Known as the "king of pianos," the grand piano we see today has undergone several changes since its birth in the 1700s: the number of keys in its keyboard, the keyboard action, and even the use of a metal frame. The AvantGrand is a hybrid instrument that combines advanced digital technology with techniques honed by craftsmen over countless years of piano-making. This fusion has produced a new grand piano that takes innovation to a higher level - a grand piano for the 21st century. With this new design, the critical factor lay in which parts of the instrument's grand piano heritage to retain, and which parts to change. What not to change... We wanted to retain everything about the instrument that tells you that you are playing a grand piano. Not just the feel of the keyboard, but the textures and visual cues, in fact, everything about the interface that conveys this sensation. Vibration traveling to a pianist through the keyboard action, the keys, and the instrument body... the reflections of the keys and the player's fingers, mirrored in the keyboard lid... ｗe kept the large piano top too, wanting the pianist to retain that unique "ceremony" of opening the top of a grand piano before performing. The things we changed... We modified the S-shape of the grand piano body, retaining the elegance of its form while aiming for a compactness only possible with an electronic sound source. With the N2 in particular, we were able to offer the playability and refinement of a grand piano in an instrument with an extremely small footprint. Meanwhile, the design of the N3 exposes its four speakers, mounted under the piano top in a beautiful wood cabinet. The instrument also has a stunning finish, like the bell of a finely-crafted wind instrument. This seemingly novel approach was actually in line with our more traditional objective - to openly display the mechanisms used for creating sound and continue the tradition of functional beauty inherited from the original grand piano.