Proper Hand Positions on Piano

Piano requires a great amount of hand movement, stretching and maneuvering during playing. However, all the movement is based off of a specific hand position. If you start with the proper hand position on piano, you are going to have a much easier time playing the piano.

Most of the movements you have to make from this position are much smaller than the ones you would have to make using an improper hand position. It is good to maintain proper hand position when playing to ensure consistent playing.

Your arm must be properly positioned before you can get your hands in the correct spot on the piano keyboard. Your wrists should be parallel to the keys and just above the keyboard. You need to sit up straight in order to comfortably maneuver your arms into the position.

You also need to sit close enough to the piano that all of your fingers can comfortably reach the keys. Your thumb is going to only hit the end of the keyboard, but the rest of your fingers should be fairly close to where the black keys start.

The proper hand position on piano requires cupping your hand to make sure all your fingers are properly bent. The hand position is about the same one you would adopt holding a tennis ball with your palm facing downward. You hand should be relaxed, which allows your fingers to move freely.

If you have difficulty getting your hand in the proper position, try holding a ball as lightly as possible. This helps you cup your hand properly without causing it to become tense. You should not rely on using a ball to get into the proper hand position, but it is a good starting point.

The position of your hand on the keys usually places each finger of both hands on a separate white key. The exact white keys your hand is placed over are going to vary based on what you are playing. However, even if you are going to use the black keys heavily, you still want to use this hand position.

Hitting the black keys from this position is much easier than trying to hit the white keys if you place your fingers over the black keys. The piano keyboard is designed with this hand position in mind, so there are very little instances where it is beneficial to change it.

Using the proper hand position on piano can make a large difference in your playing. You are going to find it takes much less effort to play almost anything from this position than if you try to place your hands in any other manner. In some rare cases, other hand positions are used. However, these instances only apply to certain sections where notes are very oddly placed on the keyboard.

These scenarios almost never occur in beginner or intermediate level piano work. Instead, other hand positions show up in advanced or virtuoso level piano. In many cases, the odd scenarios that need other hand positions are created when a piece of music written for a different instrument is transposed to the piano.