Korg has released this preview video for the tinyPiano – a digital toy piano that features 25 keyboard sounds.
Official details are to be announced still, but Korg has shared a set of audio examples that demonstrate that, with the tinyPiano, the company is taking the toy piano seriously:
Anybody else want to see MIDI jacks on the back of this thing?
Pricing and availability for the Korg tinyPiano are TBA.
UPDATE, DEC. 13: Today’s press release from Korg says: “The Tiny Piano also contains 50 demo songs in a wide range of styles. The songs can be triggered with a single note…. Children can change the sounds featured in each song to suit their taste.”
“In addition to built-in speakers, Tiny Piano also offers a mono headphone jack and adjustable volume. It can be powered by six AA batteries (approximately 15 hours) or the included AC adapter. Weighing in at just 10.36 pounds, Tiny Piano offers a space-saving footprint as well: 15.08 x 10.16 x 11.10 inches.
“The Korg Tiny Piano will be available February 2014 with pricing to be announced shortly.”
An applause for KoRG…Bravo!
What’s the difference between this and everything else Korg makes these days?
Nothing. It looks like a quality product that fills a consumer market niche executed with care. Fortunately Korg seems to realize that people enjoy fun, interesting things to play with. I hope they keep it up.
And also Christmas is coming! Its much better for parents who would like to introduce music to their child than other offerings by toy companies. It really is a serious toy piano.
MIDI jacks? C’mon, its Baby’s First Keyboard. I applaud the idea and the added sounds. You really SHOULD introduce your kids to making music as part of teaching them several kinds of interrelationships. It reaches beyond just the sounds or anything like a technique a child might develop that early on. I just wonder if it’ll hold up after Junior pours a whole sippy cup full of chocolate milk into the keyboard. Talk about really *needing* a robust build!
Haw haw, haters be hatin’. I have to hand it to the acoustic piano in this thing. It puts those early Emulator and Mirage pianos in the bag. It has overtones people would have killed for, back when it was all on floppies. Having it appear in a form you can hold in one hand is Jetsons kitsch. I want a sticker of that particular variation on the Korg logo so I can put it on my TR-61 workstation.
Circuit Bend!!!!!!
AAAWWW! Now I’m going to have a baby, so I can buy it one of these!
Schroeder is stoked!
I wonder if they’ll make a purple version specifically for Prince.
don’t worry, the princess can afford customisation
Damn with both boys in college now I can’t justify this. But when they were little I would have two on order!
of course we want midi or usb jack on it! charge an extra 15$ for it, and i would get it! looks fun!
I would not be terribly surprised if Korg had snuck in solder pads for a MIDI connector somewhere just to be nice. Seems like something that they would do! : )
Yea, it seems like Casio was the only one making a decent keyboard for the wee ones. Still, even though it’s a toy, I think velocity is such a nice thing even for the pee wees to experience.
“To be featured on the next Sigur Rós album. Korg is also working on releasing a signature series with the band with the tinyPiano decorated with runes and additional sounds like an ancient Icelandic piano used by shamans to appease the volcano gods.” – source: me just now
that’s exactly what i was thinking Stefan! 🙂
If it has line out I’ll buy it!
MIDI? Pah! I wanna see CV in/out on this baby.
Someone needs to come out on stage with one of these a la John Cage and Hugh Laurie and then start playing with actual full piano sounds. The sound of hundreds of jaws hitting the floor would be titanic.
Did I just have an idea. Touch sensitive keys that respond to a slight sideways nudge by shifting the range up or down an octave. Eliminate clumsily having to reach for the octave shift buttons. I got an IBM Trackpoint keyboard for my tower computer so I could use the mouse without removing my fingers from the home row. Imagine right in the middle of playing, being able to shift up or down an octave without having to miss a note or use a foot pedal. Has anyone else thought of this or implemented it? Would it need something like a Qunexus or one of those other new touch sensitive systems, or could it be implemented with that aftermarket touch sensitive key membrane that I read about? Why not put octave control right in the keys? A little two octave keyboard like this tinypiano could be played just like a full eighty-eight.
Actually, this should have been named the NanoPiano since Alesis isn’t using that name any more.
I WANNA GET ONE JUST TO CIRCUIT BEND IT!
Love the idea, would get one for my nephs & for myself.. I would soo use this on stage.. I remember The Cure unplugged doing A Letter to Elise & a mini piano like this was used (google it on youtube) Instead of midi maybe a usb port would’ve been cool
nice but why no midi out? the kis grows and daddy can use it his VST. too bad this make it a no go