In tune with movement
More than 40 million people around the world play the piano, from beginners starting a new hobby to professional musicians who dedicate years to their art. But the movements involved with playing and practising can leave pianists at risk of musculoskeletal injuries, with up to eight out of ten reporting problems over their lifetime.
Players with smaller hands are more vulnerable to issues, and many pieces involve large handspan chords where the hand is stretched to reach the right notes. New research has looked at whether changing the size of the keyboard can help prevent injuries and provide a more comfortable experience.
On a standard keyboard, one octave – eight notes – measures 6.5 inches (16.5cm), but researchers explored the impact of changing this to a 6 inch-octave (15.2cm) instrument instead.
They studied 24 experienced pianists, including 14 whose hands were smaller than average and who were monitored using both a standard and a smaller keyboard. The research, published in the journal Applied Ergonomics, revealed differences in muscle activation and finger posture that “suggest reduced keyboard size can decrease exposure to biomechanical risk factors of injury”.
The study added: “Future research could focus specifically on comfort, ease and adaptation capacity as main objectives, building on studies that have compared pianists’ preferences across keyboard sizes.”
