Yamaha YPT210AD Portable Keyboard with Adapter Review

I'm a guy in my late 30s who's never learned to play any musical instruments or learned to read music or had any kind of musical training.I've always wanted to learn piano, though.So when my toddler son got a kid's keyboard from his grandmother for Christmas, it rekindled my interest and I started looking around Amazon.com to see if I could find something that'd work for me (hey, I'd cheerfully have co-opted my son's keyboard--goodness knows he got enough loot for Christmas--but the keys were too small/narrow for my hand; it's a kid's keyboard, after all).

I came across this Yamaha YPT-210 keyboard, and the price really surprised me.I didn't know full-sized keyboards from a reputable company could be gotten so affordably.It was also on a Friday sale, so that helped even more.So I went ahead and bought it.

Now, keep in mind that I'm pretty much an ignoramus when it comes to music, or portable keyboards, or quality of voices and songs and instruments and all that fancy stuff I'm just learning.All I can say is this:WOW.This thing sounds great.The Grand Piano mode sounds just like, well, a grand piano.Now, I'm sure Ms. Mitsuko Uchida (hey, I may be a musical ignoramus, but I do like to listen to classical music and have a decent collection) or even the music teacher at the local high school down the road will have no problem distinguishing this from a "real" piano, but it sounds great to me, and for my first keyboard, I'm just astonished by the quality of the sound coming out of the stereo speakers.

Then there are a multitude of instruments, sound effects, voice clips, noises.The variety feels a bit overwhelming to me, but I understand that this is one of the most basic portable keyboards Yamaha makes and the fancier models have even more.Yikes.

It comes with over 100 songs built in, all of which is available via the built-in Yamaha Education Suite (YES) 5 tutorial for you to try to learn to play.The YES works like this:1. You listen to the song and get a feel for it; 2) you work on the tempo and try to press the right key at the right time; 3) then you actually play the piece, to the accompaniment of background beat and supporting music.The way step 3 works is that the keyboard waits for you to press the right key in right sequence.This is harder to explain than it actually is to do in real life.Say a song calls for "do-re-mi" sequence.If you press "do-do-re-re-do-mi," then only the first do, and first re, and first mi will play and sound.Of course your pressing all the other keys throw your tempo out of whack, and at the end of the piece, you get a rudimentary grade of how you did (OK/Good/Very Good/Excellent--Yamaha apparently believes in positive reinforcements only).Like I said, it sounds cumbersome explaining it with words, but in practice, it works surprisingly well.I was able to get a passable (for me) rendition of "Oh Susanna" going after only a few tries.

This is how Yamaha explains the YES feature on their website:

*********************************************************
Yamaha Education Suite(tm) (Y.E.S.): Learn How To Play Now!
The YPT-210 has 102 built-in songs for you to learn to play, using the Yamaha Education Suite. The songs are separated into left and right hand parts, providing 7 levels of lessons plus a convenient chord dictionary.

Three keyboard lessons for each hand:

* Lesson One - LISTEN & LEARN the melody or rhythm of a selected song
* Lesson Two - TIMING mode allows you to play the melody or chord by pressing any key using the correct timing
* Lesson Three: WAITING mode stops the playback of a song until you find the correct note and then continues
* Lesson Grading - monitors your progress as you practice each lessons two and three and gives you a grade.
* Chord Dictionary - shows you how to play chords and tells you which chords you are playing by displaying the notes and chord name on the LCD screen.
*********************************************************

You can either use six AA sized batteries or the supplied AC adapter.Be careful to make sure that the YPT-210 you're getting comes with an adapter; apparently there are versions of the YPT-210 that does not include the adapter.The manual recommends alkaline batteries, and warns that using rechargeable batteries may result in sudden loss of power when the charge becomes low (as opposed to alkalines, where the power loss would be gradual).I've tested it at home using six 1.2V NiMH AA batteries (the ubiquitous type used for digital cameras), and the keyboard worked fine.As long as, say, you're not performing in front of a crowd, I'd imagine using rechargeable batteries would be fine, especially if you don't have a ready power outlet near where the keyboard is.

The keyboard has connections for headphones, a foot sustain pedal, and computer MIDI interface, but the latter two are far, far down the road for me.I have found the headphone plug to be very useful, as I like to do most of my practicing late at night after the family's gone to bed.

Not having any experience with a regular piano, I can't really compare how the keys on this keyboard feels compare to a piano.All I can say is it feels good to me.The keys are firmly responsive when you press down on them.Again, I'm sorry I can't offer any meaningful contrasts; it feels comfortable and good to me as someone who's just starting out with it.

You can go to the Yamaha website to download the full manual in PDF format, and also see the specifications for the keyboard.

The only gripe I have so far is the volume control.It resets itself to a default volume every time you turn it off!The default volume happens to be fairly loud, and I do most of my piano practice (sounds fancy already!) late at night, so I've often found myself wishing for a volume control memory.If you hold down the "- Volume" button while powering the keyboard on, then it starts at a lower volume, but it's not as convenient as having it remember the volume setting.One way to get around this that involves a bit of equipment is to connect the keyboard to a receiver or tabletop stereo that has line-in for audio.Then the keyboard volume will always stay at the default (loud) setting, but you can control the volume on the receiver/stereo end.

Also, what this keyboard isn't:Keeping in mind that this is one of the most basic/affordable keyboards that Yamaha makes, I consider the fact that it doesn't include a sequencer (recording your playing) or strength-responsive keys (the keys sound the same, whether you press softly or forcefully) to not detract the overall value and performance of the keyboard.

All in all, I am very, very happy with this keyboard and look forward to learning to play piano/keyboard on it.

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Product Description:
The YPT-210 features 375 natural sounding voices, including Stereo Grand Piano, 361 XGlite voices, 12 drum kits and a sound effect kit. The YPT-210 also has 100 accompaniment styles and 102 built-in songs. Use the Portable Grand button to instantly call up an authentic stereo grand piano sound. The instrument also has a rich Reverb effect that adds concert-hall ambience to any performance. The Yamaha Education Suite (YES) feature makes learning and practicing music more fun than ever before.Some keyboards have two speakers but aren't stereo. Don't be fooled. Just because a keyboard has two speakers doesn't mean that it's truly stereo with two separate amplifiers. All Yamaha Portable Keyboards feature stereo-sampling technology. It has 32 notes of polyphony and will play back 16 different parts or sounds at once (16-part multi timbrel); enough for the most demanding needs. The music pathway to your computer and the Internet is MIDI. It's the way that keyboards communicate with computers. And because the YPT-210 is both General MIDI (GM) and XGlite compatible, you have access to thousands of MIDI song files on the Internet. It's the way to begin and play a musical instrument and a grand way to learn piano without occupying lots of space. This model come with an AC adapter and can also be used as a portable when using 6 optional AA batteries. Reverb effect with 9 different reverb types Jack for optional Sustain pedal Auto Accompaniment features MIDI in/out Jack for optional headphone Dimensions - Width 37-1/4 x Depth 13-2/3 x Height 4-1/3 (945mm x 348mm x 110mm) Weight - 9 pounds, 11 ounces Includes AC Adapter or, for portable use, uses 6 AA batteries (not included) LCD Screen

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Yamaha CP50 88 Key STAGE PIANO, Black Review

great action, similar to the motif xs. If this keyboard has only one sound, I would wish for the YAMAHA S6 piano, but it did not include the s6. Disappointed. The CP5 with wooden keys has even much better action and might have the s6 sound.

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Product Description:
Yamaha's CP50 electronic piano takes the core sounds and technology of the CP1, while it's flexibility and portability make it perfect for the working pro on the go. The CP50 adds a wide range of sounds to the CP1. Clavs, organs, strings and more make the Yamaha CP50 perfect for church, school, and live situations where everything needs to be performed on one keyboard. The Yamaha stage piano features not only Virtual Circuit Modeling effects, but also many effects taken from Yamaha's Motif XS line of Synthesizers. The CP50 piano has a graded hammer action and a lightweight, portable keyboard design.

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Casio 61-Key Portable Keyboard with Stand - Black (CTK720STAD) Review

Now, it's been ages since I have had a keybaord or piano around the house. I wanted to get myself back into the swing of things again so I thought I would low-ball it on the price and just get something to get the creative juices flowing again. Well, you get what you paid for.

The CTK-720 arrived today perfectly fine (sans a few nasty dings in the box, the unit was unscathed). I set it up, hooked it up to my own speaker system to make sure it would have the chance to produce a nice clean sound. Boy, not even my speakers could help it.

Beyond the fact that this is definitely a "Beginners" keyboard in the way that just about any instrument other than "piano" sounds like a midi file circa 1980s there is an odd issue. As a 5-octave keyboard you would want to be able to move around, but there's something odd in the mid octaves on the CTK-720.

Bear in mind, before this I had owned Korgs and Rolands, 88 weighted piano key styles. So I may be a bit spoiled. But for the first time in my life I have heard an electronic keyboard that actually needs to be tuned. The mid-range octaves on the CTK-270 produce a warble when the key is first pressed. Much like a piano that has the cord ever so slightly out of tune.

Unfortunately, my tuning key does little to help me with am electronic keyboard. It's a shame, if it weren't for the dodgy "tones" and the mysterious out-of-tune mid-range keys it would have been a nice keyboard to start out on all over again.

I will give it two stars just because it's still functional. I may just be a bit too discerning at this point.

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Product Description:
Portable, MIDI Interface, Volume Control Slider. It has 61 keys and has 242 tones with a 100 demo songs

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Yamaha DGX230 76 Full-Sized Piano Style Keys, 489 Instrument Voices Review

This keyboard has exceeded my expectations.It is not a toy - it sounds great & is a delight to play.

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Product Description:
If you're looking for a reasonably priced piano replacement, look no further than the DGX-230. It is the music student or professional musicians answer to I need more keys! and many music teachers encourage new students to get a keyboard that will grow with their needs. It features 76 non-weighted keys that not only look like piano keys but have a Graded Soft Touch (GST) action with different levels of resistance, making it easier for a budding musician to move to an acoustic or digital piano.The DGX-230 delivers on its piano theme with a special mode of fingering called Full Keyboard Mode. This allows the player to play the keyboard like a piano; for example a chord with the right hand and bass notes with the left. When using the accompaniment feature, the virtual band will follow these chords. Traditional portable keyboards normally require you to chord on the left side of the keyboard, in the bass section, which is foreign to most piano players. The DGX-230 is also capable of this mode, for those who prefer it.The DGX230 has 30 built-in songs plus 70 more on included CD-ROM for you to learn to play using the Yamaha Education Suite. The songs are separated into left and right hand parts, providing 7 levels of lessons plus a convenient chord dictionary.Imagine capturing your childs first performance or writing and recording your own songs. With the DGX-230, you have the equivalent of a built-in multi-track recorder to record one or multiple instrument parts at a time and assign each part to a different track. Six tracks are provided to accommodate sophisticated melodies, chord accompaniment and rhythm parts.The DGX-230 comes with 30 built-in songs plus 70 more on an included CD-ROM and an interactive lesson system, divided into left and right hand parts, for learning them. In addition, you have the ability to connect to a computer via USB, download more songs from the Internet into the internal Flash ROM (PC only), and use all of the Yamaha Education Suite features to help you learn to play them. Yamaha makes it easy to get connected with the new PC button. Now, instead of wading through function menus and fighting through a maze of selections, one button is your expressway to music on the web and your computer. In addition, once connected, you can play your songs into the computer (PC and Mac), edit them if necessary, and e-mail them to your friends and family. And with General MIDI (GM) and XGlite compatibility, song data always plays back with the correct sounds.Master EQ: Tailor your sound Five different master equalizer (EQ) settings are provided to give you the best possible sound when listening through different reproduction systems—the instruments internal speakers, headphones, or an external speaker system. You're in control.

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Casio CTK2000 61 Key Personal Keyboard with MP3/iPod Connection Review

After looking at several reviews and product informatiom of various priced keyboards, and wanting to stay in budget , we decided to purchase this one for our son for Christmas. He is 12 and a budding musician, he absolutely LOVES this keyboard. The only downfall is it did not come with it's own AC adapter, which may be common but would have been nice to know to have on hand Christmas morning (it takes a lot of batteries). Other than that it shipped super fast, great packing, good prduct, we are very pleased!

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Product Description:
The Casio CTK2000 is ideal for beginners, children, adults, everyone!And it's loaded with features like a USB port to connect to your computer, plus 48-note polyphony so you are always in control.The CTK2000 keyboard features a 61-key full-size keyboard with MP3/iPod connectivity, an LCD display, and a 3 Step Lesson learning system.The CTK2000 allows you to select up to 400 tones that now include a world music library.There are also 150 versatile rhythms to help add plenty of life to all your keyboard performances.The CTK2000 comes with a total of 110 built-in tunes.You can play back built-in tunes for your own listening pleasure, or you can use them for practice or even sing-alongs.

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Yamaha NP30 Portable Grand Piano Review

Before detailed remarks, here is my reference point.Having been spoiled with playing real pianos (I should say "acoustic", for PC :), I wanted a keyboard just to enjoy some classical music on my own, at my amateur level.I wanted it to be like a piano (in how it feels and sounds) but small and inexpensive.

PROS:

PORTABILITY - especially for an (almost) full-size keyboard.I really didn't want another piece of furniture.NP30 just lies on the table, which (to my own surprise) ended up as the deciding factor for me.YMMV.

SOUND.All the voices (including grand piano, organ, harpsichord) are well done and beautiful.(But see "CONS" below.)

KEY WEIGHTING.NP30's keys are something like "semi-weighted" and "touch sensitive" (but consult the official specs on this) and somewhat easy to press.But see "CONS" below.BTW I researched this "weighted" topic quite a bit and tried several options, but my practical conclusion is this.If you care about the feel, go more high-end or get the real thing (an acoustic piano, that is).Otherwise you will likely get used to what you have, even though it isn't perfect.

SIMPLICITY.The controls are few and quite intuitive.

PRICE.It's all relative, of course, but compared to other full-size keyboards out there, it's among the cheapest - $300 at Best Buys.(And that's without any sale discounds - Best Buys felt kinda thin on sales to me.)

CONS:

KEY WEIGHTING.While offering you an approximation of an acoustic piano's feel, NP30's keys are not quite there.First, they are hard to press if you place your fingers far from the edge of the key (i.e. towards the back of the keyboard) - I have never noticed this on an acoustic.Second, in some cases when I press several keys at once, NP30 doesn't sense one or two of them, whereas an acoustic piano would.I have to re-adjust the pressure to get NP30 to play them.

SOUND.While individual sounds are beautiful, their combinations may not parallel the richness of an acoustic piano's.This is probably because there is no is no resonating effect between the various strings.(Which is quite understandable at this price level.)

FEATURES (missing).The ones I cared about: additional voices (NP30 only got 10) and the 12 keys for the full-size 88-key keyboard.Again, it's all about a trade-off against portability and price.

ACCESSORIES (missing).Power adapter and the sustain pedal are not included, and Best Buys charges $25-30+ for each.This is a RIP-OFF, people.For power, look around; maybe you have a compatible one already (12V, 1500 mA, negative is outside) - or use rechargeable batteries.And maybe you are fine without the pedal (I am still to answer that question for myself).

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Product Description:
The Yamaha NP30 Portable Grand is an easy-to-carry piano that features Advanced Wave Memory stereo sampled piano sounds for incredible sound quality.A entirely new take on the digital piano, offering quality, value and portability with a lighter touch. Featuring 76 Graded Touch keys and stereo-sampled pianos. Also, 10 voices like Organs and Strings plus 32 notes of polyphony. Another great feature for the home recording artist is that it performs as a MIDI controller too. The built in speakers allow you to play it anywhere since it operates on six AA batteries.Ultra-Portable Digital PianoThe new NP-30 Portable Grand delivers Yamaha digital piano sound and simplicity in a new lightweight, compact design like nothing else you've seen... all at a price point you won't believe.Its super slim design and minimal weight of 12 pounds makes it the most compact performer in the digital piano family of instruments. And 6 AA batteries are all you need to power up and start playing immediately.Do you have questions about personal keyboards?Click on the image for product comparisons and FAQs!Graded Soft Touch Action - NEWBecause of its similarity to acoustic pianos, a graded action is one of the primary features sought by pianists in their digital instruments. While technically a non-weighted action, the new Graded Soft-Touch keyboard is the first of its kind bringing different levels of resistance without the extra

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Casio CTK-3000 61 Key Digital Keyboard Review

This keyboard is a great keyboard for the money! If you want the one that comes with the stand and headphones, order this - http://www.amazon.com/Casio-CTK3000-Keyboard-Professional-Headphones/dp/Casio CTK3000 Premium Pack with Power Supply, Keyboard Stand and Professional Closed Cup Stereo Headphones/ref=pd_ts_MI_25?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments. The review above appearently did not read the discription as I did and I got the other one with the accessories. Mine came with the accessories and stated it in the product discription, you got to read to know what your getting not just look at pictures. As I said, great beyboard.

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Product Description:
The Casio CTK-3000 is an affordable instrument with a 61 Key Piano Style Touch Sensitive Keyboard, 400 total onboard Tones, 150 Rhythms and Digital Effects. Packed with great features such as Casio's famous Step-up Lesson System, audio inputs for a MP3 player, USB port for MIDI implementation and a pitch wheel for additional expression over sounds. All this makes CTK-3000 more realistic and expressive than ever before at this price range.


An affordable, full-featured portable keyboard. Click to enlarge.
Standard-Size Keys with Touch Response
The CTK-3000 features 61 standard-size keys and two sensitivity levels for a more piano-like experience, along with 48-note polyphony (24-note for certain tones).
400 Built-In Tones
Find just the right sound with 400 built-in tones, and select from ten different reverb settings to add depth.
USB Port
For many musicians, the computer has become a music-making center. Connect the CTK-3000 to a computer using a USB cable and exchange MIDI data between the two devices. Send play data from the keyboard to music software running on yourcomputer, or send MIDI data from your computer to the keyboard for playback.
Built-In Sampling
You can use the CTK-3000 to sample a sound from a portable audio player or other device, and then play the sound with keyboard keys. For example, you could sample the bark of your dog and then use the sound in a melody, or grab passages from a CD. The sampling feature is a fun way to create new sounds.
Note: Samples are not stored permanently. Turning off power will cause any sampled sound data on the keyboard to be deleted.
Internal speakers and battery-powering option for full portability. Click to enlarge.
View full control diagram. Click to enlarge.
110 Built-In Songs With Step Up Lessons
The CTK-3000 comes with a bank of songs for your learning and enjoyment, from classics like "Greensleeves" or "Auld Lang Syne" to holiday tunes like "Jingle Bells."
To master a song, it is best to break it up into shorter parts (phrases), master the phrases, and then put everything together. The CTK-3000 features a "Step Up Lesson" feature that helps you to do just that. The built-in songs are pre-divided into phrases to help you master keyboard play. Step Up Lesson takes you through practice of the right hand part, left hand part, and both hand parts for each phrase of a song. Master all of the phrases and you master the song.
Music Challenge Keyboard Game
Music Challenge is a game that measures your reaction speed as you press keys in response to on-screen keyboard indicators and fingering guide indications.
Auto Accompaniment
Simply specify a chord and the keyboard automatically produces the matching rhythm, bass, and chord patters. One-touch fill-ins make accompaniments sound interesting and natural. 150 built in auto-accompaniment rhythm patterns.
Transpose Function
An easy operation instantly changes the key of the keyboard.
Audio Input
Play along with MP3 or CD players or other devices by plugging them into the stereo mini input jack.
Battery or AC Power
Power the CTK-3000 with six AA-sized batteries (approximately four hours of continuous operation with alkaline batteries) or purchase the AD-5 AC adapter separately to power from your electrical outlets. Built-in speakers make the keyboard entirely portable.
An Auto Power Off feature turns off the device six minutes after the last key is touched, helping you save batteries.
What's in the Box
CTK-3000 Keyboard, Music Stand, Song Book, Safety Precautions, Appendix, Warranty

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