Reply to Tom Theis Dec 18

I repeat: A classical *neck strap* better NOT BE USED AT ALL !! It is counterproductive in many ways:
It is too thin, it is rigid, it is usually attached at a location that does not provide a suitable balancing position and first of all if avoidable you should never carry ANYTHING around your neck since that provokes static muscular strain in one of the most vulnerable parts of the body.Furthermore the classical neckstrap presupposes that the instrument is held waist high with elbows at right angle.
When using a support for the instrument it should instead be held - or hanging rather - as low as possible to relieve as much weight as possible.

Instead of a neckstrap a shoulder strap, or even better two, or a harness of some kind, should be used. The best is using elastic straps so that the vertical position may be adjustable while playing. The simplest way to attach the straps to the instrument is by means of an intermediate strap 20-25cm long fixed between a pair of end bolts each side ( one free endbolt interpositioned ) On to this strap the ends of the shoulder strap is attached so that an ideally balancing position is achieved where the instrument does not want to counteract the best relation between hand and keyboard.

From an ergonomic viewpoint this is all simple and selfevident....