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What is the correct hand position for playing piano?

According to instruction captured in a piano lesson transcript, proper hand position at the piano is described as follows:

  • Rest your hands on your knees naturally, then lift them — this creates a natural rounded shape with a small bubble or curve in the palm.
  • Gently place your hands on the keys in that same rounded shape.
  • The first joint of each finger should curve in slightly, maintaining that bubble on every finger.
  • Your wrist and arm should be level — like an even walkway, not a slide (where the wrist droops).
  • Keep shoulders relaxed — do not raise them to lift your arms.
  • Play on the fleshy part of the fingertip, not the very tip or flat of the finger.

Also asked as

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Answered by Nicole Burns ·

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