In an increasingly busy world, people are looking for ways to focus and find harmony. Research has shown that people who play the piano have decreased levels of stress and anxiety and a higher level of concentration. Playing the piano even for a few minutes a day can increase self-esteem and make you feel more positive.
With all its benefits, it is no surprise that many people play or would like to learn how to play the piano. A great option for beginner and advanced piano players is the Yamaha YPG-535.
Yamaha's pianos come in a variety of categories such as digital console pianos and portable keyboards. One of the most prominent categories is the Yamaha Portable Grand Series that has a full 88 note keyboard with the feel of a grand piano.
It is very compact and comes with all the accessories included. Traditionally, digital pianos only came with features that were useful to professional players. But this piano has a little bit of everything and no matter if you are a beginner or advanced piano player, the Yamaha YPG-535 is a great option for both. The piano has an array of features that make it the perfect piano for all. They will be discussed in detail below.
Design & Setup
Build
Professional with a touch of elegance
The Yamaha YPG-535 isn't built too big, and it is, in fact, the perfect size for a piano. The piano claims to be incredibly portable, but this does not mean that the engineer has forgone any of the features in the piano because it comes with built-in speakers and a matching stand. It has the right mix, so you are getting a great value for your money. The great aesthetics of this piano make it the perfect piano for both professionals and beginners.
The piano weighs 10.8 kilograms (24 lbs) and another 5.8 kilograms (13 lbs) if you add the stand. Although this isn’t the lightest model in the world, the sheer stability and durability of the piano make it a worthwhile purchase.
The width of the keyboard is 52.5’’ (53.3’’ with the stand), which is the standard size. The depth of the keyboard is 16.6’’ (19.1’’ with the stand).
Maintainability
Acoustic pianos usually require a lot of maintenance than digital pianos which is why most people don’t prefer to buy them. Digital pianos have minimal maintenance requirements in addition to being portable and having numerous features. The Yamaha YPG-535 is fairly easy to maintain. You need to clean it once a week using a soft moistened cloth with water or a mild detergent.
Color
The piano only comes in a beautiful champagne gold colour. The gold texture gives it an elegant and modern look. The piano can add some colour to your home in addition to creating melodious music.
Functionalities
The Yamaha YPG 535 comes with 88 keys, a Grade Soft Touch (GST) action keyboard unlike the hammer action keyboard found in an acoustic player. The spring mechanism of the keyboard provides some semi-weight action. It mimics the essential qualities of an acoustic piano.
Setup
Simple and Elegant
Setting up the Yamaha YPG-535 is quite easy. Not only is the piano portable but it also easy to fix. The gold champagne piano comes with a matching stand. You only need to follow four simple steps: attach the stand bases, attach the backboard, put the keyboard on the stand and install the keyboard to the stand that provides a lot of stability and durability. Once you finish these steps, just power up the piano, and you are ready to start creating music.
Simple Way to Set up Your Hardware
To set up the hardware for the system all you have to do is attach the foot pedal and the music sheet to the piano. Connect your power cable to the power supply, and you are ready to start creating some beautiful music. The box comes with a deluxe sustain pedal or you can opt-in for a deluxe FC-4 or FC-5 sustain pedal.
Does Not Take Too Much Space
In addition to an easy setup and a great addition to your room, the Yamaha YPG 535 does not take up too much space in your home. The dimensions along with its portable stand allow for it to be set up anywhere in your home. You can also put the lightweight keyboard in a keyboard bag should you wish to take the instrument elsewhere to play.
What’s in the box
The furniture comes with a stand, adapter, a sustain pedal and a manual.
Deluxe Sustain Pedal
The box comes with an SP-3 Damper pedal that is quite easy to attach to the piano. For beginners, this pedal is more than sufficient, but if you are a more serious piano player, we suggest you opt for an SP-33 pedal which has a three pedal functionality. However, this is only a suggestion as the damper pedal that the piano comes with might suit most players just fine.
AC Adaptor
The AC adaptor is very compact and can be used to power up the device. The auto-switching adaptor can be used worldwide. It has an input: AC 100-240V 50/60Hz Auto. This power supply is more than sufficient for the keyboard.
Manual
The manual is very detailed and comprehensive. Any questions you may have about the functionalities of the piano are clearly explained in the manual. It provides a lot of information about the setting up of the instrument along with an explanation for each of the 88 scales, grade soft touch keys.
Keyboard
Aesthetics
The champagne gold finish gives the piano a professional look and can add to the aesthetics of your home. The 88 keys on the keyboard are very high quality and have a smooth functionality, giving you the look of a performer.
Feel
For the given price point, this keyboard is a great investment. The piano has a graded soft touch (GST) action keyboard and is Yamaha's most affordable and high-quality keyboard. Graded means that the keys on the lower end feel heavier and the keys on the high end feel like a real piano.
The keyboard is touch sensitive and can be adjusted to match your style from the three preset settings available. The keyboard is defined by its excellent small details. The is pretty rare for a piano that retails at such a low price. The smooth feel and amazing acoustics of the piano make it a great fit for both aspiring and advanced piano players.
Impact
The keys are sensitive to the impact of touch which means the lighter you press, the lower the sound will be. The keys on the Yamaha YPG-535 have touch sensitive keys are fully graded from left to right. The lower register keys offer more resistance than the higher register. This allows you to play more expressively and grown your piano playing skills over time. This is fairly uncommon in digital pianos such as the Yamaha YPG 535.
Fixed
For beginners who are currently taking piano lessons, the arrangement of the keys is more important than the pressure you put on each key. Therefore, you can use the fixed option in this case, and this removes the sensitivity of the keys and which means that no matter the amount of pressure you put on the keys, the volume remains the same. If you are new to playing the piano and do not want to indulge in hard plays, this is the option best suited for you.
Hard
The exact opposite of the fixed option, is the hard option which has the widest range of volumes for even the tiniest pressure applied to the keys. This option is better suited to an aggressive player who wants to go from soft sounds to extremely loud sounds. It can be used by more intermediate and advanced piano players who can play on both ends of the spectrum.
Soft
The exact opposite of the fixed option, is the hard option which has the widest range of volumes for even the tiniest pressure applied to the keys. This option is better suited to an aggressive player who wants to go from soft sounds to extremely loud sounds. It can be used by more intermediate and advanced piano players who can play on both ends of the spectrum.
Medium
If you want a neutral option, the medium impact is what you need to go for. It strikes a balance between both volume ranges. The sounds are more realistic and can sound similar to a traditional piano.
The Yamaha YPG-535 keyboard has many impact customizations that make it a great option for both beginners and professionals. The impact specifications can be made to the piano voice.
Sound
Hardware
The Yamaha YPG-535 has a great speaker system that can light up any room when you play. It has a two-way speaker system, so the sound spectrum is divided into two parts. They provide a powerful bass and a clear treble. They deliver high-quality sound on both high and low notes. The total output from the speaker is 12 W. The luxuriant reverberations are essential to the piano range from clear, delicate high tones to the powerful, dignified tones.
Engine used
The Yamaha’s YPG-535 main sound source is the Pure CF sound engine and a 32 note polyphony which provides a grand piano sound. It is the meticulously recorded sound of a 9-foot grand concert piano at four dynamic levels. The Pure CF engine delivers the sound great dynamics that are remarkable for a powerful performance. Damper Resonance is stimulated by the CF engine to replicate the tones achieved on an actual acoustic piano.
Effectiveness
The Yamaha YPG-535 provides a realistic feel thanks to its Graded Soft Touch keyboard. It also delivers great music and has offered elegance when you are playing it. It has great acoustics that offers a professional vibe Yamaha YPG 535 piano. With great speakers and GST keys, it is no surprise that it is one of the most anticipated pianos.
Polyphony
The Yamaha YPG 535 can produce about 32 different notes at the same time (polyphony). This may be a disadvantage as playing pieces with two layering sounds can take up a lot of memory. But the 32 note polyphony would be enough for a beginner.
Versatility
The Yamaha YPG-535 model has some different instrument voices. It has harpsichords, organs and electric pianos along with sound modes such as Spit, Layer, Duet and Octave Shift. The Split mode can be used in two tones at a time so you can play a different tone on your left and a different one on the right. The texture and colour of the music using this model with a brilliant adjuster, reverb function and chorus effect.
It also has a learning feature with 30 internal songs. The Yamaha Education Suite allows you to access these lessons. These features make the Yamaha YPG 535 a great investment given its reasonable price point for beginners, intermediate and professional piano players.
Features
Modes
There are three modes available, and they are:
Dual Mode
With the dual mode, you are not limited to playing just a single sound on any particular note. Instead, you layer the sounds of two instruments simultaneously to create melodious music through this mode on your keyboard.
Split Mode
If you are uncomfortable with playing two instruments on the same note as with the dual mode, the split mode may be a better option for you. This is where the keyboard is split into two sections with keys into each of the sections playing two different instruments. Depending on the sound of the instrument you choose, you can decide how you want to split the ratio of the sounds.
Duo Mode
While the split mode allows you to adjust the ratio of the sounds. The split mode lets you play two instruments on equal halves of the keyboard with each side having an identical tone and pitch range. This is a great mode for beginners and is used by most piano instructors.
Playback and Recording
The Yamaha YPG-535 has a six track MIDI recording feature that allows you to record up to 5 songs and store it in the flash memory of the piano. You can then convert the recording to an SMF format and play them back. For each song, you can record up to 6 tracks and play them as one song. You can also create multi-layered recordings with different instruments and rhythms. You can also playback the recorded tracks while you are recording the next track. Since the recording is in the MIDI and not the audio data, the tempo, effects and sounds can be changed even after the recording is complete.
Preset Songs
There are 30 preset songs available. You can play each song in the Lesson Mode and Performance Assistant feature. You have three lessons on the piano- ‘Waiting', ‘Your Tempo' and ‘Minus One'. In addition to the lessons, the Performance Assistant is also a great feature for beginners. You can choose up to 4 types of performance assistants.
Other functions
Fine tuning and transpose
The Yamaha YPG 535 has an auto-accompaniment function. There are 160 different accompaniment styles with multiple instruments, as though you were playing in a real band. It has rhythm, bass and chords. The transpose function allows you to raise or lower the pitch of the entire keyboard depending on increments of the semitone. This lets you play a different song in a different key without actually learning how to play the key. The transpose also allows you to play the song in an easier key while you still hear the song as though it was played in the original key.
The octave key changes the pitch of the keyboard and the octave units. For example, when you play middle C, you will hear the tenor C or the soprano C depending on how many octaves have shifted. With the fine-tuning function, you can raise and lower the pitch of the entire keyboard in 0.1Hz steps from a standard pitch of A4 key= 44 oHz.
Sound boost
The Yamaha YPG-535 has an AWM stereo sampling which makes the piano sound acoustic and allows for multi-layering so that the right sound is triggered when the keys are played allowing to produce more melodious music.
Power Saver
It has an energy saving power adapter, the PA 150. This adapter cuts the typical electricity used by an electric piano in half, which is great for battery life.
Metronome
If you are looking to practice timing and steady tempo, the metronome is an essential tool for you. The Yamaha YPG 535 lets you adjust the pitch of the metronome to suit your needs.
Connectivity
Headphone jacks
The jack (1/4’’) can be used to plug in the earphones, once plugged the speakers automatically shut off. There is also a line output if you wish to connect to an external amplifier.
Ports
It comes with a USB (type B) port. All you need is an A or B USB cable. With the connection established, you can use it to exchange MIDI files or use the instrument as a MIDI controller.
Digital Controller App
The digital controller app is an iPhone exclusive app that lets you perform more diverse controls on the Yamaha YPG-535 piano. Once connected to the app, you are going to able to be able to make some of the more intrinsic modifications to the keyboard.
Additional connections include the sustain jack that can be included as an FC5 switch or any other sustain pedal with a ¼’’ plug.
Pros of Yamaha YGP-535
Cons of Yamaha YGP-535
Conclusion
Like any keyboard, the Yamaha YPG-535 has its benefits with the semi-spring action which makes it feel like a real acoustic piano. This makes it a great option for beginners. Another thing to remember is it only has a 32 note polyphony which is quite limited.
But even with its flaws, the Yamaha YPG-535 is one of the best pianos on the market with its full range of graded velocity keys and several types of lessons. It also comes at a great price point and is a value deal for any aspiring or advanced piano player.
