Greetings,

I've had a few questions regarding piano playing, I'll just cut to the chase...

1. How quickly can an average piano player play different sets of 2 key chords, and what about 3 key chords? What I mean by this is, can the typical piano player play changing chords and such that are only quarter note long on say... a standard 100 bpm? What about eighth notes?

2. What's the hand span of a typical piano player? And how far a stretch is still maintainable while playing short notes? eg. Can I write in a C and a E an octave higher and expect people to be able to play it with one hand?

3. What's the piano sheet notation for the technique where you press down one of the foot pedals to allow the notes to ring?

I think that's all for now... as you might have noticed while reading my questions, I have no piano playing experience at all; sometimes when I check back on a few of my transcriptions, the piano parts seems unplayable.

Thanks.

What's the piano sheet notation for the technique where you press down one of the foot pedals to allow the notes to ring?

The sustain pedal. The damper pedal, more crudely the 'loud' pedal.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Ped_mark.PNG

This mark means you should apply the sustain pedal.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/86/Ped_mark_2.PNG

This mark means you should lift the pedal.

What's the hand span of a typical piano player? And how far a stretch is still maintainable while playing short notes? eg. Can I write in a C and a E an octave higher and expect people to be able to play it with one hand?



ohhhh!!! no fair!! I can only reach up to D

right- well every piano player is different and if i was to say that the 'average piano player' can do x and y but not z, then the next poster may say well I can do x and z but not y if that makes sense?

1: with 2 key chords (taking you mean one hand) it depends on the interval- any pianist with a decent technique can play octaves, thirds and sixths quite quickly with just the one hand (octaves quicker than thirds and sixths because they're easier). the other intervals arent used that commonly in your average piece.

3 key chords (again taking you mean three notes with the same hand) it depends again on the intervals. generally not as fast as the 2 key because with the 2 key you can do all kinds of clever fingerings- with the 3 key they are more often than not played with the same fingers, just moving the hand- maybe alternating between 3-4 and 5 on the top note if you want legato.

2: the average hand span is a 10th i think

3: already been answered- but tbh with your average (musically intelligent) pianist we dont need to be told when to put the pedal down because the harmonies of the piece say it all. its much easier just to write 'ped ad lib' at the start of the piece, or only mark the pedalling in places where that effect is specifically needed. you dont need it every other bar.

the easiest way around your problem anyway is to find a pianist to play your transcription and they can tell you what they would and wouldn't be able to manage.