Your Brain on Playing the Piano

 

Want a full body workout? Play the piano! It seems obvious: sensory processing, motor control, hand-eye coordination, mental concentration, mental agility, and multitasking. It also builds mental and muscle memory.

Three parts of the brain particularly benefit from piano playing: the motion, visual and auditory cortices. Both sides of the brain and the bridge between those two sides are involved. It has been found that musicians’ brains can be larger structurally: attention, hearing and listening, emotion, memory, motor actions to produce sound, and learning.

Brain-related reading skills specifically improve with piano playing. Notes constitute a universal and unique language, which necessitate decoding just as alphabetic-based languages do. Beyond reading letters, notes reading is translated into hand motions. Each language has its own rhythm, which can be facilitated through music as composers optimally link oral language with musical rhythm. Indeed, when playing songs in different languages, the performer can cognitively and kinesthetically internalize those language-specific characteristics.

Likewise, mathematical thinking improves with piano playing. Music theory is mathematically-based in notes and rhythm.  The brain processes the combinations and sequencing of those elements, which reflect mathematical patterns.

All ages benefit, even in terms of brain plasticity (making more connections between neurons and creating new circuits, for instance) with consistent piano practice. Such practice also activates creative areas of the brain, facilitating original expression.

Taking piano lessons ramps up the impact of the brain even more: improving reading, expanding vocabulary, interpreting oral prosody emotionally, discerning sounds more subtly, and sequencing verbal information.

In short, playing the piano is a smart idea!

 

Health Benefits of the Piano

Tomoko has taught piano for 50 years, but you can’t tell by looking at her. She is healthy and full of energy. Has the piano helped? “The piano keeps me young. I have a bit of arthritis, but I play pieces that aren’t as challenging for my fingers, and it keeps them limber.” Even the regimen of daily piano practice keeps Tomoko focused and gives her a sense of well-being.

For centuries music has been known to improve people’s quality of life. Music can both relax and energize you. It can help you unwind at the end of the day, relieving – and escaping – life’s stresses.

These days there is even piano therapy, which can sometimes be more impactful than clinical treatments. Listening to piano music lowers blood pressure and cortisol levels, which can make you feel better and less stress. Music can help you think more objectively and calmly. Low pitched and melodic piano music can help overcome insomnia and facilitate calm comfortable sleep. Classical piano music can also stimulate the body to produce natural painkillers and help patients recover from surgeries. Listening to piano music can also reduce children’s aggressive behavior, and has been used to treat patients with depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

 And those health benefits come from listening.

Think of the benefits of planning the piano. Learning how to play the piano improves your memory and keeps your brain young. It helps for hand-eye coordination plus enhances split concentration. Obviously, playing the piano strengthens hand muscles and makes your arms stronger

Whether you listen to – or play – piano music, it helps you through difficult times. 

With the present COVID-19 situation, piano music can maybe save your life.