The idea for the Victorian Light Piano came about from several separate routes. I had this idea for a circular piano after seeing fantasy instruments with keys arranged in circles, which seemed whimsical and impractical. I will not build something unfunctional, so I thought about how I could make it work and came up with the idea of building a piano with three octaves. Whichever key someone played would turn that set of twelve keys into the central focus, and the octave to the left would be lower-pitched, and the octave to the right would be higher-pitched. If someone ringed their finger around the keyboard counter-clockwise (moving left to right), they would play notes higher and higher until they reached the highest note MIDI 1.0 supports.
The aesthetic of this instrument came from an Asian supermarket that sold some inexpensive LED filament bulbs. I thought the circular piano would look amazing with strands of warm light coming from the keys, and it would be informative if I could light up the keys according to musical scales.
I tried sketching a key arrangement on paper, but it was too easy to get overwhelmed by the work required to draw 36 keys, whereas I could make the array quickly in CAD. The first drawing featured three octaves with keys sized and arranged similarly to those of modern pianos. The second attempt started with a circle divided into thirds, and I placed the rectangular keys around the rim. I added one key's width between the octaves because they were already spaced so far apart that they looked like Jack-o-lantern teeth.
The rest of the posts for this project have been arranged by date.
First time here?
Completed projects from year 1
Completed projects from year 2
Completed projects from year 3
Completed projects from year 4
Completed projects from year 5
Completed projects from year 6
Completed projects from year 7
Completed projects from year 8
Completed projects from year 9
Completed projects from year 10
Completed projects from year 11
Completed projects from year 12
Disclaimer for http://24hourengineer.blogspot.com and 24HourEngineer.com
This disclaimer must be intact and whole. This disclaimer must be included if a project is distributed.
All information on this blog, or linked by this blog, is not to be taken as advice or solicitation. Anyone attempting to replicate, in whole or in part, is responsible for the outcome and procedure. Any loss of functionality, money, property, or similar, is the responsibility of those involved in the replication.
All digital communication regarding the email address 24hourengineer@gmail.com becomes the intellectual property of Brian McEvoy. Any information contained within these messages may be distributed or retained at the discretion of Brian McEvoy. Any email sent to this address, or any email account owned by Brian McEvoy, cannot be used to claim property or assets.
Comments to the blog may be utilized or erased at the discretion of the owner. No one posting may claim property or assets based on their post.
This blog, including pictures and text, is copyright to Brian McEvoy.
2026-02-13
The aesthetic of this instrument came from an Asian supermarket that sold some inexpensive LED filament bulbs. I thought the circular piano would look amazing with strands of warm light coming from the keys, and it would be informative if I could light up the keys according to musical scales.
I tried sketching a key arrangement on paper, but it was too easy to get overwhelmed by the work required to draw 36 keys, whereas I could make the array quickly in CAD. The first drawing featured three octaves with keys sized and arranged similarly to those of modern pianos. The second attempt started with a circle divided into thirds, and I placed the rectangular keys around the rim. I added one key's width between the octaves because they were already spaced so far apart that they looked like Jack-o-lantern teeth.
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| Sketching the key layout |
The rest of the posts for this project have been arranged by date.
First time here?
Completed projects from year 1
Completed projects from year 2
Completed projects from year 3
Completed projects from year 4
Completed projects from year 5
Completed projects from year 6
Completed projects from year 7
Completed projects from year 8
Completed projects from year 9
Completed projects from year 10
Completed projects from year 11
Completed projects from year 12
Disclaimer for http://24hourengineer.blogspot.com and 24HourEngineer.com
This disclaimer must be intact and whole. This disclaimer must be included if a project is distributed.
All information on this blog, or linked by this blog, is not to be taken as advice or solicitation. Anyone attempting to replicate, in whole or in part, is responsible for the outcome and procedure. Any loss of functionality, money, property, or similar, is the responsibility of those involved in the replication.
All digital communication regarding the email address 24hourengineer@gmail.com becomes the intellectual property of Brian McEvoy. Any information contained within these messages may be distributed or retained at the discretion of Brian McEvoy. Any email sent to this address, or any email account owned by Brian McEvoy, cannot be used to claim property or assets.
Comments to the blog may be utilized or erased at the discretion of the owner. No one posting may claim property or assets based on their post.
This blog, including pictures and text, is copyright to Brian McEvoy.
2026-02-13
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