piano
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New technology provides greater control to paraplegic pianists
Technology allowing paraplegics to operate the right pedal of a piano has been developed by a team of scientists in Heidelberg Germany, trumping earlier systems which didn't allow for half pedal or flutter variations. The device consists of a tiny remote module that's placed inside the pianist's right cheek, and a wireless transmitter and motor attached to the pedals of the piano. A small battery in the left cheek of the user provides up to twelve hours of power. The player grits their teeth when they want to control the pedal -- the module is sensitive to different amounts of pressure, which allow the pianist greater control over footing than previous tools. From the sounds of it, this thing would work just as well on a wah pedal, right?
Put your air guitar away -- Piano Hands has the stage
For all you OCD desk tappers out there, I Want One Of Those is offering up -- ta da -- Piano Hands. These electronic gloves with built-in sensors at the fingertips emulate musical notes upon tapping any flat surface. With eight different instruments to choose from, we can't think of a better way to be endlessly annoying on elevators, airplanes, trains and other cramped enclosed spaces -- assuming you can find a place to plug in your Marshall Stack. Pick up your ticket to stardom for just £49.99 ($92) from IWOOT. No word yet on a release date.[Via Popgadget]
Wii Music offers new opportunities for 'This one time, at band camp' stories
Wii Music won't only help you re-imagine yourself in a rock band; it will also enable you to live out your dream of playing in a marching band! Remember how you used to envy all the geeks performing during half-time shows at high school football games? Now you, too, can be one of them! Nintendo also introduced two instruments with demonstration videos over the holiday weekend -- the violin, piano, and guitar. Unfortunately, it's hard to relate any of those music devices to band camp. Still, you can check out videos for them past the post break! See also: Nintendo introduces Wii Music's instruments one at a time%Gallery-27713%
AirPiano single-handedly redeems air instruments from irrelevancy
With the introduction of the Air Guitar Rocker, we pretty much bid the art of air rockin' adieu. No longer could we slam our belt buckles in an attempt to whammy a downright nasty Bb chord without feeling ashamed. Thanks to the AirPiano, however, imaginary musicians the world over may have one more chance to garner the respect of innocent bystanders. This instrument, which is truthfully more akin to a theremin than a bona fide piano, enables users to emit beautiful tones without ever touching the "keys." It's even smart enough to sustain a note if you hold your hand over a particular area for an extended time. We don't hand out unwarranted props, but we can't help but tip our hats to this one. Head past the break for a video of what we're gushing over.[Via Hack-A-Day]
Game Melody Oratorio Volume Two: More music to our ears
Fresh off his success placing fourth in Neoflash's Spring Coding Competition, homebrew developer Multiple: Option has followed up his Game Melody Oratorio software with a second volume, packing ten songs and new features into the virtual piano update.Here's your chance to learn classic melodies from a diverse set of games: Double Dragon Dr. Mario Duck Tales (a woo woo) Final Fantasy VII Halo Leisure Suit Larry Metal Gear Solid Outrun Streets of Rage 2 Super Castlevania VI Game Melody Oratorio Volume 2's new features include an extra piano key (C3), a new Practice Stage with hidden notes, a new Recital Challenge mode, improved flashcart support, and the ability to preview melodies on the song selection screen. Wow! All that for free![Via DCEmu]
Play video game music on a piano -- just like the pros!
Taking a break from porting visual novel demos like Fate/hollow ataraxia Prologue and Snatcher Pilot, developer Multiple: Option has posted its first original project, a neat homebrew application that teaches you how to play simple video game melodies with a virtual piano. If only there was a similar program for 90s gangsta rap songs -- we would love to learn 2Pac's "I Ain't Mad at Cha!"Multiple: Option's software, Game Melody Oratorio, includes lessons for songs Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, Tetris, Bubble Bobble, and The Legend of Zelda. Each melody has two modes, one for practicing the tune with visual cues, the other for playing the melody without any help once you've mastered it. Don't see your favorite video game song on the list? There's also a "Free Play" mode that allows you to experiment and play whatever you want.[Via NEO Compo 2008]
Japan's Shougaku Ichinensei mag bundles "finger piano" for kids
Face it, Japan is just cooler than you are. You have a job and a car, Japan? Japan has finger pianos bundled as freebies with manga-centric magazines for 1st graders. You lose. And by "finger piano" we really mean finger piano. Check out the video after the break for a better idea, but basically you mount a sensor onto each finger and plunk away -- the circuit bending potential is immense.
Media center meets piano, results are questionable
We've all ideas the creator of the Compiano thinks that it's pretty hot stuff, but we're not sure the end result is what we'd deem elegant. Nevertheless, it's hard to argue with the utility here -- after all, it's not everyday that you can sit at one bench and play a few measures of Chopin while watching the Hiphopapotamous vs. Rhymenoceros clip that you recorded months back. The 1904 Chickering Upright Grand Piano may not seem all that unique at first glance, but hidden behind its mahogany frame is a 26-inch Philips LCD HDTV and a full-blown Media Center PC complete with a half terabyte of storage space and 1GB of RAM. The bidding will start on this interesting mishmash at just under seven grand, but if you're not keen on waiting it out, you can make this your own for just $19,998. Click on through for a video of the display being hidden from view.[Via GearDiary]
The cellphone piano fulfills the full range of our childhood fantasies
Each key on the piano is wired to a key on a phone, and while we haven't heard it in action, this contraption is sure to produce the most beautiful noise known to man -- or at least since your older brother figured out "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on the touchtone in middle school. If only Chopin had technology like this at his disposal back in the day. [Via textually.org]
Yamaha's PSR-S900 piano offers up USB, Ethernet ports
Electric keyboards have long sported hardware components more commonly associated with a desktop PC, but rather than cramming a 3.5-inch floppy drive in its newest device, Yamaha opted for a USB port and Ethernet jack. The PSR-S900 packs 392 "realistic instrument voices" and 305 accompaniment styles powered by MegaVoices, and aside from also playing nice with MIDI-related information, this 61-key piano sports a 5.7-inch 320 x 240 display and 1.4MB of internal flash storage. Of course, you can load up your excess data via a USB HDD or thumb drive, and tech-savvy keyboardist should enjoy the video out port, USB audio recording ability, and Internet Direct Connection access that "enables users to browse and download thousands of songs" as well as learn of product updates. Expect the flagship S900 to hit the market on June 1st for ¥220,500 ($1,815), while the two lesser-spec'd siblings (S700 and S500) hit at ¥131,250 ($1,080) and ¥78,750 ($648), respectively.[Via AkihabaraNews]
You want Piano Hero on your Mac?
It's a sad fact that despite an ever-growing list of compatible goodies for the Mac, there are still some holdouts. I know there is often some hack for interfacing that wonky 90's-era plotter (thank you UNIX underpinnings), but there are a lot of apps out there we'd love to see native on the Mac, Parallels/Boot Camp/VMWare be danged. 3ds max and AutoCAD come to mind... And in the niche arena we've got Piano Hero. You can maybe guess what it does, but it's essentially Guitar Hero for a keyboard, without all the fancy graphics and immersing gameplay.Now if you want a Mac version you'll have to help the developer buy a Mac to port the thing over. So far he's none too close to the over $700 he needs, but once he's got his mitts on a real-live Mac mini he promises a port within two months. After using everything from the Miracle Piano to the new Fisher-Price "I Can Play" piano, maybe this is worth a shot...Thanks, Timm.
$3000 piano mod reminds George Clinton of the mothership
Resourceful tinkerer "Proximasolaris" has put together a piano mod that would make even some Samic owners a bit envious. Retrofitting a Korg Triton Extreme, hiding two monitors behind a motorized cabinet, and placing a slew of blue LEDs and other mechanics, he managed to put $3,000 worth of gadgetry into an old fashion vertical piano. While it is not the first modification we have seen like this, you should still click on through to see the vid of his tricked-out instrument -- go ahead, bask in the glory of what's possible with a little extra loot and 250 solid man hours.
Mac mini-based recording studio in a piano hits eBay
Ok, so it's not exactly a Mac Mini mod -- it's just sitting there -- but this so-called "Music Machine" is in a class of DIY projects all its own, taking an antique most wouldn't think of altering and ripping its guts out, stuffing it instead with recording and computer gear. At the core is the aforementioned Mac mini (a 1.42GHz model) complimented by a 17-inch LCD, a Lexicon Omega audio interface, built-in Klipsch Promedia Ultra 2.0 speakers, and an MXL 2006 Cardioid Microphone, plus a number of other peripherals. Alas, it seems the original piano keys didn't quite cut it -- they've been replaced with a Studiologic TMK-88 MIDI keyboard, but maybe that'll be remedied in the next version; the person behind this bit of retro goodness is selling the whole shebang on eBay to help fund a new-and-improved rig. Things don't look to have gotten off to the best of starts, however, with the starting bid still untouched at a hefty $4,000.
Happy Final Fantasy music day
Why do we play games? To escape, of course -- to free ourselves from our earthly shackles and enjoy a world of pure fantasy, if just for a moment. To that end, please enjoy this quick escape through the music of the Final Fantasy series on guitar, piano and, er, recorder.Check out our previous Friday music features.
Happy video game piano medley day
Some days here at Joystiq, we just can't decide what we want. We'll feel like a little Mega Man, only to stop and go searching for Chrono Trigger, then Tetris, then Zelda, Final Fantasy, Mario ... nothing seems to satisfy.Luckily, we're always in the mood for the piano, and YouTube is happy to oblige our digital wanderlust with a variety of video game medleys on the ebony and ivory. Continue reading for some exquisite piano interpretations from the above series and more.Previously: Happy Castlevania rock out day, Happy retro-techno music day, Happy Zelda music day... again, Happy Zelda music day
