2008 marks the 25th anniversary the Yamaha Clavinova range. Since production began in 1983 the Clavinova range has become the worlds favorite digital piano, the choice of beginners and professional pianist’s across the world.
It began with one simply aspiration – to bring the joy of playing the piano to everyone with an instrument that was both affordable and practical. From this aspiration the Clavinova concept was born.
That concept is based on another dream – to electronically reproduce the sound and feel of an acoustic piano, and these two points are the key features of every Clavinova. These features bring many practical benefits. Electronic instruments can be much smaller, never need tuning and can use headphone for private practice, all major benefits for many modern homes. The use of electronics also means the instruments can be very affordable, another key point in bringing pianos within reach of everyone.
In 1983 the first Clavinova’s created their sound using a tone generation system known as ‘FM synthesis’. At the time this was cutting edge technology, used in the ground breaking Yamaha DX7 synthesizer. However, there was a major break through in sound creation when, in 1986, the first ‘sampled’ Clavinova, the CLP50 was introduced.
‘Sampling’ is a system that digitally records a sound (a piano for instance) and stores that sound in a micro-chip. The basis of this technology is used today, but has been refined over the years to re-produce ultra realistic sounds. Many Clavinova’s now offer a wide range of additional sounds to just piano voice, and all of these sounds are created using ‘sampling’ technology.
There are two types of Clavinova, CLP and CVP, offering different options to pianists. CLP (which stands for Clavinova Classical Piano) is designed primarily as a simple, piano alternative. All Clavinova’s offer additional sounds (such as Harpsichord, Guitar and Vibraphone for example) and higher models in the CLP range will offer features like multi-track recording. However, CLP is primarily about being a practical piano alternative.
The CVP range (Clavinova Versatile Piano) is much more than just a piano! Yes, the heart of the instruments is a great piano sound and a realist keyboard feel, but the musical possibilities are endless with an additional range of exciting features. CVP models feature hundreds of instrumental, orchestral and synthesizer sounds, which can be mixed or placed in different parts of the keyboard. The built-in ‘Styles’ provide an automatic accompaniment, based on which chords are played in the left hand. These accompaniments are outstanding, and the player can sound like a complete Orchestra, or Rock Band or Jazz Band (plus hundreds of different options!) at the touch of a button!
The 25 year anniversary is an important milestone for Yamaha Clavinova and, in the coming months, we will be bringing you a selection of articles about the musical possibilities of Clavinova and the latest models coming to the market.
In the meantime, for more information about the Clavinova range, please visit: www.yamahaclavinova.co.uk