ROLI Piano Learning System review: A whole new way to learn keyboard and pianoHardware bundle (Piano and Airwave): £678
Ongoing subscription for lessons on app: £14.99 / month, or £8.33 / month if billed annually
roli.com
In 2021, ROLI started to focus on music learning, while also developing new versions of its advanced Seaboard instruments at the same time. Now the company has released a series of products again centred around learning piano, but this time with a slightly different angle. The Piano Learning System consists of three elements; a keyboard, the company’s Airwave device and an iPad app, all of which work together. It’s not the only piano learning system on the market but it is the only one with an advanced camera system and AI assistant combo. The question is, does all this tech justify the price?]

READ MORE: ROLI on the Seaboard BLOCK M: “MPE has become accepted in many producer’s workflows — MIDI 2.0 will be another big step forward”

Let’s get it out of the way. There is a steep upfront cost involved with this system. We’ll assess its potential value later but here’s what your outlay gets you. The ROLI Piano and Airwave —available in a bundle deal for £678— are both required to get the best from the Learn app (although it does work in a more limited way with just Piano). A third-party MIDI keyboard won’t work, though using the Airwave separately as a MIDI controller does support any keyboard. The app runs on a USB-C iPad or Android tablet, so you’ll need to supply that too.
ROLI is offering the hardware bundle for £678. Crucially, access to the actual in-app lessons beyond the very first one is not included, so there’s a rolling cost of £14.99 per month or £8.33 per month if billed annually. Honestly, there’s little point in buying the system if you’re not going to also have the lessons.
Image: Press
Returning to the practicality for a moment, there is some setup involved in registering the hardware and plugging it all together. The Airwave acts as stand for the tablet which connects to the Airwave over USB-C for data and power, while the Airwave plugs into the mains via its bundled 65W external power supply. The Piano connects to the Airwave through a proprietary magnetic connector and powers and charges its internal battery that way. The Airwave also has a dongle for a sustain pedal input (though no pedal is supplied) and a 3.5 mm headphone output, acting as an audio interface for playing while listening on wired headphones. Otherwise of course, sound is output by your iPad’s speakers.
The software side of the setup is smooth, with easy-to-follow questions about your skill level and prompts to connect everything at specific times. The camera system in the Airwave needs you to calibrate it on first use but this is quick and easy and simply involves moving your hands around over the keyboard. 3D visual representations of your hands appear in the app as they move, with no noticeable lag at all. The system is extremely snappy and responsive running on my M1-powered iPad Pro.
If you tell the app you are an absolute beginner it starts you off with basic instructions and lessons. The reason ROLI’s Piano is required to use the Learn app is that they both use a colour co-ordination system to show you which notes to play and when. That’s a bit of a simplification – actually there’s a very clever and dynamic interplay between the backlit keys and the scrolling note display on the tablet, again with no latency.
Image: Press
The cameras watch your hands and the onscreen graphics guide you as to where to place your fingers while also telling you note names to reinforce learning of these basic ideas. If it senses you are unsure or making a wrong choice, the app generates ‘strings’ to show you which direction you should be moving your fingers. The scrolling display will also adjust its speed to account for your level of confidence, slowing down if you are less sure and speeding up as you do. Additionally, the company’s AI Music Coach (currently in beta) can, if you like, ask about which kinds of music you’d like to learn and then call up specific lessons, offering positive feedback when you play well.
Once you start to progress, the app provides access to video lessons from tutors, more advanced tutorial projects and theory as well as a more conventional stave-based view when you’re ready to move on from the Star Wars-style scrolling note view. ROLI says that the system uses machine learning to adapt to your personal playing style and the app lets you slow down and loop sections until you’ve nailed them, undertake challenges and the like. More lessons and content will be added over time via the app.
What this product does, it does well. The camera system is extremely accurate and integrates seamlessly with the app. While apps like Simply Piano listen to your playing via a phone mic, this one has far deeper insight into what you are doing thanks to the bespoke hardware and software. In terms of costs, ROLI’s website makes some (necessarily) broad brush comparisons with in-person piano lessons, citing a theoretical cost of £2,740 for a year of lessons at £45 a time versus £778 for ROLI’s gear and a one-year membership.
As someone who had years of lessons as a child (going on to become a professional pianist) and now uses technology all the time, I have a few thoughts on this. As a learner would I have preferred a technological teacher like this had it existed at the time? Probably yes. No travel, no waiting. But as an adult looking back, did having human teachers and a real physical piano add value that goes beyond the simple comparison of costs? I would say that it did.
Image: Press
In an era when we all have more screen time than we probably should, you might ask if another screen-based pursuit is a good idea. On the other hand, this system is absolutely more convenient and in the long run, less costly than in-person lessons, even if the upfront cost is significant. On a practical level there will come a time when your skills outgrow the 49 keys available here and at present that’s the limit for the Learn system, even though the Piano does have octave shift controls. It should also come with a sustain pedal for the price, as that’s another component that no serious player could be without, and a core part of learning expressive playing skills.
The Piano Learning System is an intriguing product—or trio of products —that takes a new approach to learning keyboard skills, theory and playing. It won’t be for everyone— there is still much to be said for human interaction— but it’s certainly more convenient than driving to lessons and back every week. And it does give you a (49-key) piano to practise on at home.
It feels like ROLI should include more software lessons to give users a more extensive taster. A few extra lessons or an introductory week before charging, for example. This is something the company could implement fairly easily, so I hope they’d consider it. One final thought is that the Piano and Airwave also work as controllers outside of the Learn app, so as your skills develop you will be able to use them for other musical endeavours too.
Image: Press
Key features

Airwave camera system for hand tracking
Learn app running on USB-C iPad or Android tablet
Piano with 49 full-size backlit keys, with full spectrum colour
USB-C format power and data, Airwave is mains powered
Keyboard has polyphonic aftertouch, pitch bend, octave shift, 6 hour battery
Airwave has headphone output and pedal input
Airwave is a class compliant audio and MIDI interface
Magnetic connector between Piano and Airwave
Virtual lessons and video tutorials via app
AI-based assistant in-app

The post ROLI Piano Learning System review: A whole new way to learn keyboard and piano appeared first on MusicTech.