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1ON1 Piano

Categories: Commercial Software Products

Submitted by:Paul Titus Adams

24 May 2023

Elevator Pitch

1ON1 Piano

1on1 Piano is an app that sends MIDI, Video, and audio through a call, enabling users to play each other’s digital instrument with perfect sound.

Product Description

1ON1 Piano

1ON1 Piano is an app for iOS, Android, and Mac that combines MIDI, video, audio into a peer-to-peer call so that users can call each other and play each other's digital instrument in that call in real time. By streaming MIDI, 1ON1 Piano solves two major problems of online piano lessons: sound quality and latency. Because the sound is captured and produced by the digital instruments instead of the tiny mics and speakers of the devices, the sound quality is excellent, and because of the data efficiency of MIDI, latency is low enough that 1ON1 Piano users are able to play duets on most internet connections.

How It's Innovative

1ON1 Piano is innovative because it simplifies MIDI video calling, and makes it accessible to the major mobile platforms. 1ON1 Piano is a full-featured platform for teaching piano that includes the tools teachers need such as camera switching, annotation, screen sharing, screen capture, and document sharing, while naturally integrating MIDI calling. When onboarding, 1ON1 Piano asks questions to determine what piano users have and gives them links to cables that will help them connect, as well as videos showing how to connect, so that no technical background is needed to benefit from the MIDI calling technology. After users connect, it automatically reconnects, and using the MIDI calling becomes a natural part of the online lesson experience. The app is available in 175 countries, and runs on iPhones, iPads, Macs, Android phones, and android tablets, so almost anyone can use it.

See MIDI Innovation In Action

Most Inspiring Use Cases

The most inspiring use for 1ON1 Piano has been in the Pianos Without Borders program at the University of Kansas. This program, which allows students in an underserved part of Kansas City to study online with piano students at the University of Kansas, was my inspiration for creating an app that brought MIDI video calling technology to everyone. We still serve the Pianos Without Borders program with 1ON1 Piano, and we are inspired whenever someone uses 1ON1 Piano to teach a student across the world and is delighted by how good the sound is. You can read more about that program in this blog post: https://1on1piano.com/2022/04/19/how-1on1-piano-came-about-my-wow-moment-and-journey/

Expansion Plans

Since 1ON1 Piano connects easily to mobile devices, and streams MIDI data, there are many exciting opportunities for leveraging the technology, including but not limited to instant note feedback for learning music, gamification, augmented reality, group piano classroom control, remote light system and audio board control, music producer collaboration, and much more.

Commercialization

A subscription in 1ON1 Piano enables calls to be made and received. Only one of the two users needs a subscription, so typically teachers purchase a subscription and the student uses it for free. We sell our subscriptions through the in-app purchasing framework of the app stores where 1ON1 Piano is listed. We have future plans to provide sheet music and lesson material via in-app purchase, as well as enhanced features.