Adjust Position

4. BALANCE, POSTURE, AND RELAXATION

Keep your back and head in straight but relaxed alignment, as though being suspended at the crown by a string. Allow a forward bend in the lower back--the lumbar curve.

Relax the shoulders, elbows, and wrists: “float” over the manuals. It is best for the arms to bend at the elbows in a ninety-degree angle. Therefore, practice on the lowest manual whenever it is feasible, such as when drilling notes.

Curve fingers well, with a sense of pulling inward rather than pressing downward when playing a key.