  Vibrotactile stimulation has been explored to accelerate the acquisition of
motor skills involving finger movements (Gemicioglu et al. 22, Markow et al.
2010, Seim et al. 17). This study evaluates the effectiveness of vibrotactile
stimulation compared to visual feedback in learning a 14-note one-handed tune
on the piano. In the experiment, 14 subjects with no prior piano experience
were exposed to both vibrotactile and visual stimulation to determine which was
more effective. Subjects were randomized 1:1 in a group that first receives
vibrotactile stimulation, then visual stimulation or in a group that first
receives visual stimulation, then vibrotactile stimulation. Effectiveness was
measured by evaluating the timing error and accuracy. Results from our study
indicated that the timing error for vibrotactile stimulation was 12.1% (SD
6.0%), while the equivalent for visual stimulation was 22.3% (SD 10.3%). The
accuracy for vibrotactile stimulation was 69.2% (SD 27.2%), while the
equivalent for visual stimulation was 91.3% (SD 13.5%). It was observed that
vibrotactile stimulation was generally more effective at minimizing the timing
error at which the notes were hit compared to visual stimulation, and no
statistically significant differences were found in accuracy.
