Bench Height And Distance From Piano

Injuries happen every day. While some of them can’t be avoided (occupational hazards, children, et cetera) all playing related injuries can. Playing your instrument doesn’t stop at sitting down and playing; there are a ton of things that go into making your playing.

One of them is form. Form is the number one thing that will keep your from developing carpal tunnel syndrome or tendonitis.

In this article, we will discuss proper piano bench height and distance in relation to your piano. We will also get into how having proper height can help you, and how having bad height can impact your playing.

Your knees should be under the keys. Why? If they aren’t, you will have to arch your back and lean into the piano to play. You want as little motion as physically possible from any portion of your body that is not your wrist. While there is no one distance fits all formula, as the distance will differ depending on different factors, your knees should always be underneath the keys.

The factors that affect how far your bench distance are; your height (mostly your leg length), your weight, and your arm span. While you don’t want your arms bunches up like a t-rex, you also don’t want your arms reaching for the keys at an extreme distance.

No matter your leg length, your arm length is the determining factor. It is better for your legs to be a little cramped than it is to over extend your arms, as this will cause you to dip your back in order to reach the keys.

Your weight factors into determining the distance in an easy way; if you are larger, you won’t be able to sit as close to the keys. If you are smaller, you can practically sit on top of them.

Mostly this factors in the difference between children and adults; a child’s distance, due to their size, will be different than an adult’s distance due to their size. Keep this in mind if you have children learning to play the piano, as your distances will vary.

Height, just like distance, varies according to your body size. If you are taller, you will need a lower bench to compensate. This will prevent you from having to hunch over the keys. If you are shorter, you will need to raise the bench higher so that you are reaching awkwardly for the keys.

The keys should be level with the middle of your abdomen, or just above your belly button. An inch or two give or take in either direction won’t affect your posture, so feel free to adjust a bit to find your personal preference for full comfort.

Good height allows you to keep your body aligned at all times. Bad height will cause your body to become unaligned, which will cause you to strain and reach when it would otherwise be unnecessary. Proper height and distance is just as important as proper practice. Keep this in mind, as it will affect your playing for years to come.

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