Yamaha P45 Digital Piano: Product Review

For young music lovers, the piano is an ideal instrument to study first. It is one of the easiest instruments to learn how to read music on and to develop a keen understanding of basic music theory. The piano is also an instrument that teaches hand eye coordination and forces the brain to split comprehension as multiple things happen at once. The Yamaha P45 digital piano is one option for beginner piano students to practice on at home between formal lessons.

On a digital piano like the Yamaha P45, you can not only learn to read the sheet music, but you can learn to play various notes and chords with two different hands at the same time. For example, the left hand generally plays the bass clef while the right hand plays the treble clef. There are several additional benefits to learning the piano, but first you must find one that is suitable, durable and dependable at a price you can afford. The Yamaha P45 is one of the top recommended beginner digital pianos.

The Yamaha P45 digital piano is a good choice for beginner piano players and students. It is a full sized digital piano with 88 fully weighted keys that create a close to real feel of an actual acoustic piano. Therefore, it is perfect for rehearsal or alone practice time for students who play full sized acoustic pianos for class or concerts. This is a simple to use straightforward electric keyboard that has a USB port to HOST port which allows you to connect to your computer or mobile device.

One bonus to the Yamaha P45 digital piano is its simplicity. It doesn't have too many extra buttons and features you do not need or will never use. This allows it to be lightweight, quite slim and very portable. It only weighs twenty-five pounds and you could move it easily from home to class or performance. The Yamaha P45 is compact and sleek looking and will compliment any room or performance area.

What Does the Yamaha P45 Come With?

Besides the Yamaha P45 digital piano, the box also includes a sustain pedal, power adapter and music rest. There are also two bundle options that cost about $50 to $60 more. The home bundle includes the Yamaha P45 keyboard, the L85 furniture stand, the adjustable PKBB1 bench, and the sustain pedal. The furniture stand is thin and creates a nice upright full sized piano feel. The portable bundle option comes with the same items as the home bundle with the exception of the PKBZ1 Z-Style Stand instead of the furniture stand.

The Yamaha P45 digital piano allows you to play with a normal piano sound, or from ten different voices including sounds sampled from real Yamaha acoustic grand pianos. You can also choose to play the dual mode that allows you to combine two different sounds together. This can let you practice and compose creatively with mixed sounds such as the piano and string instruments together. The same button that allows you to choose piano sounds also allows you to play demo sources or configure the metronome for efficient practice time.

Authentic Bonus Features of the Yamaha P45 Digital Piano

One bonus feature of the Yamaha P45 is the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) by Yamaha. This creates a weighted action of the keys where the lower end keys are heavier to the touch while the higher end keys are lighter just like the hammers of a real acoustic grand piano. This type of piano key action allows the piano student to practice the proper finger techniques while understanding dynamics and build techniques of piano playing.

Another bonus feature of the Yamaha P45 is the Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) sampling system. This is a dynamic stereo sampling system that promotes creativity and expression with varying samples of instrumental sounds that have been recorded using high-quality digital filter technology. The two built-in speakers on the Yamaha P45 are adequate for a beginner player or student, but would not fill a room or theater with dynamic sound.

The other downside to this Yamaha digital piano is the polyphony 64 level. This is the measuring sound system that determines the strength and dynamic of how many sounds can be put out together. Polyphony 64 is the lowest level for a digital piano.

One bonus feature of the Yamaha P45 is the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) by Yamaha. This creates a weighted action of the keys where the lower end keys are heavier to the touch while the higher end keys are lighter just like the hammers of a real acoustic grand piano. This type of piano key action allows the piano student to practice the proper finger techniques while understanding dynamics and build techniques of piano playing.

Another bonus feature of the Yamaha P45 is the Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) sampling system. This is a dynamic stereo sampling system that promotes creativity and expression with varying samples of instrumental sounds that have been recorded using high-quality digital filter technology. The two built-in speakers on the Yamaha P45 are adequate for a beginner player or student, but would not fill a room or theater with dynamic sound.

The other downside to this Yamaha digital piano is the polyphony 64 level. This is the measuring sound system that determines the strength and dynamic of how many sounds can be put out together. Polyphony 64 is the lowest level for a digital piano.

The cost of the Yamaha P45 digital piano is on the lower side for full sized 88 keys style portable pianos. However, because of the lower price, the Yamaha P45 lacks some of the more advanced features of its competitors. The Polyphony level is on the lowest setting. The various sounds you can play in are all controlled by one button and the speaker system is slight. You can find the piano alone for between $425 and $460 and the bundle packages for somewhere around $500 and $550.

We picked a few similar products to the Yamaha P45 available on the market to see how they compare.

The Yamaha P45 overall gets Three and Three Quarter Stars. It is an excellent, inexpensive option for a digital piano that has 88 keys and feels like you are playing on a real acoustic piano. The weighted keys are a bonus feature and the USB port is also a plus. The sustain pedal is not the best out there, however, there are other features that do standout above its competitors. If you are looking for an affordable beginner digital piano bundle, the Yamaha P45 is an option you should definitely check out.