Dear Mr. Chappell:

My piano teacher doesn’t like the chair (adjustible and with rollers) I use and wants me to get something else. The best, it seems to me, would be one of those adjustable piano benches (black, tufted and with knobs on either side for adjustment). Do you have any idea how much they cost and where I could get one? One store quoted me $650, which is quite a bit more than I was counting on.

— Student

Dear Student:

I don’t advocate those “artist’s benches”, as they are called. They cost a bundle. After about a year of use, they develop squeaks and start rocking from side to side when you sit on them. The design of the knobs on the side to raise or lower the bench by 1/100th of an inch per complete rotation is ridiculous — you could get tendonitis before you even start to play your instrument just by adjusting the bench.

Look for something else. There are many designs available.

— J.C.