Piano for Beginners: How to Sit at the Piano

Before learning to play notes, before learning to read music, the first thing that a beginning piano student learns is how to sit at the piano. It isn't just a pointless discipline inflicted on students by heartless piano teachers. Piano, for beginners
or more advanced players, requires good posture in order to produce good music.

In the first place, a pianist needs to have good posture in order to command the keyboard. You need to sit close enough but not too close to the keyboard. Sit forward on the bench to give you greater range of movement. In the second place, hours of work at the piano keyboard can lead to muscle fatigue and repetitive stress injuries just as hours of work at a computer keyboard can do. Correct posture can eliminate that discomfort. The third reason that posture is important is visual. Fourthly, and most importantly to me, poor posture makes you hurt. Neck strain, muscle aches and knots of tension in your back can all result from incorrect posture. And if you suffer physical discomfort when you play the piano, you won't love to play the piano. And that would be sad.

Follow these guidelines for good posture at the piano. For beginners, these tips may require a little bit of work. For advanced players, they should be second nature.

1. When you first sit down at the piano, smile, breathe and relax.

2. Here's a handy tip for helping you to position yourself the correct distance from the piano. Try to touch the board behind the keyboard with your fist. If you can do it with your elbow straight and your shoulders square, you are in the right place. If not, adjust your seat as necessary. You should be sitting forward on the bench, so that you can easily move from side to side as necessary to play over the keyboard.

3. Sit up straight. That doesn't mean rigid. Keep your shoulders down and don't forget to breathe.

4. Place your hands on the keys. Your forearms should be straight and parallel with the floor. Don't let your wrists drop. Your thighs should be straight, too, and both your feet should be flat on the floor. If you need to, adjust the height of the piano bench.

5. Continue to pay attention to your posture as you play, especially if you are having trouble learning the music. It is easy to get tense when you are trying to learn something. Be alert to that and avoid it. Hiking your shoulders up or slouching won't help you learn the music and it may cause you discomfort.

6. Smile, relax and breathe. Enjoy the time you have to study piano. It can be the best time of the day, especially if you remain relaxed and keep your posture good.