How Posture Can Affect Your Playing A Musical Instrument

The art of playing a musical instrument is more than just the ability to pluck a string, blow in a hole or pound on a key. One must know everything from how to properly hold the instrument, what to do with your hands and how to properly sit or stand. Being in the correct playing position and having the right posture, is not only important in playing the instrument well, but is also equally important for the comfort of the musician.

When learning to play any instrument, a good teacher should tell you that how you hold your instrument, how you stand or sit, and finger placement. This is essential to playing well. The least amount of tension in the musician's body allows for the most comfort. Then the muscles are relaxed and the player concentrates not on how to balance the instrument, but on the art of playing beautiful music.

With stringed instruments like the viola or cello, everything you do is affected by your posture from holding the bow correctly to finger placement. Your stance is very important. The body must be balanced, with the weight evenly distributed between the two feet. For example, if playing standing up, the feet should be placed in a V position. To properly distribute the weight, the feet must not be too close or too far apart and the knees must not be too close together either. The musician should stand tall, no slouching. Slouching makes it difficult to hold the instrument properly and can affect the correct placement of the bow that then effects playing. When sitting to play, the legs should not be crossed, as this also distributes body weight incorrectly.

When playing wind instruments, such as the oboe, flute, or trumpet, the back should be perfectly straight. This helps to lessen the pressure on the diaphragm and increase the air supply available for breathing. Proper posture allows for the correct playing of these instruments. The back should be straight, but not tensed. In addition, the shoulders leading into the arms and finally to the hands, should all be relaxed as well. Poor posture and tense muscles will prevent the musician from breathing properly and playing wind instruments correctly.



Keyboard musicians are known for having some of the worst posture. They often play with their shoulders slouched in, their backs bent awkwardly and their heads leaning forward. Those who play keyboards must start by being certain that they are sitting at the right level to play. Whether too high or too low, this can add to muscles tension in the arms, shoulders and hands. The arms must remain relaxed and not held tightly against the body.

Guitar players also have an especially difficult time in finding the right position to play. The guitar must be balanced properly to make playing more efficient. Weight of the instrument can be an issue, as guitars seem to be getting heavier. Players must stop trying to adapt themselves to the right way to hold the guitar and learn to make the guitar fit them. The player must keep their back straight and the head should be erect, not drooping. If the posture is bad while holding this instrument, the musician will suffer physical stress when playing. This can even be as simple as feeling tired when playing.

An equally important thing to remember in learning to hold any instrument correctly is that no two people are built the same. Therefore there are dangers in generalizing ways to insure correct posture when playing an instrument. It is essential to take into consideration the different height, weight and age of the player.

Poor posture when playing an instrument can lead to many different health issues. The musician can suffer from serious muscle strain. The tendons and joints can suffer cramping. Poor posture when playing any instrument is detrimental to the overall health of the musician. Recently, musicians that were not properly trained in good posture when playing have had to turn to physical therapists, chiropractors and other medical professional for pain relief. It certainly makes more sense to learn to play using good posture if what you want to do is stay healthy and play well.