The 2015 NAMM Show: McCarthy Music has introduced the Illuminating Piano, a MIDI controller with integrated LEDs that are designed to work with software and a “cloud-friendly piano learning system,” to accelerate the development of piano skills.
The Illuminating Piano is a 61-key MIDI controller that can connect to a computer or iPad via USB or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
When used with the company’s software, the keyboard lights which keys the player needs to play next.
While it’s a MIDI controller, the company does not address using it with any third-party software at its site.
Features:
- Hardware
- Each of the 61 keys on the Illuminating Piano light up evenly and brilliantly through a total of 130 on-board RGB LED’s.
- A touchscreen control panel integrates directly with the McCarthy Music software for controlling the various aspects of the software directly from the hardware.
- The Illuminating Piano connects directly to a computing device via USB, MIDI or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for a completely wireless experience.
- The anodized aluminum housing gives the piano a sturdy and robust frame.
- This is the only piano to feature fully illuminated keys, using a patent-pending rear illumination of a light guide, which then forces light up and through the keys in an even and consistent fashion.
- Software
- The McCarthy Music software is available for Windows and iOS iPad devices.
- A state of the art score rendering system features the ability to zoom in and out of the sheet music so players can view the sheet music at a comfortable level.
- Automated scoring keeps tracks of performance and usage stats.
- Achievements are unlocked as the user improves and meets goals.
- Cloud
- Each piano can support many different users so an entire household can learn to play piano.
- Each user account has their own sheet music, progress for each song, achievements, and a variety of other usage statistics stored on their device, as well as in the cloud.
- A growing selection of more than 1,000 pieces of digital sheet music is available for purchase and immediate download.
The Illuminating Piano is currently priced at $499.99, with an expected ship date of 3/15/2015. More information is available at the company’s site.
few, I was worried they wouldn’t have their own “marketplace”. Hopefully they let me pay my bills with the press of a key for a small fee (if you didn’t sense the sarcasm in the first sentence… also I’m a lymricist)
“few” should be “PHEW!”
The joke is better when it ‘s written correctly. Just saying.
Last I checked, sheet music, like books, are still being sold, not given away like mutt puppies. Why criticize someone for wanting to make a living?
you can’t argue with puppies or poverty… save the manipulative sap
Save your criticism for the original poster who was being happily sarcastic about a marketplace being associated with the keyboard. I took that as an implication that it was laughable they were not giving their wares away. If you interpreted it another way, please enlighten me.
I AM the original poster, and yes you would be assuming correct. I guess that’s mind-blowing for you to imagine a software that recites a music’s notation to the user without charging them every time they use it… have you ever heard of like idk, the internet? the zillion’s of websites legally giving away sheet music? but this grubby attempt is just shameful
For someone that plays purely by ear, this is a great way to accelerate the learning of a new piece of music. Also, it just looks cool 🙂
A first glance I read, “Cloud – Friendly” Illuminati Piano at NAMM
Now that would have been an interesting piece of gear.
It would be cool if they make the software compatible with those new native instruments light up midi keyboards.