<![CDATA[The Highs and Lows of a Hydraulic piano bench]]>I took a short walk to my student’s place to check out his new Descattiati model 810 Hydraulic. It’s not a sports car by any stretch of the imagination, but a piston-packed piano bench that has a vector design that gently nudges the player forward. Without doubt, it’s the best reminder, absent the shadow of a teacher, that a player should NOT sit too far back, lest he risk compromised posture and keyboard alienation.

For me, Model 810 afforded a built-in joy ride. Sitting back as far as I could to test the limits of dysfunctional ambulation, I was pleasantly pushed downhill over shiny velour, rekindling a childhood amusement park experience: the final red carpet slide after a tunnel of horrors journey.

My model Hydraulic, a 30″ Hidrau (HM), to the contrary, will not catapult me forward, though it has a slight vector that only becomes noticeable if the bench is completely turned around. (My student, with his laser-sharp vision spotted this feature and toyed with it) However, when push came to shove, I was relieved that I’d miss-installed the hydraulic, inadvertently obtaining an even playing field that’s my preference. (By habit I sit, centered, at the front edge of the bench and lean toward extreme registers.)

In all fairness, both Descattiati and Hidrau have dependable pistons making height adjustments effortless and smooth. Their un-oiled ups and downs draw the interest of pianists, and concours directors worldwide. One disclaimer: my particular experience with Hidrau,(HM) attached a two year long difficulty energizing the piston mechanism due to my weight bracket shy of 110 pounds. I could easily “bench press” up, but not descend without second party assistance. The problem could have been remedied by a piston replacement (offered me), but I decided to leave well enough alone and keep one fixed height.

In the present, I have built enough muscle weight through fitness workouts that I can jack the HM up and down without a hitch! So it’s Onward and Upward, if desired.

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