Ideal posture for keyboard player?

[3dc]

Due to my disability I have hard time finding proper body-hand position when practicing on my midi controller. My biggest problem is right hand reach of notes that are left of middle C like C#maj (1st inv) for example and vice versa left hand reach of notes that on the right side of middle C. My wrists simply can't handle this much bend to reach those notes even if I slightly lean on the left or right. I saw tons of YT videos for ideal piano posture but none about keyboard players - especially standing keyboard players.

So I wonder how do you guys handle this problem? How do you play your keyboards while standing or siting? Straight in front of middle C? Slightly left or right of middle C? Is it the same for one handed (synth or melodies) or two handed like classic piano? I also noticed some keyboard player have their keyboards relatively high while other have them extremely low on keyboard stands while they stand.

 

[happyrat1]

I stand when I play and move along the board as needed.

Gary

 

[3dc]

I stand when I play and move along the board as needed.

Gary

Thanks for feedback @happyrat1.
I found a partial solution for me. In certain songs I just move my middle C one octave higher or to the right so at least I can play comfortably melody part of the song with my right hand. Fortunately precise two hands piano playing is not my main career goal otherwise I would be in serious trouble.

 

[CowboyNQ]

When playing live or rehearsing - I’m very similar to Gary and stand up which makes it easy for me to move all over the place as it suits me.

When I’m practicing at home I sit - and just position myself wherever it’s ergonomically comfortable to play. I’m often dealing with weird keyboard splits so this can vary from song to song. At my piano I just plonk myself directly in front of middle C but I’m not opposed to shifting my butt up and down the bench if it suits me.

As far as height goes - Ideally you want to position the keyboard so that there’s not unnecessary strain on back, shoulders and wrists. My posture is disgusting but there’s plenty of YouTube vids you can watch on the subject. When I was a young lad I used to have my keyboard really low for gigging because I thought it looked cool but these days I have it much higher for the sake of comfort and accuracy.

 

[3dc]

As far as height goes - Ideally you want to position the keyboard so that there’s not unnecessary strain on back, shoulders and wrists. My posture is disgusting but there’s plenty of YouTube vids you can watch on the subject. When I was a young lad I used to have my keyboard really low for gigging because I thought it looked cool but these days I have it much higher for the sake of comfort and accuracy.

Yeah I tried that "cool" low height with thick black sunglasses for better eye sight but of course it didn't work for me at all.
I am looking at Jordan Rudess posture and "wobbly" keyboard rig. I could use something similar for my midi controller. Its like ultimate fitness setup and keyboard stand for ultra demanding keyboard player.

 

[Scradley1960]

First, I don't think anyone should learn standing. Piano players sit. It's very hard to get the right angle on your elbow (perfect 90 if possible) when standing. If you're Jordan Rudess you can likely play while hanging upside down, but otherwise start with that. Next sit right in front of middle C, but back a bit. That's the best thing I learned. Then you lean in a tiny bit. Get cozy with your keys!
When going up or down the board, you'll find the wrist angle a lot lower, and you just lean in a bit more on the extreme ends. I hope this makes sense. I used to stand (I play in a band; hey, it's a lot cooler!), but found my playing way better when sitting and with the bit of distance between me and the board.

 

[Gearhead]

I agree with the above. I learned classical. Sit in the middle, elbows approx at your sides and at 90 deg angle. Forearms approx parallel to the floor, and wrist flat - not bent up or down. That has been well worked out over the centuries for good reason.

So when I started playing standing much later, I made my setup similar. If you have 2 boards then obviously there's a height compromise involved, but I don't do that. I'm 6'2", so my board stands pretty high so as to avoid backbend at my wrists. That way I have approx the same ergos as when I am sitting. I stand more or less in the middle, but of course moving sideways is easy when standing.

I don't know the nature of your injury, but I'd start with these principles and then adjust to suit your body!

 

[GeraldR]

I only ever stood when playing upright pianos in a combo situation ... never liked it. During many years of classical music lessons, hand posture was a constant issue for my teacher: there were times when I was made to play studies from the Royal Conservatory book while my teacher held firmly onto one wrist or the other - didn't help. But then I saw Gould sitting in his chair and wondered how he could even see the keys ... okay, don't watch your hands they say ... nope (can't do it). On my own, I took to sitting on a tall stool, partly because with electronic keys it's much easier to see displays and controls. I've played piano, accordion, organ and electronic keyboards and no two are best played with the same posture; on some organs, I've been forced to sit lower than I'd like in order to play the bass pedals fluently and obviously posture on the upper manual is then not textbook. To the extent that watching your hands is a bad thing, maintaining a constant position relative to a specific instrument is a good idea: using a stool rather than a bench sort of helps (as long as the stool stays put) but I also use a landmark on the instrument. Don't know if there is a 'best' way: I'm always amused by Hammond players that center on the lower manual and then spend a lot of time leaning way over to the right to get to the high end of the upper manual to hang on those keys where the wrap-around of the harmonics is different.

 

[Tahitijack]

Ergonomics. I adjusted my seat so my feet are comfortable and flat on the floor knees bent at 90 degrees then adjusted my keyboard stand so my elbows are at right angles approximately. After 25 years of playing guitar standing up for hours and hours it's nice to have a seat.

 

[Viscount]

First, I don't think anyone should learn standing. Piano players sit. It's very hard to get the right angle on your elbow (perfect 90 if possible) when standing. If you're Jordan Rudess you can likely play while hanging upside down, but otherwise start with that. Next sit right in front of middle C, but back a bit. That's the best thing I learned. Then you lean in a tiny bit. Get cozy with your keys!
When going up or down the board, you'll find the wrist angle a lot lower, and you just lean in a bit more on the extreme ends. I hope this makes sense. I used to stand (I play in a band; hey, it's a lot cooler!), but found my playing way better when sitting and with the bit of distance between me and the board.

Completely agree

 

[Viscount]

First, I don't think anyone should learn standing. Piano players sit. It's very hard to get the right angle on your elbow (perfect 90 if possible) when standing. If you're Jordan Rudess you can likely play while hanging upside down, but otherwise start with that. Next sit right in front of middle C, but back a bit. That's the best thing I learned. Then you lean in a tiny bit. Get cozy with your keys!
When going up or down the board, you'll find the wrist angle a lot lower, and you just lean in a bit more on the extreme ends. I hope this makes sense. I used to stand (I play in a band; hey, it's a lot cooler!), but found my playing way better when sitting and with the bit of distance between me and the board.

Completely agree

 

[happyrat1]

The only rule I follow is to maintain my comfort zone for my wrists and elbows.

Sitting, standing, it's all about comfortable posture at the keyboard.

Plus when I'm standing, my body keeps better time with the music.

Gary

 

[DoubleGee]

I practice standing mostly, but play Hammond with footpedals, so as they say in cookin' school: "Eet iz all in ze wrist!" First knuckle to elbow as mono-planal as possible, and the rest, take care of your posture.

 

[happyrat1]

This guy doesn't seem to have any trouble sitting or standing whenever he needs to.

Gary

 

[Robert79]

Completely agree

Hello Mr Keys, Would you be able to send me the Factory disk for a Roland VA-7 ? i'm restoring one out of love, but I need the original disk filles to make it work again. please contact me (e-mail address removed)

 

[khatru]

Good morning ladies and gents, I have a 2 midi keyboard setup installed in an old upright piano using Mainstage. I have just got my hands on a set of Roland PK5 midi bass pedals (rocking horse poo kinda thing) I have not played organ with bass pedals for some years now and I am trying to find the correct position relative to the lower keyboard to position them, I think I have the right position but there must be a correct position for them eg line the upper C pedal to Middle C? Does anyone have any information to the correct position? Surely it can’t be random. Any help would be appreciated.
Paul

 

[khatru]

Current setup

 

[MusicwithHarry]

I bring 6-10 keyboards on stage when I play live with the band I am in. I have three 2-tier columnar stands set up in 'U' shape (the stands are like the Apex and Deltex stands we know of). The stand directly in front of me has an 88-key on the bottom and usually the Behringer Deepmind-12 on the top. I have the height of the the bottom one where I can mostly sit, but can also stand. If I am playing the top keyboard only (Deepmind-12), I will stand.

For the second stand (to the left of the stand in front of me), those generally are keys that I have MIDIed to the 88-key in front of me. I will occaasionally play the bottom board on that tier, but not generally.

For the third stand (to the right of the one in front of me), I have 5 boards on the two tiers. The top tier keyboard is MIDIed to the 88-key on the front stand. The bottom tier has the 4 Yamaha Reface boards on it (with a custom-cut piece of polycarbonate for the 'shelf' and two 3-D printed 2-tier stands that sit on the shelf). Then the two Reface that are MIDIed to the 88-key are on the top tier on that shelf, and the two Reface units I actually play live (the Reface synth and Reface organ) are on the bottom tier on that shelf. These 'tiers' are small module stands that I have modified to be able to support the Reface keyboards. Both custom tiers sit side-by-side on the polycarbonate 'shelf' and the entire 'shelf' span about 40 inches in width. I will either stand or sit to play the Reface boards on this columnar stand, depending on my energy level and the song I am playing.

As a classically-trained pianist, I was trained to sit in front of a piano. When I started touring, I stood quite a lot. For the last 15 years or so, I mainly sit, but will stand to help with creating energy in the group and when it gets to the crowd, I will sit back down. If I am playing piano-centric songs (Journey, solo time, etc...), I will sit. I use a Rok-N-Soc seat without the back (only because I have not bought the back rest yet). It is VERY comfy and works very well. It swivels and so if I stand and play one of the boards from the side stands I mentioned above, I simply sit back down and turn back to the main stand in front of me.

When I am playing a solo piano solo during a show, I definitely sit, but I am kind of leaning over the 88-key a bit, so I can give the appearance of commanding the keys better. When I really think about it, I actually DO play it better when I am leaning somewhat over it, because it really feels like an extension of my arms and hands. I used to sit traditionally in front of my boards, and I felt like I had to reach a bit more and it was not comfy at all.

I am 50, so I am very comfy with sitting more than anything. I pretty much leave the standing like I described above, but I also stand when I break out the keytar on stage.

Because of the reach of the right hand into note ranges below Middle-C, I developed a technique to where I use the left hand to help play those as well. I have the ability to swivel on the stool, but I learned to use different fingerings to make those additional notes more accessible when needed. It also gives a neat look when someone is filming me, because watching the hands cross over or go into ranges they normally do not go into, is neat to watch. I still do hand over hand runs traditionally most of the time, but smaller runs is when I use the technique I have developed and it works for me.

I hope that this helps a bit.

Grace,
Harry