SIRIUS 6.0 keyboard – to grow hands on pianos!

Equal opportunities
Increasing performance potential
Preventing playing-related muscoloskeletal disorders

Since 2020, the Stuttgart prototype SIRIUS 6.0 (Yamaha GB1 baby grand with 6.0 keyboard from Laukhuff) grows hands by half a key per octave – for the first time at a European university of music.

Now, with your support, we hope to finance an interchangeable SIRIUS 6.0 keyboard with complete hammer action for our Steinway & Sons D premium concert grand piano in the concert hall OPR of the HMDK Stuttgart. Here, octaves are 12 mm narrower than on standard keyboards, only 142.5 mm instead of 165 mm, 6.0 inches instead of 6.5 inches. Only a small difference for the eye – so significant for fine motor skills and artistic performances.

Our role models are a.o. Josef Hofmann (6.3), Hannah Reimann (5.9, New York), Carol Leone (DS 6.0 and DS 5.5 keyboards, Dallas) and Daniel Barenboim. His keyboards of about 6.2 inches correspond to fortepianos from 1785-1825.

Studies from the U.S. and Australia conclude that the standard keyboard is too large for 87% of women and 24% of men, considering romantic repertoire with wide chords. Span widths 1-5 of women are on average 2.1 cm smaller than those of men; this corresponds almost to one white key. At international piano competitions, men have won first prizes four times more often than women (except Bach/Mozart competitions). Scientists around the world point to causal links between small spans, physical overstraining and medical complaints such as tendon irritation, ganglions or fingers falling asleep.

In the context of individuality, musicians' health, gender equality and historical piano manufacturing there are numerous arguments to encourage the innovative power of the 21st century in piano manufacturing to overcome the DIN standard of 1880 and to advocate for the adoption of 6.0 keyboards, catering to both professional and amateur pianists with medium or small hand spans in various settings such as practice rooms, concert halls, living rooms and classrooms.
Even though there is still a long way to go before 6.0 keyboards will be ready for series production at lower prices: as with e-mobility, a convincing start is needed. Universities of music are the perfect place for that.

For almost all pianists who sometimes wished to have bigger hands, playing on our prototype SIRIUS 6.0 was a freeing and artistically deeply inspiring key experience. Even pianists who can reach tenths on standard keyboards feel more stable, can shade the sound more finely, need less practice time, can expand their repertoire, etc.

In the YouTube series "Sharing Experiences with SIRIUS 6.0" and at the artistic-scientific symposium "SIRIUS 6.0 in Context", SIRIUS pianists shared their experiences and their art – hoping they will soon be able to perform on a SIRIUS 6.0 keyboard in a premium concert grand piano.

Now this step is about to happen. The HMDK Stuttgart's pioneering flagship project is entering the next round - hopefully with your support.

GOALS
- that more and more small and medium handed professional and amateur pianists are experiencing how their hands "grow", how much easier, freer, finer, more secure and more enduring they can play on Sirius 6.0 keyboards and how they can unfold their artistic potential to a much greater extent - now also on a premium concert grand piano in the concert hall

- that more and more universities of music and concert halls follow our model and give pianists the choice between 6.0 and 6.5 keyboards

- that more and more piano manufacturers recognize the individuality of our hands, use their innovative power for flexible 6.0 keyboards in cost-effective series production and open up the huge market (not only in Asia)

- that the HMDK Stuttgart can increase its expertise at the interface of pianistic skills–piano pedagogy–music physiology–piano manufacturing and that interested pianists, amateur piano players, music-specific physicians, physiotherapists, piano manufacturers, etc. can inform themselves and join in

Click here for our online flash light for "Üben & Musizieren", topic "Hochschule anders" (11-2023):
In English: https://cloud.mh-stuttgart.de/index.php/s/CR5VaY5McpqWfsW

TARGET GROUP
Professional pianists, piano teachers, piano students and amateur pianists with small or medium spans widths who wish to play with more stability, ease, precision and colors, who would like to extend their repertoire and prevent themselves from overstraining and playing-related muscoloskeletal disorders.

Visionary people, friends of piano playing, who dedicate themselves to equal opportunities, musicians' health, talent promotion and gender equality, who would like to support the future initiative SIRIUS 6.0 of the HMDK Stuttgart and to inspire the piano industry.

- because the experiences of the Sirius pianists to date are deeply moving: Freeing, ease, stability, hope, less compromises in sound, much less practicing effort, achievable desired repertoire ... fallen in love with the first touch ...

- because a suitable instrument makes the path to artistic expression smoother

- as equal opportunities for pianists start on their daily playing field

- because the greatest technical refinements are not sufficient to compensate for all challenges on individually oversized keyboards in an artistically coherent and sustainably healthy way

- because fortepianos from the period 1785-1825 had octave widths of 5.8 to 6.3 inches, with a key depth of approx. 5 mm

- because the 21st century enables technical innovations that seemed unthinkable yesterday

- as keyboards in DIN standard 6.5 inch are too large for 85% of women and 25% of men, including romantic and impressionistic repertoire

- as the average span width 1-5 of women is 2,1 cm smaller than that of men (... almost one key)

- because piano competitions are won much more often by men than by women (except for Bach/Mozart).

- because successful talent promotion has to prevent children and young people from overstraining themselves when their ears, head and fine motor skills grow faster than their hands

- because joint flexibility decreases with age so that habitual playing movements and fingerings on standard keyboards become more and more strenuous for seniors

- because there is scientific evidence of causal links between small spans and playing related hand/arm complaints such as tendon irritation, ganglion, fingers falling asleep

- as with string and wind instruments the choice between different sizes is a matter of course

- because individual physical dimensions are naturally taken into account in sport – e.g. handballs for teenagers, women and men, bicycle frames depending on leg length etc.

- to encourage piano manufacturers to offer optional 6.0 keyboards in series production.

Financing of an interchangeable SIRIUS 6.0 keyboard with hammer action for the Steinway & Sons D concert grand piano no. 531803 in the concert hall OPR of the HMDK Stuttgart.

If the crowdfunding amount should exceed the acquisition costs for the Sirius 6.0 keyboard, we would be able to continue our (video) documentation and to optimize the equipment for storage.

For donations of less than €300, the German revenue office only requires simplified proof, e.g. bank transfer receipts. For donations of €300 or more, you will receive a donation receipt from the HMDK Stuttgart.