Last Updated on September 12, 2021 by Rebecca
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Do I really need a piano bench? Is an adjustable piano bench necessary? What is the best piano bench?
These are common questions beginner piano learners ask all the time. And with good reason! Because what you sit on when you play the piano makes a big difference in your playing experience!
The short answer?
An adjustable piano bench (like this one) is best because it will improve your playing ability, it will make playing piano easier, and it will reduce your risk of physical pain or injury.
But let's talk more about what you should consider so you can make sure you buy the best piano bench to meet your needs!
What Not to Sit on at Your Piano
1. Couch or Bed
If you have a digital piano or keyboard (especially if you have a smaller one) you may be tempted to simply sit on your comfy couch, or even your bed, with your piano on your lap or in front of you.
This is probably fine if you're just messing around trying to come up with some cool chord progressions or melodies.
But it's a terrible setup for playing piano seriously.
If you're planning to practice piano for any length of time, you'll quickly find this setup causes pain. (And you even risk injuring yourself.)
This setup will also prevent you from developing the proper technique you need if you want to play the piano with any kind of skill (yes, even basic beginner skill).
2. A Computer Chair (or Any Chair with Wheels)
When playing piano, you need to sit on the front edge of your bench, with your weight distributed forward enough to ground your feet into the floor.
Sitting in this way helps to prevent back pain, allows you a full range of motion, and enables effective playing technique so you can play expressively and with control.
But if you sit in this way on a chair that has wheels, the chair will inevitably shoot out from under you and send you crashing to the floor.
Nobody wants that!
Can I Sit on a Chair at My Piano?
Well, you could, but it's definitely not ideal.
A standard chair will be much too low to allow for proper piano technique. Which will lead to a lot of problems, in terms of playing ability and also in terms of physical pain/injury.
If you must sit on a chair, make sure you raise it up to the appropriate height by placing blocks under the legs. Scrap pieces of wood, phone books, etc. work well for this.
Putting things under the legs of your chair works better than sitting on top of things piled on top of your bench because it allows you to feel more stable.
And don't let yourself be tempted to sit back and lean into the chair back!
Remember, you need to sit on the front edge of your chair or bench. If you're sitting correctly, you should find there is a gap of several inches between your back and the chair back.
Is a Standard Piano Bench Good Enough?
For a young child, the answer is a definite no.
For an adult, the answer is maybe.
Having a bench of the proper height is absolutely vital. If a bench is too low, it leads to many challenges in technique.
(And trust me, you'll notice these challenges even as a beginner.)
You might be thinking to yourself, “Does proper technique really matter?”
Yes, it does.
Even for the amateur, hobby pianist.
Without it, simple things become much more difficult than they should be. Meaning you'll experience a lot of frustration as a beginner.
And what's worse, you'll experience pain when playing piano, and you might even suffer serious injuries.
So how high does your piano bench need to be?
High enough so that when you're playing piano:
- your forearms are roughly parallel to the floor
- you have a straight line from your elbow, over the back of your wrist, hand, and fingers (your wrist is neither peaked nor dipped)
- and your forearms are roughly level with or slightly higher than the tops of the keys.
If a standard piano bench allows you to achieve this alignment, then a bench like this one will work for you.
Or you might even like a longer duet bench like this one if you want to be able to play duets with friends/family.
The 2 benches linked above also provide some padding, which makes them more comfortable to sit on for long periods of time.
But what if your piano bench doesn't allow you to achieve proper alignment?
An Adjustable Piano Bench Is Your Best Option
If you can afford it, an adjustable piano bench is always the best choice.
Yes, you can raise a standard piano bench by placing blocks under the legs, but it's difficult to achieve the ideal height in this way, because you're limited by whatever types of “blocks” you have available in your home.
It's better than nothing, but it's not ideal.
With an adjustable bench, you can achieve very precise adjustment to any height, so you can get your bench set to exactly the height you need.
And this is also a great option if you have multiple piano players in your household who all need different bench heights.
You can opt for an adjustable piano bench with a small storage compartment, like this one:
But the storage compartment on a bench like this is very small, so it might be worth saving a few dollars and opting for an adjustable piano bench without a storage compartment, like this one:
If you'd like to play duets with friends/family (or if you just like the idea of someone being able to sit beside you while you play), you might like this adjustable duet piano bench.
So how do you choose the best piano bench?
If you just want someone to tell you what to buy, so you don't have to worry about making the decision yourself…
Go buy an adjustable piano bench like this one.
Or if you want to put some thought into it and decide for yourself, these are the 5 questions you should consider so you can choose the best piano bench to suit your needs:
- How much money can you afford to spend?
- How high does your bench need to be so you can achieve proper alignment?
- Are there multiple piano players in your home who will need different height adjustments?
- Will you ever want 2 or more people sitting at the piano at the same time?
- Do you want a storage compartment in your piano bench?
Once you've made your decision, scroll up, click the appropriate link above, and start shopping!
Then start playing your piano! Because that's what it's all about!