We are digital piano & keyboard specialists, based in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Stay up to date with the latest news, reviews, tips, and offers by joining our FREE newsletter (unsubscribe at any time).
Our attachment to the long-standing, tried and tested, fully organic design of the venerable piano is quite understandable.
When modernity comes along and threatens to change it, many folks, myself included, have an automatic reflex to balk at it a little.
So deeply loved is the traditional design and look of the piano that I almost feel like planning permission should be required to make any alterations to it!
But here we are in the technological age, and we pianists have on the one hand this age-old, trusted design of the piano, but we also have amazing technology like the tablet or smartphone that you’re reading this blog on.
So, how do we best blend the traditional and the modern, sympathetically, so that we don’t feel we’re somehow betraying the instrument that we’ve all become emotionally attached to through the years, yet at the same time harness the technological progress that has taken place in the same timeframe, to enhance, augment, and bring more joy to our playing experience?
The music industry’s best shot at doing exactly that, in my opinion, comes from Yamaha. It’s from their renowned Clavinova range of digital pianos, and it’s called the CSP-295.
Below, I’ll explain why.
Firstly, take a look at it.
If nobody told you, you’d have no reason to suspect that this was, in fact, a digital piano.
It keeps a very traditional style, and in the polished ebony finish in particular, it could easily be mistaken for one of its upright, acoustic cousins from the Yamaha U-series.
Features like the soft-close lid (or fall as it’s officially called), the tapered legs, indeed, the height of the cabinet itself, to the casual observer, make it appear just like a traditional upright piano.
Nor, for reasons that you’ll see shortly, is there any array of buttons on a control panel to give the game away.
So, the CSP-295 keeps traditional looks and easily passes the sitting room test.
Yamaha, being one of the world’s leading manufacturers of both traditional upright and grand pianos, are better positioned than most to ensure that the playing experience on their digital pianos is as close to the ‘real thing’ as possible.
With the CSP-295, I play the notes and I feel exactly the same sensations as I feel when I play a traditional piano, for what’s inside is essentially the same but on a far more compact scale.
The keys are fully weighted. They actually have a meticulously designed mechanical action with hammers at the end of long, wooden white keys acting as pivots, balanced on a fulcrum, poised and awaiting your keystrokes.
For players who require ultimate fidelity for performing advanced pieces of music, this piano action, the GrandTouch™ counterweighted keyboard, will give you everything you need.
The overall effect is, as I described previously; a superb blending of the traditional and the modern.
So, the CSP-295 easily passes the playing test.
What matters to this pianist, and surely others, is having an instrument sensitive enough to respond to my expression.
The sound you hear from a top-of-the-range digital piano like this is in a different league to lower-end/lower-priced models.
There is an enormous dynamic range. In plain English, this means that there is, what feels like, an almost limitless amount of tonal variations whether I’m playing as hard as I can, as softly as I can, or anywhere in between.
Traditional pianos are stringed percussion instruments. The sound is generated firstly from a human being’s expression. The human being’s interface is a real key mechanism, which strikes real strings, causing a soundboard to reverberate and affect the surrounding atmosphere in a myriad of different ways depending on their inputs, and more importantly, their emotions.
With the CSP-295, the only difference is the replacing of strings and soundboards with amplifiers and speakers. Thanks to the white-coated geniuses at Yamaha, the human element of this equation remains the same.
As a pianist, I feel that I can express myself through this instrument and, unlike certain lesser-known brands or lower spec models, I feel no artificial limitations on my ability to do so.
The CSP-295 is highly impressive.
A nice bonus is that, without real strings inside or a heavy iron frame to hold them, a digital piano needs no tuning and is nowhere near the weight of a traditional piano.
Also, your neighbours will be pleased to know that you can play while wearing headphones.
Here, we see yet more impressive blending of the technology with the traditional.
What are you reading this blog on? Probably a tablet or a smartphone,
right? They’re part of our lives now, aren’t they? Practically an additional limb!
Yamaha’s CSP-295 allows you to use your device like an optional window into the incredible technology that’s available inside it.
What does this technology do? Lots of things! And whatever your playing level, you’ll find that there’s something that will enhance your playing, and perhaps more importantly, bring a smile to your face!
Because that’s an important point. Having fun!
We might even say that this is one of the modern factors that this model brings into play, and in elegant fashion too. Having fun while you’re learning to play the piano! We’re not in Victorian times anymore. You shouldn’t get a rap over the fingers when you play the wrong note.
Playing, learning, these shouldn’t be cold, clinical processes. They SHOULD be fun! Right?
Here’s how Yamaha have done it:
They’ve developed a brilliant, free companion app. You can download it to your device right now and check it out!
It’s called Yamaha Smart Pianist. Again, think of it as a window into the technology inside the CSP-295.
It’s such a deep mine of fun that I won’t be able to cover everything it does (we have other videos that do this), but I want to offer an impression of what’s available to you with this app and how it integrates with the CSP-295.
At its most basic, it offers a clear, modern illustration of which piano you’re playing, for on a digital piano there are loads to choose from, all with their own signature tones and timbre.
So, that alone makes the CSP-295 more dynamic than the comparatively one-dimensional, traditional piano. But it doesn’t stop there!
Rather than simply sitting alone, playing piano in your house, why not use AI to have a band join in with you?
The Smart Pianist app combined with the CSP-295 will do that! And in just about any style of music that you can think of.
Combine and make your own sounds? You can do it!
Record something and send it to grandma? You can do it!
Perform a song and upload it to social media? You can do it!
Have your piano teacher email you some practice? Yep, you can do it!
The Smart Pianist app offers seamless integration with the advanced technology inside the CSP-295 without ruining the traditional looks of the piano itself.
But I haven’t told you the best part yet…
The Yamaha CSP-295 has a discreet panel built in along the top of the keyboard (you can hardly notice it) which, when used with the Smart Pianist app, will light up with bright LEDs showing you which notes to play.
It’s a beautifully simple, visual way to learn which notes to play and when, even allowing you to anticipate which notes are to be played next.
It’s called The Stream Lights Learning System, and I’ve seen complete beginners sit down, load it up, and play their favourite songs in minutes, all the while beaming with happiness!
The piano & app offer hundreds of songs of nearly every style and genre you can imagine, plus, impressively, there’s a way that you can load in your own songs from your device to learn too. So you can really tailor your learning to your own tastes – again, a really modern way to learn to play the piano.
It’s the sheer practicality of this Stream Lights Learning System, plus its sensitive integration onto the piano itself which impresses me.
Along with everything else that the Smart Pianist app offers, you can see why this model is such a good blend of the traditional and modern.
It’s the Yamaha CSP-295, it’s available in 3 finishes, and we’d love to supply you with one. We deliver and install across the UK mainland.
Would you like to chat with me or one of my team about it? Our contact details are below. I look forward to hearing from you.
Oh, and if you’ve got an older piano or keyboard to trade in, we can help with that too! Just enter your details in the form below and our sales team will be in touch shortly.
Happy playing, everyone!
[register-interest]Enter your email address below to receive our free weekly newsletter containing the latest piano, keyboard and organ demonstration videos, breaking news, special offers, invitations to our live video events, technical support articles and much more.
These items are sold on behalf of Yamaha, and are sent to us on a per-order basis, typically within 5-7 working days, unless an ETA is otherwise stated.
We'll contact you the moment your purchase arrives with us to organise delivery, based on your selected option.
Example products: Yamaha DGX670, Yamaha P-525, Yamaha YDP-S55, Yamaha Clavinova.
These items must be sent with a heavy-goods courier (typically APC or FedEx). On occasion, depending on which is fastest, we will drop-ship directly from Yamaha to your address via Dachser.
Tracking will be provided by the haulier, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
*If you have included the optional £180 "Yamaha Premium Service" home delivery & setup option offered on selected products, we will contact you regarding arrangements after purchase.
**The Yamaha CSP Series, Yamaha CVP905 & CVP909, Yamaha CLP875, 885 & 895GP, and Yamaha NU1Xa are all sold on behalf of Yamaha and arrive with us on a per-order basis. As soon as your piano has arrived, we will contact you to organise the appropriate dispatch method. ETA for stock is shown on the product page for those items.
***If you have included the optional £99 home delivery & setup option offered on selected products, we will send your details direct to the installation team, who will contact you within 48 hours to make arrangements.
Depending on which option is most appropriate, we will either contact you to discuss a bespoke ePianos delivery surcharge for goods we can’t package for a 3rd party courier, or otherwise dispatch goods via FedEx or APC.
If a courier is used, tracking will be provided by them directly, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
Example products: Yamaha PSR-SX920, Yamaha P-225, Yamaha NP-15.
These items will be sent via courier (typically APC or FedEx). On occasion, depending on which is fastest, we will drop-ship directly from Yamaha to your address via UPS or Parcelforce.
Tracking will be provided by the courier, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
Smaller items, such as books, discs, etc, will be dispatched via Royal Mail second class.
After purchase, you can download the file either from the order confirmation page or the "Downloads" tab in "My Account".
If you have selected the option to receive a pre-loaded USB stick, then this will be dispatched via Royal Mail.
We will contact you regarding any pre-ordered items, and let you know when they arrive so as to arrange delivery with you at a convenient time.
Used items can also be purchased using either of the following options (minimum loan amount of £250 after deposit):
Total amount payable: £893.32
Available finance options are displayed at checkout. Alternatively, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss the options, or email a finance application to you. Find out more by clicking here
Our seasonal opening hours are as follows:
We are closed on all bank holidays, therefore the processing of sales and deliveries will be delayed.
For orders of any stock displaying a 7-10 day lead time, we will contact you as soon as the item arrives with us to schedule a delivery with you.
Occasionally, there may be availability issues with our suppliers, in which case we'll get in touch with you to see if you're happy to wait, or if you'd like to cancel the order and receive a full refund.
This is a special order "agency" item, and comes to us directly from Yamaha on a per-order basis.
It typically takes 7-10 days for this item to arrive with us, whereupon we'll contact you to discuss the arrangement of delivery.
For any pre-orders, we will contact you as soon as the item arrives with us to schedule a delivery with you, and update you with an ETA.
Occasionally, there may be availability issues with our suppliers, in which case we'll get in touch with you to see if you're happy to wait, or if you'd like to cancel the order and receive a full refund.
*Cashback amount varies product to product, as indicated.
Comments: