…just to hear the resulting racket that ensues. These stairs are actually a working oversized piano, sort of like the one from the movie Big, but in stair form.
I’d love to see Tom Hanks attempt “Chopsticks” on this baby.
If Apple happened to design musical instruments along with their gadgets, their piano creation might look something like this. The completely fictional iPiano features built-in musical score reading software which allows you to read compositions right from a built-in touch screen. Slide your finger to move on to the next page of music.
The iPiano would also feature video capabilities, for following along with video tutorials as you practice your instrument. Also, the image of Apple’s Philip Schiller furiously playing the piano, man-boobs bouncing away, is too much to resist.
No need to chow down on beans to add a taste of musical culture to your dinner table. The Piano Graphics Tablecloth includes a border lined with the standard design of piano keys. Jam out to Miles Davis as you chow down on your mom’s meatloaf (which is way too dry by the way).
Tell her to add some ketchup or some shit. The dog won’t even touch that crap.
Air guitar is a big thing but an even bigger musical hit is on the horizon. Omer Yosha has created an interesting, elegant interface that uses infrared sensors to control music applications he’s calling AirPiano. Similar in concept to the theremin but with many more advancements, the AirPiano allows any untalented schmuck to wiggle his fingers above the board to make sound.
This is done by a virtual matrix of keys and faders above the board, each assigned with MIDI messages and ready to be triggered at the whim of the user. Once those MIDI messages have been triggered it then relays the positioning of your fingers to a computer via USB, where the preprogrammed AirPiano software converts it into sound, or if you’re talented, music.
Some people have a hard time getting into one instrument. They set up training and practice schedules, only to be utterly bored within weeks, which leads people to create their own custom musical instruments. The Five Key Keyboard, or “Big Daddy”, is the creation of Michael Robson, described as a “circuit bent keyboard”.
There is no real explanation behind the workings of the 27″ x 52″ x 41″ device, but we envision some sort of pedal system, as well as modulation with the little knobbies on the side of the “Big Daddy”. Bonus points if you can create a piece of music using this machine and the hipDisk. — Andrew Dobrow
