Issue #3 Notes from The Music Hub March 23, 2025

Beginning Pianist Mistake #1

"Tell me you haven't taken piano lessons without telling me you haven't taken piano lessons."

That's what I think when I see photos like the one above (or when I watch TV shows and movies where an actor is "playing" an instrument obviously wrong.)

If you have had some piano lessons, even just a few, you can recognize right away some of the problems that this woman is demonstrating.

Today's email is the start of a series I am calling "Beginning Pianist Mistakes" and in each newsletter, I will highlight one common mistake among beginning, self-taught pianists, why it is a problem, and how to fix it.

So, what is the woman in the picture doing wrong?

A couple of things:

1. She is sitting too close to the piano.
2. The keyboard is not at the right height for her.

Why is this a problem?

Sitting too close to the piano restricts movement. In this picture, the woman has her hands placed closer to the far ends of the keyboard, but she would have difficulty placing them directly in front of herself, and she would not be able to easily move between the different ranges of the piano.

When sitting at the piano, you want your elbows to be slightly in front of you so you can move your hands up and down the keyboard by crossing your arms in front of you.

In the picture above, the woman is sitting too low in relation to the keyboard. This means she is having to lift her hands to place them on the keyboard instead of being able to drop her fingers onto the keys.

This puts strain on the shoulders as well as causing the wrist to be bent in a way that pushes the fingers into the keys. This also restricts movement. The fingers will not be able to move freely or quickly because the muscles are not relaxed. Additionally, it creates an unpleasant piano sound.

When you are seated at the keyboard, your shoulders should be dropped, and your forearm should be almost parallel to the floor. Your fingers should rest on the keys with the palm in an inverted rounded cup shape.

If your forearms are not parallel to the floor, either raise your bench or lower your keyboard (depending on what you are playing and what is adjustable.)

Try out these postures at home. Purposefully sit too close to the piano or with your bench at the wrong height. Purposefully lift your shoulders too high and bent your wrist so your fingers are sticking into the keys. Try to play a bit like this.

And NOTICE.

Notice the tension in your shoulders, your forearms, your wrists, your fingers, and your back. Notice the sharp attack in the sound.

Then relax. Sit at the piano properly and notice how much better it feels.

Sometimes knowing what tension and improper posture feels can help you avoid it, because you know what to look for and can then correct it.

Let me know if you try this!

What's new inside the app!

This past week, I was away at the TUTTI New Arts Festival all week. My piece Mountain Heartleaf was performed there by the OH50 Woodwind Quintet.

So, nothing new in the App this week. But my traveling is done for at least a month, so I plan to finish up Beginner Level 2 during the month of April!

Thank you for being a valued member of The Music Hub Community!

Please contact me by responding to this email if you have any questions or concerns!

Happy Music Making!

Heather Niemi Savage, composer, pianist & educator

Founder of The Music Hub