Yamaha Digital Pianos Buying Guide

There are many reasons for buying Yamaha digital pianos instead of other kinds of Yamaha keyboards.

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Are you looking for the feel of an acoustic piano? Many digital pianos like the Yamaha P105, P155 and Yamaha Arius YDP series come with a feature called Graded Hammer Effect. With this feature, the keys are heavier in the lower range of the keyboard and lighter in the higher ranges just like an acoustic piano. If you’re a trained pianist or you want to develop your piano skills, a weighted keyboard or digital piano is what you need. A semi-weighted or light weighted keyboard such as those of the Yamaha PSR keyboard models won’t meet your needs.

When choosing a digital piano, it is very important to understand the difference between Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) and Graded Hammer (GH). There’s also GH3 and Natural Wood (NW).

Graded Hammer Standard is inferior to Graded Hammer. GHS is usually featured in entry level digital pianos like the Yamaha P70, P85 and YDP-S30. If you want a better response buy a digital piano with Graded Hammer Effect. You will find GHE in mid level digital pianos like the Yamaha P140, CP33 and CP300. Next in line there’s GH3 which is better than GHS and GH (or GHE). Examples of pianos with this feature are the Yamaha Clavinova CLP230-270 and CVP403+. The highest level is the NW – Natural wood (white key) action. You will find the NW feature in models like the Yamaha Clavinova CLP280 or CVP409, and some grand models like the CVP309GP/CGP1000 and CLP295GP.Yamaha P155 digital piano

Let’s continue discussing the reasons for choosing a digital piano.

Another good reason for buying digital pianos is the fact that they are so much cheaper than their acoustic counterparts. A Yamaha acoustic piano can easily cost over $50,000.00 while some of the cheapest Yamaha digital pianos, like the Yamaha NP-30 costs as little as $269.99. Others include the Yamaha P95 for about $549.99, the Yamaha P155 for $999.99, Yamaha Arius YDP-V240 for $1799.99, Yamaha Arius YDP141 for $1049.99, Yamaha Arius YDP161 for $1349.99, Yamaha CP33 for $999.99, Yamaha Arius YDP-181 for $1599.99 and Yamaha CP1 for as much as $4999.99. As usual, the more money you pay the better the keyboard. It would off course depend on your budget. There are cheap and more expensive models for you to choose from. Click here for Yamaha digital piano prices.

The number of keys a keyboard comes with is very important when choosing a Yamaha keyboard. While many Yamaha keyboards come with 61 and 76 keys, these digital pianos all come with 88 keys, just like an acoustic piano. If you’re looking for a digital piano with 76 keys, check out the Yamaha NP-V60 Piaggero or Yamaha NP-V80 Piaggero for about $329.99 and $399.99 respectively.

Yamaha digital pianos are heavily focused on the piano sound. They don’t have as many features as Yamaha arranger workstations. They usually don’t come with accompaniment features and many of them don’t have track sequencers. You must pay careful attention when choosing your keyboard. If you want many sounds and a wide range of features, look elsewhere. But if your focus is on a piano alternative, a digital piano from Yamaha is the best choice. If you’re learning to play the piano and on a budget you can look into one of the cheaper models.Yamaha digital pianio package - P105

Yamaha is known for making actual acoustic pianos. They have been building world class pianos for over a century. In the same breath they have some of the best piano sounds found in a digital piano. They sample sounds from top-of-the-line concert grands for many of their digital pianos.

Another great reason to buy one of these digital pianos is their portability. They are relatively light and great for gigging.

Yamaha also manufactures another kind of digital piano known as Clavinovas. We shall take a look at these in a subsequent article.

Before choosing your digital piano be sure to read customer reviews. Take time to do google searches on the particular one you’re interested in. Learn what buyers are saying about it. If there is a recurring complaint about a particular piano, you will know that this is not the one for you. At the end of the day, you have the last say. Buy Yamaha digital pianos here.

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