Lush harmonies with tiny chords [1st of 5 lessons]

While writing 44 early intermediate piano arrangements this summer, I've had to work hard to overcome a natural tendency. That tendency is to write what my student Deb calls "man hands" chords. I admit, I have Rachmaninoff hands. And I love to use them to write big lush chords that give the piano a real resonant, rapturous quality. But that doesn't work for early intermediate pianists... many of whom have much, much smaller hands than I do. So, I had to go against my natural-man pianist...