During various stages of the Covid-19 lock-down, many of us world-wide were advised to continue daily physical exercise. As true as that may be, let’s not forget the nerve center, our own Central Processing Unit that helps us remaining sane and healthy. Here’s how we’ve kept 🙂 😀 😉 on our faces during moments of impending loneliness and potential despair.
This is your BRAIN when playing the PIANO. It’s more than just FUN, it’s HEALTHY in so many ways and it helps you DEVELOP various parts of your brain.
- 2 EYES – Sight-reading on the piano involves reading 2 lines of music, each is a different clef.
- 2 EARS – Pianist listen to notes being played and adjust their playing accordingly.
- 2 HANDS – Both hands often play intricate rhythms independently from each other.
- 10 FINGERS – Very few, if any, instruments require the use of all ten fingers simultaneously.
- 2 FEET – The left foot is used to operate the left una corda pedal and the right foot is used to operate the sustain pedal.
- KEEPING TIME – Pianists accurately keep time by synthesizing and synchronizing all sensory input and motor activity. In addition, the are able to subdivide the beat in a myriad ways.
- SPATIAL – Pianist know where all the notes are without having to look at the piano keyboard.
- ARTISTIC INTERPRETATION – Pianists transmit emotion by capturing mood, style and tempo of a song, using performance techniques (such as dynamics, articulation, rhythm) and expressive timing.
- PROPRIOCEPTION – Pianists are aware of the relative position of neighbouring parts of their body and the strength off efford being employed in movement.
- TOUCH – Pianists use touch to determine how much force is needed to press piano keys and foot pedals.
Playing the piano activates the brain in ways no other game, gadget, instrument or tool can. It’s a total brain workout!
Let’s see if we can take some of that renewed energy back to the streets, when we play Augsburg, Germany and Bonn, Germany next week!
Stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy playing!