Refinements to the ergonomic model for keyboard fingering of Parncutt, Sloboda, Clarke, Raekallio, and Desain

Aspects of the groundbreaking ergonomic model for keyboard fingering of iso lated melodic fragments developed by R. Parncutt, J. A. Sloboda, E. F. Clar ke, M. Raekallio, and P. Desain (1997) are reviewed, including the potentia lly problematic specification of finger spans in semitones. Modifications t o some of the underlying rules are introduced in order to better reflect mo dern piano-pedagogical thought on finger strength and the playing of notes that are not spaced closely together on the keyboard. On the whole, the mod ified model had more pianists' fingering choices represented in its top pre dicted fingerings for opening fragments of Czerny studies than did the orig inal model.