Pedal Harp Music
Hitting The Right Note? Yahama P85
Containing a full sized 88 key keyboard alongside a variable hammer action system, the new Yamaha P85 digital keyboard is surely impressive at first counts. It has a 64-note polyphony along with an inbuilt metronome and a song recorder. The unit also contains two headphone jacks to share your music with someone, as well as built in speakers, for entertaining. This Yamaha model features what the company labels “AWM” or Advanced Wave Memory. Advanced Wave Memory stereo sampled sounds creates an incredibly close acoustic piano sound.
The AWM feature really does add to the overall playing experience, and it sounds a lot like a concert piano, which is incredible considering its size. Weighing in at only 25lbs, the Yamaha P-85 is easily transportable should you require it to be. Apart from the piano, you also have a list of other instrument sounds that you can use, such as the organ, strings, harp, and electric piano.
For a more detailed free article about the Yamaha P85 have a look at : Yamaha P85
Containing dual voice function, the Yamaha P85 is clever enough to allow you to use 2 instruments at the one time. You also have a song recording feature and a half-pedal control that gives you a lot more control over the sound, almost like an acoustic piano.
Here’ what I found after closer inspection of the Yamaha P85:
Good Points
For me the first and biggest advantage of this piano is, of course, its sound quality. There are 10 sounds that you can choose from- grand piano 1 and 2, e-piano (which stands for electric piano) 1 and 2, c-organ 1 and 2, strings and harpsichord 1 and 2, and the vibraphone. In particular, the ‘Grand Piano 2’ really left a positive impression on me for its realistic sound. I must admit Yamaha has performed a great job in reproducing realistic sounds on the P85.
The next advantage of the P85 is its playing feel. The keys are really responsive, and the added pedal control allowed me to really play my heart out. Compared to some other digital piano’s I’ve tried, the keys are very slightly heavy but it allowed me to ‘feel’ the piece of music better than some of the others I tried. It does however, give you a much more accurate feel of playing on something like a grand piano.
Just a reminder that if you are looking for a great free site with lots more information about the Yamaha P85, then check out : Yamaha P85
The Yamaha P85’s weight is very light for its size, yet it looks and feels solid and robust. It meant that I could move this around quite easily, which I found useful when wanting to have a jam with family and friends.
Room For Improvement
The P85 is not by any means perfect and perhaps one thing in particular could be improved upon.
The biggest disadvantage for me would be that there is no proper ‘output’ to plug in an amplifier. I was perplexed as to why this didn’t exist. Gratefully, you can do something simple and plug in an amplifier if you want to. You can simply use the headphone jacks to do the same job. A dedicated output is featured at the higher end of yamaha’s products, so perhaps the company didn’t envisage users of the P85 would want to use this digital piano for parties.
My Final Thoughts
After looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the Yamaha P-85 contemporary digital piano, it is clear to me that this instrument is yet another high-quality model from Yamaha available at a relatively low price. If you want great sound and a solid feel for a really decent price, definitely consider the Yamaha P85.
I sincerely hope that you got some benefit out of this article. You also may be interested to check out some of our other product reviews available, including the: Yamaha P95
Canon in D Johann Pachelbel on pedal harp, performed by John Manno