On a recent rainy afternoon in Edina, Mark Mueller sits down to a Steinway piano at Schmitt Music, a 123-year-old, five-generation family business. Mark has been playing and selling Steinway pianos for over 30 years.
It’s an ordinary day, but Mark happens to be playing an extraordinary piano. Steinways are considered the creme de la creme of concert pianos. Few stores can even sell them; Steinway and Sons has to actually appoint dealers. Schmitt Music has long been a dealer. They do well as a dealer, too; Schmitt Music has even been designated Dealer of the Year in the past.
This particular piano that Mark is playing—the Spirio—represents a new invention that is reinvigorating the industry. In the last 15 to 20 years, the piano business has struggled, says Greg Mack, director of marketing for Schmitt Music. The economy plays a role in that. But largely, in today’s culture of instant gratification and digital everything, people in the United States aren’t as willing to become a disciplined piano student. It takes time and effort to develop the skill, even when someone is naturally talented.
The Steinway Spirio R is exactly the technology to get all generations excited about learning piano, as it blends digital innovation with the classical instrument that generations of people have been enjoying. Thanks to a computer processor that connects to an iPad, the piano can play itself. A music enthusiast can play videos of famous classical musicians on the iPad and then suddenly the piano begins playing as though a ghost is tapping the keys exactly as the music was originally recorded. The same thing happens when a person records a song they played; they can play it back on the iPad, and then the piano begins playing live.
This technology speaks to everyone from piano virtuosos to hobbyists to people who love music and want to use it as an entertainment tool in their home or business.
“Things like this make (the piano) more fun and interesting,” Mark says.
The Steinway Spirio—which comes in a variety of models—is an investment, starting at about $100,000. But it’s a highly specialized piece that has only been available to the public in the last five years, Mark says. It’s been in development for about 10 years. With 12,000 parts, the company only makes a few thousand pianos a year for distribution across the world. Each one takes nearly a year to make.
Greg and Mark are excited about what’s ahead for the piano industry. Even as the business ebbs and flows with the economy and with the digital era we’re in, music is a timeless language. From Beethoven to Billy Joel to Lady Gaga and beyond, music doesn’t discriminate who it speaks to. This art connects people regardless of age, race, culture, ethnicity or ability level. And, Greg points out, it is scientifically proven to help all ages function as well as they can.
“It’s really a human thing,” Mark says.
For more information on the Spirio, please visit SchmittMusic.com/LakesOffer.