The effect of handedness on spatial and motor representation of pitch patterns in pianists

This dataset presents behavioural data from a study investigating the effect of handedness on pianists’ abilities to adjust their keyboard performance skills to new spatial and motor mappings. Left- and right-handed pianists performed melodies on a regular MIDI piano keyboard (practice) and were then asked to perform these with modified melodic contours and on a reversed MIDI piano keyboard. The dataset contains information on the note on and offsets of the performed melodies by all participants as well as their velocity, and the amount of errors that were made. Besides, additional demographic information was acquired through the Goldsmith's Musical Sophistication Index and an adapted version of the Oldfield's handedness questionnaire. A stronger effect for modified melodic contours than for the reversed keyboard was observed as well as a trend of left-handed pianists to be quicker and more accurate in playing melodies when reversing their fingering with reversed contours in their left-hand performances. This suggests that handedness may influence pianists’ skill to adjust to new spatial and motor mappings.