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Guide to Yamaha Keyboards
IntroductionThere are very few brands out there that manufacture a wide range of musical instruments and recording equipment, and are also admired both by professionals as well as students at the same time."Yamaha" is definitely one among them. As far as the keyboard products are concerned, you really don’t have to be a piano player to appreciate their range of instruments; even if you’re a musician you’ll be surprised to see their range of keyboard instruments that ranges from home keyboards to professional synths and workstations.
Yamaha has them all! Yamaha's Keyboard Line-UpPortable Arranger Keyboard
Grand Piano Keyboard Professional Keyboards Digital Pianos 
What Makes Them Click?It is obviously their experience! For several decades they have been making acoustic pianos, and they also have a formidable line-up of recording instruments.So Yamaha is in the best position to provide the best of both the worlds in their digital keyboard instruments. How does a digital keyboard instrument produce sound after all? They use recorded piano samples, taken from the best of the acoustic pianos. Yamaha, with their years of experience, ensures that you get the best recorded samples, and also the best keyboard touch in their digital keyboard instrument. Competition CheckThere's no doubt that Yamaha is a good brand, but then there are other manufacturers as well that make quality keyboard instruments.And there are various factors that impress buyers such as price, value-for-money, the best acoustic sounds, cutting edge sounds, and so on. Here are some of the brands that compete with Yamaha when it comes to providing the best, in specific keyboard categories.
It actually doesn't stop there for Yamaha. They make high-end pianos as well, that offers a combination of looks, value and quality. Pianos can be really expensive instrument, and the best ones not only sound excellent, they can actually look grand as well. So Yamaha does cater to those who demand style, along with exceptional sound and build quality. Matching Steps with the TimesRecording features and the ability to be connected to external and bigger monitors are becoming quite common, and are offered on almost all the Yamaha keyboard instruments.Same goes for options such as Midi, USB to Host / storage and various line-ins / outs. You can connect your keyboard instrument to a wide range of electronic and digital devices ranging from amplifiers, computers to iPads. Some of the top end Yamaha keyboards and pianos are even designed for synchronized recording and playback with external devices such as multi-track recording equipment and video cameras. And how does it help? Well, it allows musicians to get creative and collaborate in several ways, which otherwise would be so difficult. Now you can easily create audio/visual recordings or full motion videos of your performances, with instrument sounds directly from your own Yamaha piano keyboard. Are They Really the Cheapest?If you are asking whether Yamaha offers the most inexpensive keyboard instruments, compared to other brands, I would say "Not Really".That tag still belongs to Casio, but then their products are limited to students and intermediate players, as of now. Yamaha does offer better build and sound quality, and their products are not necessarily the cheapest. But then they are not overpriced either. You do pay for what you get, in this case. No doubt, they do try to cash in on some of their hot products, especially if some of their products have little or no competition. But then, that is more of an industry practice and anybody would do that. Besides, companies have to reinvest money in R&D to develop better products. Here’s one example of their innovative products. The Yamaha Disklavier, one of their most sophisticated acoustic pianos, is fitted with a range of sensors that record every aspect of the piano player’s performance. That includes what notes were played, the dynamics & phrasing used, the piano pedaling, and so on. All these performance-related information can then be stored in memory, either on a hard drive or any external drive, and can then be recalled for a later performance. Isn't that great? And that is a result of R&D which requires investing back the money made from profits. The point here is that Yamaha can be expensive, compared to some brands, but they’re not overpriced. The extra price goes in delivering a better sound quality and a more robust product. Develop Well Rounded Music AbilitiesFor probably a few dollars more, if you go for the better entry-level keyboard instruments, what you get is a compact, portable keyboard that is also quite versatile and helps you to develop well-rounded music abilities.That is because Yamaha keyboards offer a great combination of traditional as well as modern digital features, which makes it easier to learn how to play, and also to share music with your friends. The Yamaha Education Suite is there to help you learn to play the piano. The built-in recording function helps you to start learning the ropes of music production. The better ones come with synthesizer features such as arpeggiator, and other features. The better ones provide control knobs that can be used to shape out sounds on the fly by adding several effects, changing filter settings, modifying the stereo image, and so on. I guess, with so much on offer, families wouldn’t mind spending a bit more to get a truly versatile keyboard instrument. The Best Arrangers AroundYamaha is definitely known for their quality arranger keyboards, which also happens to be among the best in business.Even if you take a mid-level arranger, you can expect to find styles based on a wide variety of genres. On top of that, the 16-track sequencer ensures you can easily record your own songs or even your performances. The variety and number of accompaniments will suit just about any style of musician, and is ideal for expanding your knowledge of world music. If you have been focusing solely on western music and styles for long, these arrangers will ensure you have plenty of material to focus on music from other parts of the world as well. Tips for BeginnersThe premium you pay for a Yamaha piano is not just for the brand name, but also for its high quality sound. The built-in speakers and the sound samples used in a Yamaha are just too good.Pick up any entry-level keyboard in the PSR or YPT series and try comparing its sound against a Casio...you can immediately hear the difference and that is why you pay a bit more. Another reason for the popularity of Yamaha arranger keyboards is the Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S), an exhaustive set of music lessons to help you improve your skills. Besides the usual arranger keyboards, Yamaha also have lighted keyboards for kids, which is a fun way to learn the instrument. Models to look for: Yamaha lighted keyboard, YPT series and few models in the PSR series. Yamaha Portable Keyboards: Portable Keyboards – Yamaha YPT series Portable Keyboards – Yamaha PSR series 
More than 61 KeysYamaha's experience in making acoustic pianos definitely gives them an edge, and that is reflected in their digital pianos, in terms of its sound and feel.In the more expensive models, the weighted keys of Yamaha digital pianos definitely feel much better and closer to the real acoustic ones. The Yamaha DGX / YPG series of 88-key grand keyboards are the best recreational digital pianos for beginners and intermediate players...combining excellent piano sounds with loads of features and available at an excellent price. Models to look for: DGX / YPG series keyboards and the P-series pianos. Yamaha Portable Grand Keyboards: Yamaha Portable Grand YPG Series Difference between Yamaha DGX and YPG Series Synthesizers & Professional ArrangersThis is where Yamaha's versatility comes into picture. It has top-class Synths, workstations, professional arrangers for the professional / working musician as well.And again, its not that all the products in this category are expensive, you will find models for different budgets. Yamaha’s entry and mid level performance synthesizer’s sound like a million bucks, but you won't have to win a lottery to own it. And then you also have the Motif (workstation) and the Tyros (professional arranger). If you are an experienced player, you definitely know these names. They are the best in its class. Popular ArtistsThe popularity of Yamaha keyboard instruments can be gauged from the fact that some of the top most musicians / artists chose to play them.Here are just some of the names who use Yamaha keyboard instruments. Sara Bareilles Yamaha Synthesizers & Workstations: Yamaha Synthesizers Yamaha Tyros Keyboards Yamaha Arranger Workstations Yamaha Keyboard Accessories Yamaha Digital Pianos To ConcludeIf you are looking for an entry-level keyboard or piano to begin learning, then in all probability you might consider the Yamaha or the Casio for choosing one. For other keyboard categories, you will find names such as Korg, Roland, Kurweil, Nord, and more, competing with Yamaha.Yamaha has always been favored by users who prefer a learning instrument, something that is easy to setup and play, and has great acoustic instrument sounds. Professionals, looking for cutting edge features that give them more control over the sounds, usually look for other brands (nevertheless, Motif still continues to be a hot product). Having said that, there is no other brand that offers so much variety when it comes to keyboard instruments, as the Yamaha! Yamaha is the only brand that has a range of keyboard instruments which can cater to the needs of a wide range of keyboard players. Irrespective of whether you are a beginner or an expert, whether you are interested in a... Yamaha will definitely have something for you in its inventory. Yamaha has a huge range of keyboard instruments so you will surely find something for your needs...but then it may not be the cheapest, especially if you are a beginner who is looking out for a keyboard / piano to begin learning. More Useful FeaturesUser Reviews on Yamaha KeyboardBundled Accessories that you get with a new Yamaha YPG / DGX Yamaha 76 Key Keyboard – Want to Start Learning the Piano? Yamaha Piano Keyboard 88 Keys - Should You Buy One? Yamaha Weighted Keyboard – For Piano Like Feel Other Yamaha Musical Instruments User / Instruction Manuals
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- Yamaha ARIUS YDP-161 Digital Piano with Bench
- Yamaha DGX640C Digital Piano
- Yamaha P155B Contemporary Piano
- Yamaha ARIUS YDP-181 Electronic Piano with Bench
- Yamaha CP33 Stage Piano
- Yamaha P95S Digital Piano
- Yamaha YPG-235 76-Key Portable Grand Piano
- Yamaha EZ-200 61 Touch Keys Lighted Keyboard
- Yamaha DGX-530 88-key Weighted Keys
- Yamaha YPT-320 61-Key Keyboard with Adapter, Stand and Headphones
- Yamaha PSR-E423 61 Touch keys Portable Keyboard
- Yamaha Piaggero NP31 76-Key Portable Keyboard
Yamaha Digital Pianos: Check out DGX/YPG, NP, P, CP, YDP series pianos
Price Cuts & Blowouts: You can really save some good dollars here...
Best arranger keyboards under $1000: The best arranger music keyboards under $1000
Best keyboard and Pianos: The best keyboards and pianos for various price ranges
Best resources to learn to play piano and to master piano
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