Sitting at the piano: where technique really begins
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Sitting at the piano: where technique really begins
Most pianists start working on technique with their fingers.
But the problem is
👉 technique begins much earlier — even before the first note.
It starts with how you sit at the instrument
and how your hands meet the keyboard.
WHY SITTING IS NOT JUST ABOUT “SITTING STRAIGHT”
Usually, posture is understood as something formal:
— keep your back straight
— don’t slouch
— place your hands “correctly”
This matters. But it’s not enough.
Because posture is primarily:
👉 a way of transferring weight into the keys
👉 the foundation of sound production
👉 the absence of tension
If there’s a mistake here, everything else will be built on compensation.
THE MOST COMMON PROBLEM
Most people sit too close to the instrument.
As a result:
— the weight of the arms gets blocked
— movement becomes restricted
— there is a feeling that you need to “press” with your fingers
And the opposite:
sit too far — and you can no longer
👉 transfer weight into the keys
👉 rely on the sound
HOW TO FIND YOUR POSITION
There is a simple reference point:
Make fists and extend your arms forward.
Your knuckles should touch the edge of the keyboard.
This is your base position.
From there, you can adjust:
— closer for precision
— further away for freedom and larger movement
But one thing is essential:
👉 the hand must have space for movement and weight
HEIGHT: THERE IS NO SINGLE RULE
Many people look for the “correct” height.
But look at pianists:
— Sviatoslav Richter sat higher
— Glenn Gould sat much lower
And both were great.
Why?
Because it’s not the height itself that matters,
but what you do with weight and movement.
THE KEY POINT — CONTACT WITH THE KEYBOARD
The real problem is not your back or the distance.
It’s that most people don’t feel:
👉 how the hand “enters” the keys
👉 how the weight is transferred
👉 how the sound is produced
This leads to:
— tension
— fatigue
— a “flat” sound
WHY YOUR HANDS GET TIRED
Hands don’t get tired because you play a lot.
They get tired because:
👉 you compensate for incorrect mechanics
And most often, it starts with posture.
A SIMPLE EXERCISE
Try playing with your eyes closed.
You will immediately feel:
— where there is unnecessary tension
— how your posture changes
— how your hand starts searching for support
This brings your attention back into the body.
AN IMPORTANT POINT
Posture is not something fixed once and for all.
It can change:
— depending on the task
— depending on the texture
— depending on the music
But the core feeling should remain:
👉 there is no barrier between you and the instrument
WHERE THIS IS TAUGHT IN PRACTICE
In Piano Haven, we work on this in a practical way, not just theoretically:
— how to release tension before you even start playing
— how to transfer weight into the keys
— how to build natural movement
There is also a dedicated video focused specifically on posture and the first contact with the instrument.
If you want to go deeper —
you can join here: