How To Sit At The Piano (A Chiropractor's Guide) 

How's your posture? Chapters: 0:50 How to sit at the piano 2:30 Hand and wrist position 3:19 More on sitting posture 4:29 Warming up - hand stretches 6:11 Neck & shoulder stretches 7:02 How to avoid getting tired 7:53 Arm or finger pain? 9:30 Diet 10:18 Playing with arthritis 12:24 Carpal tunnel 12:58 If you have old injuries

The posture was hard at first but now I'm used to it

Very happy you made this video! Because me being a beginner i never even though to watch my posture/positioning while I'm playing/practicing the piano. Also it would be nice to hear the story of tattoo. I only asked because I want to get one but i can't think of nothing to put on my body forever. And as always love the expressive way you talk with your voice and the poetic way you use your hands when talking! Thanks!

Your videos are really helping me to grow as a piano player! Thank you!

Very helpful. Thanks for this information.

So we can play the piano for ever and ever. Love it. ❤

Very informative video, thank you!

thanks so much so helpfull. I will try everything you suggested. Please keep these coming.:0)

Really helpful. Thank you!

That was like the best answer to piano posture I have ever seen :)

Excellent video! I'll sure watch it again in the future

Really loved it

Thank you so so much for this! It really helped 😄💕🎵

@Pianote a wise and wonderful piano teacher called Yvonne Enoch taught me fifty years ago that turning your wrist when playing scales was damaging, here's how she explained it. On a C major scale play notes C, D, E. As soon as your thumb has come off the C pass it under your hand *without* twisting your wrist, play the F then play those four notes over from the C again noting that the only part of the hand that is moving is the thumb. Your knuckles should stay at right angles to the notes as seen from above the same as when you play a five finger scale with *no* movement of the elbow other than to move in the direction of the hand. It does *not* kink out sideways causing the wrist to twist, this is what causes the pain in the wrist and arm. Practice this with relaxed wrist, arm and elbow before moving on. Keep your shoulders loose too. Next play the four notes but this time being aware that as your thumb has moved under your hand it has automatically transfered the fingers onto the next five notes of the scale with the knuckles still at right angles to the keys as seen from above and let the fingers complete the scale. Come back down the scale being aware that when you transfer your hand over the thumb from F to third finger on E that again there is no twist of the wrist, no flick of the elbow, knuckles at right angles to the keys and the fingers fall automatically onto the correct notes as your thumb spreads back on to the C. Use your body movement, lean sideways a bit to help keep your arm relaxed. Oh and don't hold your breath while concentrating! The work is all done by the thumb and that is what needs training and exercise to save the rest of the limb and your back from tension. You have shown me so much I didn't know and opened my eyes to new things, I hope I'm repaying you and that this is helpful. I've been watching you twist that wrist for a while and wondering if you had any pain from playing like that so I hope this little exercise is useful. I was a child with small hands when I learnt this so anyone can do it btw. Thanks for all the lovely work you do here. All the very best to you and your team. xx

This was so useful

I got a piano for Christmas yesterday so now I’m gonna be watching u a lot more!

Great video! and perhaps a follow up basic 10 min (or less) pre-playing stretch routine would be nice! cheers

Very important topic. Please do more videos about piano playing and health! (And pls with evidence-based information)

Wow! Such great information about posture and avoiding stress! Thank you for sharing!

Amazing information

Wonderful video and just in time as I’m icing my upper back because...... I’m addicted to playing the piano! I joined pianote a month ago and I can’t learn fast enough! Guess I need to take more breaks😬

This really helped me

Thanks a lot!

This is incredible

Such a useful video!

Good advice! Thanks for this video. Definitely stretching is a key!

This was an awesome video. The one that related the most to my way of learning. Was able to grasp pretty much everything important I had missed, such as the balancing of the posture, and the uhmm "counscious" over the body Propioception haha. I started playing piano again, and when playing for too long I'd get a lot of pain in different areas. I play much less often now, because it was really painful, but I've done some PT (physical therapy) lately, and along with this video I think I'm ready to go! Just one question: the ring finger of my right hand usually feels a lot of discomfort when doing some exercises, and while doing some activities (typing, playing videogames, playing an instrument...). It's really easy for me to lose counsciousness over it, and for it to tense. At some point, regardless of what I'm doing with my hands, it gets very tense, mechanical and sloppy. Have you heard of anything like that? Any stretches that come to mind?

I just love to follow and listen to your videos. I couldn’t imagine having no channel like pianote. Thanks pianote!! Stay safe !

the most calming voice i've ever heard

Pianote is just so helpful for a beginner such as myself! Love from Brazil 💚💛 Oh, and a typical beginner's question: Should I always sit on the center of the bench? (Because I'm practicing "Moonlight Sonata", and even without noticing, I tend to sit more on the left corner since it kinda makes easier to access where most of the notes are happening)

Great lesson as usual. I watched more of your tutorial and I found them very easy to understand. I am from Madagascar Island, east of africa and just a new on piano matter but I started to gain some interesting stuff already from these.

Very nice😍lots of love from india💚

Nice video 👍! As a current RU-vidr, I am contantly searching for new ideas! Nice Job!

:51 to 2:30 was really eye opening. Thank you.

Excellent advise from the Chiropractor, I wonder what his piano playing is like... I do like the "tucking" in the pelvis ...

This is a helpful episode. Lol. Maybe tomorrow I'll let myself to do stretching before practicing. I do not have a good posture when playing I believe

"(ASMR) - Do You Have Perfect Posture?" Fixed' the title for you ; D

Could you please show me how to play I'm falling by Leela James? Thanks

Hey... Beginner here.. thank you for everything. How far from the piano should we sit? My problem: when move both hands on arpeggios upwards and my left hand comes in front of my torso, my arm seems weirdly twisted and uncomfortable, unless I lean a bit backwards which I assume is not healthy?? Trying to find a solution but at my age I found no teacher to guide me and no videos on the web to tackle this.

Thanks

hi, can you please make a video how to play abba - dancing queen? I've just watched the bohemian rhapsody one and that vid really help me a lot! thanks in advance!

Thanx

Would u please teach us,how to arrange a piano piece...

I played for about 3 hours yesterday, I woke up and my neck and back were screaming bloody murder.

Nice 🎹

I dont know why, but since I've started trying to use proper posture and technique, I've actually started having a lot more pain flare ups, that I haven't had since my RSI 2 years ago.

Please teach me how to play 30mins melody And I’m basic beginner in piano

Very informative, is there anything that you can add or do to your bench or chair, that would promote good back alignment (lower back tucked in, good tip)?

Hi there! Concerning your sore forearm. If it's something to do with your tendons, (tendonitis or tennis elbow) try reducing your lactose intake. You can get lactose free milk and see what happens over a period of a couple of months. Lactose can be quite damaging to your tendons if your body doesn't produce enough lactase to digest it. This REALLY helped solve this problem for me!

I have RSI and never heard those things about diet, will try it out and hope to get less inflammation! Thanks a lot for this info

Thanks for remaining for everything😀😀😀

Question, should your hips be in a straight line with your knees or should they be slightly higher? In the video you don't mention this, but it looks like your hips are higher.

I notice at least from the camera angle that you are sitting much higher than my adjustable bench will allow. what is the angle of your forearm to the keys? Is your elbow higher than the keyboard?

Can you please please teach memories by maroon 5 Please

Could you do a tutorial on Piece By Piece by Kelly Clarkson the American Idol version? I just adore that song its so beautiful and I would love to be able to learn and play it for my family.

How is it to play standing?

My teacher never taught me this😣 Thank you Lisa💖

please teach meeeeee

Hello

I never thought about those factors before and so many new words! I cant believe steak make inflammation worse :( Atleast he did not tell you eat tomato or peas:)

Hi Lisa, thank you for your very interesting tutorial and introducing your guest. Certainly your guest has some very helpful tips. It is a little sad however to read the usual few negative responses.

This is the most underrated thing which nobody talks about.

Hello 👋 Lisa

I really hope this helps me. I had to completely stop playing a few days ago cause my hands and wrist hurts so bad. I'm actually afraid I maybe have hurt myself 😣

Just looking at that guy I'm thinking he is a great advertisement for his own methods. Totally at ease in his own body. What a pity I didn't see this video a few years ago, it might have saved me from injuries in my hands... I'm just a little sorry to find out I have to replace the sugar in my life by broccoli ☹

My back hurts after like 4 hours of playing, then I have to stop, but my posture is correct though

Avengers Endgame - Portals plz teach this one🙏🙏🙏😢

Dr?

Request: would you be willing to create a video on how to have musical conversations? I'm thinking of dueling banjos or 2 performers playing 1 piano each or something. If it would help, then I could find sample videos.

LIKE #124 🔥🔥

I play guitar and I would love to play the piano but I am so rough!!! 😂 I could be a awesome drum player instead of a pianist

Omg im so early 😱

Thanks for sharing. But sometimes there is too much Okay.Okay.Okay.Okay.Okay...

My problem is getting my arms comfortable. I have long arms.

This girl is the cutest thing in the world.

Instructions unclear: Have joined an ashram and am currently sitting with both feet behind my head.

so.. i learned the correct posture.. now all i need is to learn the piano.. :) thanks for the video though.. looking forward to buy a piano bench as i am using regular chair for now.. idk if its a must.. but i guess i will look pro =]

where did you two go after shooting this video...and what did you do...?

funny that musicians and athletes are on opposite teams.

U shouldnt wear dark top in a dark room when the video is about posture. It's hard to see ur posture with that dark top in a dark room.

The way you played the aropeggio is not good ergonomically. Let the arm take the hand and fingers where want to go. Gliding across the keyboard.

What in red meat causes inflammation? I would like to see the RCTs? What inflames, is high carbs diets which is basically sugar. Avoid sugar but eat your 6-10 servings of grains.

Stopped watching at 5 minutes when they said they would discuss how to sit at the piano and didn't discuss at all wrist or elbow positioning, the things I was interested in finding out.

I see no doctor here. 🙄

i live on red meat and alcohol.

Am i the only person weirded out when he was recommending "nutrition" to play keys?😑

Disappointing that you promoted chiropractic. It’s not science based. Next time use a real physician rather than a quack.

Pretty sure Chiropractor's should be advising anyone anything regarding the body. Probably better to get advice from a real specialist.

Chiropractor is not a pianist. We should lean forward when we play.

Useful until he said "avoid red meat"... stick to the skeletal system you muppet 😑