Perfect-Fit Piano

Reported October 2005

LINCOLN, Neb. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Piano players' hands come in all shapes and sizes, but piano keyboards don't. Small hands are defined as having a hand span of eight inches or less. If you fit into this category it's likely you may have a hard time playing the piano. Now there is new piano keyboard that's just the right size.

Brenda Wristen, Ph.D., a pianist and assistant professor of Piano Pedagogy at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, says, "I have struggled for my entire life to achieve technical fluency and comfort at the conventional-sized piano." Wristen makes playing the piano seem easy, but it hasn't always been that way. For years, her small hands deprived her of fully mastering the keys. But she isn't struggling anymore.

For the first time, a new smaller-sized piano keyboard helps Wristen conquer complex piano pieces without missing a note. "Learning the piece on this instrument was really revolutionary," Wristen says. Traditional-size keyboards are too big for many pianists, causing pain and injury. The new keyboard is seven inches smaller. "My hand is more naturally fitted to this instrument," she says.

Just what does this new $9,800 keyboard mean for musicians? Ergonomists attached devices to the hands of players during a performance to find out. The devices send electrical signals about muscle stress and joint angles to a computer and results show players have greater comfort, accuracy and better technique with the smaller keyboard.

Susan Hallbeck, Ph.D., an ergonomist at the University of Nebraska says, "Because the keys are closer, their fingers can be in a more relaxed position. And when they're playing, then their muscles aren't as stressed."

Wristen says, "The performance experience is even more rewarding and more fulfilling." The small size keyboard is interchangeable, can be put in and taken out of a traditional size piano, and is perfect for kids.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Industrial and Management Systems Engineering
175 Nebraska Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68588-0518
(402) 472-3495

For More Information About Ergonomics:

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
PO Box 1369
Santa Monica, CA 90406
(310) 394-1811
http://www.hfes.org




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