Pianists in the Australian survey were classified according to ‘level of acclaim’ based on their success as a performer. There are 12 pianists with an ‘International’ profile (including some visiting performers from other countries) based on a successful long-term solo performing career across a wide range of repertoire, and/or success in major international competitions. A further 51 with a ‘National’ profile were identified on the basis of long-term performing careers mainly in their home country either as soloists (not necessarily across such a wide range of repertoire), chamber musicians or accompanists, and/or success in significant national competitions. All remaining pianists were classed as ‘Regional/Amateur’.
Below is a plot of active 1-5 right hand span measurements of all the adult pianists in the Australian survey, similar to that produced by David Steinbuhler in 2004. (See Earlier hand span studies.) As well as highlighting the gender difference, it shows those pianists of ‘International’ and ‘National’ acclaim. It indicates that all the ‘Internationals’ had spans of 8.8 inches or above, and that very few ‘Nationals’ had spans below the female average of 7.9 inches. To see the impact of the large ‘one-size-fits-all’ keyboard on gender differences in international piano competition results, go to: Competition Results