Skinny Keys for Skinny Fingers!
Donation protected
Hello everyone! Thank you for visiting my GoFundMe page. As many of you may know, making small keys available to small hands is a project that is important to me, and I have been advocating for multiple size options for some time now.
And, as is fairly evident, I am one of those pianists with small hands! It's time for me, too, to welcome a new and smaller instrument into my life & home. These are wonderful pianos (and by far the best option for little shrimps like me), but also quite expensive, and I'm trying to crowdfund half of the cost. This would be more than an incredible help. This would mean the difference between continuing the needless struggle with a too-large instrument, and allowing myself color, texture, meaning, and the spirit of the moment... and of course, the ability to share it.
ABOUT THE KEYS
(more on this at skinnykeys.tumblr.com)
The conventional piano that we all know and love measures in at 6.5 inches to the octave. 6.5 inches is very large. So the piano was designed for people with larger-than-average hands. (By definition, this excludes the majority of the population… makes you wonder how it happened in the first place.)
Steinbuhler & Co. manufactures several smaller keyboards that are slowly (but surely!) gaining in popularity:
6 inches to the octave (15/16 of the standard size)
5.5 inches (7/8) <-- this one is the one I love. Amazing.
5.1 inches (really tiny)
WHY SKINNY KEYS
This piano is important to me for many reasons. Here are two:
Reason #1: For someone with small hands, these pianos have innumerable ergonomic and artistic benefits:
• avoid injuries (like tendonitis)
• play previously impossible repertoire (hello, Brahms!)
• far superior musical results
• sheer enjoyment
• professionalism
Reason #2: As a pianist, I want to deliver my best performance. As a musician, I want to work with a palette of colors and textures, with sounds and ideas. As an artist, I want to create worlds and moments, to offer new insights, to invite new experiences and to share them. These are unshakable parts of the creative impulse, and it's devastating when the very tool you use to convey all this trips you up.
Playing an appropriately-sized instrument takes a lot of chance out of the picture, replacing it with a solid foundation for intention. I can't express how much it would mean to me to begin working with skinny keys... it would be like, after so much time struggling to speak, suddenly being able to sing.
For these reasons and many more, I have been working toward acquiring a piano for my home studio: a high-quality (reduced-size) upright that will allow me to practice and learn in a healthy way. I have had only amazing experiences with these pianos, and am incredibly excited to begin working with one! I hope you will support me moving into this new phase of my life.
: : extra stuff ! : :
GOALS
A few ambitions on the more immediate side:
• Resume taking lessons
• Share recordings/videos
• Collaborate with other musicians
• Open my home & piano to curious artists/students
• (this one is harder to explain) with time saved having more efficient practice, do other valuable things like study, make art, compose, jam
LOGISTICS
There are a few details that will go into refining the action, as well as some moving hurdles. Altogether, the acquisition of the new instrument will cost roughly $10k. (Sometimes I wonder why I didn't play the flute.) Here is a breakdown on how that money will be spent:
GIFTS
I am very excited about putting together these gifts especially for you, so please claim them! If you've claimed a music video, artwork, or a composition, please count yourself part of the creative process and contact me! If you prefer a reward from a previous category, or wish to make any sort of request, please don't hesitate to contact me directly! :)
And, as is fairly evident, I am one of those pianists with small hands! It's time for me, too, to welcome a new and smaller instrument into my life & home. These are wonderful pianos (and by far the best option for little shrimps like me), but also quite expensive, and I'm trying to crowdfund half of the cost. This would be more than an incredible help. This would mean the difference between continuing the needless struggle with a too-large instrument, and allowing myself color, texture, meaning, and the spirit of the moment... and of course, the ability to share it.
ABOUT THE KEYS
(more on this at skinnykeys.tumblr.com)
The conventional piano that we all know and love measures in at 6.5 inches to the octave. 6.5 inches is very large. So the piano was designed for people with larger-than-average hands. (By definition, this excludes the majority of the population… makes you wonder how it happened in the first place.)
Steinbuhler & Co. manufactures several smaller keyboards that are slowly (but surely!) gaining in popularity:
6 inches to the octave (15/16 of the standard size)
5.5 inches (7/8) <-- this one is the one I love. Amazing.
5.1 inches (really tiny)
WHY SKINNY KEYS
This piano is important to me for many reasons. Here are two:
Reason #1: For someone with small hands, these pianos have innumerable ergonomic and artistic benefits:
• avoid injuries (like tendonitis)
• play previously impossible repertoire (hello, Brahms!)
• far superior musical results
• sheer enjoyment
• professionalism
Reason #2: As a pianist, I want to deliver my best performance. As a musician, I want to work with a palette of colors and textures, with sounds and ideas. As an artist, I want to create worlds and moments, to offer new insights, to invite new experiences and to share them. These are unshakable parts of the creative impulse, and it's devastating when the very tool you use to convey all this trips you up.
Playing an appropriately-sized instrument takes a lot of chance out of the picture, replacing it with a solid foundation for intention. I can't express how much it would mean to me to begin working with skinny keys... it would be like, after so much time struggling to speak, suddenly being able to sing.
For these reasons and many more, I have been working toward acquiring a piano for my home studio: a high-quality (reduced-size) upright that will allow me to practice and learn in a healthy way. I have had only amazing experiences with these pianos, and am incredibly excited to begin working with one! I hope you will support me moving into this new phase of my life.
: : extra stuff ! : :
GOALS
A few ambitions on the more immediate side:
• Resume taking lessons
• Share recordings/videos
• Collaborate with other musicians
• Open my home & piano to curious artists/students
• (this one is harder to explain) with time saved having more efficient practice, do other valuable things like study, make art, compose, jam
LOGISTICS
There are a few details that will go into refining the action, as well as some moving hurdles. Altogether, the acquisition of the new instrument will cost roughly $10k. (Sometimes I wonder why I didn't play the flute.) Here is a breakdown on how that money will be spent:
GIFTS
I am very excited about putting together these gifts especially for you, so please claim them! If you've claimed a music video, artwork, or a composition, please count yourself part of the creative process and contact me! If you prefer a reward from a previous category, or wish to make any sort of request, please don't hesitate to contact me directly! :)
Organizer
Tiffany Goff
Organizer
Cleveland, OH