16 November 2012

"Piano juggler" - updated


Interesting skills (once you get beyond that mask he wears as a hat).

Addendum:  Note there is also an element of fakery, in that the"keyboard" doesn't really have any keys, as explained in a New York Times article in 2007 :
All he’s doing is triggering a pre-programmed MIDI sequence. If you look closely, you’ll see that the keyboard doesn’t even have individual keys—only lines painted on a broad touch panel.

In other words, it doesn’t make any difference what keys his balls hit; each ball strike triggers the next note in the pre-written MIDI file. All the juggler has to do is worry about the rhythm; the rest is automated.
Double hat tip to reader Mark for noticing the deception and finding the NYT link.

7 comments:

  1. It's fake. Look at the first 3 notes. He plays high-low-medium, but the sound is medium-low-high.

    Perhaps the key board is just one big touch sensor that plays the next note in a sequence of prearranged notes.

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  2. Also, let's say the first note he hits is "E" and it plays "E" (I don't know, I don't have perfect pitch). That first note is memorable and you can tell that the same "E" note comes out all over the piano, and not when he hits the "E" key.

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  3. I know what he's doing....and the above posters are correct. I'm only "half-impressed:. It's a triggered sequence! Still impressive, but not what it appears to be.

    ;)



    ReplyDelete
  4. Here's an article about the trick , from 2007

    http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/too-good-to-be-real/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a worthwhile addition, so I've amended the post. Thanks, Mark.

      Delete
  5. Videos on his website show clips that have the balls nowhere near the notes being played, as in wrong side of the keyboard.

    But the first time you see this trick, it blows you away!

    ReplyDelete

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