Traditional Lessons and Pain/Injury

Found in: Curriculum, Musicality, Pedaling, Technique

Scott J., Australia

I’m really interested in everyone’s perspective.

Multiple studies over decades report that roughly 50–70% of musicians (including pianists) experience playing-related musculoskeletal pain or injury during their training or careers. Given that traditional piano pedagogy relies heavily on standardised posture rules, prescribed hand positions, and visual ideals of “correct” technique, how do you reconcile those injury rates with the claim that traditional technique is fundamentally sound?

At what point do these statistics suggest a systemic problem with the traditional teaching model itself — rather than ongoing failure by students to apply it “correctly”? I’m genuinely interested in how other teachers interpret this.

Ian M., Pennsylvania

I’m not sure about all of that, but I’m in the “doing it that way hurts? then let’s change something” camp.

Scott J., Australia

I think simply music has done exactly that

Unmani M., Australia

I think underpinning whatever‘method’ is respect for our bodies and their messages. If it hurts stop. Stop immediately

I ended up at the physio because of my showing off ego playing Jackson Blues sideways to the piano. Didn’t listen

Original discussion started January 21, 2026

Last updated 3 months ago
addressing poor technique, classical, classically trained, comparing traditional to Simply Music, competing methods, hand position, hand positioning, hand positions, hurt, hurts, injuries, injury, method, method comparisons, methodology, methods, other methods, pain, painful, pedagogy, poor technique, posture, SM vs traditional, technique, technique questions, traditional, traditional background, traditional experience, traditional lessons, traditional student, traditional students, traditional students to SM, traditional studio, traditional teacher, traditional teachers

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