Piano

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Steinway's latest piano can record and play back your performances

Paul Ridden March 8, 2019

In 2015, Steinway launched a line of pianos that allowed owners to tap into an archive of performances by some of the world's top players, and have the piano play them back. Now the iconic maker has introduced the the Spirio | r – which can record a musician's own live performance and play it back.

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Roland gets players talking with voice-controlled piano

Paul Ridden January 8, 2019

​Amazon's Alexa voice assistant has made its way into many gadgets since it launched with the Echo smart speaker in 2014. Now music gear firm Roland has created its first Alexa Skill and loaded it into the Go:Piano so that players can chat as they play.​

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Robotics

Robot hand rocks a merry tune

Paul Ridden December 24, 2018

​Mimicking the complex movement of a human hand is not an easy task for roboticists. Researchers from the University of Cambridge have looked at simplifying the design of a robotic hand, and developed a piano-playing soft skeleton bot that rocks the keyboard.​

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Yamaha invites SXSW visitors to perform live duets with an AI partner

Paul Ridden March 12, 2018

Japan's Hakuhodo i-studio has teamed up with the Yamaha Corporation to allow professionals and beginners alike to take part in live piano duets with an AI-powered partner at South by Southwest (SXSW) this week at the Austin Convention Center in Texas.

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Follow-me piano learning strip smartens up any 88-key piano

Paul Ridden September 20, 2017

​The One Piano learning system is claimed to teach tunes in minutes, but if students already had a piano at home, they'd have to stump up for another. That's now been solved with the launch of the Piano Hi-Lite, an LED light strip that can sit at the back of any 88-key piano keyboard.​

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Vox announces the return of the much-loved Connie organ

Paul Ridden September 6, 2017

It may be best known for the iconic hand-wired amplifiers and shapely guitars, but Vox Amps started out as a keyboard manufacturer. In the early 1960s, an instantly-recognizable combo organ affectionately known as the Connie was released. Now, a new and improved Vox Continental has been unleashed.

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Yamaha lights up the piano learning game with new Clavinova uprights

Paul Ridden August 2, 2017

​Following lights on a guitar or piano can help students learn to play at their own pace, at times that suit them and in the comfort of their own home. Yamaha has merged app-based learning with a game-like follow-me lighting system that allows users to quickly learn and play favorite songs.​

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The best homebrew music gear hacks

Paul Ridden February 23, 2017

Many musicians are also dedicated gearheads and tinkerers. And a good number of garage hackers are musicians. When both creative passions merge, wondrous things happen. We've selected a few of our favorite one-off instrument creations to whet your appetite for homebrew sonic experimentation.

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Roland targets beginners with new Go piano keyboards

Paul Ridden January 5, 2017

Roland has arrived at CES in Las Vegas with two new keyboards, one aimed squarely at beginners and another for those who want to learn how to play. In both cases, Roland says that the onboard sounds all come from its pro-level synths and pianos.

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TR-909 beat machine anniversary celebrated with product avalanche

Paul Ridden September 10, 2016

The TR-909 drum machine was launched 33 years ago. Roland marked the 909's birthday with a 24-hour product release party that included a DJ controller, a new plug-out synth, some BOSS guitar amps and a digital saxophone.

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