Piano Technique: Seating and Posture.

In this post you will learn how to sit correctly at the piano, so that you will have full control and avoid some of the problems associated with bad posture.

First of all the position of the seat is of great importance. The height should be so that your elbows are just above the keys.

The distance from the piano is also very important. Most beginners will bring the chair close up to the table as if they were sitting down for dinner. This is incorrect. You should be far enough away so that your elbows are just in front of your body and you should sit on the front half of the chair or stool only. This will give you more freedom of movement.

The distance from the piano is also very important. Most beginners will bring the chair close up to the table as if they were sitting down for dinner. This is incorrect. You should be far enough away so that your elbows are just in front of your body. 

Also you should sit on the front half of the chair or stool only. This will give you more freedom of movement.

Next you need to think about your back, this should be straight but not tense. Imagine you are a puppet hanging from a string attached to your head. Any tension will translate into your fingers and make you play worse apart from giving you a sore back if you sit for hours in a slouched position. 

 

Moving up from the back, make sure again that your shoulders are also relaxed and not tense. I see so many students who when approaching a difficult passage, seem to completely lose their neck as their shoulders rise.

Finally when you place your hands on the keys your wrist should be level so that there is a straight line from your elbow to the first knuckle of your hand. From there the fingers form a relaxed arch shape as if you had a small piece of fruit between your hands and the keys with each knuckle rounded.

Oh and a final note - make sure your nails are not too long. Apart from being dangerous, you could rip your nail off between the cracks in the keys at high speed, it will enable you to use the tips of your fingers (one of the most sensitive parts of your body) to feel in contact with the instrument. There are no nerve endings in your finger nails. It will also avoid an annoying clicking sound as you play.

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