Table 1.
Participants’ characteristics
| Characteristics | Musicians (n = 25) | Non-Musicians (n = 25) | Group differences (sig.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age: (years) Median (min, max) | 26 (19, 61) | 26 (19, 54) | p > .05 |
| Handedness: Right/Left/Ambidextrous (%) | 100 / 0 / 0 | 100 / 0 / 0 | - |
| Handedness percentage: (%), Median (min, max)* | 90 (50, 100) | 100 (60, 100) | p > .05 |
| Body Mass Index: (kg/m2), Median (min, max) | 21.7 (17.2, 36.6) | 22 (17.4, 27.8) | p > .05 |
| Gender: Male / Female (%) | 32 / 68 | 40 / 60 | p > .05 |
| Musical Genre: Classic / Jazz, Pop, Rock / Other (%) | 84.6 / 7.7 / 7.7 | - | - |
| Cumulative hours of practicing: | - | - | |
| - Primary instrument: Median (min, max) | 10,587 (2556, 67527) | - | - |
| - Secondary instrument: Median (min, max) | 4015 (183, 40150) | - | - |
| Age started playing (years): | |||
| - Primary instrument: (M ± SD) | 7.3 ± 3.6 | - | - |
| - Secondary instrument: (M ± SD) | 11.3 ± 5.6 | - | - |
| Years of experience: | |||
| - Primary instrument: (M ± SD) | 23.5 ± 11.1 | - | - |
| - Secondary instrument: (M ± SD) | 11.6 ± 4.2 | - | - |
No significant differences were found between musicians and non-musicians with respect to age (U = 308, z = − 0.088, p = .930), handedness percentage (U = 260, z = -1.099, p = .272), Body Mass Index (U = 272, z = − 0.786, p = .432) and gender (χ2 (1) = 0.347, p = .556). *Handedness percentage is defined as: left-handed <-40%, ambidextrous − 40 ≤ + 40, and right-handed > + 40. [20]