Posture and relaxation are incredibly important at the piano because it allows you to play comfortably and with feeling, allowing you to interpret the music to its fullest extent.

Posture

• When sitting down ensure that your back is straight and that you are comfortable.

• As some pieces require you to extend your arms up and out to hit the keys at the outer ranges, try to sit in the middle of the keyboard and when you need to, rotate or slightly lean towards the ranges needed without hurting your lower back or hips.

• Similarly, when playing particularly intense passages you may want to have your chair slightly further back allowing your body weight to lean in from the hips into the piano keys.

• Try to avoid playing with rounded shoulders as that will impact your ability to play for long periods of time.

• The posture of the hands and wrists is crucial to avoid pain in the wrists such as carpal tunnel syndrome or other repetitive strain injuries.

Relaxation

• Ensure that you relax before sitting down at the piano by taking a few deep breaths to expand the chest cavity and broaden through the shoulders. You may also want to limber up the muscles in your neck

• A lot of people forget to breathe when they play – a good tip is to breathe as you play according to the phrases of the piece of music.  For example, if you were to sing the melody line, where would you naturally breathe? This will also help to shape the music!