Finger Stretcher for the Aspiring Pianist
This grisly device, featured in Maurice Collins’ terrific book Eccentric Contraptions, was created around the turn of the 20th century to help stretch the finger span of small-handed pianists. According to one source, Robert Schumann permanently wrecked his right hand and ended his career using an early version of one of these contraptions. (Other sources blame a botched surgical procedure aimed at slicing the tendon between the third and fourth fingers, and yet others say it was syphilis medication that did him in.)
September 21st, 2006 at 9:00 pm
Or aliens with lasers could have got Schumann!
September 22nd, 2006 at 1:09 pm
[...] Finger Stretcher for the Aspiring Pianist [...]
September 23rd, 2006 at 12:15 pm
yikes, I mean come on are long fingers worth all the pain.
September 25th, 2006 at 10:05 pm
You know what they say about long fingers!
March 1st, 2007 at 4:29 am
They need larger gloves?
October 18th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
What a daft idea. In my (relatively short) experience as a guitar teacher, I have noticed that it is not the fact that the fingers cannot stretch far enough, but that the hand cannot hold them out to that extreme. Anybody agree/disagree? Try it. stretch your fingers as far as they will go with your other hand, then see if you can keep them there unaided.