Abstract
Despite increasing interest in keyboard playing as a strategy for repetitive finger exercises in fine motor skill development and hand rehabilitation, comparative analysis of task-specific finger movements relevant to keyboard playing has been less extensive. This study examined, whether there were differences in surface EMG activity levels of forearm muscles associated with different keyboard playing tasks. Results demonstrated higher muscle activity with sequential keyboard playing in a random pattern compared to individuated playing or sequential playing in a successive pattern. Also, the speed of finger movements was found as a factor that affect muscle activity levels, demonstrating that faster tempo elicited significantly greater muscle activity than self-paced tempo. The results inform our understanding of the type of finger movements involved in different types of keyboard playing at different tempi. This helps to consider the efficacy and fatigue level of keyboard playing tasks when being used as an intervention for amateur pianists or individuals with impaired fine motor skills.
Highlights
Specific and intensive repetitions of finger movements effectively mediate the activation of corresponding muscle and brain areas, which leads to changes in functional muscular activities and cortical organization (Neistadt, 1994)
Keystroke-related Data Depending on the Specified Playing Task Pattern and Tempo For each of sequential playing tasks, interkeystroke intervals (IKI) and velocity were measured
These results indicate that participants performed the playing task at differentiated tempi as presented
Summary
Specific and intensive repetitions of finger movements effectively mediate the activation of corresponding muscle and brain areas, which leads to changes in functional muscular activities and cortical organization (Neistadt, 1994). Keyboard playing as highly controlled finger movements involves multiple and complex motor movements (Zatsiorsky et al, 1998; Furuya and Altenmüller, 2013; Goebl and Palmer, 2013). Coordinated movements of different forearm muscles and kinematically fine control of involved joints operate to make optimal and efficient movements during keyboard playing (Zatsiorsky et al, 1998; Goebl and Palmer, 2013).
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