The Piano That Plays Itself…
By Meg….
Did you hear the tale of the piano who played itself?
Yes, it may sound like the beginning of a fairytale but no! I really ask you – have you heard of the Steinway Spirio Piano??
I am terribly conflicted.
On one hand – amazing! I am bowled over by technology and what it can do and here is one of the most famous makers of the most beautiful pianos creating something extraordinary and really quite fun! It is innovative, it is exciting (it is expensive…) – I mean take a look…
http://www.steinwayspirio.com/
Any piece you want, performed live and with sheer technical perfection at the swipe of an iPad screen. The piano even tempers the performance depending on how it is played in the recording you choose- unbelievable!
On the other hand…
I am a pianist.
If one day I decide I want to learn and perform Frédéric Chopin’s “Raindrop” Prelude. I spend 77.5 hours practicing the fingering, I listen to recordings of The Greats, I have 19 minor emotional breakdowns and then, MAYBE, I perform it through note perfect. That is, of course, not mentioning the 10 years I took to get to my current standard and the 1 million Great British Sterling pounds my parents invested in my lessons and exams.
And I pretty convinced the Spirio will still play it better than me.
It is an interesting dilemma and I have to say, although I struggle to contain my bitterness at the comparison in our technical ability, I none the less LOVE the idea of the Steinway Spirio. There is nothing better than the sound of a live instrument, nothing better than experiencing those extraordinary pieces of music in the flesh.
If this brings more live music into more homes then I am it’s greatest advocate (plus it is just a very surreal and very cool idea) – but maybe hire a musician sometime…No one and no thing can play the piano like Martha Argerich.