If only every student could learn on a grand piano. The thrillingly huge sound and amazing feel of real ivories is a sensory rush, enough to inspire absolutely anyone to practice for hours on end. Alas, few of us have the room to store an actual grand piano, much less the will to move it. Digital pianos are an option, but too often they sound, look, and feel more like toys than the instruments that inspired the greatest composers in history. If only there were a digital keyboard that fit your living room and budget while still delivering on the total sense-experience of playing a full-sized piano. . . something like, oh I don't know, the Yamaha YPG653, perhaps?
Wait a minute! The Yamaha YPG635 Portable Grand! Of course! It sounds amazing, it plays like the real deal, and it looks classy to boot! Add the YPG635's built-in learning programs and recording ability, and you've got the perfect fit-any-room luckiest-student-ever's grand piano!
What A Sound!
If the grand piano is as majestic a beast as the north american bison, or blue whale, then the Yamaha YPG635's stereo-sampled grand piano voice is like famed painter-naturalist John James Audubon's uncanny renderings. So vivid and rich is the recreated sound, if you were to close you eyes and play you'd think were sitting at the keys of a massive, heirloom instrument in the hallowed halls of Avery Fisher or Carnegie. How, you ask, does Yamaha accomplish such a feat? Through the employ of their famed XGlite sound processor and massive sample memory, of course! Larger memory means larger digital sample files, which means high resolution samples. And higher resolution is akin to painting with a finer brush: more of the subtle nuance and detail is captured, and a more lifelike sonic image is presented. The aural spectacle doesn't stop with piano sounds, however. The YPG635's XGlite sound-bank has literally hundreds of interments for you to play with, including strings, woodwinds, guitars, bass, drum kits, percussion, and even synthesizer sounds an sound effects. Want even more variety? Engage "Dual Mode" to combine two different voices at once, or go into "Split Mode" and play acoustic bass with your left hand and trumpet with your right. You'll never get tired exploring new and exciting sonic textures with the Yamaha YPG635! Each sound is amplified and projected through the YPG's built-in, stereo, two-way speakers. What's in a two way speaker? Glad you asked! Two-way means that each channel, left and right, is voiced by it's own pair of speakers, one for the low end and one for the highs. By giving each part of the audio spectrum a dedicated speaker element, the bass is bigger, the treble is crisper, and the sound overall is clearer. It's just another refined touch brought to you by the audio experts at Yamaha.
What A Feel!
"Refined Touch" is exactly how you'll describe playing the Yamaha YPG635 as well. The Eighty-eight keys on this portable grand (and what keyboard could honestly call itself a "portable grand" without a full set of eighty-eight keys) exemplify Yamaha's painstakingly designed "Graded Hammer Standard" weighted action system. With the ultimate goal of perfectly emulating the experience of playing a full-sized grand, the YPG635's keys are not only weighted, but weighted in a graded increase from right to left. What does Yamaha mean by "graded"? You see, the ivories on a real piano are connected to strings, and these strings get progressively thicker and longer as they get lower in tone. The result of this necessity of physics is that the higher notes on a piano will have a feathery touch, whereas the lower notes will present a stouter resistance, and so, too, do the keys on the Yamaha YPG635! It's a stunning feat of mimicry that not only heightens the playing experience, but also prepares the novice pianist for the mechanics of an actual, acoustic piano.
What A Looker!
A fine instrument is a point of pride, and the proud student will want to play their instrument at every chance. For reasons utterly practical, the Yamaha YPG635 was designed to exude the air of the finest of finely-crafted acoustic pianos. Your mother taught you not to keep your toys lying around; that's why your other synthesizer is always locked away in the closet. "The pretty piano is the public piano is the played piano" goes the old adage (that we just made up), so why buy a new student an instrument that's never going to see the light of day? With its wood accents and smartly matching wood stand, the YPG635 will perfectly accent any public living space, or church, or wine bar, or grand ballroom. . . heck, any joint you can name, this Yamaha Digital Grand will class it up.
. . . And Brains, Too
As part of the Yamaha Portable Grand series of digital keyboard instruments, the YPG635 comes pre-loaded with the Yamaha Education Suite, or Y.E.S., an interactive learning program that will guide the absolute beginner pianist through their first musical steps. With a beautiful, easy to read LCD screen, the keyboard displays music notation so there's no need to shuffle through pages when all you want to do is concentrate on the notes. Three different learning modes help the student first read pitch, then read rhythm, then bring the two elements together and play in tempo to accompaniment, just like with a private instructor! For the competent sight-reader, the YPG635 can connect, via computer, to the internet, where a virtually limitless library of sheet music from Yamaha's online store awaits. Alternately, the YPGs can read, display, and playback MIDI files. MIDI is short of Musical Instrument Digital Interface, and it's a near-universal protocol for storing and transmitting musical information. Simply download MIDI files directly to your keyboard, or load them from a USB flash memory stick, and you get an onscreen display of the song as notes on a proper music staff. If you're feeling especially creative, the YPG's built-in, six-track recorder can help you flex your composition muscles. Lastly, for the enthusiast who is both incompetent and has no desire to learn, the YPG635 boasts "Performance Assistance Technology." With this mode engaged and a song file loaded, the striking of any key will produce the correct pitch. It's great for party tricks, prop pianos for movies or plays, or for "teaching" your dog how to play "What's New Pussycat." We're sure you'll come up with even more fun applications for the Performance Assistance system.
Not a cheap-o toy nor an overpriced vanity piece, the Yamaha YPG635 is a great investment for any musician. It's a fraction the cost of a grand piano, with an inviting feel and helpful features that surpass typical "student" instruments. Its stellar stereo sound and handsome appearance will ensure that your appreciation for your Yamaha Portable Grand will only grow over time.
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