Piano Tuner West Virginia on the Benefits of Playing Piano

As your piano tuner West Virginia and the surrounding areas, I am occasionally asked about the benefits for a child learning to play piano. Several studies on pianists have reported that children who study piano tend to enhance their ability to easily learn math and reading comprehension skills, and have more success in multiple areas of their adult lives.

For a child to learn piano, then, is not simply to have the joy and satisfaction of playing music, but also to gain other advantages. The reasons for these additional benefits may not be obvious.

One clue is that neurologists report that playing piano is one of the most complex neural activities that they have found that a person can perform. That means that playing piano requires extensive use of multiple areas of the brain, which must coordinate in order for music to occur. That kind of demand on the brain results in the growing ability to perform complex functions.

For example, the fingers and hands must coordinate typically several fingers at the same time, not only to play the notes, but also to play sensitively so that a beautiful line of music results. Changes in the fingering also often must occur rapidly and in groups. Piano music usually does not just use one finger at a time. The pianist must often change the position of four or five fingers at the same time in a fraction of a second.

As if that weren’t enough, the pianist must also synchronize the use of the feet on the pedals at the same time. Every time a new appendage is used, a whole new level of complexity is added for the brain to coordinate.

That takes care of the motor skills for controlling the hands and feet, but next we must consider what it takes to read and perform music. The pitch of the notes is one thing, but additionally the pianist must at the same time read the timing of each note and the rhythm of the entire piece, all while controlling the hands and feet.

As it that were not enough, a whole additional level of complexity results when the pianist plays with another instrumentalist. At that time, all the music must coincide with that of another person. Both musicians must be aware of volume, rhythm and accuracy of playing all at the same time.

All of these skills, then, translate quite well to skills in multiple areas of life. Giving a child the opportunity to study music can be an extraordinary gift for you to give.

If you have any questions about pianos, please let us know. Keeping your piano tuned on a regular basis will help to ensure the best possible results when playing your piano. Harker Piano Service is your piano tuning West Virginia expert piano technician. We also provide piano tuning, repairs and maintenance in the the surrounding areas.