Secrets of virtuoso: neuromuscular attributes of motor virtuosity in expert musicians.
Musical performance requires extremely fast and dexterous limb movements. The underlying biological mechanisms have been an object of interest among scientists and non-scientists for centuries. Numerous studies of musicians and non-musicians have demonstrated that neuroplastic adaptations through early and deliberate musical training endowed superior motor skill. However, little has been unveiled about what makes inter-individual differences in motor skills among musicians. Here we determined the attributes of inter-individual differences in the maximum rate of repetitive piano keystrokes in twenty-four pianists. Among various representative factors of neuromuscular functions, anatomical characteristics, and training history, a stepwise multiple regression analysis and generalized linear model identified two predominant predictors of the maximum rate of repetitive piano keystrokes; finger tapping rate and muscular strength of the elbow extensor. These results suggest a non-uniform role of individual limb muscles in the production of extremely fast repetitive multi-joint movements. Neither age of musical training initiation nor the amount of extensive musical training before age twenty was a predictor. Power grip strength was negatively related to the maximum rate of piano keystrokes only during the smallest tone production. These findings highlight the importance of innate biological nature and explicit training for motor virtuosity.
Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Sophia University, Japan.|Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medicine, Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, Germany.
Shinichi
S
Furuya
Department of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Japan.
Takanori
T
Oku
Department of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Japan.
Fumio
F
Miyazaki
Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Japan.
Hiroshi
H
Kinoshita
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D009146:Music; D013933:Thumb / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult