Roland has been trying to find the digital piano of the future

A grand design?
A grand design?

Roland has done a pretty good job of designing its own digital pianos down the years, but in 2015, it set others the challenge of coming up with a blueprint for the future by way of the Roland Digital Piano Design Awards.

Collaborating with "the planet's most forward-thinking designers and artists," the company sought to find "a digital piano concept that breaks with tradition and creates a new style and sensibility for the instrument."

The winning designs can now be viewed on the Roland Digital Piano Design Awards website, and are as outlandish as you might expect them to be. The grand prize was awarded to the Facet Grand Piano (pictured above), which houses all of its speakers within the base sound chamber and comes with a built-in touchscreen.

We're not totally convinced that we'll soon be seeing this particular design on stages and in studios, but it's certainly different.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.