www.designboom.com: Orphea is a compact 13-key electronic piano developed by Pianni to examine how far a conventional keyboard can be reduced while retaining its physical and musical functions. Measuring only slightly larger than a modern smartphone, the instrument combines a standard chromatic black-and-white key layout with physical pressable keys, polyphonic playing, octave controls, built-in speakers, headphone output, MIDI connectivity, and USB-C charging.
2 comments:
As a pianist, I find this product innovative and entertaining. The design is pretty intelligent, including several functions that transform the device from a standard instrument into a functional, portable piece of technology. The headphone output is considerate of the surrounding environment. I especially like how space was saved through the design of the octave controls, that allows users to play with the pitch of the keys - by only presenting one octave from what was originally seven. However, this also means one can’t play chords involving multiple octaves, or play with both the left and right hand simultaneously, which greatly reduces the level of complexity and nuance of the music that can be played from it. Despite that, it is still a gret form of entertainment for simple playing, and I thought it was created well for highlighting how it preserved the conventional black and white keys, which makes it more appealing than competitive items that removed this key characteristic for space optimization.
I feel that this product would be the perfect gift for musically inclined children. First off, it is so adorable and comes in all sorts of fun colors, second, it is lightweight and could fit into even the smallest pocket, third, there are headphone options for situations that need to be noise free, and finally, it could keep you entertained for hours. This is the type of gadget I would have loved as a preteen. I do wonder about the practicality of this product for practiced pianists, as I feel that its capabilities could be limited, but the reviews claim that it is more versatile than you might think. I do think that musicians could find it useful if they are inspired with a melody while out and about. They could simply pull out their pocket piano and start workshopping their tune on the spot. I hope that this company finds success when it is finally open to the public, as I think it’s a fun and innovative idea!
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