Elton John stopped playing classical music due to short fingers

18 September 2013, 11:29

Pop legend Elton John has said that he moved from playing classical music to pop music because his fingers were too short.

Speaking on Monday at the University of Southern California to an audience mostly made up of students, Sir Elton John said that his fingers are like "cocktail sausages", and therefore not long enough to play classical music.

The 66-year-old singer and songwriter was trained in classical music after winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the tender age of 11, allegedly after reciting a four-page piece of Handel piano music after hearing it just once.

John also performed a selection of his hit songs for students at the events, and answered several of their questions. Notably, he implored them to listen to music of all genres and said that he still listens to as much new music as he can.

In contrast to Elton John, Sergei Rachmaninov was famous for his incredible handspan,which reportedly could stretch to well over an octave on the piano keyboard.