Pianist gets message across 1-handed

A 33-year-old pianist of Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, who plays only with his left hand, says "the fewer notes, the clearer the musical message is to the audience."

Born in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, in 1976 to a painter father and singer mother, Takeo Chinai started playing the piano at age 3 and studied at Tokyo College of Music before going to Hanover University of Music and Drama in Germany.

While participating in a competition in Germany in 2001, Chinai suddenly realized something was wrong with his right fingers during his performance. A few weeks later, he was diagnosed with dystonia in his right hand.