ABSTRACT
An important music performance skill is to play scales, triads, and arpeggios with rhythmic precision. Rhythmic precision implies regularity, smoothness, and crispness in the timing and loudness of notes. The present study investigated rhythmic precision in the performance of piano scales. We had two related goals: first, to provide motor psychophysical functions for scales performance, and second, to make inferences about motor programming. We asked how tempo and unimanual or bimanual playing conditions would affect piano performance. Seven highly skilled pianists performed two C-major scales with the left and right hands alone, in contrary motion (anatomically similar) or in similar motion (melodically similar) at the following tempos: 60, 90, 120, and 180 metronome beats/min (corresponding to 4, 6, 8, and 12 notes/sec) and as fast as possible. An on line computer system monitored keyboard motion. Position-time data for each key were analyzed to derive: keypress velocities, internote intervals, note durations, and gap between notes. Results indicated that variability of internote intervals (SD and CV across notes in one trial) increased with increases in playing speed, as did the variability (SD) of velocity of keypresses. Thus, tempo affected rhythmic precision. These variability measures were not affected by playing condition or hand. Left and right hands did not differ in internote intervals, but they did differ in keypress velocities, note durations and overlap between consecutive notes as a function of unimanual and bimanual playing conditions. The results do not support a phonograph analogy of generalized motor programs, and are discussed in terms of anatomical, motor, and musical constraints on the programming and control of rhythm in piano performance.
