Three-Dimensional Analysis of Hand and Finger Movements during Piano Playing

Abstract

The movements required for piano playing usually involve low impact loads that do not exceed physiologic limits of human body, but their repetition may provoke microtrauma leading to overuse injuries. Experience may allow a pianist to modify the motor patterns used for a performance, allowing the highest accuracy with minimum effort. In the present study, hand and finger movement patterns were analyzed in 19 pianists (8 concert players, 11 students and teachers) while they played 16 measures of a minuet. The threedimensional coordinates of their right hand and fingers were obtained by a motion analyzer. Three-dimensional finger velocity was determined, unitary kinetic energy was computed, and movements were divided into useful (for sound production) and erratic (extraneous movements not used for sound production). The number of key presses for each pianist was counted, and singlefinger unitary kinetic energy computed. On average, the concert players used more total unitary kinetic energy than the students and teachers (p < 0.05, Wilcoxon test), while the useful unitary kinetic energy was similar. The number of key presses for each finger did not differ (p > 0.05, chi-squared test). The useful unitary kinetic energy per single key press differed between groups (p = 0.035, with concert players greater than students and teachers, analysis of variance) and among the five fingers (p = 0.008, with second and first fingers larger). In conclusion, the same piano exercise was performed with different movement patterns depending on the pianist’s experience. The patterns of extraneous hand and finger movements during playing could be investigated to assess their relationship to overuse injuries.

The art and science behind piano touch: A review connecting multi-disciplinary literature

“…Systems can be split into either passive (paint or reflective markers used, or markerless systems) or active (devices which require power whether that be by battery or via cable to a power supply). Motion capture is a common type of passive system used to examine the upper body or hand/finger movement of the performer: examples of these are depth camera tracking using the Kinect system (Hadjakos, 2012); image motion capture with paint markers (MacRitchie & Bailey, 2013); infrared motion capture using reflective markers attached to the skin or body (Dalla Bella & Palmer, 2006, 2011; Ferrario, Macri, Biffi, Pollice & Sforza, 2007; Furuya, Goda, Katayose, Miwa & Nagata, 2011; Goebl & Palmer, 2008, 2013; Sakai, Liu, Su, Bishop & An, 2006). Active devices can be categorised into two groups: the first which are generally attached to the performer (LED position sensors - Furuya & Kinoshita, 2007; accelerometers - Hadjakos, Aitenbichler & Mühlhäuser, 2008; Rahman, Mitobe, Suzuki, Takano & Yoshimura, 2011; Grosshauser, Tessendorf, Tröster, Hildebrandt & Candia, 2012; data glove - Furuya, Flanders & Soechting, 2011; Furuya & Soechting, 2012; electrogonimoters - Chung, Ryu, Ohnishi, Rowen & Headrich, 1992), the second which are attached to, or form part of, the instrument in order to measure the tangible results of such touch techniques (key-angle - McPherson & Kim, 2011; Bernays & Traube, 2012; location of finger-key contact - Moog & Rhea, 1990; McPherson, 2012; force transducers - Parlitz, Peschel & Altenmüller, 1998; Kinoshita, Furuya, Aoki & Altenmüller, 2007; force and torque sensors - Grosshauser, Tessendorf, Tröster, Hildebrandt & Candia, 2012).…”

“…Studies measuring 19 pianists’ hand movements in a musical excerpt found differences between the professionals and the students and teachers in terms of the total kinetic energy used. (Ferrario et al, 2007). This study attempted to separate the movements necessary for the keypress from extraneous movements which could lead to injury, finding that the professionals had a greater amount of ‘useful’ kinetic energy per keypress than the students and teachers.…”

Design and Verification of Piano Playing Assisted Hand Exoskeleton Robot

“…Typically, the teaching and correction of finger technique for piano beginners are guided by music teachers, incurring high labor costs, and it's challenging for beginners to consistently maintain the correct finger technique. With the development of exoskeleton technology, hand-assist exoskeletons are increasingly applied in the field of piano learning and performance [7,8]. Cai Rongjie et al utilized Leap Motion to establish a fingertouch action measurement platform, collecting parameters of finger-touch actions and obtaining the movement curve of finger-playing keys.…”

Practically Feasible Sensor-Embedded Kinetic Assessment Piano System for Quantifying Striking Force of Digits During Piano Playing

“…The literature on kinematic studies of pianists is still insufficient, and there is a lack of strong evidence and rationale to address the importance of the relationship between kinematics and piano-playing-related injuries. Only a few studies have investigated hand postures and finger movements of pianists while playing assigned musical compositions using electrogoniometers, camcorders, or three-dimensional motion capture systems [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]. Lee examined the relationships between anthropometry and kinematics, such as the hand length, hand width, finger length, active finger span, wrist ulnar deviation, and hand weight, with the performance of a scale in thirds [28].…”