1. Products & reviews
2. Buying advice
3. How we choose
If you’re in any way serious about your piano playing, one of the best piano benches (also know as a piano stool) is an essential accessory. It’s not only important from an ergonomic perspective to maintain correct posture when playing and practising, but it’s much more comfortable to be supported properly at the correct height relative to the keyboard, in order to maintain the proper angle at the elbow and keep your wrists relaxed. You won't be able to achieve this with any old stool or chair.
A piano bench will not only allow you to adjust the height so that you’re seated at the perfect height elevation to the keys, but they’ll also make your piano or keyboard setup look that bit more professional and purposeful.
In this guide were taking a look at the various types of piano bench, with guidance on what to look for, plus our top picks for every budget.
Product guide & reviews
Type: X-Frame | Storage: No | Dimensions (cm): 71.12 x 12.7 x 38.1 | Height Adjustment (cm): 49.5 - 62.2
+ Nice thick padding
+ Robust
+ Portable
- No storage
Well-known for their high-quality keyboard stands and mic stands, it comes as no surprise to find that On Stage also have a seat at the table when it comes to piano benches. The KT7800+ is the deluxe version of their folding portable X-frame bench, with a thick padded seat for extra comfort and four different height adjustment settings.
Robust and durable, the KT7800+ is a folding design that features an X-style frame that pivots around a single central bolt. The height is adjusted by means of a set of four locking holes on a metal rail that spans the underside of the bench, allowing adjustment to four fixed heights of 19”, 21”, 23” and 25”, which caters capably for both adults and children.
The one downside of the folding design is that there’s no storage capacity, but if you’re after a portable solution this is a small price to pay.
Type: Traditional | Storage: Yes | Dimensions W x D x H (cm): 55 x 33.5 x 59 | Height Adjustment (cm): 48-58
+ Designed to match Roland pianos
+ Superb build quality
+ Premium padding
- Expensive
This premium offering from digital piano heavyweights Roland is designed to perfectly match their pianos and as such ticks all of the required boxes.
There’s a high-quality, solid wood construction with a polished ebony gloss black finish, 10cm of continuous height adjustment, a velvet-lined storage compartment for music books and a deep, luxuriantly cushioned leather seat.
Emblazoned with the Roland logo on one side of the seat, this is a properly high-end piece of furniture that will not only complement your piano, it may well outlast it.
Type: Traditional | Storage: Yes |Dimensions W x D x H (cm): 54 x 32 x 48 |Height Adjustment (cm): 48-55
+ Comfortable
+ Sturdy
+ Easy to assemble
- Quite pricey
If James Bond had been a pianist - with a licence to trill of course - the Neewer NW-007 would have been the obvious choice for a bench.
Properly solid and weighty with a quality feel, this mid-priced bench is a great solution if you need a traditional look combined with a practical storage facility for your sheet music. The high-quality and durable imitation leather seat and piano-black gloss painted wood finish communicate that this is a quality item.
Some light self-assembly is required on day one, but this is easily accomplished using the supplied tool. The NW-007 is height adjustable through 48-55cm via a hinged metal subframe and traditional wooden adjuster knob mounted on the side of the bench. There’s no ejector seat function though, sadly.
Type: Traditional | Storage: No | Dimensions (cm): 51 X 59 X 32|Height Adjustment (cm): None
+ Sturdy
+ Would go great with a Yamaha piano
- A little basic
It’s fair to say Yamaha knows a thing or two about pianos - as well as everything from guitars to saxophones, snowmobiles to motorcycles, but we digress - so it makes sense they’d know what makes a great piano bench.
Obviously, this elegant bench is the perfect companion for your beloved Yamaha piano, but that doesn’t mean you need to have a Yamaha piano to appreciate this sleek stool.
The B1 bench has a timeless aesthetic and certainly wouldn’t look out of place in any room, and the heavy-duty legs mean it’s solid and sturdy. And better yet, the top is designed to promote a “strong playing posture”, as this piano bench features an arched top padded cushion.
Type: X-frame | Storage: No | Dimensions (cm): 74 x38 x17 | Height Adjustment (mm): 48, 510, 530, 560
+ Foldable
+ Durable
- Not the nicest to look at
f you know anything about Hercules guitar stands, then you’ll know they are robust, durable and extremely reliable - all qualities you’d expect to find in the best piano benches. Well, luckily, that’s precisely what you get with the Hercules KB200B.
Okay, we admit this isn’t exactly the best looking bench on the market, but it’s perfect for keys players who need a dependable stool on the go. In addition, the compact nature of the Hercules bench - and the fact it’s foldable - means it’s perfect for live shows, rehearsals or lessons.
With four levels of height adjustment and a micro adjuster, this bench is also suitable for players of various ages and sizes.
Type: Traditional | Storage: Yes | Dimensions W x D x H (cm): 99 x 34 x 58 | Height Adjustment (cm): 48 - 58
+ Unusual split seat design
+ Independent height adjustment
+ Good storage
- Expensive if you don't need duet feature
- Only available in the UK
Crafted solidly from beech with a gloss black finish, this Deluxe Duet bench from Gear4music is unusual in that it’s a double bench where each side can be adjusted for height independently - ideal if you’re a really tall teacher who teaches lots of primary school-age kids!
Add to that the practical underseat storage compartments - one under each seat - and the deep and luxurious leatherette cushions and you end up with one of the more practical and versatile benches we’ve seen.
If your piano journey consists of many ups and downs, this could be the perfect seat for you!
Best piano benches: Buying advice
What do you need from a piano bench?
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For something that fulfils the relatively basic function of being something to sit on, the best piano benches and stools come in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles, so the right bench for you will depend on how and where you’re going to be using it.
Do you need a single or double piano bench?
Do you need more than one person to sit at the piano at the same time? This is something to think about if you have a visiting teacher that sits next to you at the piano during lessons, or if there are two of you in the home who like to play duets. Two people on a single bench can be a bit of a squeeze, so if you have regular duet sessions or private lessons, it could be worth investing in a double bench if you have room for one.
Does my piano bench need storage?
If you do a lot of sight reading and playing songs from sheet music and books, being able to store these materials somewhere out of sight when not in use is a big plus. Rather than having these scattered in unsightly piles on the top of your instrument, a bench with a flip-up lid and room for storage allows you to keep your sheet music hidden away.
How comfortable are piano benches?
A fairly obvious one this, but if you’re into long practise sessions, you’ll need a bench that’s comfortable and supportive with at least a minimal amount of padding - if what you’re sat on is not comfortable, you’ll not want to be sat at the piano for any length of time, so a degree of comfort is important when choosing your piano bench.
Most piano benches are pretty stable, too, and that’s a good thing - the last thing you want is for your seat to collapse while you’re rocking out at the keys. The traditional solid design with a leg at each corner will generally be a bit more stable than a folding x-type stool, but since these are much more portable, they’re an attractive prospect for gigging musicians.
Do I need height adjustment on my piano bench?
Most people only have one piano, so you might think that the height adjustment on your piano bench would be a set it and leave it affair. But if you do have multiple instruments at different heights, or if there are more than one of you in the family at different ages who play, then height adjustment is crucial for proper posture. If your 8-year old was the last person to play when you sit down at the piano for some practise, you don’t want to be banging your knees on the underside of the keyboard.
How we choose
Here at MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing, creating and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music gear related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides.
When choosing what we believe to be the best piano benches available right now, we combine our hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonies and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus about the top products in any given category.
First and foremost, we are musicians, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best piano benches on the market right now.
Find out more about how we test music gear and services at MusicRadar.
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