and the Performing Arts (HMDK), was especially thought-provoking for me. The topic was pianos with narrower keys and their effect on the playing of pianists and their career development.

I immediately wanted to know more about this, and after a very friendly initial contact with Ulrike, she invited me to come to the HMDK in Stuttgart and try the Sirius 6.0, a Yamaha baby grand piano with an optimized 6.0-inch keyboard from Laukhuff (the standard keyboard measures 6.5 inches or 165mm per octave). Thanks to the opportunity offered by the Erasmus+ programme and the very helpful support of the mdw’s Center for Further Education, I was able to take part in a three-day teacher training in Stuttgart at the end of June and had a very enlightening exchange with colleagues and students there about these pianos.

Immediately upon my arrival on a sunny morning, I strolled from my accommodations through the city, which despite its relatively new buildings has lovely little spots, and met Ulrike at the HMDK, where we had our first conversation about the instrument. In one practice room, the Sirius 6.0 stood next to a Yamaha upright piano with a standard keyboard, and I had the opportunity to practise for an extended period on both pianos.

From the very first moment playing the Sirius 6.0, I had the strange feeling of placing myself in a different body!

It was not only the adjustment of my hands and fingers to the new dimensions—I had had previous experience with keyboards of historic instruments—but also the combination of the narrower keys with the modern piano sound and touch that gave me this “transcorporeal” experience and made it evident to me how it must feel for people with smaller hands to play a keyboard in “their” size, that of the Sirius 6.0. Particularly in talking with colleagues, it was touching for me to see the relief and pleasure in music-making they felt through this!

While practising on the Sirius 6.0, I, as well, sensed a relaxation in the palms and backs of my hands, although I am not really among the target group for this keyboard size, and interestingly, I was able to transfer the lightness that I gained on the Sirius 6.0 to the standard-size keyboard. Prof. Ulrike Wohlwender noted that “equal opportunities for pianists begin on their daily playing field”, and that hand size therefore plays an important role in their career development. For this reason, participants at the Dallas International Piano Competition can choose between three keyboard sizes, and in 2021, at the initiative of the international PASK movement (Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards), the first International Stretto Piano Festival was held under the motto “Narrow Keys … Broad Minds … No Boundaries” on the New York performance platform MUSAE, an online festival featuring pre-recorded performances on grand pianos with narrower keys.

It is very important that piano keyboard size remains a topic of discussion and is introduced to a wider audience, and I am grateful for all the information and impressions that provided me with enrichment and for the conversations with colleagues that opened up new ways of thinking for me. I hope that an increasing number of pianists will try these keyboards in order to form their own opinion.

Alongside my teacher training, I also had the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere and outstanding quality of Stuttgart’s music university and had the great fortune of attending the HMDK’s “Hock am Turm” summer festival! Some forty high-quality study performances across all genres were given in all the halls of the university from 5 to 11 p.m. and were very well attended. This gave me the chance to attend events such as a presentation with marionettes and a spoken-word performance.  These lovely experiences marked the conclusion of the semester, and I am grateful that I was able to participate in this teacher training. I encourage everyone to do the same!