You can now learn to play the piano in a fun and game-like fashion through Lumi, an instrument made by London-based startup Roli.
Learning to play instruments, such as the piano, is a hobby that can be both rewarding and satisfying. However, not everyone has the money or time to spend on instruments or enroll in tutorial lessons to learn to play them. For students, while they have the opportunity to learn music in school, many of such education programs have already been retired over the years, making the possibility of learning to play these instruments for free very rare at present times. Today, that option may be available once again with help from Lumi, an illuminated keyboard and app that teaches you to play piano in a fun and game-like fashion.
We reviewed the Lumi system, an illuminated keyboard that pairs with a helpful app to teach you how to play piano from the comfort of your own home. #lumikeys #lumibyroli https://t.co/Vq1UHTyqJZ pic.twitter.com/wp5qyuV61u — AppleInsider (@appleinsider) November 8, 2020
Made by London-based startup Roli, Lumi lets you play nice tunes and learn how to properly play them as you go. The interactive keyboard is a colorful and sound-sensitive piano with keys that lights up in a colorful display to guide and help you learn piano in a fun and game-like fashion. While Lumi is only 11 inches in length, you can link it with one or two more Lumis to add more octaves to your music learning set. The package also comes with an iPad app that contains hundreds of different piano pieces.
The entire package sells for $249, a bit pricey for some but can become priceless as what you will be learning can translate into hundreds of dollars more, or perhaps even a thousand, in tutorial lessons. To help increase interest in the product, Roli launched a Kickstarter campaign and also offered early-bird discounts for those who wanted to purchase Lumi and learn piano in a fun and game-like fashion. According to Roli, its Kickstarter campaign easily pierced through its modest £100,000 goal after only a short while. The startup company also reported that some of its smaller-tier pledges are now sold out.
Aside from Lumi which allows you to learn piano in a fun and game-like fashion, Roli also produced two other products in the past, both of which also focus on music-making. One of these is the Seaboard, which Roli described during its launch as a new instrument. It has the form factor of a common keyboard, with squishy keys that allow the player to bend the notes to produce other effects along with electronic percussive tapping.
Roli also made a product called Blocks, which are small and modular light boards that use colored lights to help you play and create new and unique sounds, as well as beats when tapping its surface. You can then mix these sounds together, producing an unearthly and pleasant sound. Just like the Seaboard, Blocks also has a squidgy surface. While both of these instruments are interesting, they are aimed at those who already know how to play the piano or other types of instruments. With Lumi, Roli allows you to learn the piano in a fun and game-like fashion. Lumi may be a step back from the goal of Roli in breaking new musical grounds, but it is also a step ahead in terms of teaching those who want to learn piano efficiently.
