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Piano Bench Height: How High Is a Piano Bench? (Answered)

When you buy a new piano or set a piano in a new home, knowing the appropriate height of the piano bench is essential. If the piano bench height is not correct, you might face difficulty while playing the piano. Because the position of hands on the piano changes with the piano bench height change.

So, you might be confused about how high a piano bench is. If you don’t know the appropriate height of the piano bench, your hand might go through tension and load while playing the piano. Moreover, learning about the factors that affect a piano bench height is also essential.

How high is a piano bench?

Generally, the standard piano bench height is 19.5 inches. You can modify the height by a couple of inches according to your height. But standard piano bench height is essential. The suitable height piano bench will allow you to sit with the elbow at the right height with the keyboard.

A bench or chair is a must to play the piano when there is a piano. So, the question might arise what is the standard height of a piano bench is. Some people use the adjustable piano bench. This bench height can be varied according to the comfort of the musician.

However, 19.5 inches or 50 centimeters is the standard height of a piano bench. This standard height is determined to provide comfort to a musician’s elbow according to the piano keyboard’s height.

If the piano bench height is not appropriate, problems might arise. For example, if the piano bench height is too low, more load will be pressed on the keyboard. Moreover, playing the piano will be uncomfortable.

On the other hand, if the piano bench height is too high, the keyboard will be elevated from the level of the musician’s elbow. So, playing the piano will be difficult and uncomfortable. That’s why the bench height should be according to the standard.

Sometimes, people modify the height of the piano bench according to their height. This allows for the comfortable playing off the piano.

Playing the piano is not just playing. The posture of playing piano and sitting is also essential. Sometimes, you might have to play the piano in front of people. So, a good sitting posture is necessary. Your sitting posture might be interrupted if you don’t practice with a standard piano bench height.

The position of hands, body, arms, wrist, elbow, etc., depends on how high or low you are sitting. So, the piano bench height should be standard. It will be the best if you keep the height near 19.5 inches.

How high is a standard piano bench?

A standard piano bench should be 19.5 inches or 50 centimeters. Generally, most piano benches have this height. Sometimes, the height might be one of two inches low or high. But the standard bench is around 19.5 inches.

Keeping a piano bench’s height around this standard height is pretty essential. Because when you keep a low piano bench, it will be challenging to keep your hand and wrist on the keyboard. Moreover, you must put extra effort into matching your hands with the piano height.

On the other hand, the height bench will also be uncomfortable for playing the keyboard. So, whether you keep the bench height low or high, it will be painful. That’s why the standard height of the piano bench is pretty essential.

Is the piano bench too low?

The piano bench is not too low or too high. The piano bench height should be standard. The piano height has a connection with the elbow and hand position on the piano keyboard.

If the piano bench height is too low, it will be uncomfortable for the musician to keep balance with the elbow. Moreover, playing the piano will be painful if the bench is too high.

So, the bench height is kept at around 19.5 inches. At this height, the musician’s elbows and wrists aren is in the same line. Moreover, the fingers are like resting on the keyboard. It will be uncomfortable if the elbows and wrist are not in the same line. So, the piano bench is not too low.

Four factors that determine piano bench height

Now that you know the piano bench has a standard height, you might want to know the factors that affect piano bench height. So, let’s see the factors that determine piano bench height.

Position of the elbows and wrists:

The piano bench height should be standard so that the elbows and wrists are in the same line. If the piano bench height is too low or too high, the elbows and wrists will not be in the same line. So, it will be uncomfortable for the pianist to play the piano.

Position of the fingers:

While playing the piano, the position your fingers should be resting on the keyboard. If the fingers are elevated, it will be challenging to play the piano. So, the bench should be at such a height that the fingers should be resting on the keyboard.

Sitting posture:

The bench height should be standard so that you can sit there straight. If the height is too low or too high, you must bend to the piano while playing. So, your sitting posture will not be straight. So, the height of the piano bench should be according to your sitting posture.

Position your feet:

Sometimes, the piano bench is too short. So, you must keep your feet crossed and bent to adjust your sitting position. On the other hand, the too-high piano bench will keep your feet hanging. These two positions will make you look awkward. The piano bench height should also be according to your feet’ position.

Does piano bench height affects freedom of movement?

Yes, piano bench height affects freedom of movement. That’s why piano bench height is kept standard. On a standard piano bench, you can move freely. For creative musically, you can move freely and on any side.

But free movement will not be possible if the bench height is too low or too high. So, playing the creative musically will ultimately be difficult and uncomfortable.

Moreover, if the piano bench is at the standard height, it will keep your arms, wrists, and elbows in the correct position. So, moving freely will be easy for you. So, the piano bench’s appropriate height affects freedom of movement.

How to determine proper piano bench height?

Now that you know piano bench height should be appropriate, you might want to know how to determine proper piano bench height. So, let’s see how you can choose the right piano bench height.

Knowing about the standard height:

First, you have to know the standard height of the piano bench. For example, 19.5 is the standard height of a piano bench. The average height is between 18 to 22 inches. So, when determining the proper piano bench size, you must know about the standard one.

Determine according to your height:

Then you have to sit on a random bench with the piano and inspect the height. Determine the bench height so that your elbows and wrists are in the same line. Moreover, your fingers are resting on the keyboard while playing the piano.

Freedom of movement:

Then set the height in such a way that you can move freely from the bench. You should fix a height so that you can play the piano comfortably and your sitting posture is straight.

How to make piano bench higher?

It will be uncomfortable if your piano bench height is not high enough. So, you might need to make the bench higher. Let’s see how you can make the piano bench higher.

Use the knob:

To make the piano bench higher, you can use knobs on both sides of the bench. But turning the knobs in the same amount will balance the seat well.

Use a cushion:

If the first step doesn’t work, you can use a seating cushion on the bench like a sofa. This will increase the seat height by one or two inches. Moreover, you can change the bench with a chair that can be a little higher than the bench.

Final Thoughts

Piano bench height is pretty essential for playing the piano comfortably. Generally, the piano bench height can be 18 to 22 inches. But standard height is 19.5 inches. If the bench height is too low or too high, you can’t move freely from the bench. Moreover, playing piano will be uncomfortable.