The Loog Piano is a portable, simplified digital piano for beginners
The unique-looking piano also comes with handy flashcards that teach the basics of piano playing.
Image supplied by Loog
Loog, a brand that specialises in creating small and simplified instruments for young musicians, has launched a digital piano, the Loog Piano, on Kickstarter.
Sporting a stripped-back, colourful design that’s supposed to be both easy to learn on and inviting to play, the Loog Piano acts as a portable solution for new piano players of all ages, says the brand.
The Loog Piano has full-sized velocity-sensitive keys, built-in speakers, a built-in rechargeable battery. It also has a keen focus on making learning the piano accessible and enjoyable by teaching beginners to play via handy flashcards.
In terms of design, the Loog Piano has certainly got a quirky look and feel to it compared to conventional pianos. It’s a small, compact unit and features a bright red fabric top, wooden volume knob, and responsibly sourced wood for the case.
When it comes to sound quality, the example video doesn’t fully reflect this due to it being captured via the camera’s mic. What we do know, however, is that there is just one style of sound available – Piano – and it has been achieved through sampling and modelling, focusing on “attack, decay, and air in between notes.”
According to Loog, the Loog Piano also has “piano dynamics” to replicate soft and loud piano sounds. It is, however, missing a sustain pedal input.
Someone who doesn’t need the Loog piano to learn how to play the instrument for the first time is Jordan Rudess. MusicTech were able to sit down with the keyboard and piano player as part of our My Forever Studio podcast in April.
In it, he tells listeners about a ‘Brian Eno trick’ he and Tony Visconti implemented when playing the piano part for David Bowie’s track, Slip Away. This involves using two pianos, one upright and one baby grand, placed close together. The sustain pedal on the upright piano is taped down, and the mics are positioned against the open upright piano to capture its resonance while playing the baby grand, creating a unique sound layer. This technique was used by David Bowie and Tony Visconti during a recording session.
The Loog Piano is priced at $229 for early bird backers on Kickstarter. The retail price is $300.
