YAMAHA NP-12 Piaggero - Slimline Home Keyboard for Hobbyists and Beginners, in Black

Product Information

Moreover, a good pair of headphones will provide a clearer and more detailed sound compared to the onboard speakers. This, again, might be a non-issue for beginners. The so-called heft might not be as noticeable as I make it out to be, but I still find myself disliking that. Finally, let’s talk about the ‘ Graded Soft Touch’ featured on the NP-32. Theoretically, a graded keyboard means the keys at lower registers are heavier, but the higher registers are lighter.

For example, when you depress the sustain pedal, the earliest played notes continue to sound while you’re adding new ones and the piano needs more memory to keep all the notes sounding. Dual Mode allows you to play two sounds simultaneously with each keypress and allows you to get richer sounds with minimal effort. You may wonder how it is possible to have 32, 64, or even 128 notes playing at the same time, if there are only 88 keys and we never play them all at once.The keys themselves are also 1 mm narrower than real pianos, possibly another step taken to reduce the overall width of the keyboard. This is ultimately negligible, and I didn’t notice this too much during the test. Now, thekeys on the NP-12 themselves feel great (well, at leastwhen you factor in the fairly cheap price of the NP-12), although it’s important to note that these keysare not full-weighted. While they’re a little lighter, they’re built with touch sensitivity to attempt to simulate a more realistic piano. The use of lighter keys brings down the weight of the keyboard to around nine lbs., which is relatively light for a keyboard. Still, it feels sturdy enough to withstand portability, and I think it would take a lot of stress testing to break this thing. The speakers on the NP-32 are another highlight, as they’re of a high wattage compared to the competition.

This is great for analysing your performance levels, highlighting just how suitable the NP-12 is for beginners and novices looking to become more skilled. Speakers aren’t anything special but still offer good sound quality and volume, although the audio output means you can connect to external speakers. However, the smaller number of keys does make the NP-12 a much lighter, more compact piano. Again, if you’re looking for something to use on the go, whether jamming with friends, taking to school, or for sessions, the build of the NP-12 is certainly a plus. Today, we’ll run the NP-32 (and by extension, the NP-12) through our rigorous review process, and we’ll let you know why it’s one of the better choices for music newcomers.With that said, I do believe that the sluggish keys hurt the NP-32 / NP-12 in this regard. I’m more used to the weighted keys of fully-fledged digital pianos, but I still found the flatbed keys on the PSR-E363 usable. Yamaha is one of the digital keyboard brands that is constantly updating and refining its products. It’s no surprise then that the NP-12 is the successor to the popular NP-11, and that it debuts alongside other keyboards in the series like the NP-32.

One of the concepts behind this relatively small and extremely light digital piano is that it is easy to move and store in a room that usually wouldn’t allow a piano to be present. A lot of people struggle when it comes to space for a piano in their home, so this is why the Yamaha NP12 is a great choice. METRONOME. A standard metronome is included to facilitate practice and can be used while recording.The term ‘ reverb’ is short for ‘reverberation,’ and if you know your physics, these are emulations of how a sound reacts in an enclosed space, like a room or hall. Straight-off the bat, this is something that stood out to me and in my opinion makes the NP-12 a fine choice for beginners seeking a quality digital piano that isn’t too difficult to come to grips with. The interface is easy to learn, even for first-time players, and there’s no risk of getting overwhelmed by countless buttons, sliders, and knobs. The NP-32 is a little more expensive since it is a 76-key keyboard, while the other two are only 61-keys. If you’re the kind of player that needs closer to a full 88-key range, you’re going to have to spend a little more to get the extra keys. You can tell right away that the NP-12 is built quite well—especially for a fairly inexpensive keyboard. It’s clean, minimalistic design proves that the manufacturer set out on a very specific mission with this keyboard: create a simple user interface that allows players to immediately sit down and start playing.

Yamaha have done a fantastic job of capturing the sound of a grand piano and putting it into something much smaller. The other sounds that you get with the Yamaha NP12 are also great, especially the electric piano. The keys themselves have a good feel to them. Although not full-weighted (which is to be expected given the price), the keys still feel quite realistic, albeit slightly lighter. They are made with touch sensitivity, however, so there is more of a realistic feel compared to most other models in this range. Yamaha is clearly marketing the NP-12 towards the beginner piano player, and we think that's a smart move. That being said, it is a little disappointing that there's no sustain pedal included in the box. Now, we aren't looking for a full piano-style pedal at this price point, but it would be a nice touch if they supplied the Yamaha FC5A that comes with the Yamaha P-45. This isn't a big complaint, a sustain pedal won't exactly break the bank, but as your skills develop you will need one to get the best out of this keyboard.

With 76 graded soft-touch keys, the NP-32 is the perfect option if you are looking for a larger keyboard with an improved key action. This seems trivial, but the company’s own YDP-series tends to use button-key combos that are less user-friendly than the alternative. Most people who start out learning the piano from scratch take, on average, a good year or so to build up to the first grade, and then typically take a year for each grade after that. So you can see that this digital piano has the potential to last for 4-5 years easily before an upgrade would be required.