Siri Plays the Grand Piano (No Hacking Required)

Siri can certainly do some impressive things, from scheduling appointments to starting cars, but the folks at Yamaha have produced possibly the most incredible Siri feat so far: playing the Grand Piano.

This awesome display requires no hacking whatsoever, and relies on converting a MIDI to an audio file, and using a combination of an AirPort Express and a Yamaha Disklavier. The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple explains:

Take a standard MIDI songfile and convert it to an audio file (while maintaining the MIDI data). The songfile is then sent wirelessly via WiFi to an Apple Airport Express (which is mounted underneath a Yamaha Disklavier reproducing piano. The audio output of the Airport Express is then connected to the analog MIDI inputs of the Disklavier, using a standard audio cable.

Then, you simply ask Siri to play your favorite song from your iTunes library, and Siri responds immediately, by making the Disklavier’s keys and pedal move up and down, recreating the performance, including full orchestration.

Pretty awesome stuff, really. Check out the below video to see it in action:

J. Glenn Künzler

Glenn is Managing Editor at MacTrast, and has been using a Mac since he bought his first MacBook Pro in 2006. He lives in a small town in Utah, enjoys bacon more than you can possibly imagine, and is severely addicted to pie.