Yamaha celebrates Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with concert showcasing AI-assisted piano performances by disabled

Yamaha has celebrated the upcoming 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9., one of the most significant pieces of classic music, with a concert named “Anyone’s No. 9”. The key highlights of this concert were center stage performances by disabled pianists on AI-assisted Disklavier pianos.

Many pianos have the ability to play accompaniments where the pianist plays a portion of the notes in a score while the piano plays the rest. However, these pianos do not dynamically adjust the speed, intensity, or other aspects of the accompaniments to match the intention of the pianist. Also, mind-reading AI technology has not yet reached the point where it can reliably interpret the notes a disabled pianist wants to play.

The Disklavier showcased in this concert has been upgraded with a system that not only plays notes while utilizing the pedals, but also tracks the performance of each disabled performer. The piano can follow the unique timing and keys pressed to dynamically adjust its accompaniment to match the intention of the pianist. Additionally, performers feel the sensation of an unimpeded performance due to ultra-low delay processing. Although the AI-powered Disklavier is still under development, most beginners can learn at home with a digital piano (like this one at Amazon).

“Anyone’s No. 9” was held at the Suntory Hall Blue Rose in Tokyo, Japan on December 12, 2023. The pianists were Hiroko Higashino, who has a missing finger, Yurina Furukawa, who was born with the muscle disease congenital myopathy, and Kiwa Usami, lives with cerebral palsy. The Yokohama Sinfonietta orchestra and The Philharmonic Chorus of Tokyo were directed by Satoshi Yoneda.