My personal opinion is there may not be enough focus placed on proper sitting position, especially new piano players. My daughter had developed some habits which I think might have to do with not being at an ideal sitting height. I guess if you are selling piano's or even teaching, asking your clients / parents to put out yet another few hundred dollars, that might be make or break point in your business. And to me this should not be placed at these Industry level laps, it's the manufacturers which should take some responsibility for not providing a base seat model with at least some height adjustment capability. It would a great selling feature imo if it were standard (and not just at the concert grand level). Like selling a car today without any adjustability to the driver seat, instead it's a purchased option, and initially the car would come with a cafeteria chair.
Just curiosity : do they not make piano stools any more ? I mean the kind which typically had 4 ornately turned legs terminating in eagle claws holding glass balls - the seat usually round and adjustable by spinning it around (screw type mechanism).
I bought an antique piano stool advertised on craigslist by a second-hand dealer. Got me adjustability, a cool early 1900s piano stool (like from an old saloon, but somewhat refinished), and at a cheaper price than a new piano stool from current vendors.
I’m a N00B and old (67). My grandma’s baby grand had a round wooden piano seat that sat upon a carved 3” diameter screw mech to raise or lower it. The wooden seat top was also very comfortably carved and as a kid, I loved to spin around in it. Back then (1950’s) the piano was the first live music I’d heard. Gram really played for us, all the time, whenever we visited. It was marvelous!
You neglected to tell us you were also a writer. You painted a clear picture on a canvas that allowed me to be there. I could see you now spinning on that stool and could tell anyone what it looked like. Such excitement it was; the anticipation simply glorious. I can nearly hear Gram, wearing a flowered dress, playing when people visited her. It was a highlight to her. The piano being an old treasure; one that shows both its age and appreciation. How heartwarming. You told us things you didn't even say. You may be 67 outside (perhaps 68 by now), but you're not inside. Thank you.
Those adjustable benches look weak on the edges if you put a lot of weight there. I had an old duet bench once and they had thick strapdown pads that gave height and comfort. Mine was embroidered and looked quiet elegant. My electric piano has the Roland four leg bench with pad and holds a lot of weight.
You just saved me $300. I found what I thought was a sewing stash seat or some ugly white, granny fabric covered, hinged top 4-legged atrocity on the side of the road a year ago. Thought I'd repaint, recover and sell it, but oh no, not now. It's a perfect size seat for one, it's 4" short, so I'm taking the top off, building a 4' frame to put on the existing one, covering the top with deluxe pad and top-of-the-line fabric, sanding, priming & painting it matte black, 3 coats of lacquer finish, installing brass hinges and voila, I have a custom made piano bench you can't buy anywhere! Thank you so much for making me think of that (I build things anyway). I wish I could show you. Now my "X" metal wobbly bench is for sale!
Hi there! We're happy o hear that this video and Stu's comments inspired you! It sounds like you'll have an excellent and unique bench to keep you feeling comfortable while playing for many years to come. Thanks again and all the best! :)
Bless you. My most expensive Piano is around 95,480 $ (US). It's just a question of what level you are at and how seriously you take it. I think my bench is around 700$ for reference. The thing is with money; it's relative to what you can afford. I am able to play on much cheaper options just fine and its nothing to worry about. Just play what works for you and you end up developing over time.
Okay, here we go again: For my digital set up, I got a square steel stool from a thrift shop for $10.00. I cut down the legs to the correct height, It turned out the foam inside the cover was too soft. I went to an upholstery foam supply shop. They charged me $18.00 for a square piece of their most dense foam. I felt it was expensive, but what could I do? It's a very substantial bench that is comfortable to sit on for long periods of time. For my acoustic grand I made a wood riser ring that goes under the normally hinged lid. It raises it up 1.5" and it is also a very good and comfortable bench. That particular bench had a comfortable seat. The steel one while somehat on the heavy side and not collapsible can be transported in the car along with the keyboard. My hang up now is that the Piano is a Casio PX-150, but I use the Pianoteq voice. The internal Casio voice is OK, but not great I would like a keyboard that comes close to the Pianoteq voices. I'm now thinking about the Roland Juno DS-88 which is more of a synth than the RD-88, but seems to have excellent piano sounds. I wish Stu would review the RD-88 and maybe compare it to the Juno SD-88. Same action? comparable weight? Piano tone? Maybe the Juno does not have internal speakers. I don't know. What I do know is that Stu is an absolutely wonderful piano player.
How long does it take to have the ability to play piano like Stu? Add to that, how long does it take to garner the vast knowledge of piano design, function, construction and the Industry lore Stu has too.
