The standard piano keyboard, with a 6.5 inch octave, is too big for many pianists. It limits the range of repertoire they can play and elevates their risk of developing overuse disorders. Ergonomically scaled keyboards have narrower keys, which reduces strain and may give smaller pianists more equitable access to success at the piano. We hope that research into the adaptation process between modified and standard keyboards can lend support for broader adoption of ESPKs in academic and professional settings.

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• What is the rate of pianists’ adaptation between ergonomically scaled and standard keyboards, and what are the underlying mechanisms of adaptation?

Pianists will learn a short excerpt on the standard keyboard, and then will be monitored with EEG, motion-capture imaging, and MIDI data collection as they transfer this piece to the ESPK (6.0 inch octave) and then play once more on the standard keyboard.

• Dr. André Lee; Dr. Florian Worschech
• Dr. Andrea Welte
• Dr. Ulrike Wohlwender (Professor of Piano Pedagogy, HMDK Stuttgart)
• Tina Davis