In case you’ve missed it, science says piano players’ brains are different – and it’s a good thing!
Have you ever wondered how pianists can play the piano while singing and make it look so effortlessly? How do they play a piece that lasts for minutes without even making a mistake? It’s amazing to watch, and it sometimes makes you think they have superhuman abilities.
But piano players possess no superpowers. Just brains that are wired a little differently. Even science says so!
What makes their brains different
Piano players’ brains are different compared to guitar players’, for example. They need to use both sides of their brains so that they can use both hands to play the piano.
If one hand is weaker, their piano playing will be off, and the motion of their fingers on the keys will be heavy or unbalanced.
All of us have a dominant hand. For piano players, their brains are trained to work with both hands simultaneously.
The left part of our brain is what controls our emotions and behaviors. It’s a more logical and academic side.
The right part is what controls our imagination, insight, and visual perception. It’s our brain’s more creative and artistic side.
Piano players use both sides at the same time to play beautiful flowing music, with all the right beats, rhythm, and melody.
When both hands are balanced, both the left and right sides of your brain will also be balanced.
If you’ve always considered yourself as more artistic than logical, you can also become more analytical when it comes to your reasoning or thought processes. This is also why playing the piano is different compared to playing other musical instruments.
It’s tougher than it looks
Piano players’ brains are different because whenever they play the piano, they not only focus on which keys their fingers are touching. They also need to think about the tempo, pitch, and rhythm. They need to pay attention to how long certain notes last, and a ton of other things.
Even if piano players look like they’re doing it without even trying, playing the piano is truly a concentration exercise on many different levels!
This is what happens when they play the piano
Studies show that whenever pianists play, their brains fire up, and all areas of the brain are activated simultaneously. All stimulated areas grow larger and more active.
As a result, their ability to remember audio information is also enhanced. They can store more audio information compared to people who don’t play any musical instruments.
Piano players’ brains also have stronger connections in their frontal lobes compared to people who don’t play the piano. While others find it challenging to perform several tasks at the same time, piano players have no trouble multitasking.
They have better problem-solving skills, too, and are able to unleash their creativity with no problem.
It does not happen overnight
To be able to play the piano like a virtuoso, it takes years of learning and even more years of practice.
The beginner stage is the toughest, and this is what burns the most energy. But once you’ve mastered the basics, you will spend less energy on the motor skills and more on phrasing the music and expressing your emotions.
Piano players’ brains are different and just don’t work the same way with non-piano playing folks. That’s because they need to work on their balance and brain-and-hand coordination while multitasking.
Playing the piano can alter the brain in so many incredible ways. If you don’t play the piano, maybe it’s time that you do to help you with the complex problems in your head.
If you already do, consider yourself truly gifted! You should also feel proud of yourself because not everyone’s brains are as unique and hardworking as yours!
Note~
I stopped playing the piano years ago. 🙂 Maybe it’s high time to pick up the notes once again, yeah?
