Performance Enhancement through Physiologic Monitoring

Video

Live input from 2 video cameras provides online feedback for analyzing hand position and improving technique.

sEMG

SEMG stands for Surface Electromyography. SEMG is a device that measures the amount of electrical activity your muscles release when they are contracting, more commonly known as muscle tension. It is similar in function to an EKG which measures heart muscle activity.

Why is muscle activity important?

Muscles have a tendency to brace in response to certain movements and misperceptions of movements. While our muscles do have to tense to perform certain movements, they also need to relax when the movement is finished. A good illustration of this is the follow-through of the arm in tennis after the ball is struck. The follow-through allows the muscles to relax in order to quickly move and prepare to return the next ball. Imagine trying to prepare a backhand shot if your arm is still braced in the forehand position!

How does this relate to music performance?

Physiologic monitoring helps individuals identify poor body alignment and technical approaches to their instruments that increase muscle tension and therefore the risk of injury. I observe that many musicians are unaware of their hand and finger position. Even those with a good technique often play with high levels of tension that they are unaware of and therefore do not always release properly. Common complaints among musicians are pain or discomfort in the neck and shoulders, excess tension in the neck and shoulders, discomfort in the back, discomfort or pain in the elbow, forearm, wrist or hand, and tiredness.

It is very important that the large muscles of our arms assist the fine muscles in our hands and fingers. Using only tiny finger muscles can cause unnecessary strain that can result in tendonitis and other problems. Video monitoring provides powerful feedback on the differences in fine motor coordination that result in decreased tension levels, making changes in ingrained motor habits easier to assimilate.

How does this relate to other repetitive stress injuries?

Increased use of computers, video games and other technologies has resulted in an increased number of repetitive stress injuries in both the workplace and at home. Physiologic monitoring helps individuals identify improper postures and body alignment that may increase the risk of injury, as well as retrain motor habits for optimal performance.

The Instrument

A solid grounding in a relaxed, efficient piano technique and confident sight-reading skill are two of the mosst significant and lasting gifts we can give to our students. But neither will give our students the ability to fully realize the music they are playing without the understanding of how to listen and what to listen for. For this reason, the playback of performances on the Disklavier™ is essential: we must teach our students how to listen and what to listen for. We cannot play what we do not hear!

The Yamaha Disklavier piano is an acoustic instrument equipped with optical laser sensors that record MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), continuously measuring the velocity of each key's hammer, registering the speed of its down-stroke. The pedals are also equipped with these continuous-position sensors. Playback on the Disklavier ensures exact mechanical replication of the sounds produced in the original performance.

Piano Roll Notation

With the piano roll score - a modern version of the old-fashioned piano roll from a player piano, students actually see a "map" of a performance. The difference in the length of the bars for quarter notes, half notes, etc. can be seen readily, as well as the absence of note bars indicating rests, while listening to the song play on the keyboard.

The Piano Roll

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