Seating

A quality noted in equestrian circles is whether a rider has 'a good seat'. In other words, do they sit well on a horse? Do they have good balance, posture and poise? All of these are important if you want to ride well. You may or may not be surprised to learn that such things are equally important to the practising pianist. To play the keys in order to make the most beautiful sound, the hands need to be in the correct position over the keys. To maintain this position and to be able to keep the correct balance and the range of movement in the hands without the arms and wrists from becoming strained or tired, the body also needs to be in the correct position.

There is a fairly good guide here, although I would say that in some of the illustrative photos those students look as though their hands aren't far enough over the keys. The principles are that the back is straight, the arms are held out in front of the body roughly at the level of the keyboard (a little above) and the hands are in front of the arms. The body should be relaxed, not rigid, as this will cause tension and strain, and as well as being physically stressful, this strain can be heard in the sound the pianist makes.

Unlike some instruments, it isn't really possible to get pianos that have been made specifically for children to learn on. You can't, for example, buy a quarter-sized piano in the way you can a violin. There are smaller than normal pianos, but you lose keys at both ends of the board. Also, if you want to buy the best piano you can possibly afford as I advised in my previous post, you want it to last throughout your child's childhood at the very least. You don't want to have to buy a larger piano as your child grows.

A child seated at a piano cannot possibly have the maintain the correct relaxed posture and balance without the aid of appropriate seating and a foot rest. You could use cushions to raise your child's seat so that their arms are a little above the keys, but cushions are unstable, and you don't want to waste time continually rearranging them during every practice session. Much better to buy an adjustable seat.

This is ours:

We've had it at its highest setting for quite a while now, just showing that it's mostly my son's legs that have grown! When we bought our piano the dealer agreed to throw this in for the price of the piano, so that might be an idea for your own negotiations (plus free delivery).

Just beneath the seat you can also make out a footrest, shown more clearly here:

This is an adjustable footrest with a pedal extension feature. The company that makes these can be found here. We've found this to be the best option available for providing a secure and stable rest for the feet that can also be adjusted to a fine degree.

These are the main items you'll need for your child to start lessons. In my next post I'll discuss other equipment and items that can also be useful.