How closely do you sit near the piano

[pianoplayjl]

A few days ago I had a nightmare. Yesterday I had an epiphany. I few days ago when I was working on the right hand trills in the bass in the second page, my teacher interrupted me trying to correct my trilling technique, to no success whattsover, hence assigning me Brahms exercise 40a. Yesterday, while practicing a sudden thought came up. What if I sat a little further away from the piano? So today while practicing the thought resurfaced and so I tried that and it worked abit. Beginners are taught this in their first few months of lessons to not sit too close to the keyboard. How shameful for me!

So, how closely do you sit near the piano?

JL

[drkilroy]

I always sit in such a way so only my knees are below the keyboard.

Best regards, Dr

[49410enrique]

i used to think it was just personal preference but am finding indeed sometimes it might depend on what you are playing, so if you're trill heavy in a work go ahead and shift around. whatever makes things easier. i am finding similar situatins w regard to seat height. i like to sit very high as it gives me a lot of leveral and i like to always feel the bottom of the keys with little effort, however as i work to enhance the tone and lightness of touch in classical and baroque style works im finding sitting lower and maybe a little closer makes it easier for a flat finger technique to not have quite as much weight behind the hand.

so yeah make the position your own according to how you're put together and what you're playing. make it easier on yourself we already fight against enough factors vs our playing so i think exploring this option makes total sense

[williampiano]

I used to sit kind of far away from the piano, but lately my teacher has corrected me on this, so I've started to sit closer. I noticed when I sat farther away, my back got sore easier.

[j_menz]

It actually depends a bit on what I'm playing. I sit further back if the piece covers a greater range of the keyboard, or if there's a bit of cross hands work, but never much more than knees under.

[jtguru]

It actually depends a bit on what I'm playing. I sit further back if the piece covers a greater range of the keyboard, or if there's a bit of cross hands work

Same here. It really does depend on what I'm playing. This does result in my back getting sore easier when practicing something that covers the whole keyboard though :/

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I was thinking of posting a topic like this!

I try to sit as close as possible.

[werq34ac]

Aren't most beginners taught to put their hands straight out so that their fists touch the letters of the piano brand?

[williampiano]

Aren't most beginners taught to put their hands straight out so that their fists touch the letters of the piano brand?

Yeah, that's what I was taught, but lately my teacher has advised me to sit even a tad closer than that.


Do any of you find that sitting too far away can cause back pains, because it did with me for quite some time?

[brodmann96]

I sit so that my elbows are slightly in front of my body. Not completely at my sides, but maybe about like one or two inches forward

[_achilles_]

I'm a fairly tall person with long arms.. I feel that has a lot do with where one sits. I sit far enough away so my arms make about a 135deg bend. My elbows a little bit in front of my torso. I've also recently started sitting a lot closer to the edge of the bench, gives me more mobility and less of a slumping feeling.

[roseamelia]

I put mine a little less than a foot away from the key bed.

[keypeg]

I put mine a little less than a foot away from the key bed.

What is it of yours that you put a little less than a foot away from the keybed?