Real Grand Expression: sound, touch and pedals, all perfectly integrated to give you the sensation of playing a grand piano.

Real Grand Expression

Real Grand Expression; a phrase that defines the expressive capability of Clavinova. It is the key components of the sound, the touch and the pedals, together with the application of technology developed through a history of acoustic piano manufacturing. With Real Grand Expression, these elements are combined perfectly into a single instrument, creating the exact sound you want through the touch of the keys and the feel of the pedals. When you play a Clavinova, you can imagine that you are playing a grand piano.

Outstanding piano sounds

The CFX, Yamaha's finest concert grand selected and played by the winner of the 2010 International Chopin Piano Competition and the Imperial from Bösendorfer, a brand held in high esteem by pianists throughout its long history. These renowned pianos are characterised by distinctive traits such as power, versatility, subtlety, lightness and mellowness.

Both of these superb pianos' Voices are featured in the Clavinova. Tuned to perfection by a highly experienced piano technician with the sound from each key sampled individually, Clavinova truly captures the unique tonal character of each of these outstanding instruments.

With your Clavinova, you can enjoy the exquisite beauty of the sought-after tone that the CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial deliver.

VRM physical modeling: creating the distinctive reverberation generated by the entire body of a concert grand piano

In a grand piano, sound resonates throughout the body of the instrument, producing a rich reverberation that envelops the listener in sound.

This phenomena is reproduced perfectly in the Clavinova through Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM), which calculates the various states of the strings for each of the 88 notes on the keyboard from one instant to the next, allowing vivid, richly-varied expression that reflects the limitless number of factors inherent in playing the piano such as the which keys are pressed, the strength with which the keys are played and pedal timing.

Smooth tonal transitions, perfectly matched to the player's touch

A pianist changes the volume and dynamics of the sound by varying the pressure applied to the keys. A Clavinova responds perfectly to give the player an outstanding level of performance control. By using long, carefully-sampled recordings of notes on a piano and unique Yamaha technologies to achieve smooth tonal transitions, rich sonic detail is delivered in response to the touch of the player.

From staccato to legato, superbly expressive sound that responds to the player's touch

Featuring Yamaha's Smooth Release technology, Clavinova recreates the crisp tone heard when playing staccato as well as the lingering sound produced by releasing the keys slowly.

Key-off samples

The moment a pianist's fingers are lifted from the keys of a grand piano, subtle changes occur in the instrument's tone as the damper is lowered onto the strings to mute the sound. Key-off samples feature actual recordings of these changes, offering a faithful reproduction of the most subtle nuances in the piano's tone, creating a more realistic overall sound.

256-note polyphony

Powerful polyphony ensures that more complex passages of music can be played without notes cutting off.

Superb playability and feel

Natural Wood X (NWX) keyboards are created using Yamaha's unrivalled expertise of wood acquired through more than a century of crafting fine pianos. Just as with grand pianos, the material used for NWX keyboards is cut from wood that has been carefully dried specifically for use in making musical instruments.

The NWX keyboards also feature features an escapement mechanism that reproduces a slight clicking sensation near the bottom of the key travel. It has been designed in such a way that the click is discernible only on the lightest keystrokes, similar to the keyboard of a grand piano.

Synthetic Ivory key tops

Synthetic Ivory key tops reproduce the tactile surface of the Ivory keyboards once used in acoustic pianos. It features highly absorbent material that prevents fingers from slipping even after hours of performing, while retaining the ideal texture and feel.

88-key Linear Graded Hammer action

This action faithfully reproduces the subtle differences in the weight and return of every key. No two keys are exactly alike which gives the player the best possible feel and response from the instrument.

GP Response Damper Pedal: an authentic grand piano pedal feel

The GP Response Damper Pedal offers a grand piano-style resistance curve, starting out light to the touch and growing heavier as the pedal is depressed further. This allows players to become accustomed to the nuances of delicate pedalling.

With the adjustment range and pressure feel of a grand piano half pedal, delicate tonal control is possible

The mechanics of superior sound

The sound of a Clavinova is calibrated in fine detail, with speaker positioning and body materials checked to ensure that the entire instrument resonates optimally. To create a sound field that is very close to that of a grand piano, the Clavinova features tone escapements in several locations throughout the body that allow the sound from the speakers to be projected to the listener without being trapped inside the instrument.

2-way speakers

Dedicated drivers for mid and high frequency ranges provide astonishingly powerful sound.

Acoustic Optimizer

The body of the Clavinova contains Acoustic Optimizers that regulate the flow of sound and control tone. A new technology developed from Yamaha's intimate knowledge of the acoustic properties of musical instruments, Acoustic Optimizers deliver a natural, smooth sound across the entire keyboard.

Other features

    Easy-to-use interface
    An easy-to-read LCD and intuitive layout enable simple operation of your Clavinova, giving you more time to focus on playing.
    A variety of piano lesson pieces
    Features exercises for building piano technique from Hanon, Bayer, Czerny and Burgmüller.
    Play along with a variety of rhythms
    Enjoy performing with rhythms such as jazz, pop, latin and more.

Multi-track song recording

The recording function featured in Clavinova digital pianos allows you to record your performances with a single touch, which is useful when you want to review or archive your playing. You can record up to 16 tracks for simultaneous playback, so that each hand can be recorded separately or parts recorded using different sounds.

USB Audio Recorder

Record performances to USB flash memory and create audio files (WAV format) you can save and play back on a computer or portable audio device, share with friends or use to create a CD.

A comprehensive range of keyboard voices

In addition to pianos, the Clavinova CLP Series boasts an impressive library of additional voices including electric pianos, strings and organs. Enjoy the freedom to choose the ideal voice for the genre of music you want to play.

New reverb that offers dynamic ambience and spatial effects

A new reverb system allows to you experience the sensation of playing in a large concert hall, cathedral or other venue, adding depth and atmosphere to the sound. Now you can experience concert hall ambience and spaciousness in the privacy of your own home.

IAC (Intelligent Acoustic Control), perfect for playing at home

The ability to adjust performance volume is extremely useful at home where players may not always be able to play at high volume levels. Often at low volumes, both bass and treble may become difficult to hear. To counter this, Clavinova is equipped with Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC), which adjusts the sound automatically, allowing players to enjoy balanced sound at any volume level.

Stereophonic Optimizer: a new kind of headphone experience

Unique to Yamaha, the Stereophonic Optimizer adjusts the spacing of the sound and the separation from the piano when listening via the headphones, resulting in a spacious sound image that will inspire you to play for hours at a time.