Hi, this is Robert Estrin from Living Pianos. I had the pleasure of visiting the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, and I wanted to share a quick glimpse with you. It’s a fascinating place that celebrates the rich history of recorded music, with exhibit
Have you ever wondered how to make large jumps on the piano with confidence and accuracy? It can feel almost impossible to land on the right notes, especially when you're playing fast or under pressure. Fortunately, there’s a simple, effective way
One piece I’ve always had to adapt is the beginning of Schumann’s Carnaval. Traditionally, I break the large chords to make it work convincingly on a full-size keyboard. But for the first time, on this narrow-key digital piano, I can actually play those large chords solidly without breaking them. That’s a game-changer for me. Now, I won’t say it’s easy—it’s still a stretch. But I can reach them. That’s the power of this new design.
What Are Narrow Keys?
This particular model is called the Athena, and it follows the DS 5.5 standard—meaning the keys span 5.5 inches per octave, compared to the traditional standard 6.5 inches per octave. There’s also a 6.0-inch standard available. These innovations are part of a movement supported by the DS Foundation, led by Christopher Donison and David Steinbuhler, who are pioneers in the world of alternatively sized keyboards. The DS Standard Foundation played a key role in founding PASK (Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards).
For me, the 5.5-inch octave is ideal. I can just barely reach tenths—but I can reach them! Better yet, the black keys are proportionally narrower, so I can easily maneuver between them without struggle. That’s an important design feature for pianists with broader fingers or limited reach.
Are There Acoustic Pianos with Narrower Keys?
Yes! A few manufacturers and innovators are already making this a reality:
Hailun offers uprights with the 6.0-inch standard.
Hannah Reimann creates custom keyboard sets under the Stretto Piano label.
Some Steinways have been retrofitted with custom keysets.
Josef Hofmann, the legendary pianist, had a specially made 7-foot Steinway with narrow keys back in the early 20th century!
Even the respected German maker Steingraeber & Söhne offers custom-sized actions upon request.
Time for a Level Playing Field
Consider this: at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, pianist Magdalene Ho made waves with her profound musicality, despite not advancing in the competition—a result many found baffling. Interestingly, she also plays with a smaller hand span. There’s a deeper point here: the standard keyboard size is simply not suitable for everyone. Just as we wouldn’t expect everyone to wear the same shoe size, pianists deserve instruments that fit their hands. Watch Magdalene Ho’s brilliant rendition of Carnaval.
Celebrated pianist, Daniel Barenboim has recently revealed that he has been playing a smaller keyboard for years!
Lessons from Typewriters and Forgotten Designs
This isn’t a new concept. Think about your QWERTY keyboard—it’s not the most efficient design, but we’re all used to it. The Dvorak keyboard was invented to optimize typing speed, but it never gained traction.
Even more fascinating: in the late 19th century, Paul von Jankó created a keyboard where octaves moved vertically, not horizontally. It allowed players to leap octaves seamlessly. Why didn’t it catch on? Perhaps because audiences loved watching pianists like Liszt make dramatic jumps on traditional keyboards.
Playing Experience: Instant Comfort
You might think it takes time to adjust to narrower keys. But the transition? Practically seamless. I started playing Mozart on this new keyboard, and it felt instantly familiar. Honestly, it’s like slipping into a pair of shoes that finally fit. For my hands, 5.5 inches per octave is perfect. I can manage ninths on a regular piano, but tenths were always out of reach. On this keyboard, I can finally play them solidly—something I never thought I’d do. For pianists who struggle to reach an octave, anything larger than the 5.5 size keys would be of little value.
The Road Ahead: What Needs to Happen
So what’s next? For this movement to grow, we need to agree on a standard alternative size—just one. My vote is for the 5.5-inch octave. Any smaller, and we run into limitations like overly cramped finger spacing. Any larger, and we lose the benefit for small-handed pianists.
Imagine if all major concert halls had two action sets available: one standard, and one with a 5.5-inch octave. Think about the opportunities this would unlock—especially for women and others with smaller hands who’ve historically been at a disadvantage. If Yamaha offered U1 uprights with a narrow key option, or if Steinways in every major hall had a second action set for smaller hands, the playing field would be transformed.
Athena’s new digital piano with narrow keys is, to my knowledge, the first of its kind. And it could be the beginning of a revolution in piano accessibility.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave your comments on LivingPianos.com and YouTube to keep the conversation going! I’m Robert Estrin, and this is LivingPianos.com—Your Online Piano Resource. Thanks so much for joining me.
Imagine walking into the future of piano playing and finding a keyboard that finally fits your hands. Athena’s new digital piano with narrow keys is, to my knowledge, the first of its kind. And it could be the beginning of a revolution in piano ac
Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. This is one of the most important concepts you can apply to your piano practice: you need to think in words. That might sound strange at first. After all, when you’re playing music, especial
Someone asked if I could do an updated explanation of dotted rhythms, specifically using the first bars of Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata as an example.
I’m Robert Estrin. Welcome to LivingPianos.com. Legato octaves can be one of the most beautiful expressive tools in piano playing—if you know how to approach them correctly. Today, I want to share a technique that can be a breakthrough for yo
I’m Robert Estrin. Welcome to LivingPianos.com. In this second excerpt from my interview with Zsolt Bognár, I share the journey that led to the creation of Living Pianos—how a lifelong passion for performance, teaching, and technology came t
I’m Robert Estrin. Welcome to LivingPianos.com. Today I want to share something truly exciting with you—something I use every day in my own musical life. If you’ve seen my videos, you’ve probably noticed I often read music on my i
Zsolt:
I’ve known about your channel for a long time. I have many colleagues and friends who grew up watching your many videos. At the time that we’re speaking, you have about 1400. You have nearly 30 million views.
Robert:
Being in 21st-century America, classical piano is irrelevant to a lot of people’s lives. But by casting a wide net, I’m able to connect with people who love the piano as I do. And that is very gratifying.
Zsolt:
This is a channel on which you host what kind of content for your over 110,000 subscribers right now, which is the envy of many serious channels in the classical music world?
Robert:
Well, I have a very wide range because, you know, with, as you say, over 1400 videos, there’s always new topics. And the most remarkable thing is I have a document with suggested topics. Whenever I think of a topic, wherever I am, I whip out my phone, go to my Google Drive, and put the topic in there. So I probably have 100 new topics that I haven’t done yet on there, and they’re inspired, a lot of them are inspired by my students and such. So they range from piano instructional type of videos—not going through a piece note by note, but more like concepts, whether it’s how to deal with expression or something of that nature or technical challenges—but also piano videos about the construction of pianos, because I also am involved with pianos as well as piano playing.
Watch the complete interview here.
I’m Robert Estrin. Welcome to LivingPianos.com. In this video, I’m sharing an excerpt from my recent interview with Zsolt Bognár, where we discuss everything from my YouTube channel to the wide range of content I create. If you’re inte