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The relevance of the research topic is due to the enrichment of the musical language and methods of performing works of the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as a significant update in the means of their transmission to the listener. The study aimed to reveal the tendencies of modern pianism in the context of Western (Italy) and Eastern (China) traditions, which contribute to the realisation of its uniqueness in the process of formation of high‐level professionals. This study is based on theoretical and practical methods. Theoretical methods include analysis, comparison and synthesis. Practical methods are online monitoring with systematisation and questioning. In China, the reliance on folklore is manifested in 85%, the philosophical interpretation of the content of musical works and their interpretation in 80%, the perfection of the mastery of performance technique in 95% and the synthesis of the achievements of Chinese and world performance practice in 80%. The spiritual and semantic aspect of piano performance in the framework of both countries is meaningful in 85%, the material and technical basis in 80% and ethnic self‐identification in 82%. The present findings can be used both in pedagogical and performance practices of different countries, traditions and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pursuit of developing expressive music performance models using artificial intelligence, this paper introduces DExter, a new approach leveraging diffusion probabilistic models to render Western classical piano performances. The main challenge faced in performance rendering tasks is the continuous and sequential modeling of expressive timing and dynamics over time, which is critical for capturing the evolving nuances that characterize live musical performances. In this approach, performance parameters are represented in a continuous expression space, and a diffusion model is trained to predict these continuous parameters while being conditioned on a musical score. Furthermore, DExter also enables the generation of interpretations (expressive variations of a performance) guided by perceptually meaningful features by being jointly conditioned on score and perceptual-feature representations. Consequently, we find that our model is useful for learning expressive performance, generating perceptually steered performances, and transferring performance styles. We assess the model through quantitative and qualitative analyses, focusing on specific performance metrics regarding dimensions like asynchrony and articulation, as well as through listening tests that compare generated performances with different human interpretations. The results show that DExter is able to capture the time-varying correlation of the expressive parameters, and it compares well to existing rendering models in subjectively evaluated ratings. The perceptual-feature-conditioned generation and transferring capabilities of DExter are verified via a proxy model predicting perceptual characteristics of differently steered performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Flow, defined as a heightened state of consciousness characterized by intense concentration during an activity, is influenced primarily by the perceived challenge and the dynamic equilibrium of skills. This investigation focuses on the patterns of flow state attainment and its elicitation mechanisms within the context of piano performance among Chinese music college students. Methods: Our study establishes a framework for accessing flow, utilizing quantitative data from music ontology to gauge the level of challenge and the level of music acquisition to assess skills. Additionally, we integrate external factors such as music culture heterogeneity and demographic variables to elucidate the causes and moderating effects of flow on piano performance. Results: The findings reveal a positive correlation between flow and performance, with the model of challenge and skill induction partially explaining these results. Notably, melodic Shannon Entropy emerges as a potential indicator of challenge, suggesting its relevance in future studies on flow. Discussion: This research provides multidimensional insights into the interplay between performance and flow in piano performance, guiding future investigations to explore the musical quantitative perspective more deeply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The texture of piano keys made of traditional materials is too rough, resulting in poor feel and sound quality when playing. In this article, the performance of piano keys is improved by adding functional nano-silica composites. Functional nano-silica composites were prepared by water glass method and gas phase method. It is found that the functional nano-silica composites have good mechanical strength, oxidation resistance, and wear resistance. In this article, the acoustic test of functional nano-silica composites and traditional plastic keys is carried out. It is found that the longer the delay time, the better the performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the impact of an individual approach to teaching students' performance subjects is relevant because of the brightness and diversity of creative thinking, artistic interests, and orientation of future specialists in the field of piano art. The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness of person-oriented music pedagogy. The research methods are: monitoring the process of training professional personnel and their activities after the completion of education; surveying students and young performers; comparison. The results of this study shed light on the problem of an individual approach to the development of musical performance as a whole multifaceted system -- one of the modern pedagogical models consisting of several blocks: stages of training based on an individual approach; its components; principles. The prospects of research include the development of a modernized training programme oriented to student's personality. This is determined by the need to create an individual method of mastering the profession of a performer in the current conditions, which contributes to the development of students' unique abilities and serves as the basis for their successful realization as an artist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Timbre in piano performance plays a critical role in enhancing musical expression. However, timbre control in current piano performance education relies mostly on descriptive characterization, which involves large variations of interpretation. The current study aimed to mitigate the limitations by identifying quantitative indices with adequate precision to characterize piano timbre. Methods: A total of 24 sounds of G6 were recorded from 3 grand pianos, by 2 performers, and with 4 repetitions. The sounds were processed and analyzed with audio software for the frequencies and volumes of harmonic series in the spectrum curves. Ten quantitative timbre indices were calculated. Precision validation with statistical gage R&R analysis was conducted to gage the repeatability (between repetitions) and reproducibility (between performers) of the indices. The resultant percentage study variation (%SV) of an index must be ≤10% to be considered acceptable for characterizing piano timbre with enough precision. Results: Out of the 10 indices, 4 indices had acceptable precision in characterizing piano timbre with %SV ≤10%, including the square sum of relative volume (4.40%), the frequency-weighted arithmetic mean of relative volume (4.29%), the sum of relative volume (3.11%), and the frequency-weighted sum of relative volume (2.09%). The novel indices identified in the current research will provide valuable tools to advance the measurement and communication of timbre and advance music performance education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in dynamics are an essential component of musical performance in most instruments. To study the factors that contribute to dynamic variations, we used a model approaching, allowing for determination of the individual contribution of different musical features. Thirty monophonic melodies from 3 stylistic eras with all expressive markings removed were performed by 20 pianists on a Disklavier piano. The results indicated a relatively high agreement among the pianists (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88). The overall average dynamics (across pianists) could be predicted quite well using support vector regression (R2 = 66%) from a set of 48 score-related features. The highest contribution was from pitch-related features (37.3%), followed by phrasing (12.3%), timing (2.8%), and meter (0.7%). The highest single contribution was from the high-loud principle, whereby higher notes were played louder, as corroborated by the written feedback of many of the pianists. There were also differences between the styles. The highest contribution from phrasing, for example, was obtained from the Romantic examples, while the highest contribution from meter came from the Baroque examples. An analysis of each individual pianist revealed some fundamental differences in approach to the performance of dynamics. All participants were undergraduate-standard pianists or above; however, varied levels of consistency and predictability highlighted challenges in acquiring a reliable group in terms of expertise and preparation, as well as certain pianistic challenges posed by the task. Nevertheless, the method proved useful in disentangling some underlying principles of musical performance and their relation to structural features of the score, with the potential for productive adaptation to a wider range of expressive and instrumental contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in dynamics are an essential component of musical performance in most instruments. To study the factors that contribute to dynamic variations, we used a model approaching, allowing for determination of the individual contribution of different musical features. Thirty monophonic melodies from 3 stylistic eras with all expressive markings removed were performed by 20 pianists on a Disklavier piano. The results indicated a relatively high agreement among the pianists (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88). The overall average dynamics (across pianists) could be predicted quite well using support vector regression (R² = 66%) from a set of 48 score-related features. The highest contribution was from pitch-related features (37.3%), followed by phrasing (12.3%), timing (2.8%), and meter (0.7%). The highest single contribution was from the high-loud principle, whereby higher notes were played louder, as corroborated by the written feedback of many of the pianists. There were also differences between the styles. The highest contribution from phrasing, for example, was obtained from the Romantic examples, while the highest contribution from meter came from the Baroque examples. An analysis of each individual pianist revealed some fundamental differences in approach to the performance of dynamics. All participants were undergraduate-standard pianists or above; however, varied levels of consistency and predictability highlighted challenges in acquiring a reliable group in terms of expertise and preparation, as well as certain pianistic challenges posed by the task. Nevertheless, the method proved useful in disentangling some underlying principles of musical performance and their relation to structural features of the score, with the potential for productive adaptation to a wider range of expressive and instrumental contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the Internet and broadcasting technologies has made it possible to access a huge amount of multimedia content. Several cutting-edge technologies are working in parallel to make electronic gadgets automatic. The Internet of things (IoT) has become the main player in this race due to its significance in data collection and smart control. However, with rapid data generation from IoT devices, it has become difficult to manage such a huge volume of data and ensure its security and privacy. Among other fields, the music industry is also going to benefit from the power of these cutting-edge technologies, such as machine learning and IoT. Music can be created by utilizing several tools and instruments; the piano is one of them. The piano, as a representative of stringed instruments, is rapidly spreading to millions of households with its wide range, beautiful melodies, and strong aural complex. As existing keyword-based music recognition methods are increasingly limited in their application to large-scale song searches on the Internet, more and more researchers are turning to the study of content-based music recognition techniques. In this paper, we propose a musical identification system for piano performance evaluation by utilizing the power of IoT and support vector machine (SVM). The data from the piano was collected by utilizing different IoT devices and microphones. After the data was collected, we performed several preprocessing steps to prepare the collected data for SVM. To concentrate on the important information, key features were extracted from the input data, which include the Mel frequency cepstral coefficient and other piano-relevant features such as pedal usage patterns, pressure fluctuations, and keypress timings. These features were given as input to the SVM model for music recognition. The results of the experiment indicate that the average recognition rate of SVM for five songs is 61.2%, and the average recognition rate of HMM is 47.44%. The average recognition rate of SVM is 13.76% higher than that of HMM. Therefore, the SVM-based piano performance musical identification system is the basis of automatic music annotation and plays a very important role in the fields of computer music accompaniment, massive search of cover songs, and audio signal segmentation and matching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the biometric biomedical applications, the study presents a pioneering research endeavor focused on the development of a multimedia identification and analysis algorithm tailored for piano performance music. With the power of deep learning techniques, this algorithm has been designed to address the intricate challenges posed by the convergence of musical data analysis and biometrics. The core objectives encompass the extraction, recognition, and interpretation of biometric information from piano performances, exploring the intricate patterns, nuances, and individualistic characteristics inherent to musicians. The study focuses on the development of advanced biometric authentication and identification systems capable of capturing and analyzing a user's unique behavioral patterns across diverse modalities. These biometric modalities offer the potential for highly secure and non-intrusive user identification. Hence, this paper developed an architecture of Marker Controlled Point (MCP) Estimation for the computation of the gesture in biometric-based applications. This architecture utilizes markers or reference points to precisely track and analyze user gestures, resulting in accurate and reliable biometric data. The research details the architecture's implementation, integrating advanced deep-learning techniques for feature extraction, pattern recognition, and authentication. This system finds versatile applications in various domains, from healthcare and cybersecurity to finance, where secure and user-friendly authentication is paramount. Experimental results underscore the system's effectiveness and robustness, demonstrating its potential for enhancing biometric authentication. The proposed model represents a significant stride in biometric technology, offering secure, non-intrusive user identification through the synergy of behavior biometrics and emerging modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The piano performance as a way of direct and live performance of a musical work has become the subject of many research studies which deal primarily on its artistic application. The article introduces a qualitative research of the teacher's piano performance in relation to the acquisition of perceptual skills with an effort to take into account the specificities and benefits of piano performance in the context of the didactic practices of the music-pedagogical concept of Juraj Hatrik in primary musical education. The article reflects the description and results of the qualitative research realised by means of a multiple-case study - causal relation between the teacher's piano performance and perceptual skills of young learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Piano Performance test for Elementary School Teachers and to undertake a standard-setting study for this scale. This study included three groups of participants: students (n=100), raters (n=2) used to test the psychometric features of the musical instrument performance test and experts (n=6) for the standard-setting study of the test. In this study, the researchers developed a music performance test and analytical rubric. The results showed that the one-factor structure was appropriate for the musical instrument performance test, which explained 66% of the total variance. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient showed that the internal consistency of the scale was acceptable (.83). Moreover, generalizability studies and the intra-class correlation coefficient indicated excellent rater reliability for the scale. The results of the item discrimination analysis show that the musical instrument performance test is capable of discriminating participants who had high and low levels of ability to play the piano. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Azerbaijan, which has an important place in music education and performance, piano education comes first in classical music education. The piano education of Azerbaijan, which is the place where many world-famous Turkic pianists began their education, even though it was generally influenced by the pieces and composers of the Soviet period, the piano was given a national identity with pieces written by Azerbaijani composers. When the literature is reviewed, it has been detected that there are studies on Azerbaijani composers and piano educators, while there are relatively fewer studies on general piano methods. By examining the methods of the Azerbaijani culture, the importance of different learning methods in piano education is emphasized. This research aimed to examine the three piano methods that were frequently used at the beginning of education, which is the basis of the success of Azerbaijan in piano. In this context, the methods "Fortepianino Çalmaq Üçün İbtidai Dərslik Kitabı", "Fortepianoda Çalmaq Üçün Vəsait (Dərslik)", (School of Piano Playing)" were examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Which information dominates in evaluating performance in music? Both experts and laypeople consistently report believing that sound should be the most important domain when judging music competitions, but experimental studies of Western participants rating video-only vs. audio-only versions of 6-second excerpts of Western classical performances have shown that in at least some cases visual information can play a stronger role. However, whether this phenomenon applies generally to music competitions or is restricted to specific repertoires or contexts is disputed. In this Registered Report, we focus on testing the generalizability of sight vs. sound effects by replicating previous studies of classical piano competitions with Japanese participants, while also expanding the same paradigm using new examples from competitions of a traditional Japanese folk musical instrument: the Tsugaru shamisen. For both classical piano and Tsugaru shamisen, we ask participants to choose the winner between the 1stand 2nd-placing performers in 5 competitions and the 1st-place and low-ranking performers in 5 competitions (i.e., 40 performers total from 10 piano and 10 shamisen competitions). We tested the following three predictions twice each (once for piano and once for shamisen): 1) an interaction was predicted between domain (video-only vs. audio-only) and variance in quality (choosing between 1st and 2nd place vs. choosing between 1st and low-placing performers); 2) visuals were predicted to trump sound when variation in quality is low (1st vs. 2nd place); and 3) sound was predicted to trump visuals when variation in quality is high (1st vs. low-placing). Our experiments (n = 155 participants) confirmed our first predicted interaction between audio/visual domain and relative performer quality for both piano and shamisen conditions, suggesting that this interaction is cross-culturally general. In contrast, the second prediction was only supported for the piano stimuli and the third prediction was only supported for the shamisen condition, suggesting culturally dependent factors in the specific balance between sight and sound in the judgment of musical performance. Our results resolve discrepancies and debates from previous sight-vs-sound studies by replicating and extending them to include non-Western participants and musical traditions. Our findings may also have practical applications to evaluation criteria for performers, judges, and organizers of competitions, concerts, and auditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the perceptions of piano performance programs in higher education from current collegiate students and faculty members' perspectives in China and the United States. Participants were from representative university-level institutions in the U.S. (n = 41) and China (n = 130). They were sent a questionnaire concerning (a) the factors that motivate students to pursue a piano performance degree, (b) the most important educational practices in their programs, (c) the most challenging tasks the students encounter, (d) students' career goal, and (e) faculty members' suggestions for prospective students and opinions on improving the piano performance programs. A summary of students and faculty members' perceptions were outlined and the comparison between the two countries were explored. It is encouraging that not only students gave careful attention toward the applied lessons and performance opportunities in their studies, but also that a large percentage of the students believed they received excellent advice regarding practice strategies and artistry in their applied lessons in both countries. Most of the faculty participants in both countries expressed positive attitudes regarding the piano performance programs in their universities. By providing statistically significant data, this study provides a comprehensive vision for institutions to continue establishing piano programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the research is the musicological reconstruction of Chinese-Polish cultural relations as a special component of the development of Chinese piano art specifics. Research methodology. The source research method was applied in order to study Chinese and Western European musicological literature; the musicological method was used for the analysis of the most significant musical phenomena in the context of Polish-Chinese relations in terms of their influence on the improvement of piano performance; the synergistic method was applied when considering the piano art of China, which functions in connection with Western constant components; the axiological one was employed, which makes it possible to reveal the value references and prospects of Chinese piano performance within the framework of creative unification. Scientific novelty. The modern level of China’s piano art projects the need for a historical and theoretical comprehension of its general trends, in the development of which special importance is given to China's intercultural dialogue with the outside world. In this context, an analysis of Chinese-Polish relations, which were significant for the formation and development of Chinese piano performance, was carried out. The main vectors of this dialogue, which proved to be important for Chinese pianists to realise the specifics of the performance of the music of F. Chopin, the most popular Western European romantic in China, were analysed: the most significant concert performances of the leading Polish pianists in China, their master classes and expert lectures, winning performances of Chinese pianists at international competitions named after Chopin in the world. Conclusions. The study of Chinese-Polish musical relations were found to be important for understanding the ways of performing approaches of Chinese pianists to Chopin's work. It is proved that these relations formed a fundamental basis for the professionalisation of Chinese piano performance. The importance of return meetings of Chinese pianists with students of music educational institutions of Poland is noted from the point of view of experience exchange. The outlined trends of the principles of Western piano art integration into Chinese culture are characterised as centripetal, as well as a centrifugal movement, when Chinese pianists demonstrated a high professional level of performance, participating in a large number of concert performances and master classes in the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of experimental music is marked by the presence of the figure of John Cage in the 19th century which in music history is often referred to as the period of Modern Music. John Cage is a composer who is full of controversy because his works are experimental and out of the rules contained in music in previous eras such as baroque, classical and romantic eras. One of his most famous works is “4.33” this work is a piano piece complete with sheet music and performed live but the pianist does not play a single note, and only opens and closes the piano according to the direction of the sheet music. The presence of Cage's figure has inspired many people, especially myself. Inspired by experimental music composers, I decided to create a piece of music that combines music with Balinese painting called Karang Boma. This work will be realized in the form of sheet music and midi art. The method of creation used by the author in Karang Boma's musical works refers to the Panducita Subagaprana Theory, this theory is divided into four namely: Pandulame (imajination), Adicita (Idea), Subagalango (Art Compotition), and Pranayuga (External Trend/Tendency). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piano practicing habits are one of the most important factors that affect the process of how to play the piano and the performances of music students. The study aims to examine the piano practicing habits and attitudes of vocal students towards piano lessons by comparing them according to gender and class variables. In addition, the aim is to put forward relations between piano practicing habits and attitudes towards piano classes. This study was conducted on 120 vocal students studying at Marmara University, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Necmettin Erbakan University, Erciyes University, Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University, Giresun University, Trabzon University, Atatürk University, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Balıkesir University, Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University, Van, Yüzüncü Yıl University, Dicle University, Afyon Kocatepe University, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Mersin University, Ordu University, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University. In the collection of research data, piano practicing habits and piano class attitude scales have been used. According to research results, it has been observed that the practicing habits of the vocal students in instrumental technique, preparation, and warm-up habits are at a medium level and a high level in other dimensions. It was found that the general piano practicing habits of the participants were at a high level. Piano practicing habits of the students differed according to gender and class level variables. Besides significant relations between piano practicing habits and attitudes towards piano classes were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's views on the importance of awareness regarding challenges and specific characteristics of the unfamiliar musical instrument before a music performance. It discusses the essential components for securing the desired outcome, including body warm-up to ensure physical readiness and mental preparation. It focuses on touch resistance, the balance of registers, and sustain pedal and acoustics of the piano.

This study sought to determine if hues overlayed on a video recording of a piano performance would systematically influence perception of its emotional arousal level. The hues were artificially added to a series of four short video excerpts of different performances using video editing software. Over two experiments 106 participants were sorted into 4 conditions, with each viewing different combinations of musical excerpts (two excerpts with nominally high arousal and two excerpts with nominally low arousal) and hue (red or blue) combinations. Participants rated the emotional arousal depicted by each excerpt. Results indicated that the overall arousal ratings were consistent with the nominal arousal of the selected excerpts. However, hues added to video produced no significant effect on arousal ratings, contrary to predictions. This could be due to the domination of the combined effects of other channels of information (e.g., the music and player movement) over the emotional effects of the hypothesized influence of hue on perceived performance (red expected to enhance and blue to reduce arousal of the performance). To our knowledge this is the first study to investigate the impact of these hues upon perceived arousal of music performance, and has implications for musical performers and stage lighting. Further research that investigates reactions during live performance and manipulation of a wider range of lighting hues, saturation and brightness levels, and editing techniques, is recommended to further scrutinize the veracity of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rise of piano teaching in recent years, many people participated in the team of learning steel playing. However, expensive piano teaching fees and its unique one-to-one teaching model have caused piano education resources to be very short, so learning piano performance has become a very extravagant event. The factors affecting music performance are varying, and there are many types of their evaluation such as rhythm, expressiveness, music, and style grasp. The computer is used to simulate this evaluation process to essentially identify the mathematical relationship between factors affecting music performance and evaluation indicators. The use of computer multimedia software for piano teaching has become a feasible way to alleviate the contradiction. This paper discusses the implementation method of piano teaching software, the issues of computer piano teaching, the computer teaching as one-way knowledge, and the lack of interaction. The neural network (NN) model is used to evaluate the piano performance and simulate teachers to guide students through their exercise. The performance of the proposed system is tested for the piano music of "Ode to Joy," which is different from the collection of NN training samples, and is delivered ten times by another piano teacher, student A (piano level 6), and student B (piano level 5). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precisely timed production of dexterous actions is often destabilized in anxiogenic situations. Previous studies demonstrated that cognitive functions such as attention and working memory as well as autonomic nervous functions are susceptible to psychological stress in skillful performance while playing sports or musical instruments. However, it is not known whether the degradation of sensorimotor functions underlies such a compromise of skillful performance due to psychophysiological distress. Here, we addressed this issue through a set of behavioral experiments. After artificially delaying the timing of tone production while playing the piano, the local tempo was abnormally disrupted only under pressure. The results suggest that psychological stress degraded the temporal stability of movement control due to an abnormal increase in feedback gain. A learning experiment further demonstrated that the temporal instability of auditory-motor control under pressure was alleviated after practicing piano while ignoring delayed auditory feedback but not after practicing while compensating for the delayed feedback. Together, these findings suggest an abnormal transition from feedforward to feedback control in expert piano performance with psychological stress, which can be mitigated through specialized sensorimotor training that involves piano practice while volitionally ignoring the artificially delayed provision of auditory feedback. In order to establish if the degradation of sensorimotor functions underlies the stress-associated disruption of skilful performance, Furuya et al examined participants undergoing a piano playing task under stress. Their data suggests the occurrence of a stress-induced transition from feedforward to feedback control, which can be mitigated through sensorimotor training involving piano practice while volitionally ignoring the artificially delayed provision of auditory feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to provide information about the physical problems/injuries that pianists in particular and instrumentalists, in general, can experience at any time in their career and how they should cope with these problems. The data of the research were obtained from the studies obtained as a result of the searches made in the Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center and Google Academic databases using various keywords about physical ailments encountered in pianists. The obtained data were determined from the perspectives of music-piano and physiology and subjected to descriptive analysis. As a result of the research, it was stated that musicians are exposed to many occupational stresses and dangers that can cause many health problems. Musicians' health problems, performance- related risk factors, and diseases differ according to their individual performance characteristics, the style of music they make, and the special instruments they play. The disabilities that pianists may encounter frequently are overuse syndrome, entrapment neuropathy, and focal dystonia. In addition to these, another most common ailment occurs as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscle fatigue is considered as a risk factor for developing playing-related muscular disorders among professional pianists and could affect musical performance. This study investigated in 50 pianists the effect of fatiguing repetitive piano sequences on the development of forearm muscle fatigue and on piano performance parameters. Results showed signs of myoelectric manifestation of fatigue in the 42-electromyographic bipolar electrodes positioned on the forearm to record finger and wrist flexor and extensor muscles, through a significant non-constant decrease of instantaneous median frequency during two repetitive Digital (right-hand 16-tones sequence) and Chord (right-hand chords sequence) excerpts, with extensor muscles showing greater signs of fatigue than flexor muscles. In addition, muscle fatigue negatively affected key velocity, a central feature of piano sound intensity, in both Digital and Chord excerpts, and note-events, a fundamental aspect of musicians' performance parameter, in the Chord excerpt only. This result highlights that muscle fatigue may alter differently pianists' musical performance according to the characteristics of the piece played. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to reveal some aspects of the importance of the role of piano training in a future military conductor's professional development while studying piano works. The research methodology consists of a comparative approach, as well as, empirical and general scientific (analysis, synthesis) methods. Scientific novelty. For the first time, this paper shows the organic relationship between piano training and a future military conductor's professional development. The poly-functional capabilities of the piano instrument and their influence on the formation of the musical-performing experience of the future conductor are revealed. Conclusions. In the context of a military conductor's professional development, the author considers the essence and significance of a military conductor's piano training as an integral part of improving various aspects of performing skills. The specificity and expediency of the didactic repertoire is substantiated, taking into account the functional capabilities of the piano instrument for the development of a future conductor's musical performance experience, the formation and use of sound extraction techniques, the mastery of the expressive capabilities of the instrument using the entire set of methods and means necessary for the implementation of figurative and artistic intentions and the musical thinking upbringing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the tonally vague opening of the Mazurka no. 4 in B-flat minor op. 24, Rutkowski captures the mood of chromatic restlessness, without losing the larger shape. Hubert Rutkowski pf Piano Classics 10129, 2018 (1 CD: 63 minutes) Treatises, epistolary records, period instruments and their replicas all have parts to play in recovering how a given repertoire (might have) sounded in the past - I wie es eigentlich gewesen i , as Leopold Ranke famously exhorted. I find his reference to "so-called Chopin style" (p. 4) in this regard curiously sceptical given his aesthetic concerns and his recommended performance practices, based on understanding how Chopin played his own music, on studying a variety of editions, and, of course, on playing period instruments. [Extracted from the article]

EFFECTIVE AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT WITH MUSICAL performance involves social, cognitive and affective elements. We investigate the influence of observers' musical expertise and instrumental motor expertise on their affective and cognitive responses to complex and unfamiliar classical piano performances of works by Scriabin and Hanson presented in audio and audio-visual formats. Observers gave their felt affect (arousal and valence) and their action understanding responses continuously while observing the performances. Liking and familiarity were rated after each excerpt. As hypothesized: visual information enhanced observers' action understanding and liking ratings; observers with music training rated their action understanding, liking and familiarity higher than did nonmusicians; observers' felt affect did not vary according to their musical or motor expertise. Contrary to our hypotheses: visual information had only a slight effect on observers' arousal felt affect responses and none on valence; musicians' specific instrumental motor expertise did not influence action understanding responses. We also observed a significant negative relationship between action understanding and felt affect responses. Ideas of empathy in musical interactions motivated the research; the empathy framework in relation to musical performance is discussed. Nonmusician audiences might be sensitized to challenging musical performances through multimodal strategies to build the performer-observer connection and increase understanding of performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyse three dimensions of the interpersonal competences – active listening, expressive communication and cooperation particularly – in students attending the third course of elementary piano studies in conservatories in Spain to find interconnections with music learning. The case study investigated three students, all 10 years old. The study involved the implementation of a set of activities intended to develop the interpersonal skills of students throughout an academic year. The activities were introduced in the piano and ensemble playing curricula in parallel with the musical tasks. The implementation was carried out through an action research process. Interviews, teacher’s diary and video recordings collected qualitative data at different points over the course of the implementation. The study identifies potential for promoting active listening, expressive communication and cooperation within the classroom to enhance students’ engagement with music and therefore, to improve musical skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time in history, full-scale performances on musical compositions by a Malaysian composer, Razak Abdul Aziz, were presented through two academic recitals--27 July 2019 and 6 February 2020--at Orchestra Hall, Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA). These recitals consisted of solo and collaborative piano works, performed by me and a team of music collaborators that were specifically selected for this purpose. Razak Abdul Aziz, who is still actively composing, spent most of his career life as an academic, first serving for Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM), then Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) until his retirement in November 2019. Besides fulfilling the academic requirements set by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) for my doctoral degree, I had chosen to perform works by this composer as he is generally known to the local music community as one of the earliest contemporary composers in the country (started composing in the 1980s). Yet, a full-scale performance of his works was long overdue, though he had the opportunities to have some of his works premiered and performed on local and international platforms as part of concert programmes. This artist project talks about the preparation I made for both recitals, briefly explaining the creative process I journeyed through and the challenges I faced during this time span, discussing each work I had selected for these academic recitals. These recitals could, perhaps, be the pioneers in studying and performing works by Razak Abdul Aziz, hoping to expand this effort to national and international levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to analyze the theoretical and methodological aspects of future military conductors‘ piano training, substantiate the enrichment of their piano repertoire with the works of modern Ukrainian composers, highlight the main performing problems and provide appropriate methodological recommendations for overcoming them. The methodology consists of the use of a comparative approach and general scientific (analysis, synthesis) methods. Scientific novelty. The paper presents the results of a creative search to enrich the repertoire of future military conductors while teaching the ―Piano‖ subject carried out by a teacher with many years of practical experience in teaching piano playing - R. Vavrik. Two pieces for piano: ―Prelude‖ and ―Octave Etude‖ are stylistically analyzed. Conclusions. In the context of improving the military conductors‘ professional skills, the teachers of the Department of Musical Art are faced with the task of finding various ways to achieve this goal. One of them is to enrich the repertoire with musical works by contemporary authors while teaching the ―Piano‖ subject. Increasing musical and performance requirements for future military conductors, a lack of time altogether with the full scope of practical study of musical works in accordance with the working curriculum for the discipline ―Piano‖ makes the teacher create appropriate conditions at the lesson for mastering the educational material, the introduction of innovations, the use of teaching methods of the subject taking into account the musical abilities of each student for the further growth of their professional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance is an essential part of music education; however, many music professionals and students suffer from music performance anxiety (MPA). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a 10-min expressive writing intervention (EWI) can effectively reduce performance anxiety and improve overall performance outcomes in college-level piano students. Two groups of music students (16 piano major students and 19 group/secondary piano students) participated in the study. Piano major students performed a solo work from memory, while group/secondary piano students took a sight-reading exam of an eight-measure piano musical selection. All students performed twice, at baseline and post-EWI, with 2 or 3 days between performances. During the EWI phase, students were randomly divided into two groups: an expressive writing group and a control group. Students in the expressive writing group wrote down feelings and thoughts about their upcoming performances, while students in the control group wrote about a topic unrelated to performing. Each student's pulse was recorded immediately before performing, and each performance was videotaped. Three independent judges evaluated the recordings using a modified version of the Observational Scale for Piano Practicing (OSPP) by Gruson (1988). The results revealed that, by simply writing out their thoughts and feelings right before performing, students who had high MPA improved their performance quality significantly and reduced their MPA significantly. Our findings suggest that EWI may be a viable tool to alleviate music performance anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New music is often perceived as challenging, and many times generates controversial opinions. Nevertheless, it allows for some non-obvious relationships between composers, performers, and listeners. Finding more effective ways to engage listeners into new music could be an alternative way to reach out to further audiences. This paper aims to discuss and give examples of how the audience was integrated as a performer in a new music performance, more specifically in the piece "occupied mirrors", for toy piano and audience (composed by the author of the paper). The piece was thought through and planned in such a way that it invited the audience to become active performers, part of the musical plot as music makers. Conclusions suggest that what was asked from the audience opened up a unique new music experience, as they had to follow instructions and actively participate in the construction of the sound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of Vorísek's music has about it the musical fingerprints not just of the post-Classical style, but specifically of early Beethoven, whose rhythmic dynamism and pianistic idiom Vorísek evidently admired. In her performance of the Impromptus op. 7 (Vorísek's best-known piano pieces), Urban strives to achieve the composer's delicate, light pastoral moods. By contrast, in his two-CD set of the most important examples of Vorísek's piano music (Collins 14772 and 14582, 1993), Arthur Pizarro's Vorísek is more in line with Schubert's musical idiom. [Extracted from the article]

Predicting the difficulty of playing a musical score is essential for structuring and exploring score collections. Despite its importance for music education, the automatic difficulty classification of piano scores is not yet solved, mainly due to the lack of annotated data and the subjectiveness of the annotations. This paper aims to advance the state-of-the-art in score difficulty classification with two major contributions. To address the lack of data, we present Can I Play It? (CIPI) dataset, a machine-readable piano score dataset with difficulty annotations obtained from the renowned classical music publisher Henle Verlag. The dataset is created by matching public domain scores with difficulty labels from Henle Verlag, then reviewed and corrected by an expert pianist. As a second contribution, we explore various input representations from score information to pre-trained ML models for piano fingering and expressiveness inspired by the musicology definition of performance. We show that combining the outputs of multiple classifiers performs better than the classifiers on their own, pointing to the fact that the representations capture different aspects of difficulty. In addition, we conduct numerous experiments that lay a foundation for score difficulty classification and create a basis for future research. Our best-performing model reports a 39.5% balanced accuracy and 1.1 median square error across the nine difficulty levels proposed in this study. Code, dataset, and models are made available for reproducibility. • Introducing CIPI, the most comprehensive piano difficulty dataset, with 652 pieces across 9 levels. • We design models using various music performance aspects, guided by musicology insights. • Using multi-view music performance model predictions boosts accuracy. • Choosing the right loss function is vital for ordinal regression tasks as difficulty prediction. • We carry out extensive experiments helpful for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]