Piano lesson: "Rachmaninov had big hands"

See how one gets 4 million views on YouTube:



Piano lesson: Rachmaninov had big hands

According to Wikipedia, "unlike most pianists, Rachmaninoff possessed extremely large hands, with which he could easily maneuver through the most complex chordal configurations. His left hand technique was unusually powerful. In addition, Rachmaninoff also composed works for two pianos and four hands.


Rachmaninoff as a young man. Note the hands. Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.

Rachmaninoff and Marfan syndrome

Along with his musical gifts, Rachmaninoff possessed physical gifts that may have placed him in good stead as a pianist. These gifts included exceptional height and extremely large hands with a gigantic finger stretch. They and Rachmaninoff's slender frame, long limbs, narrow head, prominent ears, and thin nose suggest that he may have had Marfan syndrome, a hereditary disorder of the connective tissue."

In today's visual world, the video of the comedy routine above is the 3rd Google result for the name of the famous composer.

See more videos from HirnW on his YouTube channel.

Twitter comments:

@kevinmd (Kevin Pho, M.D.): I'm going to their show when they're in Boston in March.

@ggheorghiu (Gabriel Gheorghiu): Really funny - thanks 4 sharing :)

@eswei (Beth Wei): Rachmaninoff is a work-out for your hands.

References:

Joint hypermobility syndrome: Easily Missed? BMJ, 2011.
Sergei Rachmaninoff, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rachmaninov had big hands - the routine they ripped off. YouTube.