Portable grand pianos make music fun for beginning musicians as well as expert players. Here are two models from Yamaha that will grow with a learner’s need for a larger keyboard. Let’s take a look at them both to see which one is the best for you.
Yamaha YPG-235 76-Key Portable Grand Piano
The Yamaha YPG-235 is smaller than the YPG-535, and doesn’t come with a stand. But it has 76 piano-style keys that will give an experience similar to playing a real piano. Each key has Yamaha’s Graded Soft Touch. This feature makes the keyboard sound louder if you play harder, and gives the sense that you are playing an acoustic instrument, not an electronic one.
The sound from the YPG-235 comes out of a pair of 12-watt two-way ported speakers. Don’t be fooled by their size: two-way ported speakers have more power than regular sealed enclosure speakers. The Yamaha stereo speakers let you fully enjoy all the sound effects like the 116 panel voices, 12 drum kits, and 100 pre-programmed songs.
Not only can you learn to play with the YPG-235, you can have a great time experimenting with all sorts of music. The keyboard can imitate instruments as diverse as an organ and a flute. You can select a style like Rock and it will add in other instrumental sounds like drums and strings and harmony effects while you play the piano.
As you create new music, the 6-track sequencer records your masterpiece. Connect the keyboard to your computer with the included USB cable and share your new tunes with friends.
When you practice, the YPG-235 has a built-in metronome to help you keep the rhythm. The Yamaha Education Suite gives you lessons to try with each hand, or both, and grades your performance. The Chord Dictionary shows you how to play various chords or identifies them as you play them.And the YPG-235 is capable of full keyboard mode where you play a chord with your right hand and bass notes with your left.
More features of the Yamaha YPG-235 Portable Grand Piano:
- Limited 1-year warranty
- 32 note polyphony with 16-part multi timbrel
- Compatible with sustain pedal and headphones as well as AC adapter, all sold separately
Yamaha YPG-535 88-Key Portable Grand Piano with Stand and Power Adapter
Why would you choose the YPG-535 over the YPG-235 that we reviewed above? For one, it has a full-size keyboard. But let’s look at the additional features on this larger portable grand piano.
First off, the YPG-535 has 88 keys instead of 76 so it’s like a regular piano in size. It comes with its own stand, sustain pedal, and AC adapter. You can save your music to a USB pen drive, not just cable it to a computer. Finally, on the LCD screen you’ll be able to see the score to a song you’re playing. It doesn’t matter if it’s something you wrote yourself or music you downloaded.
Besides those highlights, the Yamaha YPG-535 is similar to the YPG-235. It comes with the Yamaha Education Suite to help you learn to play piano. The 6-track sequencer lets you record your own music complete with accompaniment. When you create your own songs, use the East Song Arranger button to remix the arrangement as Jazz, Hip Hop, Rock, or other styles.
This Yamaha portable grand piano comes pre-programmed with 127 panel voices, 12 drum kits, and 361 XGlite voices. This means you can play not only as a piano, but you can sound like other instruments such as an acoustic guitar, flute, organ, and more. Your imagination is the only limit to what you can do.
More features of the Yamaha YPG-535 Portable Grand Piano:
- Limited 1-year warranty
- Has a headphone jack, USB out to PC to transfer MIDI files, and USB out to flash drive
- 32 note polyphony with 16-part multi timbrel
Recommendation
If you are a beginning player, you could benefit from either of these Yamaha portable grand pianos.
The YPG-235 is the better choice for younger, budding pianists and hobbyists who like to play for entertainment.
The YPG-535 is a good choice for serious learners and advanced players as well as songwriters.
Click here to purchase Yamaha YPG-235 on Amazon.com!
Click here to purchase Yamaha YPG-535 on Amazon.com!