Learning Effects and Retention of Electrical Muscle Stimulation in Piano Playing

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS)-based systems have been proposed to assist in the learning of motor skills for piano playing. However, learning effects and retention have not been thoroughly evaluated. To address this, we conducted two user studies to investigate the learning effects and retention of EMS for piano playing. Twenty-four novice participants practiced the technique of tremolo, a rapid change between two notes, with both hands under three conditions: without EMS, with EMS on one hand, and with EMS on both hands. The results showed that practicing with EMS on both hands significantly improved tempo accuracy compared to practicing without EMS. A follow-up study of 15 participants confirmed that the improved performance achieved with EMS on both hands was maintained after one week and was not significantly different from practicing without EMS.