Proper Seating at the Piano

Kids like these lightweight interlocking gym (or "anti-fatigue") mats, and they don't squish down the way pillows and cushions do. They are also excellent for people who travel to different places for teaching or accompanying.

Carpet samples work better for adults, and are more dignified too.

Comfortable seating at the piano

Good piano playing is only possible if we are comfortably seated at the piano. Therefore, at the beginning of every lesson and practice session, we arrange our piano bench so that it's the best height for playing and the best distance from the piano.

The best height is one which both allows the elbow/upper arm to fall freely from the shoulder, and allows the forearm to be parallel to the floor when the forearm and hand are in their natural shape -- the way they are when the hand is hanging at the side.

The best distance is one which allows our elbows to rest slightly in front of our center line when our hands are in a neutral position on the keyboard, with our hands in front of the elbows (i.e., not in front of the body or at the extremes of the keyboard).

I don't want to give the impression that we are ever in a rigid position when we're playing. What I've described is less a position than a starting point for easy movement. 

The upper arm feels quite easy and normal -- not heavy or held, not lifted up or reaching forward. The forearm and hand are at ease, but not so relaxed they are heavy. They are in the shape they are in when hanging at the side, filled with the life that makes movement possible. The wrist is in one piece with the hand and forearm, not holding up or falling down.

Where to sit on the bench

We sit on the front of the bench. Our torsos need to move from the hip joint, so the freedom of the hip joint is one thing to check to see if we're sitting in a good place. We sit far enough back on the bench to feel stable enough that we do not need to hold ourselves in place (it's not good to feel perched). We sit forward enough on the bench to allow the hip joint to move freely. If too much of our thighs are on the bench, our torso is forced back and it is difficult to move forward from the hip joint.

Adding height to the bench

It's very common that even adjustable benches can't raise people up high enough so that their hands, arms, and shoulders -- their playing mechanisms -- are comfortable. Therefore we often find ourselves adding height to the bench (illustrations of my tricks for adding height are the two images of the bench at the left). 

Adding height to the floor

People whose feet can't reach the floor won't be able to feel easily balanced forward into the piano. There are some official-looking stools on the market for children with shorter legs, but other things work too. We found this footstool at an antiques show, and made the shorter footrests out of telephone books covered with sturdy cardboard boxes.