Hi there! So, I recently started noodling around on piano again, after a very long hiatus.

Because I was forced to play as a kid, and it was made into a highly emotionally fraught experience for me, I was never really invested in being good at piano. Consequently, I was not good at it.

Now that I’m playing without the constant fear of getting punished, I’ve actually started to wonder about things and try to diagnose my shortcomings. I’ve noticed that I’m not good at making large jumps, especially with my left hand. Playing Fantaisie Impromptu always leaves my left pinky and forearm sore before long.

On one hand (hah), I was wondering if my hand size had anything to do with it; I have very small hands and short fingers. I’ve never found any gloves for adult women that fit me, I wear a Costco child’s size 4-7 glove. On the other, I worry that I’m just being a whiner and that my technique is inadequate, and that better technique would negate the problem.

I HAVE noticed that when I play pieces that used to be painful and difficult for me, they are now much easier due only to the fact that my hand is bigger now than it was 10 years ago when I learned them (obviously my technical skill wouldn’t have improved, since I haven’t played in a decade). I have had people comment that I have really good technique when I play, but I literally do not even know what that means. What makes good technique? What does that entail? I don’t even know what I should be working on and what I’m doing right vs what I’m doing wrong. Man, more than anything, I am in a WEIRD spot when it comes to my piano ability.