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What happens when you take one of Yamaha’s most compact, battery-powered keyboards and escape the studio? Let’s find out…
This is the Yamaha CK61 – one of Yamaha’s smallest and most brilliantly portable keyboards. Today, rather than staying in the comfort of our studio, I decided to see what it’s like to play it out there in the fine British summertime. Spoiler: it’s surprisingly surreal… in the best way.
Despite the batteries, the CK61 stays impressively light. I picked it up and strolled straight out through the showroom, grabbing a stand, a recorder and a pedal along the way. First stop? Our shop car park.
Now, I won’t lie — it’s a bit odd playing a piano in a car park. But that’s the magic of a truly portable keyboard. You get a few strange looks, but you also get something special: freedom. No power cables, no walls, just you and the sound.
I started layering some atmospheric pads, even tried something a little sinister… before switching back to a cheerful piano tone. Cranked up the reverb. Let the rustling leaves and the warm sun on my back become part of the performance. Strange? Yes. Wonderful? Also yes.
We’re lucky to be right next to the canal here in Banbury. Just over the bridge, there’s a lovely patch of green I’ve often glanced at and thought: That looks like a great place to play the piano. Today, I finally did it.
Dodging narrowboats, greeting passing pigeons, and nodding at dog walkers, I set up under the open sky. With the wind in my hair and the Yamaha CK61 on my lap, I started improvising with some lush pad and piano combinations. It was peaceful, musical — and totally unlike being in an office.
Next up? A picturesque little bridge nearby. With birdsong in the air and trees swaying in the breeze, I perched the CK61 and let the setting guide the music. That’s the joy of this keyboard — you can take it anywhere, and each location brings something fresh to your playing.
All told, Yamaha reckon you get around 4 hours of full-volume playtime from a set of batteries. That’s a whole afternoon of open-air inspiration.
This whole experiment felt novel, even a bit silly at times — but ultimately, it reminded me what music is about. Expression. Spontaneity. Fun. The Yamaha CK61 lets you take all of that beyond the studio walls. Whether it’s a car park, a park, a bridge, or anywhere else your feet (and imagination) take you.
If you’ve got an instrument you’d like to trade in towards a Yamaha CK61 (or anything else we offer), we’d love to hear from you. Use our quick and easy part exchange form below to get started.
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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.
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*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.
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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.
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