Good synth for practice! (Yamaha PSR 290)

Member Name: LaylaStar

Product:	Yamaha PSR 290
Date:	01/12/08 (633 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Touch responsive keyboard, great grand piano sound! good price - affordable..

Disadvantages: A bit big & bulky, not for performing, some sounds etc. a bit passe, some things a bit complicated..

Is there a Mozart within you? :)

I always wanted to learn the piano, but got talked out of it as a kid by my parents... (a guitar *is* cheaper & you CAN take it anywhere... & turns out my Mom is a fan of guitars too..:) but still.. Trouble is I'm still in love with pianos...)

Later on as a teen I got a small cheapie keyboard with tiny keys that wasn't much good, but with my 1st paycheck a few years ago I wanted to invest into something more 'proper' that would actually help me learn piano! (people talked me out of buying a proper piano, as it is rather big & difficult to move around if you move etc)

Yamaha PSR 290 has 5 octaves & big enough keys so that playing is realistic in comparison to the piano. The keys are not heavy though, so they do not 'feel' realistic. I like it that the keys are dynamic (touch responsive keyboard) - if you press stronger, you get louder music...

It is a bit big and bulky, & a bit annoying to move it around.. If you have enough space to keep it in one place, it's okay..

It is not a synth for performing... Unfortunately I only fully realized & was told that once I had already bought it... (A friend suggested it could be geared up & miked too, but we've never actually tried it.. It looks slightly unprofessional too.. in comparison to 'bigger' & 'badder' keyboards..) But it is an okay synth to practice..

Of course the 'real' synths for performing (with heavy keys) were at the time in a price range I couldn't afford, so this seemed quite a good option at the time...

It has 100 songs in its database, 135 styles & 605 voices.. 208 options from the MDB database..

Sound-wise, I really like the 'grand piano' sound & the rock'n'roll/swing sounds and a few others (maybe 10% of all), but a lot of the sounds just sound rather 'tacky' or very '90s', & a bit like one-man-bands that play at the terrace of a cheap hotel... many prearranged rhythms & styles & songs from the music bank are a bit tacky too, & nothing like the originals...

So if you mostly only need 'grand piano' sounds & the rock'n'roll/swing sounds I guess it's okay.. I was disappointed with a few other sounds & song versions though.. Do listen to YMCA & such before if you intend to use 'em!

I love the 'single button' for getting the grand piano sound.. as that is clearly the best sound of them all, in my opinion..
Separate buttons for beginning or ending a song come handy too, though I'm afraid I haven't mastered them seamlessly yet :)

I admit maybe my reluctance to practise might be related a bit to the synth not sounding & looking so awesome.. (it also works both ways, so maybe my inability to get greatness out of it MAY be related to my reluctance to practice too...:))

If you are considering buying a synth please do listen to a variety of styles & sounds & songs from the database fully - especially those you think you might use (or even those you think you might not)- I didn't, & was sorry later. I thought, 'Oh, all synths are alike' - but it isn't true. Actually, I like my neighbour's much cheaper (& smaller & older) synth better! (& the cool stuff on it...)

Also check out the feel, the buttons and all.. /I still don't know what some of the buttons are for, & can't seem to figure out some functions! Maybe actually getting a synth teacher would be good too../
And think about where you will put it.. Go for a leaner and lighter model if you don't have much space... (especially if you might have problems with your back at times)

The new models can be linked directly to the computer (mostly via USB) I hear, but it doesn't hurt to check. This one needed an USB interface & I still haven't figured exactly how to use it proper & record MIDI on the PC..

Unfortunately it doesn't have the option to insert a diskette or a USB key, though some stuff can be recorded on it directly - haven't tried that yet though..

Also the usual headphones don't fit in (nifty function if you want to practise & not upset the neighbours), I suppose Yamaha headphones with a bigger plug-in, or a special adapter would be needed for that..

Basically, even a non-techie like me can use it for basic stuff.. Even to impress the even-less-knowledgeable.. (like my Dad - yes, there are some polka songs/styles on that too!)
/Perhaps especially with the 100 'Demo' versions where you don't have to do a thing! some are a bit tacky though../

I haven't used the 'tutorial/learning' functions, as I prefer notes & chords on paper & directions from a human to a small LCD screen..

Basically, it's NOT a piano - & pianos are still VERY magical for me.. but for occasional practise this may do just fine... (except if you really want a piano or something classier!!)

Summary: Good synth for practice, not for performing!