The struggle is very real for folks learning to play piano, so much so that many abandon study when faced with painfully slow progress. Music tech company Roli is offering new hope with the introduction of the Roli Piano with integrated generative AI coaching.
"In a few years time, it will seem antiquated that a piano or keyboard can’t help guide you, can’t see your hands and respond to them in many ways, and can’t have a conversation to help you," said Roli founder and CEO, Roland Lamb.
The new expressive keyboard extends the playing area of the Piano M (previously the Lumi Keys) and offers students 49 "full-sized, full-plunge-depth keys" with per-key pitch bend and polyphonic aftertouch. It also comes with Roli's BrightKey technology, meaning that when used alongside the company's Learn app, the keys illuminate to guide your fingers to the correct positions at the right time to nail a melody or song.
The Piano debuts a new built-in AI Assistant that serves as your very own virtual piano coach. As well as taking learners through keyboard essentials, it also sprinkles in some music history and theory – and will give you a nudge when there's something new to discover. Roli has "an exciting roadmap of future updates" planned for the coming year and beyond, so you'll never be short of things to absorb.
USB-C and Bluetooth 5.0 are cooked in, for class-compliant MIDI, and there's support for an expression pedal as well. The keyboard is a portable music machine too, thanks to a pair of 3,500-mAh batteries for up to 6 hours of per-charge play. It will ship with Roli's Studio software, which includes hundreds of instrument presets to take it beyond, well, piano sounds.
The Roli Piano can be used as a standalone learning system, but the addition of the Airwave controller launched last October will allow for more accurate analysis and honing of playing technique and fingering finesse. This is a modern-day music stand that you can prop your tablet (or sheet music) up against. But it also hosts IR cameras above that can register and track 27 points on each hand at up to 90 frames per second to generate real-time feedback and practice tips that helps the student improve. Voice interaction is also built into the setup, potentially putting a knowledgeable music tutor within reach at all times.
The combination of the new Roli Piano with AI Assistant and the Airwave has been dubbed the Roli Piano System – "the most intelligent and intuitive system for musical learning and creation ever made."
Outside of the learning environment, components of the System could prove useful to musicians recording in the home studio. The Piano caters for expressive control of MPE sounds in music production software, and Roli says that its BrightKeys technology could help players "get out of their comfort zone and explore new musical ideas." Adding in the Airwave means that sounds, tones or effects can be triggered with the wave of a hand in mid-air.
"Roli Piano represents a thrilling opportunity for all musicians to experience expressive creation tools at their fingertips," said Sophie Solomon, Chief Content Officer at Roli."Combined with Roli Airwave, it offers an unparalleled level of control delivering rich textured sounds through intuitive gestures. The quality and sophistication of the presets on offer is quite unique and extremely inspiring for performers and composers alike."
Compared to the cost of private lessons, the Roli offerings could be relatively inexpensive over the course of your learning journey but you'll still have to part with a sizable wad. The Roli Piano is up for pre-order now for US$399, which will rise to $599 once the introductory period closes.
Bundle in the Airwave and the pre-order price flies up to $648 – increasing to $948 in the near future. Though the Learn app is free to download from Apple or Play stores, you may need to consider subscribing to unlock your full potential – which will add an annual fee of a hundred bucks to your bill.
Source: Roli
