Fact · Typing and writing speed
A 2013 Max Planck Society news item headlined its piano research with the claim that pianists play as fast as experienced typists on a QWERTY keyboard.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Pianists play their instruments as fast as experienced typists on a QWERTY keyboard”
The piano as a typewriter, Max Planck Society, 2013, Page headline.
Open the original- What it measures
- The headline introduces research on PianoText, a layout that assigns letters and words to piano notes and chords. The release describes the piano layout, and it does not report a test of pianists on a standard keyboard.
- What it does not show
- A press headline, not a measured comparison. The speed it refers to is the rate reached on the new piano layout, from the PianoText study.