Self-Playing Pianos

The Future of the Player Piano

Self-Playing Pianos – The Future of the Player Piano

Have you ever experienced the magic of a self-playing piano? The ones which you might have seen at a shopping centre, a hotel, an airport, or other public space that play a beautiful tune – keys being pressed quickly, expertly, as if by a ghost?

It is truly a wonder to behold, and it’s hard not to marvel at the extraordinary technology that can transform an acoustic piano into a piano that plays itself. Those charming grand or upright pianos, that can be up to 100 years old, instantly converted into a modern player piano.

The advancements in self playing technology in recent years has seen the performance of these systems line up with the accuracy of a live, professional pianist. From soft pianissimo to loud forte, it is incredible how realistically an automatic piano can play.

These wonderful self-playing pianos can now bring the joy of music to more people than ever before!

Piano Player System Technology

Installed out of sight underneath the piano, each key has its own solenoid which has 1024 levels of velocity, which translates to a huge dynamic range between soft and loud for a very accurate performance. An iPad or Android tablet device is pre-loaded with a huge library of music spanning all genres and time, controlled wirelessly via Bluetooth within range of your piano. A speaker is also hidden underneath grand pianos (beside or on top of uprights), which on some musical pieces accompanies the piano performance with a backing track (other instruments, vocals, etc). One of the most impressive things about the technology, is that the fitting of a quality player system has no effect whatsoever on the touch of the keys when played by a person, so the piano will still feel the same when played. Simply put, all of this means that you can have the sound of an experienced pianist (and even a live band!) right in your very home, on demand at any time.

Introducing… PianoDisc Prodigy

PianoDisc is the world’s most advanced piano player system that can be fitted to almost any acoustic piano, that plays live music at the touch of a button. They have recently released their next-generation product – the PianoDisc Prodigy system. Formerly known as PianoDisc IQ, this self-playing piano system has been perfected over 30 years and is the industry’s player system of choice.

The “Disc” in PianoDisc has long been replaced with an iPad, and you can use it wirelessly to select from over a thousand songs and even control the volume of your piano.

If you’re looking for the best piano player system to retrofit into your piano, or to purchase a new piano with it pre-installed, we highly recommend PianoDisc. The Prodigy system is an innovative, streamlined product and comes with an unrivalled range of features, suited for the budding pianist right through to the discerning professional.

Included features:
  • iQ player app with hundreds of songs in every genre
  • Multiple connectivity options
  • Invisible installation – no wires, no fuss
  • Access to PianoDisc Radio – a 24-hour streaming service
  • Compatible with virtually any piano – upright or grands (pre-assessment required)
Upgrade options:
  • ProRecord – optical recording system which allows MIDI-recording and playback.
  • QuietTime – turn your piano volume off completely and hear it only through earphones. Perfect for silent practice.

Interested in converting your piano?

As the Prodigy system is so accurate at playing the piano, the piano itself needs to be in optimum condition to get the best out of it. When you enquire with us, we will ask some questions to learn about your piano and whether or not it is a good candidate for retrofitting, and if any restoration work will need to occur first.

If the project is suitable and proceeds, we will need to transport your piano to our workshop in Cranbourne West (Vic), where we’ll complete any required restoration and retrofit the Prodigy system.

When it arrives back in your home, we will visit onsite a short time later to tune it and give you a demo on how to use it.

 

Looking to purchase a brand new modern player piano?

We now offer brand new pianos with PianoDisc Prodigy pre-installed. This is a suitable option not only for first time piano owners, but those who have an older piano that has been deemed to be unsuitable for the Prodigy installation (or if budget prohibits necessary restoration prior to installation).

We offer world-renowned Wertheim uprights and baby grands – please enquire with us for different models and pricing.

These can be delivered Victoria-wide, and other major metro areas in as little as 4 weeks.

We have a demo upright piano in our workshop in Cranbourne West – all are welcome, booking is essential.

Expert PianoDisc Prodigy Installation

We are the experts in installing and servicing PianoDisc self-playing piano systems, having retrofitted over 250 systems since 2008. Sam is an Authorised PianoDisc Technician, and also has over 24 years’ piano restoration and repair experience, so your piano would be in the best of hands.

If you’re interested in learning more about PianoDisc Prodigy, and whether your piano is a good candidate for retrofitting, or about new player piano packages, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re happy to chat and answer any questions you might have.