Who needs a player-piano?
“Sure, I want a beautiful grand piano, but no one plays it!” Bring live piano music into your
home, add the final designer touch and ambience to your living area. Whether you want a traditional
player-piano or the highest-tech player piano, come see how it would look in our state-ofthe-
art Media Room. See how an Internet-ready house can access data and tunes from websites.
Compare these two types of beautiful pianos, and decide which is the best for your music, your
passion and your home. We offer turn-key installations including player-piano, audiophile sound
equipment and software library.
In days gone by, player-pianos were powered by long rolls of paper, with punched holes, almost
like a precursor to IBM punch cards. Nowadays, the “piano rolls” have been replaced by MIDI and
other kinds of computer data.
What is an Acoustic player-piano?
It’s a state of the art player pianos use CD or flash media to play
the instrument (actually moving the keys!!). Sometimes children like these and enjoy the “ghost piano,”
and pretend they’re playing along with vocal and orchestral parts. Two new
developments have made a player-piano affordable for any home: 1) high-quality craftsmanship,
combined with 2) compact audio circuitry. You no longer have to look at a huge “humidifier” under
the piano. And one can retrofit any piano, grand or upright, with a player-piano mechanism.
   
What is a Digital player-piano?
This is the newest type of player-piano, for the piano connoisseur
and avid audiophile or technologist. It combines sparkling piano sounds, complete with cuttingedge
orchestral and synth patches and the latest USB connections, with the latest CD and DVDROM
recordings.
Launch Roland KR-117M Product Demo
This superb instrument adds one other element—synchronized DVD performances. Place this Roland
player-piano in your home; use it for listening, for lessons, or simply to dazzle your friends
with the ultimate media room accessory. This player will amaze you musically, and technologically,
as well.
Where can I find the best PLAYER-PIANO Software? Here are the best links from current suppliers.
QRS, still the largest and long-standing manufacturer of original piano rolls (paper), also has over
3,000 titles of CD-media for player pianos, all recorded live by professional musicians.
http://www.qrsmusic.com/music.asp
WebOnly features a relatively new catalog of professional and education-oriented titles.
http://www.webonlypiano.com/newsite/preview.html
PianoDisc has developed an extensive catalog of entertainment, religious and educational titles.
Download the complete catalog below.
http://www.pianodisc.com/support/userguides/Catalog-2006-Final-Compiled.pdf
The Yamaha Disklavier software catalog is vast; one can generally assume compatibility for Disklavier
titles with both PianoForce and Roland player-pianos. However, it is not guaranteed.
http://www.yamahmusicsoft.com
Scott Houston, the “Piano Guy,” describes how
he “Plays Piano in a Flash” and why he uses the Roland piano
Play Piano In a Flash!!! One of the most innovative uses of Player-Piano technology, featuring the
Roland KR-117, is Scott Houston’s Play Piano in a Flash! series. Complete lessons are available for
learners who want to learn popular tunes, by reading in FakeBook or “lead sheet” style (the melody
written out, with chord symbols for the left hand printed above the melody). You can peruse his
entire catalog, purchase videos, buy his music books and sign up for his free Newsletter. Houston
Piano Company is currently negotiating with Scott for his first appearance at Houston Piano Company.
Stay tuned, and by all means, register at the Houston Piano Co website.
http://www.scottthepianoguy.com
Various testimonials for the Roland KR-series performance and player pianos
Daniel Powter, wearing a stocking cap, plays the Roland piano, and describes why he likes it so much
Freddie Ravel gives his take on why the Roland grand is so well-suited for his playing
David Benoit plays the Roland grand and “gives a tour” of the features he enjoys.
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