Hi Everybody!
Today we’re going to have a look at the Yamaha P-115 Digital Piano. It’s Yamaha’s “follow-up” to their ever-popular P-105, and includes a number of improvements. It’s a full 88-key digital piano with lots of features!
The Yamaha P-115 Digital Piano
Yamaha’s P-115 digital piano already has a great reputation. It’s one of many amongst the large selection of digital pianos available at Best Buy’s website. The P-115 plays great and sounds great. What’s more, it has many extra features that will give you so much to explore beyond the classic Yamaha piano sound.
In the box
It’s not a small box, but inside you’ll find neatly packaged everything you need to get you started:
- The P-115 piano;
- A clip-on music stand for your sheet music;
- Owner’s manual;
- Power adapter;
- Sustain Pedal
The Basics
At the heart of the P-115 is Yamaha’s top technology, the Pure CF Sound Engine. Yamaha’s many years of experience as both an acoustic and digital piano manufacturer come into play as a part of this design. Yamaha is an established leader in both of these fields, and they’re been able to combine their strengths into the quality of the sound and feel of the instrument. The instrument of reference for the P-115 is the Yamaha CFIIIS 9′ concert grand piano, which Yamaha calls its “Crowning Glory.”
Improvements to the quality of the sample of the grand piano sounds are just one of the upgrades Yamaha offers with the P-115. The other main ingredient is the GHS or “Graded Hammer Standard” weighted action, which recreates very well the feel of a Yamaha grand piano. The GHS technology is detailed in such a way that the keys on the lower end of the piano keyboard feel heavier to the touch, and the the keys at the higher end are lighter — much like an acoustic piano. This article provides a more detailed look at the GHS and other touch technologies on the Yamaha digital piano.
Up Front
The P-115’s front panel
On the front panel you’ll find everything you’ll need to be making music of all styles. Power, Volume and Metronome controls are toward your left, and the fourteen different sounds are on your right. The sounds are arranged in seven banks of two sounds each. To access the second sound, you simply press the desired sound button twice. There are buttons to Records and Play back your work as well.
Out Back
On the back of the P-115 you’ll find everything you need for a variety of situations. There are Left + Right audio outputs, so you’ll be able to connect your P-115 to any sound system, making it great for concerts, gigs, church … any situation! You also have two options for sustain pedals. The first is your basic sustain pedal, which is included. The second option (available separately at Best Buy’s website) allows you to have the full three-pedal option that you’d find on the Yamaha Acoustic Grand Piano.
Back of the P-115 Finally you’ll find a USB to Host connection, which allows you to connect your P-115 to your computer, or to your tablet or smartphone via Yamaha’s Digital Piano Controller app. The Digital Piano Controller app is a relatively new addition for Yamaha, and definitely adds a lot more to your Yamaha digital piano experience!
Whether you’re a beginner pianist, or a seasoned professional, you’ll find the digital piano you need at Best Buy’s website.
Features
It’s commonplace today to find that your digital piano is much more than a piano, and the P-115 is no exception. In addition to all of the great sounds, and the solid GHS touch system, you’ll find many other features.
Metronome: There is a built-in metronome to help with your practice and recording. With the touch of a couple of buttons, you can turn the metronome into a full drum accompaniment, with 14 drum beats to choose from. You can adjust the tempos of the drum beats as well, even adding fills at the beginning and end of your piece of music to create a more complete performance. You’ll also be able to tell the metronome to play in different time signatures, from the common 4/4, to a 3/4 waltz, or to something a little more exotic …
Split Keyboard: The keyboard can be split into two different voices. For example, you might assign the E. Bass sound to the left side, and the Vintage EP sound to the right side, creating a funky jazz ensemble in seconds. This is but one of many possibilities!
Record: Record and playback your performances, or your inspired moments of creativity.
Pianist Style: Your P-115 piano will go to work for you. When activated, the Pianist Style function creates accompaniments that make your melodies sound full, leaving the joy of the music to you. As you play chords in the the left hand, the P-115 creates the arpeggios and other nuances to give your song varied textures.
Headphones X2:
Two Headphone outputs!
On the front left of the piano, you’ll find two headphone outputs. This a standard, but great feature that allows for you to play solos or duos without disturbing others!
Sound
You’ll find three different grand piano sounds: Grand Piano, Bright GP, and Mellow GP. Each sound has it’s own character. More importantly, however, is the quality of each sound. The Yamaha Pure CF Sound Engine technology is simply excellent. It does a great job reproducing their acoustic grand piano sound with the P-115, leaving little to be desired for your ears.
Beyond the grand piano sounds, there are three electric piano sounds: DX E. Piano, Stage EP, and Vintage EP. Let’s not forget that Yamaha has been making electric pianos and stage pianos for a long too! Their all-around character for these sounds is well-represented as well in the P-115.
Yamaha includes three organ sounds as well, Jazz Org., Pipe Org. and Jazz Org. All of these have their own character and will prove to be very useful! Finally, you’ll find Strings, Vibraphone, Harpsichord, and both Acoustic and Electric bass sounds.
All of these great sounds wouldn’t be of much use if you couldn’t hear them! The P-115 has two 7-watts speakers, providing plenty of volume if needed. Yamaha has also repositioned these speakers on this model, bringing the speakers more in line with you, the performer!
Overall Impressions
With its P-115, Yamaha provides an excellent digital piano with so much more to explore. If you’re looking for a high-quality digital piano for your home, this is a serious contender for you. If you’re looking for an instrument to use for concerts and gigs, the P-115 will satisfy as well.
If you would like to have an even closer look at the P-115, go to Best Buy’s website!
Are you an amateur or professional musician? Is the Yamaha P-115 for you? I’d like to know!
Thanks for stopping in, stay tuned for more product reviews in the near future!
