Meet Stanley. Stanley is the world's first interactive player piano and a 21st century take on the popular player pianos that came about in the 1920s. Debuting today at Seattle's 'Capitol Hill Block Party' (running July 20 - July 22), Stanley takes song requests via Twitter (@stanleypiano) and plays them live at the festival. Stanley is an avid lover of indie music and has learned a song from each of the 100+ bands playing at the 'Block Party' this weekend. If he doesn't know a song, he will learn it. Pretty cool stuff, we think.
Introducing Stanley from DIGITAL KITCHEN on Vimeo.
When users tweet their song requests to Stanley, "Stanford," a custom moderation tool filters the requests and adds them to a song queue. Then a pre-made 'MIDI' file of Stanley's rendition is loaded and a USB MIDI interface sends the note information to Stanley's hardware controller. Each note triggers an electronic solenoid valve which allows Stanley to play a key.
Stanley was created by Seattle creative agency, Digital Kitchen, to "honor the independent maker spirit of the Capitol Hill neighborhood and provide a window into the talented musicians playing at the Block Party."
For now, Stanley's main gig is at this weekend's 'Capitol Hill Block Party' but Stanley's makers are hoping for a world tour in the near future.
Strike up a conversation with Stanley or request a song from anywhere in the world and watch him play live here all weekend.