Gaze Analysis of Pianists’ Sight-reading: Comparison Between Expert Pianists and Students Training to Be Pianists

Abstract

One of the most important skills for a pianist is sight-reading, which is the ability to read an unknown music score and play it. In recent years, research has analysed eye movement during sight-reading. However, the definition of sight-reading has varied. In addition, the participants enlisted as experts in most studies have been music college students. The present study aimed to compare eye movements during sight-reading between experts, teachers at a music college and pianists, and non-experts, music college students studying to become pianists, using an eye tracker. Using easy and difficult music scores for two-handed playing, we investigated whether there were differences in the number of eye fixations, fixation duration, and eye-hand span. The definition of sight-reading in this study is to read a novel music score once without playing the piano, and then to play it while looking at the music score. The results showed that the higher the piano performance rating, the longer the eye-hand span. Areas of interest (AOIs) were defined every two rows, including a treble and bass staff in each music score. We conducted a two-factor repeated measures ANOVA (group × AOI) for each dependent variable to analyse fixation count and fixation duration per eye fixation. There was a significant interaction for the fixation count between groups and AOIs both without and with performance in the difficult score. In experts, the number of eye fixations on the difficult part of difficult score increased compared with other part both without and with performances. By contrast, there was a significant interaction for the duration per eye fixation between groups and AOIs in easy score with performance. The duration per eye fixation in experts was shorter than that in non-experts in the easy score with performance. These results suggest that experts get information through short gaze fixations.

The influence of executive functions on eye-hand span and piano performance during sight-reading

“…Previous research has shown that skilled players display higher EHS [ 8 , 22 , 25 , 26 ]. The results of the present study are consistent with previous findings.…”

“…Additionally, EHS is measured using an eye tracker. The number of notes [ 20 , 21 ] and the number of beats [ 2 , 20 – 22 ] up to the note on which the gaze stops at that moment are measured with respect to the note played. Another method measures the latency from the time of one’s gaze fixating on a note to the time of its performance.…”

Markers of musical expertise in a sight-reading task: An eye-tracking study.

“…The most robust results concern the average fixation duration. In a large majority of studies, expert musicians make shorter fixations than less expert musicians (Drai-Zerbib & Baccino, 2005; Drai-Zerbib et al, 2012; Imai-Matsumura & Mutou, 2021; Truitt et al, 1997; Waters & Underwood, 1998; for a recent meta-analysis, see Perra et al, 2022). The fixation duration is an indicator of processing time (Rayner, 1998).…”