Coolest Lego Set Ever? The Story Behind The 3,662-Piece Grand Piano

Designed by a hobbyist and boosted by thousands of online votes from fans, Lego’s new Grand Piano might just be the brand’s classiest construction set ever.

With 25 working keys and real hammer action, unique parts and the ability to play music via the Lego Powered Up app, the made-for-grownups building project is 3,662 pieces of brick-clicking virtuosity. The set retails for $349.99.

Part of the Lego Ideas collection that gives fans a chance to submit their concepts to Lego designers (and share in the profits), the piano is the follow up to fan-inspired builds such as the Lego Ideas Friends Central Perk and Lego Ideas Pirated of Barracuda Bay.

Lego enthusiast and pianist Donny Chen thought up the piano, and the finished design features a music sheet that Chen composed.

More of an art piece than a mere “toy,” the piano measures just over 8.5 inches high, 12 inches wide and 13.5 inches deep when closed. Our Lego box arrived on a Wednesday afternoon and by Thursday evening — after a manic late-night construction party — the magnificent instrument was done (thank you, 17-year-old son).

I wanted to learn more about the piano so I connected with the Lego designer Woon Tze Chee at Lego headquarters in Billund, Denmark, for the inside account of a Lego set worth of a standing O. Woon led the project for the brand and brought the piano to the world stage.

What’s the origin story behind the Lego Grand Piano? How long was the idea percolating and how long did it take to create? 

Woon Tze Chee: The Lego Grand Piano was originally a fan submission on the Lego Ideas Platform by Donny Chen and received 10,000 votes. We decided to turn it into an official Lego product because of all the amazing functions that were included in the model, we felt that it really pushes the boundary of what Lego bricks can do. Our entire product development process usually takes about one to two years from the initial sketch model to having a final product in stores.

Are you a piano player?

Woon Tze Chee: I do not play piano myself but my wife plays and teaches it. She was my inspiration and model for this. I saw it as a great opportunity to bring both our passions for music and Lego together. When designing the model I looked into different brands of pianos and ended up mixing some of the more common aesthetic features into the final product. We also wanted to preserve what the fans voted for, so even though we had to rebuild the model to our product quality and standards, we strived to keep the overall shape and size of the original submission.

What was your biggest challenge in creating this? 

Woon Tze Chee: This is by far the most complex and challenging model I have worked on as there are many moving parts inter-dependent on one another. Having to make sure all of these parts work correctly and consistently every time is a real challenge, even more so when you are building them out of Lego bricks. I am very happy that in the end we managed to replicate most of the actual piano functions into a relatively small model. Building a strong and sturdy casing is also a great challenge as the entire piano is elevated only to be supported by three wheels. Every part of this build is so compact, every measurement so precise, that when one part is adjusted or changed, it causes a ripple effect or a chain reaction to the entire model.

Woon Tze Chee: I am particularly happy with the piano action in the model, which comprises each key, hammer and damper. Instead of holding the key through a technic cross axle, our design balances it on a cone element, allowing it to pivot like a seesaw just like a real piano key. Despite the fact that this entire action will be hidden in the piano most of the time, we still wanted to make it as authentic as possible. We wanted to include all these details, from the colors of the key to the small lip that you would normally find in a real piano key.

Amazing. How did you figure out which Lego pieces to use? Is it all computer generated modeling? Or do you render the finished piano and reverse engineer with pieces? 

Woon Tze Chee: I always try to use the most suitable element depending on the look or function I am trying to achieve. Having some years of working with the bricks helps generate a good mental library, otherwise I will go to our physical element stock area or browse them digitally.

I work both physically as well as with digital tools since each method has different advantages. Physical building allows me to test the model stability and functionality, while working digitally allows me to better shape the model as I am able to place pieces where I would like them to be and fill in the rest. For the Lego Grand Piano most work was physical as there are so many functions in the model, and stability is crucial.

How many one-of-a-kind pieces did you create for the piano?

Woon Tze Chee: There are two exclusive elements in this set, designed by graphic designer Crystal Marie Fontan. For the brand of the piano, we used a vintage Lego logo printed in gold and placed on the inner side of the fall board. We actually needed to seek approval in order to do that. The second element is the exclusive music sheet featuring a song composed by Donny titled “Playday.” It is the same music that he used in his LEGO Ideas submission video. 

How are techniques different from “MOC” (My Own Creations) and official Lego builds? 

Woon Tze Chee: I am a fan myself so I do build MOC during my free time. When building a MOC, I don’t have to worry about how others are going to build it, or if it can be played with multiple times. I mainly need to focus on making it the way I want it to look, and could use building techniques that wouldn’t necessarily hold up with rough handling. 

When designing a Lego product, my task is to deliver the best Lego model possible with fun play features, logical building flow and high product safety and quality. I have to apply build techniques that allow our model to go through a multitude of tests for that purpose. We also get feedback from the project team which includes marketing, element designer, graphic designer, model coaches, building instruction designer, so everyone contributes in shaping the model to its final form.

Getting to play with Lego all day sounds like the Greatest Job on Earth. How does someone apply for such a job?

Woon Tze Chee: Oh, absolutely. It is the greatest job! Not only do we get to play with Lego bricks, the company culture is also amazing with fun, friendly and helpful colleagues. I was a fan and I applied to the job when I saw a job posting four years ago. It was an online application where you are required to include a CV and portfolio. Once you are shortlisted you will be invited to a recruitment design workshop in Billund, where you are tasked to complete multiple design challenges over a period of two days together with other participants. You will then be notified sometime after that if you have been successful.

I have an architecture background and many of the designers here have a degree in product design. However it is also worth pointing out that there are many amazing designers here who do not hold a design degree so I don’t believe that is the absolute criteria. The Lego brand is all about a system of play. I’d say if you have a passion in building with Lego bricks and are always exploring creative ways to push the boundary of the system, then you, too, might have what it takes to be a good Lego designer.

What other Lego builds have you designed? 

Woon Tze Chee: I started with the Lego Super Heroes team when I joined the company in 2016 and have since been working with other teams including Lego Harry Potter, Lego Jurassic World and Lego Overwatch, to name a few. Some of the more recent sets I’ve worked on include Chinese New Year Temple Fair, Junkrat & Roadhog, Wrecking Ball, Hogwarts Clock Tower, D.Va & Reinhardt, and Hogwarts Express. I have been working mainly with IP related projects and it is very exciting and refreshing to be able to work on the Lego Grand Piano.

Anything else readers might find interesting about the Lego piano? 

Woon Tze Chee: The working title of the project was “Schroeder,” named after the Peanuts comic character who is skilled in playing the toy piano.

Another story is when I first got to know that we were producing the model, I really wanted to work on it. Unfortunately I was occupied with another project at the time so I was a rather disappointed that I couldn’t work on the piano. Steen Sig Andersen was assigned to look into the feasibility of the model as well as incorporating the electronic components. Steen was later needed elsewhere in another project and I had coincidentally completed the project I had on hand, so I immediately jumped on the opportunity. I suppose things have an interesting way of turning out the way I had hoped it would be.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.