Abstract
A pianist’s movements are fundamental to music-making by producing the musical sounds and the expressive movements of the trunk and arms which communicate the music’s structural and emotional information making it valuable for this review to examine upper-body movement in the performance process in combination with the factors important in skill acquisition. The underpinning playing technique must be efficient with economic muscle use by using body segments according to their design and movement potential with the arm segments mechanically linked to produce coordinated and fluent movement. Two physiologically and pianistically important actions proposed by early music scientists to deliver the keystroke involve dropping the hand from the shoulders toward the keys via a wave action with the joints activated sequentially, and forearm rotation to position the fingers for the keystroke, an action followed by the elbow/upper-arm rotating in the opposite direction. Both actions spare the forearm muscles by generating the energy needed in the larger shoulder muscles. The hand in the playing position has a curved palm through action of the metacarpal (knuckle) joints and curved fingers. Palm/finger posture controls sound quality from loud, high tempo sounds to a more mellow legato articulation, and to perform effectively the forearms should slope down toward the keyboard. The technique must be automatic through systematic practice which develops the motor skills for proficient playing, with practice duration tempered to reduce the risk of causing injury through overuse of the forearm muscles. Efficient movement patterns and strategic muscle relaxation which results in faster movement are realized only through extensive training. The constant movements of the head and trunk, and flowing arm movement with frequent hand lifts and rotational elbow movements, although generated in producing the playing technique, resonate with audience members who perceive them as expressive and thereby creating in them an empathic engagement with the music. It was proposed that music students be trained in the mechanical aspects of upper-body use in the playing technique, and practice strategies, with specialist pedagogy for children to develop motor skills for efficient playing, and training methods fostering an appreciation of the communicative aspects of music performance.
Highlights
A pianist’s dynamic postures and movement patterns play a fundamental and functional role in the successful realization of a performance through their interaction in producing the playing movements generating the sounds, and the complementary expressive gestures conveying the composition’s structural architecture and emotional texture
The intimate connection between the performer and an artistic performance made it valuable for this theoretical review to reflect on the function of body segments in providing the playing technique and the complementary elements contributing to the delivery of an expressive performance
Pianists suffer a high injury rate, the equivalent of that experienced in industry (Russell, 2012) and tertiary students deserve to be informed about the role of the upper body in producing the playing actions, so they can make better decisions about key aspects of their technique, practising strategies and the avoidance of injury. Another factor in injury prevention for pianists, may be the lack of a reporting mechanism within music teaching facilities for students to seek help, early because early symptoms may not interfere too much with playing ability, but they can exacerbate and follow a pianist through their careers, in some cases curtailing it. It appears there is a mismatch in the relationship between pedagogy, technique, and playing-related injury, raising the question of the impact on students of how they are introduced in their early years to efficient playing procedures
Summary
A pianist’s dynamic postures and movement patterns play a fundamental and functional role in the successful realization of a performance through their interaction in producing the playing movements generating the sounds, and the complementary expressive gestures conveying the composition’s structural architecture and emotional texture. The shoulder motion results in forward movement of the upper-arm, with the forearm being thrust forward and the hand rotating forward, and with the fingers pointed downward to accomplish a more vigorous key depression (Kinoshita et al, 2007) This co-ordinated system, in combination with the downward force of gravity means that muscular energy generated by the shoulder muscles can be delivered directly to the keys, and with relaxed muscles, the forearm is in freefall increasing movement efficiency through the reduction of forearm muscle activity (Furuya et al, 2009). Muscle memories associated with a certain score remain in the brain over time, and given the right cues, can be revived when practising a piece even after many years (Jabusch et al, 2009)
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