RESEARCH

Musical Dynaformics 

Musical Dynaformics / ダイナフォーミックス

TOP

ー

RESEARCH
PEACNEWS

Sustainable Development of Art & Culture

NeuroPiano is an organization that aims to create a society where all music lovers can create rich and diverse musical expressions. It is essential not only to have the ability to read sheet music with knowledge and aesthetics, but also to be able to embody our musical creativity through freely controlling the brain, mind, and body, without suffering from any physical and mental constraints. We therefore propose a new academic discipline called “Musical Dynaformics” to create synergies between music and physical education. Musical Dynaformics enhances sensory-motor-cognitive functions and skills of their mind and body along with nurturing artistic aesthetics and interpretations in musicians. We work together with musicians and support their artistic and physical development by establishing and developing research and education foundations. We apply the knowledge gained through our cutting-edge research directly to musical performance and teaching through our educational program, so called “PEAC”.

The new academic field “Musical Dynaformics” and the Music Excellence Project, whose aim is to contribute to the future of musicians by building upon research and development, were launched by Shinichi Furuya, a researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.. The nonprofit organization NeuroPiano is dedicated to further promoting scientific research in these areas and engaging in social and educational contribution and outreach activities based on the research outcomes.

Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. / Musical Dynaformics

新たな学術領域である Musical Dynaformics(ダイナフォーミックス)および、この研究開発活動とその成果を基盤としてアーティストに還元するプロジェクト Music Excellence Project は、株式会社ソニーコンピュータサイエンス研究所の古屋 晋一 研究員により発足されました。一般社団法人NeuroPiano では、これらの科学研究を更に推進すると共に、その成果の社会還元と普及活動に従事しています。

株式会社ソニーコンピュータサイエンス研究所
ダイナフォーミックス(外部サイト)

1.Mechanisms of the nervous system and body that enable various musical expressions

Piano performance is an extremely difficult motor skill that requires skillful manipulation of 88 keys and multiple pedals. Mastering how to use the body to produce diverse music expressions that one envisions requires pianists to spend an enormous amount of time practicing from a young age. However, many pianists suffer from injuries such as tendinitis and focal dystonia during this process. To enable pianists to continue exploring their musical expressions throughout their lifetime, it is essential to clarify the optimal ways of moving the body as the foundation for creating musical expressions, to understand the mechanisms by which the nervous system acquires dexterous skills, and to establish the most effective training based on evidence. We conduct research that targets the neural mechanisms underlying the specialized sensory and motor skills of pianists by integrating our original multi-modal sensing system that simultaneously records the movements of the keys and pedals with multiple video cameras, audio, and skeletal information on the body posture, with non-invasive techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The research findings will be applied to supporting for pianists to acquire optimal performance techniques based on the understanding of the human body and to developing evidence-based training.

Research Grant

JSPS KAKENHI

Private grant

Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

Achievement

2. Development of novel training methods using state-of-the-art technology

In the field of sports, cutting-edge training methods utilizing technology have been put into practical use and many top athletes are taking advantage of them. Despite the fact that piano performance requires dexterous body control that is no less challenging than in sports, such training methods are currently rarely utilized. We are working to identify the optimal use of technology to further improve the skills of pianists and develop and validate state-of-the-art training methods. For example, we aim to establish training methods that are optimal for piano performance from the viewpoint of technology and science, such as robotic training using hand exoskeletons, haptic training that enhances tactile and muscle sense abilities at the fingertips, auditory training that enhances the ability to discriminate each note in a chord, and biofeedback training that visualizes and sound difficult-to-perceive states of the body and brain.

Research Grant

Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

JSPS KAKENHI

Achievement

Patent

3. Mechanisms of Memory and Anxiety

Pianists must memorize multiple lengthy pieces for concerts, and it is difficult to completely eliminate the fear of forgetting their memorized pieces during a performance even for experts. In addition, in stressful situations such as competitions or auditions, memories may become unstable, causing memory lapses or performance deterioration under pressure. To enable pianists to perform their best on stage, we aim to clarify the mechanisms of memory and anxiety in piano performance. Our goal is to develop training strategies to help that memorized pieces can be reliably recalled during performance under various environments.

Research Grant

Cabinet Office, Government

Private grant

JSPS KAKENHI

Achievement

4. Training-Related Injuries and Disorders

During daily practice, many musicians experience physical and mental problems. One representative example is a neurological disorder known as "focal dystonia", which makes it difficult to move the body as intended. This disorder occurs at body portions such as the fingers of pianists, the left fingers and right arms of violinists, the feet of drummers and organists, and the mouths and tongues of wind instrumentalists, causing them to lose control of their body movements and experience sensory abnormalities. This is a terrifying disease that sometimes even terminates musicians' careers, but there is currently no established diagnostic method or treatment that can realize perfect cure. We aim to create preventive methods for physical and mental problems caused by excessive musical practice through unveiling the pathological mechanisms, as well as developing retraining and rehabilitation methods.

Research Grant

JSPS KAKENHI

Private grant

Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

Achievement

5.Uncovering the Bodily Movements that Generate Musical Expression

Musical expression in piano performance is shaped by a wide range of elements, including dynamics, note duration, timbre, timing, and pedaling. Pianists create entirely different expressions from the same score by finely controlling how they depress and release the keys, as well as how they use their fingers, wrists, and arms. However, it remains unclear what kinds of body movements give rise to specific acoustic features, and how these features are perceived by listeners.
We investigate the bodily mechanisms that generate musical expression using multimodal sensing technologies that simultaneously record key motion, pedal operation, performance sound, multi-view video, skeletal information, and muscle activity. By quantifying keystrokes, key release, and finger and arm movements involved in the production of timbre and expressive nuance by skilled pianists, we aim to clarify the relationships among body movements, acoustic features, and listeners' perception.
Our findings will contribute to the development of new practice methods for approaching an intended timbre or expression, feedback technologies for visualizing musical expression, and a scientific foundation for sharing sensory terms used in pedagogy, such as “touch,” “timbre,” and “nuance.”

Achievement

Find out more about Musical Dynaformics

ダイナフォーミックスについてより詳しく知る

Contact NeuroPiano

Contact us for more inquires about the Music Excellence Project.

CONTACT US

keyboard_arrow_right

© 1993-2024 Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.
© 2021-2024 NeuroPiano Inst.