082: Introducing the Athena Narrow Keys Piano with Linda Gould

Linda Gould has spent decades proving that small hands don’t have to limit big musical dreams. From overcoming a hand injury to co-founding Narrow Key Pianos, Linda has championed the design and launch of Athena, the first portable digital narrow keys piano. In this episode, she shares how this groundbreaking instrument helps pianists of all ages play with greater freedom, confidence, and joy.

1. Linda shared her journey from early success as a performer to facing a career-stopping hand injury.
2. How learning left-hand repertoire kept her connected to piano during recovery.
3. How meeting David Steinbuhler, inventor of the narrow key action, transformed her playing.
4. The importance of narrow keys in making once-impossible repertoire accessible for small-handed pianists.
5. The benefits of the first retrofit narrow key action, which reignited her performing career.
6. Why portability became essential after years of moving her acoustic grand piano to concerts.
7. Linda introduced Athena, the first portable digital narrow keys piano, as a milestone for accessibility.
8. How Athena’s narrower octave allows pianists to play large chords and stretches with ease.
9. The value of Athena’s professional features, including weighted action and string resonance.
10. She highlighted how narrow keys reduce fatigue and promote healthier technique for students.
11. Linda explained why students adapt quickly between narrow and standard keys without losing skill.
12. The benefits for teachers who want to offer instruments that fit their students’ hands.
13. Her success stories of both children and professionals who expanded their repertoire on Athena.
14. The long-term vision of narrow keys becoming a standard option for pianists worldwide.

Links Mentioned

1. Linda's Website: NarrowKeys.com
2. YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@narrowkeys

Today’s Guest Linda Gould is the author of Play Piano Chords Today and has been teaching and performing for 5 decades, debuting at age 11 when she performed a Bach Piano Concerto with the Mount Royal College Orchestra. Linda has B Mus in performance with distinction, and a minor in Math. She is a competition and exam award winner and recently won Tech Teacher of the year. In her late 30s, she met David Steinbuhler, the inventor of the narrow keys piano action. Within two years, Linda was back performing big works with orchestras. This spring she completed a two-piano concert tour with her sister, Sue Gould, performing 11 concerts in 6 days on her new narrow digital piano keys.About Rachel Ehring

Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda.

1. Visit her website at RachelEhring.com
2. Visit her Instagram page: @rachelehring
3. Visit her YouTube channel: @dreamlavendermusic6694
4. Visit her Etsy shop at Dream Lavender Music

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