How many hands do you use?

**3.1415926535** · Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 982

OK, I haven't posted here for a while, and I haven't posted any scores for a while, until that one I posted today.

===Backstory===
I don't think I'll get the Obsessive Compulsive goal anytime soon, but I do want to step closer and closer to it. So I played Here I Go Again on Pro Keys. First I ran through the whole thing to see if there were any trouble spots. I missed a few notes, but nothing too glaringly difficult, so I played a few more times.

After about seven or eight attempts, I make it to the end of the song and hit that last note, with the green 100% marker still shining in the upper right. That was a satisfying moment.

However, this came with a bit of a bonus: I saw the words "Ranked #1 on the leaderboard!" on the results page. I was thinking, how is this possible? I've never made an optimal path before, so obviously this isn't the case.
===End Backstory===

Question:
How many hands do you play with? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

I play one-handed. Going with my Here I Go Again anecdote here, I play all the notes with the right hand, and my left hand is just above that touch strip at almost all times. Here I Go Again has a lot of sustains in OD phrases, and I use the touch strip aggressively on every one of them to get as much OD as possible. However, with only one hand, some transitions are a bit harder. Early on in the song, there's a long BGE chord before a high AC chord, and I have to let go of the first chord slightly early. Apart from that, I held most of my sustains fully, and a lot of it was under OD.

So here's where my questions really come in when it comes to top scorers:
-Are the first-place scores on harder songs usually done with two hands or one hand?
-And what about the easier songs?
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Non-weekly, randomly-updated (seemingly) random string of notes:

All my Pro Keys scores are done with only the right hand touching the keys (left hand used for OD and touch strip).
Evidence that it's possible to play the piano line of Roundabout with one hand: 6:45
(She has more crazy piano stuff in her second quiz too!)

OCD: 70/83

**Hobo111** · Joined: 27 Dec 2009 Posts: 3414

I play with two hands. Sue me.

**xGaberadex** · Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 1785 Location: Dela-where?

I'm not much of a PRO-keys player (even though I've been playing piano in real life for awhile). But when I do, I only play one-handed UNLESS there's a part in the song that I desperately need my 2nd hand to help me not miss a certain note that I know I can't do one-handed consistently. For example, in 25 Or 6 To 4, the first part where the trumpets come in and you have to play the F# several times in a row really fast, I play that two-handed since I'm more consistent that way. One-handing it isn't a big deal, but it's less tiring when you're trying to grind for an FC or w/e, so the ideal way to go is two-hand in that situation. Also, I'm pretty sure the top scores you see on the leaderboards are done one-handed exclusively with the exceptions of the things I mentioned and even on the easier songs as well.
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**GanonMetroid** · Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 1460

One a lot of the time, two if there is an abundance of four-note chords or if they part is too complex for me to one-hand. If there are OD sustains, I try to figure out a method to one-hand it if I can't already, but if I can't, then so be it.
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**jawnintendo** · Joined: 28 Dec 2009 Posts: 1202 Location: Edinburg, VA

Two
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**RockerSVK** · Joined: 27 Dec 2009 Posts: 354

one and just like Gabe said (tho I can hit that F# in 25 or 6 to 4 with one hand everytime... not a big deal)
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**zage1337** · Joined: 20 Nov 2008 Posts: 432

I usually play with one hand unless it's 4 note chords. 4 note chords that span a whole octave like Power of Love or awkward chords like Cold as Ice I 2 hand it.

Power of Love is physically too painful to play one handed as I can barely reach over an octave anyways. I have to 2 hand the 4 note chords.

I can still play some 4 note chords one handed like the 4 note chord in Imagine.

I also used 2 hands to pass Antibodies on Expert Pro Keys but so do 99% of everyone else who passed it without No Fail.
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**xGaberadex** · Joined: 27 Apr 2010 Posts: 1785 Location: Dela-where?

**shik4maru** · Joined: 30 Dec 2010 Posts: 198

**teemuhy** · Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 2

One hand all the way. A good way to hit fast repeating notes (Oye Mi Amor, Heart of the Sunrise) is to use two fingers. The tapping must be a bit nimble for all the notes to register, but i've found that it works well enough.

I had no piano experience before RB3, so playing with two hands would've been easier, but I decided to do it 'properly' just to get my right hand to be more dextrous. It was tough for a while, but now I think I would do a lot worse with two hands.

edit: My hands are pretty big, and I can do the Power of Love chords without much trouble. My pinky-to-thumb span is just over one octave, without any unnatural stretching.

**Skyp1e** · Joined: 01 Mar 2011 Posts: 132

I don't play anything two handed anymore. I used to play a couple of songs that way, but I don't anymore. Everything is with one hand only now.

Having said that, I sort of think that I'm not getting as high up on the leaderboard because of folks playing some of these same songs that I play with one hand, using two.

**Yusuke** · Joined: 04 Nov 2006 Posts: 1663

Five.
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**Yume-Jam** · Joined: 17 Mar 2011 Posts: 8

As far as standard keys goes, I almost always play with 2 hands (left index & middle on the keys farthest left on the board, right index & middle & ring on the keys individually marked with colours). If I'm sustaining notes with my left hand, I tend to press one or both of those keys with my left thumb while one of my other fingers is still holding it, quickly move any other finger on that hand over enough to use the touch strip, and move back to my standard position before I have to hit another note. I almost always activate OD while sustaining or playing yellow, blue, and/ or orange notes only. I'm working on getting used to using the strip with my right index if I'm sustaining with my left hand, or using Select with my right hand if I'm playing/sustaining notes with my left hand.

Eventually I want to get used to playing with one hand and be able to have the choice of playing entire songs with one hand or switching styles on the fly, being able to play with just the right or just the left, but so far I use this 2-handed style 'cause it's what I'm already used to considering I always played Guitar Heros 1-3 (and 80s) using Dualshock controllers. So the only difference in hitting notes is instead of orange notes being played by my right thumb, they're played with my right ring finger. I get along pretty well playing like this even tho I've only played keys for a few days (always on expert).

I'm still learning pro keys so for now, I play 1-handed on songs that require 1 chord or a few simple arpeggios, but resort to 2 hands with more complex melodies. I definitely want to master the 1-handed play so I can massage that strip and activate OD whenever I want with more ease. That and playing difficult songs with 1 hand is just more viewtiful. I'll probably mix up my difficulty settings while getting used to pro keys.
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**HHHistheGame** · Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 78

Always one, though occasionally I will use two for stuff like the F sharps in 25 Or 6 To 4. I could do it fine, if the Rock Band keyboard wasnt absolutely terrible. It's ridiculous how the black keys are 10X harder to press than the white keys, there's not supposed to be a difference! So while on a real keyboard I could do it with one hand, on the Rock Band keyboard the peripheral's just too poorly made. (That's also what makes antibodies so hard...) Im not saying it's impossible with one hand, just way more difficult than it should be

**shik4maru** · Joined: 30 Dec 2010 Posts: 198

I’m really surprised to read that because as far as I’m concerned I find that the rb3 keyboard is really fine, and much more solid than for instance the prodipe 49C I use when I’m not home. Really nice piece of hardware to me.

The only thing it lacks to me is weight on the contrary, if you think it’s hard to press, imagine what it could be on a real piano