A new study using wearable brain imaging has shown what happens in the human brain when someone learns to play a musical instrument.
The results of the study, which was led by the University of Nottingham and published in the journal Imaging Neuroscience , showed the patterns of brain activity that enable us to play an instrument, in this case a violin, and how having just a single lesson significantly changes those patterns of activity.
To enable this first of its kind study, the team of scientists used OPM-MEG. This new type of scanner, developed in Nottingham, is integrated into a lightweight helmet, with a backpack-mounted control unit. It allows electrical brain signals to be measured and brain function characterised while a person carries out naturalistic tasks.
The researchers measured brain waves (rhythmic changes in electrical activity across groups of neurons) and how they changed throughout the violin playing task. One of the proposed roles of these these oscillations – specifically those in the so-called “beta” frequency range – is to signal information about whether our actions lead to the outcomes we expect.
Joe Gibson, PhD Researcher in the School of Physics and Astronomy led the study, he explained: “Your brain works by making predictions about what will happen as a result of your actions. So, if I am playing a violin, my brain will have an expectation of what sound it will make. If I play the expected note, my brain receives information that the outcome matched its prediction; if I hit an unexpected note, it receives information that it did not. In this experiment, we were able to measure these signals in real time while the instrument was being played.”
The study also found that participants who showed the greatest changes in their beta waves before and after the violin lesson also showed the greatest improvements in their ability to play.
To undertake the study the scientists enlisted the help of a local Nottingham expert violinist and violin maker, Alan Kirby. The instrument used needed to be completely metal free to enable the scanner, which measures very small magnetic fields generated by electrical activity in the brain, to work. Alan sourced a standard violin and modified it, substituting all the metal parts for alternatives that he crafted, producing an all wooden instrument operating at baroque frequencies.
Alan said: “Bringing together the ancient art of violin making, with the quantum physics underpinning this brain scanner, has been amazing. Perhaps even more impressive was to actually see the effects of my lessons on peoples brains. That was quite an experience.”
Twenty-two novice players took part in a study in which OPM-MEG data were recorded during two scanning sessions, while participants attempted to play a tune on a violin.
The experiment began with participants watching a video in which Alan was shown playing the tune “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Participants then undertook the first of two scanning sessions, during which they attempted to play the same tune on a violin whilst brain data were acquired. After this, participants attended a violin lesson, taught by Alan. Participants then underwent the second scanning session (identical to the first) in which they again attempted to play the tune whilst brain activity was measured.
Professor Matt Brookes, who has led the development of OPM-MEG in Nottingham for over 10 years, said; “This is a study that we have been working on for years, and it’s taken a unique combination of skills; the physics required to measure brain activity; design engineering to create an ergonomic scanner that people can wear; the mathematics required to model the signals; and of course Alans knowledge and abilities as a violin player and maker. Without this wonderful diversity of talent, we simply couldn’t have done the work.
“The results provide greater understanding of motor learning. It’s also fascinating that some of the effects that we measure here are among those that can be affected in disorders like dementia. Hopefully this type of study could bring about a new understanding of not just healthy brain function, but also disease.”
The University launched a spin-out company, Cerca Magnetics Limited, in 2020 to commercialise OPM-MEG scanners and related technologies. The wearable system has been installed in a number of high profile research institutions across the globe and is being used to investigate a range of neurological and psychiatric conditions including epilepsy and dementia.
Imaging Neuroscience
Experimental study
People
Beta-band dynamics during a naturalistic motor task: An OPM-MEG study Open Access
22-Oct-2026