Comments on: Concert Hands — The Machine That Teaches You to Play the Piano

By: learn piano songs

learn piano songs — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:11:47 +0000

The technology so invented will be of great help to those who want to learn by them self..so its a great boon.

By: tt

tt — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:57:37 +0000

whats the point on learning an instrument anymore.. if everyone can do it, thats no fun.. haha

By: astrodex

astrodex — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:48:28 +0000

It’s not typing. It’s about the music, not just the movements. This just seems like another example of sucking the artistry out of something in order to make it accessible to the masses. If it was easy to master an instrument everyone would do it.

By: Nicholas Dollak

Nicholas Dollak — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:52:54 +0000

@ Andrew Allen (4th from top) – Schumann was trying to strengthen his ring fingers, which are weaker than the others in the sense that one of the tendons is underdeveloped (Curl your fingers into a fist, then try to “flip the bird” using your ring finger, and you’ll see the problem). He built some little exercise gadget for this purpose, but it did indeed make things worse, ending his professional performance career.

Piano teachers everywhere, I wouldn’t worry too much about this cyber-toy. Anyone remember those cheesy magazine ads from the 1950s and early 60s showing Mr. Businessman at home, grimly playing popular lite piano classics to entertain Mrs. Hausfrau? Supposedly by buying these instruction manuals, YOU TOO could play all these tunes YOU LIKE with VERY LITTLE PRACTICE, just by following these simple directions! Ultimately it boiled down to playing a small repertoire of simplified pieces — and even though the practice time was small enough to shoehorn around one’s 9-to-5 work day, it was still enough of an investment that it was abandoned by those who decided that it was easier to just put a record on the hi-fi.

Professional musicianship will remain the heritage of those who truly desire it and put in the long hours of work. Concert Hands may or may not prove a bit useful in getting a kid started as far as the repetitious finger exercises go; but it will not turn them into the next van Cliburn. THAT is up to the student, and depends on what they do after they take Concert Hands off.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:30:48 +0000

Sooooo….. your hands are strapped into mind-controlling restraints, forcing you to play music? Sounds like something an evil king would use for punishment.

By: bradbury

bradbury — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:13:57 +0000

Photoshopped!

By: health

health — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:55:17 +0000

Yes! Now even YOU can learn to play the piano without ACTUALLY TRYING!

By: ted

ted — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:20:33 +0000

Couldn’t possibly work that well to be practical.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:11:01 +0000

Even though that woman’s voice was a little creepy to me, I want this so bad!

By: Andrew Allen

Andrew Allen — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:45:00 +0000

Isn’t this the same kind of thing Robert Schumann used to become a virtuoso pianist, except the device ended up destroying his ligaments and he could never play professionally again?

By: Dirit

Dirit — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:43:22 +0000

Great.

The Bataan Death march merges with Piano Lessons.

By: Adi

Adi — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:03:14 +0000

Great technology. But to me this takes the joy out of learning to play a song. I feel satisfied when I nail a difficult part of a song, knowing that I got myself to that point.

However, I can see the potential of this technology for people with motor control disabilities, though perhaps for other uses.

…Watching the video, wouldn’t that feel creepy to strap your arms and fingers to that contraption? And have it scoot them around? Weird.

By: Mackers

Mackers — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:58:26 +0000

Is it just me or does that seem really fake.