Roland GP609 (Polish Ebony)

Roland GP609 | Digital Grand

The Roland GP609 is a visually stunning, full-size digital grand piano with Roland’s groundbreaking piano modeling and natural-feeling progressive hammer-action keyboardA grand piano in the home is the hallmark of luxury and personal accomplishment, known to a select few who have both the 6-figure investment, the space, and the desire to maintain a living museum piece with over 12,000 moving parts. But mostly, a grand piano lets you transcend the mundane and immerse yourself in the genius of the world’s greatest composers. A seamless fusion of classic craftsmanship and advanced digital technology, the Roland GP609 offers the same visual gravitas as an acoustic grand piano, requires no maintenance, and opens up an entire world creative possibilities that go far beyond the traditional piano—with expression and feel that’s eminently satisfying to both amateur and accomplished pianists alike.

Roland GP609 Digital Grand—Key Features

Roland’s SuperNATURAL sound engine and PHA-50 keyboard

No stranger to innovation, starting with being the first to offer the ability to bend audio with VariPhrase technology in 2,000 and the world’s first touch- sensitive electronic piano in 1974, Roland has been racking up the firsts ever since. The latest being their SuperNATURAL Piano Modeling technology, which offers unlimited polyphony and supremely realistic piano sound brought to life by the expressive touch of the PHA-50 keyboard. The combination of these advances provide a playing experience that will satisfy all, from beginner to accomplished pianist.

Unlike sample-based digital pianos, Roland’s SuperNATURAL Piano Modeling technology replicates the entire sound creation process of an acoustic piano— including the combination of notes played, their resonance, and the interaction between myriad elements—for a rich, complex sound that responds to your touch. Perfectly matched to the sound engine, the new PHA-50 keyboard features hybrid construction with wood and ivory-feel materials, plus an integrated pin in each key for stability. This provides truly authentic playability and consistent feel that’s impervious to normal temperature and humidity changes, eliminating a costly maintenance issue that’s common with traditional piano keys.

The SuperNATURAL modeling engine not only gives you realistic expression, you can easily adjust the sound of the GP609 at the touch of a button. For example, you can select a bright sound for modern musical styles, such as jazz or pop, or a darker sound that’s associated with music of the classical and romantic eras. But it doesn’t stop there. Along with master tuning, ambience effects and 10 selectable temperaments, you can adjust key-off, hammer, and

damper noise; various types of resonance including cabinet, damper, full-scale string, and key-off; and single note tuning, volume, and character.

To an experienced pianist, the sound of ordinary digital pianos falls short, since their sound comprises perhaps three layers of samples that respond at preset velocities, whereas the sound of an acoustic piano string responds continuously to touch with timbre changes. There are myriad resonances and physical interactions that comprise acoustic piano sound, including the sound of the hammer as it strikes the string, the resonance of the string, soundboard, cabinet, and so forth. Roland’s SuperNATURAL Piano Modeling technology recreates all these components, so for the first time, a digital piano truly sounds and behaves like an acoustic instrument.

Tantamount to tone is the weight and feel of the keys and how they respond to touch. For example, George Gershwin’s fingers were like heavy little hammers themselves, so Steinway built
the keyboard on his white grand piano with a much stiffer action taht would exhaust the average player. Rather than try to deal with the “one feel fits all” approach of standard digital keyboards, the GP609 has 100 types of key touch plus you can adjust key-off, hammer, and damper noise; various types of resonance including cabinet, damper, full-scale string, key- off; character; and more.  The keys themselves, recreate the look and feel of real ebony and ivory, complete with moisture-absorbing properties that ensure your fingers won’t slide off. But while each key has sophisticated wooden sides, the internal frame is made from modern molded materials, connected to high-resolution sensors that will endure for years to come. The benefit is not only authentic playability, but also a consistent feel during temperature and humidity changes, saving you the maintenance costs associated with a traditional keyboard.

Roland’s Progressive Damper Action pedal mechanism

For the greatest expressivity and nuanced performance, the GP609 features

damper, soft, and sostenuto pedals capable of continuous detection (as opposed to simple on/off).  Just as you’d expect from an acoustic piano, when you start to depress the damper pedal, it offers lighter resistance, but as you depress it further, the resistance increases. Meanwhile, when a musical piece demands a lighter touch, you’ll also benefit from the more accurate “half-pedaling” response, with the depth of the damper pedal allowing subtle control of tone decay .

The ultimate synthesis of old-world craftsmanship and the cutting-edge of modeling technology and sound reproduction, the GP609 provides the optics of an elegant and expensive piece of finely crafted furniture. It’s compact grand piano cabinet saves space, while light weight makes it easy to move, plus, its internal electronics are maintenance-free. Available in two premium finishes; polished ebony or polished white, you can start playing by simply opening the lid and hitting the keys.

Visually stunning with the attention to detail a connoisseur would appreciate, the GP609 is truly a high-end instrument that will complement and enhance any environment. The polished ebony and white finishes and light brown soundboard further enhance its premium look. Even the fallboard of the GP609’s reflects your hands as y play. Completing its elegant look is the understated front panel— inviting, clear, and easy to use.

An acoustic grand piano can weigh between 500 and 1,200 pounds. Just the physical logistics of getting a baby grand or full grand piano into your home or apartment requires a qualified moving crew-and once its in place, that’s where it stays. While still providing the unmistakable aesthetic of a grand piano, the GP609, on the other hand, is light- weight (325 lb. 5 oz./148 kg) and compact (59-1/8″ / 1,501 mm. It’s nearly half to one-fourth the weight of an acoustic grand piano and much easier to install or move.

The convenience of casters

Its combination of light weight, relative to an acoustic grand, and built-in casters mean you don’t need to hire a team of specialists to help you move the piano. When mood to redecorate strikes, you can find the perfect position on your own—and its space-saving footprint means you can experience the joys of a grand piano even where space is at a premium—whether at home or at a venue.

A traditional acoustic grand has the projection to fill a concert hall with commanding tone, and because acoustic wave-fronts travel 360-degrees, the piano immerses you in sound. A common digital piano tends to have small stereo speakers that are incapable of creating the same effect. However, thanks to a built-in sound system whose specially designed multi-channel audio technology, the GP609 delivers an enveloping spatial sound that appears to come from the very heart of the instrument. Whether you’re playing at home or in larger venues—from restaurants to hotel lounges—you can rely on the GP609 for a powerful, expressive and controllable sound that fills any space.

3-Dimensional Soundstage With Level Control

To give you a musically inspiring experience and room-filling larger- than-life sound, the GP609 features an onboard 6.1 channel multi- speaker system comprising six speakers and a woofer. It’s designed to produce optimal sound projection and recreate the multi-dimensional power of a traditional grand piano, from rich bass to sparkling high-end, all with immersive spatial sound fields. But whereas acoustic pianists struggle with volume issues, the GP609 offers dedicated volume control, making it flexible for any venue or playing scenario.

360-Degree Acoustic Projection

To replicate the immersive effect of an acoustic wave-front, Roland’s Acoustic Projection system functions like a multi- channel surround sound system. To produce the rich, dimensional soundstage and minute detail you would expect from a grand piano, each speaker in the GP609 plays a specific role in crafting its overall sound. Powerful cabinet speakers produce the expansive main piano sound in both upward and downward directions, while spatial speakers on either side reproduce the resonance of the piano’s frame to expand the left/right sound fields. The nearfield speakers project the more noticeable sounds including dramatic, dynamic overtones and even the noise of the hammers as they hit the piano strings.

While the GP609 uses a sophisticated sound system to replicate the acoustic response of a grand, its digital technology allows it to go one step further—the ability to use headphones for silent practice. And speaking of the immersive qualities of acoustic sound, Roland felt that you shouldn’t have to give that up for the sake of not disturbing the family or neighbors. Roland pianos use Headphones 3D Ambience to optimize the audio so it sounds like it’s coming
from within the piano itself and not through your headphones, giving you
a completely immersive playing experience. Using either 1/4″ or 1/8″
mini jack input, just plug in your headphones and lose yourself in the music— any time of the day or night.

Bluetooth functionality enables the GP609 to replace your hi-fi by wirelessly connecting to your tablet or smartphone and playing songs and playlists through its speaker system. If you’re in the mood to be entertained without having to work for it, the GP609 becomes the ultimate player piano via Roland’s free Piano Partner 2, a dedicated app for Apple Watch that lets you control the GP609’s internal song library remotely from the comfort of your sofa.

Along with audio and MIDI playback from USB memory, the GP609’s integrated Bluetooth MIDI functionality lets you wirelessly connect to apps, such as Roland’s Piano Partner 2, and also access digital sheet music, song libraries, and more. The Roland GP609 makes practice a pleasure, not a chore, ensuring that you’ll stay motivated and your piano skills will constantly improve.

Piano Partner 2 Practice App

Roland’s Piano Partner 2 app is a fun, interactive way to learn and enjoy music on your GP609. See the piano’s internal music scores on your smartphone or tablet screen, improve your skills with music exercises, and check your daily progress as you practice. Just connect your device and GP609 wirelessly via Bluetooth, or USB cable. Available for free from the App Store or Google Play.

A Virtual Orchestra At Your Finger Tips

To keep you engaged and inspired, the GP609 goes far beyond its stunning piano sounds, giving you 363 musically useful sounds, with an extensive selection of non-piano instrument types includingstrings, brass, organ, percussion, and many others—putting a virtual orchestra at your
command. These sounds enable you to play a wide variety of music genres, motivating you to reach greater heights. For versatile performance capability,
you can split different sounds across the keyboard, such as double bass in the left and organ in the right. You can also layer sounds as well. For example, pressing a single key to play a piano note with a string sound layered on top. Not just a wide vocabulary of sounds, the GP609 also features a 363-song library along with playback and recording of MIDI files and 16-bit/44.1kHz .wav files.

Improve your technique with onboard educational features

For Home Or Commercial Use

The majesty of a grand piano provides an atmosphere of classic elegance and sophistication to any interior, whether at home, restaurant, or other venue that caters to a discerning clientele. Of course, owning an acoustic grand piano is not all sunshine and unicorns. There are problems to be dealt with— expensive problems. For example, with over 12,000 parts and 30 tons of pressure across its soundboard, the susceptibility of strings, wood, and moving parts to humidity and temperature change (not to mention the possible pounding on they keys by children of all ages), means that it will require expensive maintenance and regular tuning by a certified technician. Additionally, an acoustic grand can weigh between 500 and 1,200 pounds. In order to move one, it will require a qualified moving crew to ensure that no cracks in the soundboard or legs will occur. The Roland GP609 avoids these issues thanks to the advantages of lighter weight and maintenance-free digital electronics. The Roland GP609 makes it easy to enjoy a grand piano at a venue or at home without added expense or aggravation—just pure pianistic pleasure.