This article was originally published on the Chamberlain Pianos Knowledgebase.
Often considered a secondary part of your piano purchase and almost an afterthought, one really should contemplate buying a good quality piano stool alongside their new instrument. The reasons for this are threefold.
1. Matching your piano
Firstly, it has to be suitable for the instrument you want to pair it with. If you buy a portable stage piano for instance, the most appropriate stool to accompany the instrument is also a portable one, such as our Apextone AP-5106 or the Stagg KEB-A10. These stools, known as keyboard benches, have an X frame design which means they can be easily collapsed and folded up for easy transport, perfect if your stage piano is being transported from venue to venue, or between classrooms. The alternative would be lugging a heavy, wooden piano stool around, which takes up a lot of space in the back of a car and might also get damaged. A metal frame means that keyboard benches are quite utilitarian in appearance, but that doesn’t matter – what is most important is that they are lightweight, robust and comfortable enough to get through two one-hour sets. A few levels of height adjustment and a cushioned seat top mean that one can get reasonably comfortable at the keyboard, but they are not so well suited to extended practice sessions at home on a cabinet digital piano, upright or grand piano.
Conversely, if you’re buying something to go with a grand or upright acoustic piano which remains in situ most of the time, a more permanent stool is suitable. These do not need to fold up and can be heavier, sturdier, and even more ornate in some cases. Read on for more on that!
2. Matching the surroundings
Secondly, when purchasing a piano stool to accompany an acoustic or digital piano in the home, the appearance of the stool is also very important. Even more than a piano, the stool is a piece of furniture that has to live in your home, and it should ideally match the piano for which it was purchased.
Our Spanish-made Hidrau piano stools are available in a selection of finishes, including black gloss (or polished ebony), black satin, white and mahogany gloss. If these don’t quite match your piano, other finishes available as a special order from the factory, while we can also specify straight, turned, octagonal or cabriole style legs if your instrument is particularly ornate. Seat tops are available in velvet, simulated leather or hide, in a selection of different colours to make your piano stool truly unique.
For most upright and digital pianos, the Hidrau BG27 ‘Toledo’ stool is an excellent choice, a smart and understated model which perfectly matches the clean lines of most modern instruments. For those who like to play duets, or are perhaps teaching younger children to play, it is also available as a duet stool, the BG270 ‘Geneva’. This model is almost the same size as two piano stools stuck together and enables two players to comfortably sit side by side at the piano, brilliant for lessons either in the classroom or one-on-one.
The most popular choice of piano stool for customers who purchase grand pianos is a concert stool. These have much thicker and more deeply padded seat cushions for premium levels of comfort, with luxurious buttoned capitone-style upholstery. We have two options for concert stools: the top of the range Hidrau BC46 ‘London’, a large leather-topped English style concert model, or the smaller yet equally stylish BG33 ‘Vienna’. The BC46 is a larger and deeper stool, ideally suited to the concert stage, school auditorium or if any piano that is likely to be used for lengthy periods by a single player. Braced legs mean that the stool is supremely robust and will last for many years in a tough environment such as a school music department. The compact BG33 is our bestselling piano stool, smaller and lighter than the BC46, and is also available in either real or simulated leather and in a choice of black, mahogany and walnut finishes. This is a great value model and perfectly suited to the domestic home, and looks wonderful when placed next to a large upright such as a Yamaha U3S or even a baby grand Kawai GL-10.
3. Comfort
Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, is posture. While one could easily sit on a dining or office chair, sitting correctly at the piano is critical – poor posture can really impact ones playing technique and impede their long-term development, not to mention cause muscular injuries in the hands and wrists. When sitting at the piano one should ensure that your feet are flat on the floor with your back straight and upper body relaxed. When your hands are over the keyboard, your arms should be parallel to the floor. To ensure that one can play as comfortably as possible while mitigating the risk of Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI), we recommend that one purchases a height adjustable piano stool, especially if there are multiple pianists in the home who might be of different ages and heights.
Height adjustable piano stools have a screw thread mechanism with adjustment knobs on each end, which either raise or lower the height of the stool depending on the direction in which they are twisted. This enables the pianist to quickly get as comfortable as possible. All of our Hidrau piano stools are height adjustable with this screw thread mechanism, while some models such as the modern looking Stagg PBH780 have hydraulic mechanisms to make fine adjustments even easier. A common question we are asked is ‘can I use this stool with my piano?’ The answer is almost invariably yes! Ergonomics and anthropometrics have led to modern pianos and digital pianos having a keyboard height of around 75cm, and stool manufacturers have designed their models accordingly, with plenty of adjustment possible so that even the tallest or smallest musicians can play comfortably.
Piano stools for schools
With budgets ever squeezed we can help you make sure you get the best value for money. Piano stools, quite extraordinarily, are considered by finance departments as consumable items, much like whiteboard markers, exercise books and headphones! Although comparatively expensive, piano stools are quite often dragged around the department for use in different classrooms and practice rooms, and rocked back and forth on by students which puts huge strain on the legs. They are also often purchased with the idea of only one student sitting on them in mind, forgetting that they will often be shared, or used by teachers as well. Consequently, stools often don’t last very long before needing to be repaired or replaced. As with most things, good value doesn’t necessarily mean cheap, and while inexpensive piano stools might do the job in the short term, they simply won’t last as long as stools made from good quality materials. Hidrau piano stools are constructed from top quality European beech with robust adjustment mechanisms and no compromise on quality, with excellent recyclable packaging to ensure your stools arrive in perfect condition. We purchase our piano stools direct from the factory to cut out the middleman and ensure that we deliver the best quality product at the lowest possible price, with great quantity discounts available too.
Our extensive range of fixed height and adjustable stools is available to view here, alternatively please do feel free to contact us at sales@chamberlainmusic.com if you require further information.