You would think there would be a standard height of keyboards on pianos. After all, you rarely take your piano with you when you perform, so having a normal height would seem like something you should expect. Sadly, this is not the case when it comes to the height of keyboards on pianos.
Most upright pianos have keyboards that are lower than grand pianos, yet some of large uprights from decades ago actually have higher keyboards than grand pianos!
The height of keyboards on pianos also differs by region. For example, most Asian pianos, piano manufactured in Japan, China, Korea and Indonesia, usually have higher keyboards than American made pianos.
One easy way of dealing with keyboards of different heights is having an adjustable artist bench. As we discussed in a past video, The Importance of the Piano Bench, getting yourself an adjustable artist bench is something that every pianist can benefit from. Most performance settings will have an artist bench that allows you to raise or lower the bench to your prefered height – so the keyboard height is no longer an issue.
Another odd thing about Asian pianos is that the benches tend to be lower than American piano benches. So, when you take into account the shorter benches and higher keyboards of Asian pianos, there is a substantial difference in your playing position compared to sitting at American pianos. Since most of my height is in my legs, I absolutely need an adjustable artist bench (or something to sit on) when playing Asian pianos. Yet, on American pianos, the height is usually just right!
I hope you found this video helpful. Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions about this topic or any others, please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729