Two routes — the same piano
A self-playing piano — also called a player piano — is simply an ordinary acoustic piano fitted with a system that plays it on its own. There are two main routes to one — and whichever you choose, the piano still plays completely normally by hand, and self-plays, in exactly the same way. There's no difference there. For the basics, see what is a self-playing piano?
The good news: you don't have to walk into the first shop and buy a ready-made self-playing piano on the spot. It's worth thinking first about what you actually want, and shaping your choice around your needs. I'm not here to tell you to buy one thing or another — only to suggest a few things worth weighing up before you decide.
Two kinds of system
Some makers fit only their own system, in their own pianos — for example Yamaha with the Disklavier (today the Disklavier ENSPIRE), or Steinway with the Spirio. Bösendorfer, now part of Yamaha, uses the Disklavier system too. They develop these in-house and use nothing else. Other makers and workshops use retrofit systems — such as QRS PNOmation, Pianoforce and PianoDisc — which aren't tied to a single brand and can be fitted into many different instruments.
Ready-made (factory-built)
A piano sold complete with the maker's own system, ready to take home.
In its favour: ready now, sold together with the brand, available immediately.
Worth knowing: you take what's on offer, so the instrument can't be tailored in every respect — brand, size, features, custom content. The system stays with that one piano; it can't be removed and moved to another. Servicing takes more arranging, as factory systems are maintained by the maker's own trained specialists. And a ready-made self-playing piano generally costs more than the same idea built with a retrofit kit.
Retrofit kit
A system fitted into a new or used piano — or upright — of your choice.
In its favour: it goes into almost any instrument, so you choose the brand, size, colour, shape and class. A wide range of features is available and, most importantly, the music and video content can be personalised, with bespoke pieces made just for you. It's more economical, too: the system can be removed and refitted into another piano later, so you can move it, resell it or pass it on. The end result (instrument + system) usually costs less than a ready-made one, because the choice of piano is yours — used, budget-friendly, or a world-famous brand.
Worth knowing: it isn't instant, the way a shop purchase is. The system has to be prepared, and if you don't already have a piano, one needs to be sourced. If you already have the instrument, the fitting itself takes around 4–5 days.
How to choose
If you're looking at a ready-made instrument, it's relatively straightforward: read the maker's published features, compare prices, and see which models offer the system. One thing I'd watch for — whether there's a properly trained specialist in your area, authorised to maintain the system, and genuinely skilled at it in practice, not only in theory.
If you're considering a retrofit kit, look at how much music content is included, what extra features are offered, and whether bespoke content can be produced — and check all of this from credible sources. One more thing many people underestimate: the expertise behind the seller. Do they have their own specialist, or do they call in an outside person for each job? For future servicing, maintenance and advice it makes a real difference whether you have someone to turn to, or have to keep searching each time — and since this is a craft that demands a high level of skill, who you deal with matters.
Whichever retrofit route suits you, I'm happy to fit it. The one I usually recommend, though, is QRS — it offers the largest music library, can be set up with great precision, comes with a wide choice of add-ons, and lets me create bespoke content made just for you. And I install it into any piano, anywhere in the world.
See exactly how it works, or start by choosing an instrument.