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hello all,

i am a beginner to the piano.in my upright it feels easy to play while standing compared to when i am sitting on the bench is that something wrong with my piano technique or the action ?

If pianos had been invented before benches we all might be standing. Jerry Lee Lewis made a career out of playing while standing, he even used his feet once in awhile. If you're comfortable and having fun, stay standing.

I've noticed that a lot of performers/players/musicians these days (as opposed to many years ago) do stand at the keyboard/digital piano while playing. At least this is what I see when I see bands, etc... perform on TV. I guess this is part of the newer generation of keyboard/piano players.

As for me, one of the things I like about the piano as a musical instrument is that you get to sit while playing. In fact, I do believe this is how a piano was designed and engineered to be played.

If you want to play standing, by all means, do what you want to do. Reminds me of one of my original songs, "Play it like you want to".

As for the old rock-n-roller, Jerry Lee Lewis, (one of my favorite piano playing artists) he played mostly sitting, but would stand on occasion, knock the bench backward and turn it over, and begin a rant while standing, using hands, elbows, feet/boots, and his back-end on occasion. That style apparently worked well for him to gain additional notoriety as an entertainer and rock-n-roll performer. As a point of reference, other bands later did unusual things like smashing their guitars on stage. I think Jerry Lee was a little more subdued.

All the best,

Rick

For digital keyboards, they make adjustable racks where you can either sit or stand. I can play standing if the keyboard is above the typical upright keyboard height but I don’t play my best and need frequent sit down breaks. If you find playing while standing more comfortable, whose to say you’re wrong? Have fun!

Vibayu,
It's not possible to tell why you find it easier to play standing. The correct and best position for playing would have your forearms about parallel to the ground which is not possible when standing. Your bench might be too low.

Do you have a teacher?

Greetings,

While sitting seems to be the industry standard when it comes to playing the piano, it is hardly the only option. Some people find it easier to stand, as can be seen here.



Or here.




However, standing in front of the piano is hardly your only option, as is demonstrated here.




Of course, there is really no reason that one has to stand on the floor. Standing on your instrument can be a viable option at times.


(The eagle-eyed observer will be quick to point out that this is a Hammond organ, not a piano. However I believe the underlying principle to be the same.)




Speaking of floors, some people prefer to lay down on the floor while playing,





while others would rather have no connection to the floor whatsoever.



Be warned, try out these various playing positions at your own risk or under the supervision of an experienced teacher!

Hope this helps.

Are you 48" tall?

Seriously, the keyboard and bench of a piano is set up so the player has an angle of arm, wrist, and hand placement that is comfortable and natural. Standing will generally flex the wrist awkwardly in a way that will be uncomfortable after a short length of time and could seriously injure the player over the long term.

By nature, standing while you play will also involve many more muscles (shoulders, upper arms, more lower arms, and more hands) that would not get involved if you are seated in front of the piano.

My 2 cents,

Look carefully at this picture. His right wrist is fine, the left will give him carpal tunnel if he keeps it bent that far while playing.

The way he's leaning will also be a problem real soon.....

Standing may work playing on a stage piano banging out chords with a band (although even that can cause serious wrist problems if the piano isn't high enough), but the technique required to play classical repertoire decently pretty well requires that one be seated to play.

Regards,

DansS: very funny. lol.

Baroque and earlier music was often played standing. Sitting was not necessary when there were no pedals.

I saw Jerry Lee live way back in the day in his prime...he sat on a normal piano bench the whole time except for one time he stood, but not on the floor, rather on the piano bench.

Also, this picture is backstage, just for a promo shot or for fun, very likely not for a performance.

I'm not positive, but from what I remember seeing this done, wasn't the keyboard considerably higher than usual when the harpsichord was played standing?

Here's at least one example showing what I described:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojINbsrUdVw

My college piano teacher lecturered music history classes, also, and played examples in class while standing up (for logistics and to keep people's attention). But, he is kinda short. 😁

Wikipedia states, without source, that this is a specially modified instrument.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Comparone

This article quotes her as stating that this is her innovation, along with her reasoning:
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/04/...with-a-past-and-apparently-a-future.html



edit: I just added the NY Times article as a citation to wikipedia.

Some of the rock and roll keyboard players have layered stands so that they can play multiple different keyboards. It reminds me of church organs with multiple keyboards.

Of course, classical players also occasionally stand while playing.

Note: This is NOT photoshopped.

It would be somewhat awkward, wouldn't it, trying to use the damper pedal and the una corda at the same time. Fear of Falling? You bet!

Notice that for this special piano how far forward the lyre assembly is located; it's under the keyboard. This is obviously a special installation perhaps for very specific reason.

Regards,