Last week I had my piano lesson on a grand piano and it was really weird because the music was so high. Well it felt a lot higher than what I am used to, so I kept having to look up at the music.

Does anyone else find this weird?

The friend who accompanied me for my flute exam last year made a similar comment about the piano there, and said that his piano pupils had also commented.

Yes I find it takes time getting used to my teacher's baby grand. When I get onto the 2nd page of anything it always seems miles away, & far more difficult to play than at home

Do you mean like when the music is really far away from you, you find it hard to read?

I remember play the piano once sitting on a tiny stool. I had to look up at the music and raise my hands higher than usual. Very uncomfortable.

It is just not normal for me to have to look up to see the music

Your eyes get used to where to look at the music and if it's in a different position it can feel really awkward.
Also tricky if you are half remembering and are used to glancing up at particular parts only to find that what you are looking for is not where you expect it to be.. if you see what I mean.

Yep. I got that the few times I played on Grand pianos.The music was much higher than usual.Got used to it after a while, but it was kinda strange having to look up when its usually just right in front of me.

My teacher has a grand and I have an upright. When I first started learning with him it felt really odd having the music in different positions, but now it doesn't affect me at all. I think it took around 6 months to get used to swapping between the two.

Must be really helpful in a way if your techer has a very different piano... once you have got used to swapping between two then I would guess that new ones wouldn't phase you so much.

I had the same problem when my old piano teacher got herself a baby grand, it took a few minutes each lesson to remember where to look!

I find it's the same when the two staves are a different distance apart - when I accompany the med school choir, their music is written in SATB form with 4 verses written in between my two staves - it confuses me no end!

Yes I find this a problem too. My piano teacher has a grand piano and I found it really difficult at first because quite often when I looked up at the music I was looking in the wrong place in the music because the music stand is much higher. I have got used to now though. However, it always throws me a bit when I use the una corda pedal because the keys shift across.

Yes, I do too.... I had my first lesson with a new teacher on Monday, and her music sits very high on her grand piano...she reckoned if I could play that I could play anything . It took a little getting used to but it certainly discourages you from looking up & down between music & keyboard .

I'm glad its not just me with this problem. When I first played on a grand piano I kept finding myself looking at the maker's name and wondering where the music had gone.

I STILL remember my grade 1 piano (in the dark ages ...) I was 4 years old and it was the first time I had ever played a grand piano . I put the music on the stand, but thankfully had memorised the pieces, as I would never have been able to see it. Oh yes- I also played standing up as I couldnt get on the piano stall.
I hope examiners have changed since then and would help a little candidate if such a situation ever happened again.

Yeah lol!


I guess it takes a while to get used to, but I hardly ever play on a grand piano so it is quite a shock when I play and there is no music directly in front of me!

I find it a problem so I prop my music up on some wood on my piano's music stand so my eyes are used to the height. I always warn pupils who are off to do an exam on a grand piano that the music will be higher as it can really throw you if you are not expecting it.

i quite like it... but im odd...

Do you play often on grand pianos jess? Maybe you are used to it...

my school 's grand piano's music stand is adjustable...it can move in and out and even extend outwards so that it is easier to read.