Music Teacher's Helper Blog

At a recent music festival, it was remarkable that one particular booth always had musicians sitting and jamming. A closer look revealed the answer: hand-carved wooden stools.

I was amazed when I sat in one. They seemed simple enough: three legs, no back, and a curved seat to fit all. But they were comfortable! No wonder people sat down and didn’t get up. Musicians just sat and played and a few others sat and listened.

The maker of these stools, Paul Baines, explained that the angles of the carved seat were made to avoid pressures on the legs and to keep the back at a comfortable angle, avoiding any need for a chair back. Baines explained that it is designed based on bone structure, and works regardless of how much or how little weight is carried on the bones–in other words this simple stool seems to be comfortable for people of all sizes. (Several people have asked for information about this stool–here’s a link.)

Musicians often have to sit for long periods of time, and back complaints or injuries are common, especially among pianists and cellists. Investing in a good chair is well worth the money and time. Here’s a link to an article that summarizes a lot of information out there on this subject. For example, the article points out that we are most comfortable when the thigh is at a 60 degree downward angle to the floor, not parallel. And if we slouch to “relax”, we curve our spine backwards from the natural curve, weakening it and possibly causing lower back pain.

Though the stools were not cheap, and we were not expecting extra expenses at that time, we found the stools so helpful that we bought two. My wife uses one at work and feels much better, without the aches and pains she was getting from a fancy rolling armed executive chair. We are thinking of adding one a year to our collection (they stack) and putting them out in our living room for some great music sessions.