Integrative Action at the Keyboard

Similar conditions exist for the ear and the eye. These, with the hands and arms, form the working material of the pianist. By working material I mean, those anatomical components through which music can be created. The motor tract in turn leads from the motor area of the cortex to the muscles, by way of the bulb and spinal cord. In the latter the fibres connect with the motor cells which carry the impulses to the muscles. This is the outgoing phase of the mechanism of voluntary movement. The inter-connections of the motor tract point to a close associat ion with the purely reflex arcs. This is to be expected, for in most , if not in all voluntary movements, reflex elements are present. All this specialization of functions which we have just considered would serve of no biological value if it were lost entirely upon reaching the brain.

As a matter of fact, it is not lost.

The cerebrum itself, although in external appearance a well-defined anatomical unit, is subdivided into areas specifically connected with, and reacting to definite sense departments. Thus we speak of a motor area, auditory area, visual area, and others. This is not supposition, nor has it anything to do with phrenology. Evidence is furnished by direct experimentation (not only in the lower animals and anthropoid apes, but also on man), by human pathology and by comparative anatomy. When certain areas of the brain are directly stimulated, sensations and movements result, corresponding to the area stimulated , and these responses are absent if other areas are stimulated. Disease in a certain area will result in loss of sensat ion or movement for that field, a loss that extends even to memories and ideat ions. Finally, comparat ive anatomy shows that high development in any capacity is accompanied by high development in the corresponding cortical area. This, however, is something far different from the knowledge bumps of the phrenologists.

The motor tract, also known as the corticospinal^[1] or pyramidal tract, is a vital component of the central nervous system that plays a crucial role in the coordination and execution of voluntary movements. It consists of a network of nerve fibers that originate in the primary motor cortex of the brain and descend through the brainstem and spinal cord to synapse with motor neurons in the spinal cord, ultimately controlling the contraction and relaxation of skeletal muscles. The primary motor cortex, located in the precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe, is responsible for generating the neural signals that drive voluntary motor activity. These signals travel through the motor tract, which is divided into two main pathways: the lateral corticospinal tract and the anterior corticospinal tract.
The lateral corticospinal tract is responsible for innervating the muscles that control distal limb movements, particularly those of the hands and feet. Approximately 90% of the nerve fibers in the motor tract cross over to the contralateral side at the level of the medulla oblongata in the brainstem, a phenomenon known as decussation. This crossing over results in the right hemisphere of the brain controlling the left side of the body, and vice versa.
The anterior corticospinal tract, on the other hand, innervates the axial and proximal limb muscles involved in maintaining posture, balance, and coordination. Unlike the lateral corticospinal tract, the fibers of the anterior corticospinal tract do not decussate in the brainstem; instead, they cross over to the contralateral side at the level of the spinal cord where they synapse with the motor neurons. The motor tract interacts with other neural circuits, including the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and various sensory pathways, to enable precise and coordinated movements. The cerebellum, in particular, plays a significant role in motor coordination by integrating sensory inputs and fine-tuning motor commands. It is responsible for regulating muscle tone, maintaining balance, and ensuring the accuracy of voluntary movements. The basal ganglia, on the other hand, help initiate and modulate motor activity, as well as control the selection and inhibition of specific motor programs. In summary, the motor tract is a key component of the central nervous system that orchestrates voluntary movements by transmitting neural signals from the primary motor cortex to the spinal cord. Its role in motor coordination is achieved through interaction with other brain regions, including the cerebellum and basal ganglia, which together contribute to the execution of smooth, precise, and coordinated movements.

The various sensory areas and the motor area do not, however, make up the entire cortex of the cerebrum. Connecting these areas are others, generally termed the H silent l) or " association" areas of Flechsig. Their function seems to be connection among the various sensory areas, and between these and the motor area.
Every sense department, accordingly, is brought into more or less direct contact with cvery other department . The silent reading of the word" orange " may initiate the speech muscles into saying the word; may recall the visual image ; may call up the aroma (olfactory stimulat ion), and the taste (gustatory stimulation) ; may arouse the " feel" of the frnit (cutaneous) ; its weight (muscular); fi nally, even the sound of the spoken word (auditory). If it were not for the association fibres, such a response would be impossible.

By means of the association fibers in the human body, responses are possible that enable the inter-communication between the different physiological components involved in piano playing. The arrangement of such a system is obviously a integrated or coordinated action. No part does any work without at least the possibility of affecting all other parts. Even the acquisition of a highly specialized reaction is largely the exclusion of other correlated reactions which would be possible on account of the interrelations among the parts. The higher the specialization of the movement, the finer were the associations that made this movement possible. Thus the 1) nervous system, the 2) skeletal structure and 3) the muscles, are fundamentally opposed responses that are fixed and isolated. Instead, these 3 components require the highest type of adaptation or changing response.

[1] corticospinal tract: The corticospinal tract, AKA, the pyramidal tract, is the major neuronal pathway providing voluntary motor function. This tract connects the cortex to the spinal cord to enable movement of the distal extremities.