grand orgel plays using a music box, a fusion of acoustic and electronic piano

grand orgel plays using a music box inside its body

Kawai Musical Instruments introduces Grand orgel, a fusion of acoustic and electronic piano elements and technology in collaboration with the music box company Primotone and developed by Exing Co., Ltd. The musical instruments company will develop the piano on a soundboard using the design of Kawai’s acoustic piano and the main body equipped with a keyboard used in an electronic piano. The acoustic instrument, as the company puts it, incorporates the movement of the music box Primotone which uses the technology of an electronically controlled music box.

When the musician or player presses on the keys, the music box receives the signal, and its mechanism that resembles a rotating hairbrush triggers the sound of the music box whose heart, or its main body, looks like a comb’s teeth. Autonomous playing is also possible, and the unique gentle tone that flows from the music box becomes a rich sound through the soundboard, making its entirety sound as if the tone comes from a classical, grand piano. The company shares that Grand orgel is still a prototype and it is still unsure whether it will be pursued as a commercial product.

images from Primotone

Acoustic and electronic piano in one

The Grand orgel comes with two music box movements, which are the heart of ‘Primotone’. With the technical cooperation of computer manufacturer Slik Corporation, the two sound sources are produced when one key is played, and a rich and pleasant sound cannot be obtained with a single unit, or else the tone falls flat. By combining the units with the soundboard of a large-sized piano, the richness and gentleness of the sound interplay, a creation of both haunting and sentimental tunes. ‘Since the music box contains abundant harmonic components that greatly exceed the human audible band, one can enjoy the pleasure of a three-dimensional tone that cannot be obtained with electronic musical instruments emitted from speakers,’ Kawai Musical Instruments shares.

Kawai also says that one can play a song without playing the keyboard, making the instrument work just like a regular music box. With a grand piano-type design, players and musicians can adjust the volume and sound spread by opening and closing the roof. The Grand orgel will be exhibited at the company’s store “Kawai Omotesando” from June 18th, and the exhibition period is scheduled to last for three months, but the end date and time of the exhibition are still undecided with the exhibition’s period subject to change without notice.

grand orgel plays using a music box, a fusion of acoustic and electronic piano

The music box of Primotone

The music box inside the piano comes from Primotone whose craftsmen use special comb teeth that have been tuned to produce a sound of 528Hz, a dubbed a healing tone that comforts the mind and body. Its mechanism lies in the way the pin drives the comb teeth to play based on the music data the company uploads. The base music data comprises 300 songs in seven genres including classic, pop, Western, healing, folk, and nursery rhymes, all of the songs are saved in the memory of the music box. Users can also download additional songs, up to 50 songs the company shares, using your computer, and they can also download their favorite songs and create their own playlist.

music box inside Kawai’s piano