Using Digital Pianos for Piano Lessons – Should you?

Using Digital Pianos for Piano Lessons – Should you?

[caption id="attachment_178" align="alignleft" width="310"] digital pianos

Many piano teachers use acoustic pianos for lessons. However, they are very expensive. As digital pianos are an affordable alternative, many piano schools use them to teach beginners. Before, using digital pianos for lessons was out of question. That’s because their sound and feel wasn’t comparable to acoustic pianos. But over the past few years, that has completely changed.

The digital pianos today feature excellent sound quality. The feel of the keys is very similar. No wonder they’re becoming more popular. And best of all, they require no tuning. So no more hefty bills. As a result of their affordability, many schools are purchasing digital pianos to teach aspiring pianists.

Also, independent teachers are beginning to use them to teach their students. What’s also great is the headphone outputs that come with pretty much every digital piano. Another great features for learners include metronome, and duet mode – in which two people can play simultaneously. This makes the learning experience better for both the instructor and the student.

While the 88-keys are standard, some teachers even use 76-key models. However, it’s better to stick to 88-keys. If you’ll be providing your instrument for the lessons, it’s a good idea to invest in a digital piano for the new learner in your home. This saves you a lot of money as you get excellent features for a reasonable price. The ideal price range for entry and mid-level models is $500-$1,000.

However when the student becomes more advanced, it’s better to switch to an acoustic piano. That doesn’t mean that digital pianos can’t be used by professionals. Many high-end models by Yamaha and Roland cater to advanced pianists. With technology continuously advancing, there will be time when it will be difficult to tell the difference between digital pianos and acoustic pianos.

Download article as PDF

Using Digital Pianos for Piano Lessons – Should you?

Yamaha P155 Review - Yamaha P155 Contemporary Piano with Mahogany Top Board

Yamaha P155 Review

This will be a detailed digital piano review of the Yamaha P155. It’s part of Yamaha’s P-Series of digital pianos.

According to Yamaha, the P155 “offers professional quality sound with our legendary piano touch. Thanks to the top-shelf Yamaha digital piano technologies like advanced sampling methods and the ultra-expressive GH (Graded Hammer) keyboard, musicians don’t have to choose between portability and piano quality—the quality you expect from a company that’s been building world-class acoustic pianos for over a century. In the P-155, Yamaha crafts that heritage into a slim cabinet available in three contemporary finishes.”

Although it was released in 2009, the Yamaha P155 remains a popular choice due to its rich sounds and impressive features. Even though Yamaha has released newer models since the release of the P155, people are still buying this digital piano. Although it’s priced higher than the DGX640, the P105, and the P95, the features and the overall quality of the P155 make it worth every penny you pay.

Let’s look at some of its features before the detailed part of the review:

• 88-key Graded Hammer Effect weighted keyboard


• 128 polyphony notes; Fixed/Soft/Medium/Hard touch sensitivity


• 50 Preset songs; 17 Preset voices


• 4 reverb, 4 effect, and 3 brilliance types


• Metronome; Dual/Layers and Split modes


• AWM dynamic stereo sampling with 4 levels


• Damper Resonance; Stereo Sustain and Key-Off Samples


• 32 – 280 Tempo Range; 7 Scale types


• 2 track, 3 song recording capability


• -12 to 0, 0 to +12 Transpose; tuning controls


• MIDI & USB to Device outputs, AUX inputs


• Two headphone outputs


• 12W x 2 Amplifiers; 2 Speakers


• 7 Segment LED Screen

Included with the P155 are: FC4 footswitch sustain pedal, music rest, AC power adapter, and more…

Let’s get back to the review. The P155 is actually the lowest priced Yamaha model with Graded Hammer Effect (GHE) keyboard. This makes the key action amazing. And since the keys are weighted, they’re highly responsive. It’s much better than the Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) action that was in the P95. This also affected the sound of the P95. If you have read our review of the P95, you probably remember that we didn’t like it.

Anyhow, the P155 sounds very much like an acoustic piano. The touch and feel are also impressive just as Yamaha states. In fact, playing it was quite an experience. The realistic feel and key action mimic those of acoustic pianos. Comparing to other models within the same price range, the feel of the P155 is better.

And with the sounds you get, the grand piano sound was noteworthy, which is excellent of course. That’s because Yamaha used their finest concert grand samples. However, the other sounds were only decent. But you probably won’t be using them much anyway.

As you have read the features above, a FC4 sustain pedal is included with this instrument. But you won’t really need to use it much. Why? The keys quite expressive on their own. Moving on…it’s very easy to set it up once it’s right out of the box. Yamaha decided to focus on keep the P155 simple, favorable to minimalists. Even for first timers, the user guide is easy to understand, and the controls are simple. In case you may be interested, there are hidden sounds that are not labelled. But the user guides does a good job of explaining how to access them.

As it goes for the looks, the P155 looks quite nice. It is offered in three different colors:

Yamaha P155 Contemporary Piano with Mahogany Top Board

Not only is it well-designed, it’s also sturdy. Even for a portable digital piano, it isn’t light. It weighs 41 pounds. But an average adult won’t have much trouble carrying it around. You can still put it in your car and take it to gigs or whatnot. And if you want it to fit well with your furniture, you get three color choices.

Despite the limited number of features, the ones that are included are great for the price range. Although it’s useful, recording function only holds 3 songs. So using a USB would be much better to store your creations. There are barely any unnecessary features like you get on other digital pianos. As mentioned already, this instrument is simple.

The Pros:

• The grand piano sounds


• The Graded Hammer Effect (GHE) key action


• Realistic touch and feel


• Very easy to set up and use


• Well-built, durable instrument with 3 color choices


• Dynamic Stereo Sampling (DSS) sound technology


• Ease of connectivity (MIDI, USB, AUX)

The Cons:

• There should have been more useful features


• The sounds other than the piano sounds could have been better


• Speakers aren’t good enough if playing in large, crowded areas

Conclusion

The Yamaha P-Series P155 is an excellent instrument in its price range. You get great sound quality, responsive touch, realistic key action, and nice looks – all in a simple manner. Despite releasing over 4 years ago, it continues to satisfy anyone looking for an exceptional, but affordable digital piano. Even if it was priced more, it would still be excellent value. Any true musician will appreciate this instrument.

Good for: newbies wanting to learn, and even for those who play at gigs
Not so good for: someone who prefers more advanced features and more instrument sounds

Final Verdict: Highly Recommended

Yamaha P155 Review - Yamaha P155 Contemporary Piano with Mahogany Top Board