Movement-Related Feedback and Temporal Accuracy in Clarinet Performance

SENSORY INFORMATION AVAILABLE WHEN MUSICIANS' fingers arrive on instrument keys contributes to temporal accuracy in piano performance (Goebl & Palmer, 2008). The hypothesis that timing accuracy is related to sensory (tactile) information available at finger-key contact was extended to clarinetists' finger movements during key depressions and releases that, together with breathing, determine the timing of tone onsets. Skilled clarinetists performed melodies at different tempi in a synchronization task while their movements were recorded with motion capture. Finger accelerations indicated consistent kinematic landmarks when fingers made initial contact with or release from the key surface. Performances that contained more kinematic landmarks had reduced timing error. The magnitude of finger accelerations on key contact and release was positively correlated with increased temporal accuracy during the subsequent keystroke. These findings suggest that sensory information available at finger-key contact enhances the temporal accuracy of music performance.

[1]  Caroline Palmer,et al.  Tactile feedback and timing accuracy in piano performance , 2008, Experimental Brain Research.

[2]  Ivan Toni,et al.  Tactile input of the hand and the control of reaching to grasp movements , 1997, Experimental Brain Research.

[3]  Otto Ortmann.  The Physical Basis of Piano Touch and Tone: An Experimental Investigation of the Effect of the Player's Touch upon the Tone of the Piano , 1925 .

[4]  Vaughan G Macefield,et al.  Physiological characteristics of low‐threshold mechanoreceptors in joints, muscle and skin in human subjects , 2005, Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology.

[5]  R. Schmidt,et al.  Motor control and learning: A behavioral emphasis, 4th ed. , 2005 .

[6]  D. Billheimer.  Functional Data Analysis, 2nd edition edited by J. O. Ramsay and B. W. Silverman , 2007 .

[7]  A B Vallbo,et al.  Intensity of sensation related to activity of slowly adapting mechanoreceptive units in the human hand , 1980, The Journal of physiology.

[8]  Marcelo M. Wanderley,et al.  The Musical Significance of Clarinetists' Ancillary Gestures: An Exploration of the Field , 2005 .

[9]  R. Johansson,et al.  Hand Movements , 2001 .

[10]  G Aschersleben,et al.  Tapping with peripheral nerve block. a role for tactile feedback in the timing of movements. , 2001, Experimental brain research.

[11]  Lynette A. Jones.  Proprioception and Its Contribution to Manual Dexterity , 1996 .

[12]  P. Boersma.  ACCURATE SHORT-TERM ANALYSIS OF THE FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY AND THE HARMONICS-TO-NOISE RATIO OF A SAMPLED SOUND , 1993 .

[13]  Ramesh Balasubramaniam,et al.  Trajectory Formation in Timed Repetitive Movements , 2006 .

[14]  Timothy D. Lee,et al.  Motor Control and Learning: A Behavioral Emphasis , 1982 .

[15]  J. F. Soechting,et al.  Use of tactile afferent information in sequential finger movements , 2004, Experimental Brain Research.

[16]  Gisa Aschersleben,et al.  A psychophysical approach to action timing , 2004 .

[17]  G. Aschersleben.  Temporal Control of Movements in Sensorimotor Synchronization , 2002, Brain and Cognition.

[18]  Caroline Palmer,et al.  MOVEMENT, PLANNING AND MUSIC: MOTION COORDINATES OF SKILLED PERFORMANCE , 2007 .

[19]  V. Mountcastle,et al.  NEURAL ACTIVITY IN MECHANORECEPTIVE CUTANEOUS AFFERENTS: STIMULUS-RESPONSE RELATIONS, WEBER FUNCTIONS, AND INFORMATION TRANSMISSION. , 1965, Journal of neurophysiology.

[20]  Julius G. Báron.  Physical Basis of Piano Touch , 1958 .

[21]  P. Fraisse,et al.  The sensorimotor synchronization of rhythms , 1966 .

[22]  C. Palmer,et al.  Synchronization of Timing and Motion 435 , 2022 .

[23]  Roberto Bresin,et al.  Touch and temporal behavior of grand piano actions. , 2005, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[24]  Caroline Palmer,et al.  Time Course of Retrieval and Movement Preparation in Music Performance , 2005, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[25]  Caroline Palmer,et al.  Cognitive and biomechanical influences in pianists’ finger tapping , 2007, Experimental Brain Research.