The development of new piano lesson method with real-time electromyography (EMG) of teacher and student

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26580017
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Aesthetics and studies on art
• Research Institution: Aichi University of the Arts
• Principal Investigator: ISHIGAKI Tohru 愛知県立芸術大学, 美術学部, 教授 (60347391)
• Research Collaborator: TAKAKUWA Maya 愛知県立芸術大学, 大学院音楽研究科博士前期課程音楽専攻鍵盤楽器領域
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: ピアノ / 筋電図 / バイオフィードバック / オクターブ / 経済的演奏

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Real time viewing of electromyography (EMG) can be used to see muscular activity (MA) during octave keystrokes (OKS). The aim of this study was to examine how MA during piano OKS was reduced by viewing real time EMG (RTEMG). The subjects were sixteen under and graduate students majoring in piano. The experimental task was to play fortissimo OKS on right side. Surface EMG was used to measure and present the MA of subjects’ upper body muscles. Integrated EMG during the 250 ms of the before keystroke (before and during keystroke: BDKS) and after keystroke (AKS) at the time of peak sound pressure. The biofeedback (BF) task was to consciously reduce the MA by looking at the RTEMG. Significant BF effect was only observed in abductor pollicis brevis. MA of all arm muscles in AKS was significantly lower than that of PDKS. It was assumed that the subjects concentrated on decreasing MA of all arm muscles in AKS for the prevention of injury.

Free Research Field

健康科学