Gonna Make You A Star (Yamaha Clavinova)

Member Name: chrispitts

Product:	Yamaha Clavinova
Date:	09/12/02 (7715 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Versatile, Accurate sounds, Touch sensitive

Disadvantages: Heavy, Expensive

A few years ago, my parents bought me a traditional upright piano as a wedding present (quite what my now ex-wife got out of it, I don't know - I guess it was somewhere to put photos/vases etc.). Then, my marriage split up (it's in another op, if you want the details!). Working as a doctor, I moved into hospital accomodation - and for obvious reasons, couldn't figure out what to do with the piano. (She wasn't having it, that's for sure!) After lengthy discussions with my parents, we decided to trade the piano in for a Clavinova - the CVP201 to be exact. I ended up adding a bit to the cost, because it was a bit more than the piano, but we felt that it would be more portable, and take up less room than a traditional piano. And it is. It lived quite happily in hospital accomodation with me, moved without a hitch into my first home, and then again into my new home. But, having ferried it around quite a bit (both moving, and when I've needed to "perform" anywhere - pubs, weddings etc.), it turns out to be heavy. Very heavy. Fortunately, the stand quite easily detatches from the main unit (just a couple of screws holding it in place), but at 54kg, it's quite a feat to shift it on your own. Having said that, it's now been battered against walls, doors, and, on occasion, concrete traffic bollards (don't ask), and, except the obvious cosmetic damage, it still plays well.
OK, so that's the physical bit done with. What's it actually like to play? What does it do?

According to the official blurb, the CVP201 has 64 note polyphony, meaning 64 notes can be played at once. If you are ever in the position where you NEED to play 64 notes at once, I don't envy you at all. However, this number is important if you use the Clavinova for recording multiple tracks - more of that later...

What I didn't want to end up with is a keyboard with poor touch-sensitivity. Any musician will agree that if you can'
;t put enough emphasis on certain notes, the music sounds flat and dull. The Clavinova has weighted keys, which, surprisingly, do feel remarkably like a traditional pianos, and the touch sensitivity ("Graded Hammer Action") is actually remarkably good. Obviously, it goes without saying that the Clavinova has a full, 88 note keyboard. But I've said it anyway.

In "Piano" mode, it is fairly tricky to tell the difference between a Clavinova and a standard, non-digital piano. Perhaps this is why Jools Holland prefers to record tracks using a Clavinova. And I suppose a big plus (memories from childhood here...) is that you don't have to fork out cash for retuning every so often. People who say there is no "richness of sound" with a Clavinova, obviously haven't actually heard a Clavinova being played. Sure, if you play a Steinway Grand, it'll sound better, but the Clavinova is more than a match for your bog-standard home upright.
But, of course, I didn't get the CVP201 to play as a piano. Oh no. Because it does much more than that. And I'm a gadget freak...

The 201 has 195 main voices (instruments). These are split into sections, such as Piano, Strings, Brass, Organ etc. The range of voices is incredible. Some are appalling, and you'll never, ever use them. Others are fantastic, and perfectly mimic the instruments they have been sampled from (violin, trumpet etc.) And then the last section is "XG". It took me a little while to figure out what XG actually is - apparently it's some form of synthesis. Anyway, by using XG, you have access to another 480 voices. Yes, 480. They don't sound quite so good, but there are some pretty nice (and weird) sounds hidden away in there.

There are also 125 different rhythm styles, ranging from pop, through rock and jazz, to ballroom, latin and traditional waltzes etc... Oh and "Pop Ballad 1" is based on "Every Breath Yo
u Take", by the way. By playing around with the detailed settings, you can set different volumes for the drums, bass, harmony one and harmony two tracks within the rhythm setting, and each style has variation A, variation B, an introduction, a fill-in and an ending.

It's in triggering the rhythm track that things become really clever. Anyone who has played an electric keyboard will know the traditional way to trigger chord sequences is by splitting the keyboard, and pressing either one-note chords with the left hand, or by actually fingering the chords, while playing the melody with the right hand. And you can do this. If you want...
But, as a reasonably OK pianist, I wanted to do more. And the Clavinova, by some very clever trick, allows you to play a normal piece of music, both hands together, and picks up the dominant chord, laying down an appropriate backing track. And after a couple of years messing around, I can confidently say - it very rarely messes things up. And this, in my opinion, is the key to making you sound good. You can make things as complicated as you like, but the Rhythm Tracks are sufficiently complex and variable to make even a one-fingered pianist sound good.

Other stuff? You want more? OK... How about layering - playing two instruments together. Boring? Yeah, I guess so, and in all honesty, some of the reverb is lost when you play certain instruments together, so the music can sound less realistic. What about splitting the keyboard - playing, for example, the bass with the left hand, and a guitar with the right. Pretty cool, but sounds awful when you forget where you've set the dividing note...
Reverb and chorus - making your instrument sound echoey (like a huge hall), or dull (padded cell?!)
Harmony - can't be used when the rhythm track is on, but for solo playing, adds second notes, third notes, octaves, a choir, strings... very cool for "mellow jazz" if you turn the "four-par
t jazz" setting on.

Did I mention recording multiple tracks. Yeah, I think I did...
By slotting in a standard floppy disc, you can record up to 16 tracks to disc, with real-time recording (adding layers of new tracks to your previous ones). All different instruments if you want. Changes of rhythm style are recorded as well, so fill-ins appear in the right place. Or, if you're really lazy, just download some MIDI files from the internet, put them on a floppy, and load it into the Clavinova - instant MIDI jukebox, and I guarantee it'll sound better than on your PC. (The Clavinova Demo Songs are amazing as well...)

Surely, there can't be more? Oh, but there is. Much more. How about registration memory - by storing instrument, reverb and rhythm settings, you can swap between them with a single button press.
Computer connectivity. As expected, Clavinovas are MIDI compatible, so you can link the Clavinova to a computer by cable, and transcribe music as you play... (with the right software - cable and software not included as standard).

But surely this is really complicated? Not really. The key to using the Clavinova (apart from reading the manual cover to cover) is the small rotating disc in the middle, under the LCD display. From this, you can set tempo, change instruments and rhythms, set up tracks for recording, change system volumes, name tracks, alter function of the middle pedal (how about setting it up to start and stop the rhythm whenever you press the pedal?), transpose up or down, up to an octave either way, fine tune to match an instrument, or to play along to a CD.... you name it.

In summary, this is one of my most favouritest things in the world. If you're an experienced musician, you'll find more than enough to keep you occupied. If you're a beginner, Clavinova have produced Tuition Discs.....

You mean I haven't told you about tuition. OK. Quickly then, I've got to g
o.

There are little LEDs above each note. If you play a MIDI file, one or two tracks will light up corresponding to the key presses (This is meant to represent L and R hands). Tuition discs come with music, and you can either follow the notes, or preset the machine to hold the music until the correct note is pressed. And you can do this with L or R hand, or both together. So, potentially, you can have "London Bridge is Falling Down" with a full orchestral backing, as if the orchestra is waiting for you, (the star performer) to hit the right note. Believe me, my explanation didn't do it justice - it's very clever.

Anyway, enough from me. If you're even slightly interested, pop into a good music store, and ask to have a look. It's the only way you'll make sense of what I've said. And if you're not musical at all, try to take someone who is. Let them have a play.

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