Posture at the piano - Tips & Tricks - classical pianist explains

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On this channel I am going to share my experience and thoughts about fingerings, interpretation, fingertechniques and playing piano in general. If you have any questions or ideas please leave it in the comments!
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Thank you very much! Stay safe, stay healthy and stay in the Heart of the Keys!;P

[@heartofthekeys]

Hey everyone! Thanks for participating on the giveaway in my last video about #Mozart Alla Turca! So many great comments about Mozart and his music - unfortunately there can only be one winner of the scores. The winner was of course chosen randomly - congratulations toooooooo: @HiekeClerkx !!! (I will DM you for the details) Don't miss your chance to get a free trial of skillshare - only for the first 1000 people who click on this link: skl.sh/heartofthekeys08211

[@fr4nz51]

Good for you..

[@ckchang-wg2lw]

Thanks for sharing these tips, really helps a lot :)

[@acenmusic]

Congratulations!

[@thomasbatt7565]

Take-outs at the end are so legendary funny, please always add them to your videos!😁

[@27jegs]

Another topic: Did you know that the Chopin Institute gives a live concert on KZbin every Sunday at noon? Just thought you would like to check it out since you are a Chopin lover as I am.

[@juliabenny]

Thank you so much for this!! I'm self-taught so I'm always very worried about posture and, slightly confused 😂 this is so helpful and it's awesome to know the reasons behind posture "rules"!

[@AtulBamne]

Thank you for this important information delivered in very simple manner.

[@HandelJ]

These tips are so useful! It's helping me grow and start loving piano more! Great work Annique! All the best for this amazing Piano journey! 🎹 🎵

[@mauriciodavid5266]

hello, can you play liszt's love dream in a challenge of 1 minute 10 minutes 1 hour? you are my favorite greetings from Mexico

[@sara_mrsn]

omg yess i love that piece sm

[@威廉-m8n]

Yes

[@Valeria_Batani]

I would love that also!

[@rogershaffer1]

Wonderful! First time i have ever seen a video addressing this extremely important aspect of playing piano. All information absolutely correct. I have been playing for the last 20 years on an ERGONOMICALLY correct bench only sold by Disciatti of Italy. The bench is slightly angled at about 30 ° . Once you try it you'll never be comfortable on a flat bench again.

[@tombufford8659]

I have thought about posture and I am grateful for your adviice, freedom for the elbow and not pressing into the keys. Thankyou

[@sallythach]

Thank you so much Annique! You are so generous sharing useful tips with us self-taught pianists. So lucky I am to discover your channel ☺️ Have a lovely day! ❤️

[@inanfoster5769]

Hi Annique. I decided to improve my dire typing abilities by learning how to touch type today. I also thought it would also be helpful to improve my posture. This video came up amongst the various other ones. Although I came across you inadvertantly, I am happy to of done so. Loving the insight of the 1 minute, 10 minute and 1 hour challenge. Enjoy the start of your week.

[@richard8124]

great topic posture at the piano! may I add and share what I had learned and still do every time I sit at the piano: sit in the middle of the piano. how to determine that you sit in the middle of the piano. place the third finger of each hand (middle finger)on the last key left and right of the piano(don’t push it down). when both arms have to stretch equally far, you feel this on your arm muscles, then you sit in the middle of the piano. correct your position when one arm needs to stretch further than the other. and lastly, place your feet besides the pedals to maintain balance while playing. Keep up the good work Annique!

[@SA-ze3yf]

Really useful. I would never be able to find out this by myself. Thank you.

[@DrQuizzler]

I think we can all use this reminder about the reasons for correct posture and height!! I'd be interested to know what you'd say if someone asked you about Glenn Gould's sitting height choices.

[@cameronburnett9679]

I think once you know what the body should feel like then you can take that to other postures. Georgis Osokins plays like that also and it works well for him (really beautiful tone). It's just hard enough to get that feeling to begin with, and maintain it.

[@laurenth7187]

@@cameronburnett9679 hammer on the nail. I couldn't have said it better.

[@PassionPno]

Glenn Gould suffered from injuries, fyi.

[@Vasioth]

Glenn Gould was in constant pain in his later life and had a drug problem to numb his pain so ignore his posture. He's a genius but he gained nothing from that bad posture bar negative, life long health problems.

[@jobsucks]

Thanks for the tips. I’m always trying to find the proper sitting position when I’m playing but didn’t know these important tips

[@juggernaut4936]

I Love love Looooooooove Your Channel, Annique! I've wanted to learn Piano for.....soooòooooooooo long! You explain everything:)

[@simond19782]

Thanks for this video, Annique! Very useful!

[@ForbiddenInstincts]

ngl I didn't think the tension from my bad posture was that insane but I've been working on it I tried what you said in the video and my hands magically sped up and my tone is better you're the real deal! 🙂

[@chickenflavor9880]

Thank you very much for this video.

[@victorinojohncarlo7069]

Love from the Philippines, Annique!

[@vitorarraesrodrigues9905]

This was so helpful. Thank you❤️

[@manuelojeda9144]

Yes POSTURE IS IMPORTANT, AND BREATHING ALSO IS A MUST.

[@Alaedious]

Thank you so much for these videos! I'd love to hear you share your thoughts, tips, insights, joys and frustrations about playing Bach. 🥰

[@m1nhhoang]

Amazing, thank you!!!

[@shonashow]

I had a light bulb turn on while watching this hahaha I'm excited to try this when playing!!!

[@Raydluow]

Your trills are quite on point. I had a nightmare about avocados once. The guy everyone loves from The Walking dead was in it. Daryl. Then maggie was also there and was playing bach, but it also sounded like pagganini sort o

[@roundpanic]

I got that Bill Evans posture over here playing like a top dawg, papa bless

[@homokala8170]

this was much needed, ty!!

[@montgomery4546]

This was posted on my birthday yay

[@ladyofhollows9841]

THANK YOU! You've helped me learn how high to set my piano stand and bench ^_^

[@candelaargaranaz1409]

Love your tips!! Thank you so much

[@Goldfinger721]

Schade, dass sich Glenn Gould dieses Video nicht mehr anschauen kann! 😅 Tolles Video, danke für die Tipps! 👍

[@Maria-tg5dy]

Thank you Annique!!

[@jasonhuang2270]

Thank you so much!

[@lewipandie]

Hallo,, iam Lewi Pandie, Pianist from Indonesia 🇲🇨.. I like Your chanel .👍👍

[@Josepcarrion]

I learnt that the mouvement of the arm should start in the Scapulae (Shulterblatt) and not in the Shoulder. There’s a big difference. 😊

[@SA-ze3yf]

I tried the tips and they make a huge differece.I would never be able to discover these tips by myself.Thanks a million.

[@JustKeysMusic]

Thanks for providing useful information!

[@pringlepop-po2ss]

great video! thanks 🙏🏽

[@reasonsgarb]

Oh, thank you! These are really useful tips 😄

[@forwatchingstuff]

wOw. Noticeable difference in my playing. THanks Annique!

[@sirakjames5374]

this helped me so much! Thank you!!

[@thanhtrucduong5815]

i love those content so much

[@llamallama1509]

I agree with what you said on the arm angle 100%, but I've seen so many beginner piano guides say your arm should be at 90'.

[@smoovej86]

Bloopers at the end epic lol but information very on point thank you I'm tall so it was a little different for me but you explained it very well so thank you!

[@kalilavalezina]

Thank you! One of issues I have is that I'm quite short (5' 2") and I find my keyboard too high. I'm making sure my elbow is in the correct position by raising the seat height and adding a blanket, but this means my legs are at an awkward angle. I wish piano manufacturers made pianos for small people too.☺

[@ipavan]

Always helpful videos (also you forgot to tag your video at 5:54?) that hoodie looked nice btw

[@myclassicallist5782]

wow...thank you for tips it will help me a lot

[@angkhoa9034]

love from vietnam, very useful video

[@hollyavillella554]

Hello, Anique! You mentioned 'breathing!' Can you please share any insights about helpful breathing while practicing and performing piano? Am I the only one who holds their breath or breathes in a shallow way? Thanks! ✨🧡💐✨

[@sergiobravo252]

It happens to me also.

[@SuperTabbywabby]

I’m at a stale m8 with what position you should sit at the piano ‘ middle c is the obvious but this is not center of the key bed in between E’F is the center what’s you opinion ❤

[@lisaamusic]

GREAT VIDEO

[@gert8033]

Ich habe unsere fantastische Lehrerin Annique mehrmals nach ihrem Wissen über den Handgelenkgebrauch gefragt. Wir kommen also etwas näher. Aber ich denke zum Beispiel an den Unterschied zwischen Handgelenksgebrauch bei Lang Lang und Horowitz? Und was hat Annique selbst über Handgelenke und Klavierspiel gelernt? Und jetzt habe ich auch auf Deutsch gefragt.

[@carbonc6065]

Great video!

[@COOLFRIEND]

For elbow positioning, i tell my students to do that ballet position with their arms out in front and it usually gets them there.

[@brucecrane9605]

All good points to concentrate on while I'm bang on my piano.

[@pastichemusic3568]

Wow thank oyu so much for the tips I was struggling with posture I even commented for a vid on it but you cudnt see it thenks som much

[@Pasta221]

Thank you! I will try this on my pianino at home! I wonder how my feet will sit as my pedals are a lot closer to the keys as i have a smaller upright piano, but im sure if i go by getting a good height and arc of the arms/distance then the feet will sort themselves out! Also will do this for my midi keyboard 😄

[@кринжовник-ъ9н]

the actual video starts at 2:50

[@256threst8]

The tip about the height of my chair helped me alot thanks!

[@cameronburnett9679]

I relate it to Chinese internal energy in the same way that you described. The lower dantian in the belly is the center, and actually for me if I get set up right my arms feel like they turn into rubber and there is a tangible connection to that point. Everything then feels stronger and more effortless, and somehow creativity reaches my fingertips better when I'm improvising (not sure how that works). There is another step though, which is mostly relaxation of the chest and back (half achieved through posture and half through letting go) and then optionally a relaxation of the mind into the belly if you want to treat it like meditation. I haven't really done much more with it but I feel it could be taken a lot further.

[@PassionPno]

Dantian is diaphragm.

[@Josepcarrion]

If at the same time you can connect the your tongue 3cm from the tip, with the upper palate, feel the difference 😊

[@wolfgang4067]

You're amazing

[@slcigh]

I'm a beginner, I practice 8 hours a day with passion. I sit exactly like in the video at 3:44, and my back and shoulders hurt a lot. I will change my chair immediately.

[@agucci]

Thank you so much for your posture! I would love to interview you.

[@lcmurillo1033]

I love the thumbnail

[@fettyuh42]

you should the 1 min 10 min 1 hour challenge with Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 !!

[@chessematics]

2:35 does anyone relate to that Grosse Fugue part from "Copying Beethoven"? I mean that part when Beethoven was trying to explain the new composition to Anna Holz when she said it was UGLY.

[@alp9020]

very important !

[@smoothlikebutter3977]

you're so beautiful, I mean I was distracted for the first few minutes completely. and you teach so well too, wish I could meet you one day

[@bjornviir3333]

Does Trifonov have bad posture or does it only seem that way? His skills are unreal of course.

[@annanyapurwar7807]

Can you do a 1 min 10 min 1 hour challenge of Chopin minute waltz . Love your vids

[@funnybone7705]

Hello all of you out there. Just got me a Novation Keyboard and Ableton, got wrist pain right away. This will help I hope. But before I start playing again, I will have to train my pinky finger in the right hand. As a bass player, all my fingers are trained, except the right pinky, which I do not use for playing the bass. Any directions someone can point me to for finger, arm, shoulder strength and mobility? Thanks and have a nice day. 🌄

[@cliveparaschis]

Hi Annique, I use an office chair with wheels to move horizontally in line with the keyboard. Is this technique frowned upon?

[@kerberosdelhades]

Freedom for elbows! Revolution for the wrists! Independence for fingers! Equality for shoulders! Power to the stomach!! I had never realized how close piano and politics are.

[@stevenreed5786]

The one question that never gets answered in these sorts of videos is what key should you center yourself with. The grand staff is centered around middle C, but the 88 key keyboard is centered between the E and F keys. The way most vids are shot it's hard to tell where the pianist is exactly sitting.

[@AZmom60]

I would say it depends on where on the keyboard you are playing in that moment. If I’m playing with both hands up high, for instance, I shift my body up higher. Most of the time, I’m fairly well-centered (using middle C as a center), because that’s where most of my music is centered.

[@stevenreed5786]

@@AZmom60 Thanks for the reply. My first lesson@ age 6, 1st thing the teacher showed me middle C and told me to sit right in front of it.

[@sneezyIce]

Yeah, teachers often want beginners to sit in front of middle C to focus on posture and most songs/exercises will be written in the Key of C (no black keys). And because of this, people will see it as a hard set rule (me included). Once my teacher told me to adjust according to where you are playing, I felt more freely, as it reduced muscle tension. For example, atm. I'm playing alot of Yann tierssen, whose pieces are mainly played more on the right side. I shift around E/F for most of his songs

[@marcobucci4375]

@@sneezyIce I was just thinking of comptine d'un autre été:apres-midi. I had a lot of tension with the standard centering, but I decided to shift a bit to the right. Still working on the height though. I have a stand with limited heights steps and a chair not high enough for my legs, or one too low ;(

[@sneezyIce]

@@marcobucci4375 with comptine i sit in front of F, hopefully it helps! I highly recommend an adjustable piano stool, is worth saving for :) Goodluck!

[@chutdigadut]

Very simple and immediately helpful! Thank you so much!

[@Karnak077]

I might be wrong, but I think I sit correctly on the piano. I try to fix my posture everytime but I see no problem about distance or height. I think my problem is that being a beginner I am unable to relax my shoulders and I tense them a lot, and I end up having neck and back pain, specially in the trapezius or somewhere around.

[@sirakjames5374]

could you do a video on Wilde Jagd?

[@kchiew86]

Hi, thanks for sharing these great tips. Just a small note, I noticed most of your videos you used the term "stomach" to describe the abdomen, although not incorrect colloquially, it is more anatomically correct to use "abdomen", as stomach is most often used to refer to the internal organ where we store and digest our food:)

[@davidmcrae4791]

I read that Glenn Gould preferred a really low bench and he almost leaned over his keys, he really damaged his body doing it though.

[@dezhung90]

How about part 2 of memorizing series? :(

[@mafruzaalam6101]

1 min,10 min,1 hour challenge for Neoclassical please(like Yiruma,Ludovico Einaudi)

[@paulostermann4330]

Vielen Dank :D

[@laurenth7187]

The problem is, why....? why the angle of 110 deg, why not too far or too close, etc. everything has a reason. for example for me, swimming was a revelation, the movements in the shoulders....

[@creativebobbo]

You cut your hair! Looks good.

[@AhmedMohammed-yc2mz]

I want to play a piano from Egypt Please 🙏. Thanks 👍

[@miguelsalgueiro3265]

Learn unravel from animenz!!

[@dermaddis9898]

I wasnt aware that posture can change the sound so strong but it does actually make sense!

[@andrewmorton3344]

I sit too far back and my lower arms are sloping down slightly :(

[@craigpizzarelli2590]

Most important takeaway for me . The center of our playing is our stomach. Go figure.

[@ericastier1646]

Could you comment on the butt technique used by some pianist where they lift and drop their butt to accentuate chords. I saw one concert pro video where a serious commenter wrote : "He is doing marvelous things with his butt and his whole body to create tone". He was serious and half convinced me but i still laugh at it.

[@matheusrocha8731]

🥰

[@miguelalonsoperez5609]

Unless you suffer from intestinal disease, the sound comes from the strings not from your belly. The reason for good posture is confort and avoid muscle / joints overload, sound is not affected as it only depends on the velocity of the hammer when reaching the strings. By coincidence, a straight posture and shoulder at minimum tension as possible to put your hand in complete pronation (palm looking downwards) and neutral wrist position often let the fingertips at belly level, but should not be a reference since the belly doesn’t make part of the skeleton and varies in height from one person to another. Artists are so cute and naive on science, but we can forgive it because you produce lovely things as music, paints and other stuff 😊

[@sergelyah]

😍😍😍😍

[@jjjrainbow4476]

was machst du damit deine Haare so voluminös aussehen ? :D

[@jojolp2098]

Endlich mal ein Deutscher xD

[@gert8033]

@@jojolp2098 Oder einfach nur jemand, der ein bisschen Deutsch mag? Wie ich. Oder jemand, der Google T verwenden kann? Wer weiß? Ich habe unsere fantastische Lehrerin mehrmals nach ihrem Wissen über den Handgelenkgebrauch gefragt. Wir kommen also etwas näher. Aber ich denke zum Beispiel an den Unterschied zwischen Handgelenksgebrauch bei Lang Lang und Horowitz? Und was hat Annique selbst über Handgelenke und Klavierspiel gelernt? Und jetzt habe ich auch auf Deutsch gefragt.

[@jethroaguillon6386]

Waitt i need to improve my abs??😂

[@maneeshbidaye7525]

Can’t hear a word she’s saying bc I’m frozen by her charm❤

[@kaori6602]

I'm so stupid, I have so often my mouth open while playing Its look so dumb😂

[@richardlehoux]

And Glen Gould played like he was half paralyzed... kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3bOiZiqabyLlcU

[@gert8033]

Yes he chose that he would only play, sided on this chair. (which his father had made for him in his younger days.... So it didn't fit a grown man, did it? And since the chair didn't want to be more (worn down) he didn't want to anymore? yes, who knows?

[@fr4nz51]

11 seconds late…

[@mqryjr]

are u german :D?