After 18 months in development, the LEGO Ideas 21323 Grand Piano is unveiled today. Appearing on the Ideas platform in 2018, it achieved 10000 supporters in around three months. With over 3600 pieces, this set is aimed predominantly at adult builders. It will be released on August the 1st, 2020 and priced at AUD $529.99 – US $349.99 –CA $449.99 –DE €349.99 –UK £319.99 – FR €349.99– DK 2699.0DKK
The set features a removable 25-key keyboard, authentic hammer action, moving dampers and pedal, and motor. Just like a real grand piano, you can lift the lid, and see the mechanism inside. Hidden beneath the hammer-damper mechanism, there is a motor, which is controlled using the powered up app – which also becomes the source of the music played. The piano measures over 22.5cm high, 30.5cm wide and 35.5cm deep when closed.
I am intrigued by the mechanism. The original Ideas submission featured tuned strings as a way of making the instrument playable, as well as a motor to turn a ‘player piano’ type roll to activate the keys, and ensure that anyone could get a tune out of the instrument.
The final model piano appears to include a WeDo distance sensor: I presume the app assigns a pitch according to the distance of the moving hammer from the sensor, and the sound getting played by the device running the app. It would, I suspect, only allow for playing one note at a time: if multiple keys are pressed, either only the highest or lowest pitched note will sound. A clever work around, that saves us from needing to tune the instrument. It does leave us, once again with a set dependent on an App for full functionality. However, looking at the picture below, it looks like I might be mistaken on how it works.
A dazzling idea from a keen LEGO builder and music enthusiast, has now been brought to life after receiving overwhelming demand from the public – as the LEGO Group launches the brand-new LEGO® Ideas Grand Piano™set. The latest product is part of the LEGO Ideas collection, which conceptualises and produces the creative wonders imagined and voted for by LEGO fans themselves.
Designed with the intricate elements of a real grand piano, this brand-new set is a fully immersive build. With a clever motor and working keys, when the set is combined with the LEGO Powered Up app, fans can become musical maestros one brick and one note at a time – making it The LEGO Group’s first-ever piano set with the ability to play music.
Talented builders can try their hand at creating their own masterpiece on the LEGO® Ideas Grand Piano™using the LEGO Powered Up app, which allows them full control of the musical notes and piano keys. Alternatively, those looking to sit back and relax can choose to select ‘auto-play’ and enjoy the dulcet tones of one of the ten pre-set songs available.
The brand-new set is a masterpiece of craft and innovation, featuring all the makings of real-life grand piano to give an authentic musical experience in LEGO brick-form. These authentic features include a removable 25-key keyboard, a top lid that can be propped up, an authentic hammer action and a moving damper and pedal, which help to make the LEGO® Ideas Grand Piano™as beautiful as it is functional.
Once built, the 3,662-piece LEGO® Ideas Grand Piano™is made to take centre stage as a spectacular display model for any room, measuring over 8.5” (22.5cm) high, 12” (30.5cm) wide and 13.5” (35.5cm) deep when closed.
The new grand piano set is part of the LEGO Ideas collection, which offers fans the opportunity to submit their own brick creations with the chance to have their concept brought to life with the help of LEGO master designers and a share of the profits. Other recent LEGO Ideas sets inspired by LEGO fans, include the LEGO Ideas Pirated of Barracuda Bay and the LEGO Ideas Friends Central Perk.
Imagined by music teacher and LEGO aficionado Donny Chen, this set was designed as a way for him to combine his passion for music with his passion for building. To add to the excitement and personal feel of the build, the LEGO® Ideas Grand Piano™even features a music sheet composed by Donny himself.
Speaking about the process, Donny Chen said:“When I’m not building with LEGO bricks, I’m teaching, tuning or writing music on my piano. So, when I first discovered LEGO Ideas, I knew I wanted to build something that not only combined my two passions, but also looked visually stunning. It’s truly an honour to see my idea brought to life by the talented people at the LEGO Group and I hope it brings joy to all the other music fans who voted for the idea on the LEGO Ideas platform.”
Federico Begher, VP of Global Marketing at The LEGO Group added: “We get so many amazing concepts submitted through our LEGO Ideas platform, but when we saw Donny’s piano design it really stood out as something extraordinary, with great potential to become a truly unique LEGO set.
The accompanying images and video submitted by Donny really sparked some ideas within the team. We believed that including power functions as part of the model to enable the set to play real music in real life would elevate the design even further. We simply could not pass on the opportunity to create the ultimate LEGO Ideas Grand Piano model for music and LEGO fans alike!”
The new LEGO® Ideas Grand Piano™set is the latest example of how the LEGO Group aims to inspire builders of all ages to build, rebuild and get excited by the process of creation.
I grew up learning the piano, and although I suspect I did’t achieve the same level of proficiency as any others, it was one of those activities that helped me through some of my formative years. I look forward to having a chance to build this set and review it. The visual aesthetic is fantastic: capturing the curves of a Grand Piano in a most elegant way. The use of the warm gold elements as the piano strings is fantastic, and the look of the dampers is consistent with what I recall the ‘guts ‘ of the real instrument to look like.
I think this set will strike a chord (sorry, not sorry) with some people, but at its price point, it will be a serious investment for those who buy it. It looks like one of the more intricate builds I have seen recently, and like the Retro NES Console, also arriving on the 1st of August, it uses a great combination of Technic and System elements, to produce a sizeable model to interact with.
Does this set strike the right note with you, or do you think that the 18+ Strategy is a bit out of tune? Why not leave your comments below, and until next time,
Play Well.
