I was practicing today for a couple of hours, and it dawned on me that a Beethoven chair might give my back some rest. I have bad posture sometimes, and I feel like I'd want to have some support for my back when the muscles get tired. I like the old-fashioned design of these chairs. What do you think? Could such a chair be helpful?

I promise not to trim the legs, though, as Glenn Gould did.

Ummm..

Do you mean a practice chair?

I have never heard of a Beethoven chair.

Yes, Rich, I mean a practice chair. I guess it's been nicknamed Beethoven chair as well.
At my old high school in Germany, they have such a chair with their Grotrian Steinweg grand. It's height-adjustable and nowadays pretty squeaky through generations of users.

Just discovered this beauty - made in Germany:

Andexinger Beethoven Chair

I'd never heard of the company before, but it's nice to find a small independent maker that produces locally. Anyone heard of them here in the U.S.?

Here is another maker, Eugen Balz, also made in Germany:
Beethoven Stuhl

Wow, this one looks nice, too, and is made in the US:
Frederick Chair

The more I browse, the more I find. Jansen makes a practice chair:
Jansen practice chair

I think this is not my favorite, though, as it isn't height adjustable. Also, minimum height is 18 inches, slanted towards 19 inches in the back. I prefer to be at 17 inches. I would hate to have to cut off the legs on this one. Also, no upholstery. Possibly uncomfortable...

And yet another Beethoven chair... Discacciati.. this has been discussed in a rather weird thread here on PWF before (with the apparent developer of the product):
Discacciati

It looks nice. However, this is definitely NOT on the affordable end of things.

Why can't the padding wrap around the edges? Then it would be perfect for my numb butt. I am shopping for this too...for my christmas gift!

I hear you! Well, out of all the ones easily available in the U.S., this seems to be a good choice nonetheless. One could always add a seat cushion if it's to hard. I wonder, though, what the difference in price is. I think the Jansen might be more expensive, and the Frederick more affordable.

I like these. The bench that came with my Kawai has really sharp edges. One of these days, I'll finish the edges on the cushion I made for it. I think I'd like the back, too. The chairs by Balz and Andexinger appeal to me most.

Charles