Abstract
In drum-set playing，drummers need to maintain accurate and powerful performance.What kind of postural control makes it possible to achieve this? The present study investigated the differences in postural control between expert (N=3) and novice (N = 4) drum-set players.Participants in this study performed an 8-beat rhythm pattern using an electric drum set consisted of hi-hat cymbals,a snare drum,and a bass drum.Tap-pressure data of each instrument and center-of-pressure (CoP) data of the participant were recorded and analyzed. As indices of performance accuracy and intensity，mean and standard deviation (SD) of inter-tap interval (ITI) and mean and coefficient of variation peak tap force applied to each instrument were calculated from the tap-pressure data.A principal component analysis was performed to compute the area of CoP and the circular SD of the principal component angle.The area of CoP and the circular SD were used to evaluate the magnitude of movement and the variance in movement direction, respectively. We found the followings: As for the experts,the SD of ITI and circular SD were small and consistent across the individuals,while the individual differences was relatively large in the peak tap force and area of CoP.The SD of ITI and circular SD of the novices were comparable to those of the experts.The individual differences in the drum-set playing skills seemed to be dependent on musical background of the individuals.
