Karl Ellison pointed me to this interesting news item,
appreciated:

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/business/420418,2_3
_AU10_PIANO_S1.article

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Beacon News
Chicago, IL, USA
10 June 2007

TICKLING THE TECHNOLOGY

Electronics play key role in new piano development

By Marissa Amoni

More than 100 years after the player piano was invented, it has
moved into the wide world of computer technology. It is no
longer just the background element in spooky films or smoky
saloons. Instead of musical notes eerily wandering down a
desolate hallway, picture neon glowing piano keys playing along
to Nora Jones in high definition.

Computer-activated solenoids have replaced rolls of paper in the
latest models of player pianos. And most pianos can be
retrofitted to serve without the accompaniment of two hands.
Laptops and iPods can be hooked up to equipped pianos to play
songs that are stored in playlists. No lessons needed.

"I don't think people are aware what there is available in music
technology. It has not passed up music," said Diane Cordogan.
Diane and her brother, John, own Cordogan's Pianoland on Route
38 east of Kirk Road in Geneva.

Cordogan's recently hosted an afternoon featuring manufacturer
demonstrations on the latest in piano technology. Sales managers
from Yamaha, QRS and PianoDisc showcased their brand's newest
piano accessories to almost two-dozen in attendance.

The focus of the dealers' presentations was on the ability to
play compact discs or DVDs and have a piano play the music live.
Slender black boxes attach to the undersides of the player
pianos and act as media centers accepting discs as well as USB
storage drives and memory cards.

"You can listen to beautiful piano music. It is unique and
different," said Terry Dolan of QRS Music Technologies and Story
& Clark Pianos.

Pianomation is QRS' take on the player piano of today. As with
the other systems, it works using analog and digital technology
and can be upgraded to provide numerous additional features.

"The system is so universal you can adapt anything to the front
end," Dolan said.

Add PNOscan and music played from the piano is recorded onto a
compact flash card by way of optical sensors. A library of music
can be stored on the card, he said.

"It's really cutting edge," said John Sagissor of PianoDisc,
referring to their latest player system that enables an iPod to
dock on a piano. Once combined with the "smart" player system
called iQ, music can be played on a piano from MP3 players,
discs and iTunes. It also can be connected to audio recording
software.

"It is the bridge between piano and home entertainment system,"
he said about the imbedded iQ system, which sells for around
$7,000. But that is just a start at merging pianos with modern
tech gadgets. Drop $20K and the company will bring extreme
multimedia to the piano with Opus 7. A hidden system that offers
wireless control, Opus 7 boasts a multitude of possibilities
that can be directed by a touchpad or other web-enabled device.

An architect who attended the event said that homes could be pre-
wired before they are built to easily welcome "smart" pianos.

And once owners are inspired enough to actually learn to play
the piano, the Yamaha Disklavier Mark IV eases the learning
curve with SmartKey technology. Keys wiggle, fingers follow and
soon a piano virtuoso is born.

Young pianists in the making can gain note knowledge with
assistance from Old MacDonald's farm animals. Piano keys "bark"
and "cluck" when hit correctly while the song appears in its
animated form via DVD.

Ironically enough, the first Disklavier MX100 was sold in 1985
to a McDonald's Restaurant in Limon, Colo.

Yamaha also has introduced into its player piano the option of
connecting a video camcorder to jacks in the piano to create
videotaped performances. The same PianoSmart audio and video
synchronization makes it possible to give or receive piano
lessons from a remote location.

Mike Urguhart with Yamaha said people are "mesmerized by what it
can do. You can recreate moments...you can program it to wake
you up with its eleven channels of streaming radio."

Those looking for a player piano can plan on spending $10,000
and up, said Diane Cordogan. She said the market for them is
much more residential, but they are seeing a lot of music
schools too. "We do a lot of homes, but it is all avenues --
it's not limited," she said.

And if the game room budget allows, a martini bar piano that
lights up glasses, coasters and piano keys in a rainbow of
colors costs under $20,000.

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Terry Smythe 204-832-3982 (land line)
55 Rowand Avenue 204-981-3229 (cell)
Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3J 2N6 smythe@...
Preserving a unique slice of our Musical Heritage
http://members.shaw.ca/smythe/rebirth.htm