According to Time Magazine, this digital piano is one of the most influential technologies that came out in the last 50 years. In this Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano review, I’ll list all its features and specs so that you will know if it’s the right one for you.
The Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano is a model lineup of digital pianos manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation. Its looks, feel, and sounds are just like a real acoustic piano. The Yamaha Corporation launched this premium model line in 1983.
Every digital piano in the various Clavinova series is designed to satisfy the needs of a particular type of pianist. While all models of Clavinova are affordable, they don’t compromise on functionality, playability, and, most of all, quality.
Read on to learn more about the Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano, its features and specs, and the essential things you need to know to determine if it’s the digital piano you are looking for.
About the Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano
Premium Model Lineup of Yamaha Digital Pianos
The Clavinova is a premium model lineup of Yamaha digital pianos. The Yamaha Corporation of Japan manufactures them. Yamaha launched this series in 1983. This digital pianos series’ sounds, looks, and feel are like that of a real acoustic piano.
Satisfy Needs of Varied Types and Levels of Piano Players
Every instrument in this model lineup is designed to satisfy the needs of varied types and levels of piano players. Overall, they are very affordable, yet they don’t compromise their quality, functionality, and playability.
Authentic Piano of an Actual Acoustic Piano
Every digital piano in the different Clavinova series can provide the authentic touch of an actual acoustic piano. Cutting-edge technology called weighted “GrandTouch” makes this possible. It provides graded action and real hammer effects to the Clavinova.
Last a Long Time Due to Clavinovas’ Build Quality
Clavinovas can last a long time because of their build quality. In fact, Clavinova digital pianos can last between 20 to 50 years. But this musical instrument is quite heavy. On average, this instrument can weigh 125 to 277 pounds.
Don’t Need Periodical Tuning
As with any digital piano, Clavinovas don’t need periodical tuning. It is an electronic musical instrument with no strings that can go out of tune. Meanwhile, its name was derived from two words. One is Clavier which means ‘keyboard instrument,’ and the other is ‘nova,’ which means new.
Launched in 1983
The Yamaha Corporation developed the Clavinova and launched it in 1983. Since then, it has grown into many different models and variants. It has also captured the hearts of many pianists and music aficionados around the world.
Starting in July 2020, the Yamaha Clavinova digital piano is available in three different classes of digital pianos:
- CLP-700 series,
- CVP series, and
- CSP series.
Each of these series has its different model lineups. The Clavinova CLP-700 series has the most number of models.
Clavinova CVP Series Was Launched in 2017
The Clavinova CVP series is Yamaha’s latest addition to the Clavinova models of digital pianos. It was launched in August 2017. This instrument is tablet-enabled and is designed to be used with the SmartPianist app of Yamaha, which gives access to the instrument’s control features.
Different Types of Yamaha Clavinova Digital Pianos
As I have already mentioned, the Clavinova is available in three different types. All these classes offer superior tone and touch. They are ideal for people looking for the best piano in terms of design, tone, and touch. Plus, their keyboard action can be likened to that of an acoustic grand piano:
1. Clavinova CLP-700 Series
The first Clavinova class that I will discuss is the CLP-700 series because it offers the most models. They must be the most popular Clavinova pianos.
Models
There are seven models in this series. They include the following:
- CLP-795GP
- CLP-785
- CLP-775
- CLP-765GP
- CLP-745
- CLP-735
- CLP-725
Key Features
A Clavinova CLP-700 series digital piano comes with the following key features:
- Plays like a grand piano
- Authentic acoustic resonance
- You will have the world’s greatest concert grand pianos at your fingertips
- Keys that other digital pianos can’t touch
- Several fortepiano voices
- Intuitive Android and iOS controls
2. Clavinova CVP Series
The CVP series has the second most number of models in the Clavinova classes of digital pianos. You can choose from four models in this series. Plus, Yamaha says that it is their flagship Clavinova and the most entertaining piano series that they made. Therefore, it opens up new entertaining possibilities for a pianist.
Models
The Clavinova CVP Series is available in four different models:
- CVP-809GP
- CVP-809
- CVP-805
- CVP-701
Key Features
The key features of the CVP series are the following:
- Piano room with session mode
- Bring up backup singers
- Be the band leader
- Keyboard voices are very authentic
- With lights that serve as teaching guides
- With keys that other digital pianos can’t touch
- Realistic acoustic resonance
- Intuitive color touchscreen
- Ability to save settings
- Ability to record and share your piano playing
3. Clavinova CSP Series
This digital piano series accurately mimics the tone, touch, and power of the finest grand pianos in the world. It also comes with a technology that is designed to make you a better piano player.
With this instrument, you can learn to play your favorite songs, play with a jazz ensemble, lead an orchestra, and many more. In fact, Yamaha claims that this is the world’s most advanced piano teacher.
Models
There are only two models of digital pianos in this series. They are the following:
- CSP-170
- CSP-150
This digital piano comes with a technology that allows you to control everything by using a smart app on your smart devices.
Key Features
The key features of the CSP Series are the following:
- Tech to help you learn to play the piano better
- Turn your favorite songs into sheet music or music scores
- Advanced technology and sophisticated design
- Realistic acoustic resonance
- Bring up backup singers
- Become the band leader
- Comes with the sounds of the finest grand pianos in the world
- Comes with keys that other digital pianos can’t touch
General Features of the Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano
Overall, the Clavinova models of digital pianos share several general features. These features have made Clavinova the preferred digital piano of many people around the world. The following features are common to all Clavinovas, particularly in the CLP-700 series:
1. Play with Rhythm Playback
There are 20 simple but different rhythm patterns in every Clavinova CLP-700 series digital piano. They come with bass and drum accompaniments. These rhythmic patterns can be played with varying types of music.
Plus, they will allow you to add color to your performances, make them more interesting, bring up backup singers, and make your music more creative.
2. Record Songs on Multi-Track
The Clavinova digital piano has a single-touch recording function that allows you to record your performances. You can use this feature to review your piano playing objectively. With this feature, you can also record up to 16 tracks and play them back simultaneously.
In this way, you can separately record different hands. You can also overdub different parts with different voices. All recordings are done in MIDI format. You can use a USB memory device to store your recordings. Then, if you want to play it back on a computer, you must use compatible software.
3. Practice Teacher
Every Clavinova, especially in the CSP series, is fully packed with the most widely used piano exercises. They include proven methods from the following:
- Burgmuller,
- Czerny,
- Bayer, and
- Hanon.
Use the built-in songs in this digital piano to practice your right and left hands separately. And wait as you transform into a better piano player.
4. Bluetooth Wireless Connection
A Yamaha Clavinova digital piano comes with an audio system. This audio system can play music if you connect the piano to a Bluetooth-enabled gadget. Stream mp3 audio files and then play along with songs on your mobile or smartphone.
5. Record Your Performances
If you want to record your performances for any reason, hook up a USB flash drive onto the respective slot on the Clavinova. This will create audio files that you can save and then playback on a laptop. Share your performances with others in this way or create CDs of your piano playing. Note that the audio format used by this digital piano is WAV.
Again, what does the Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano offer? Yamaha Corporation crafted and launched the Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano in 1983. This lineup of digital pianos’ appearance, feel, and sound is like a genuine acoustic piano packed with lots of exciting features.
Most Attractive Features of the Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano CLP 700 Series
The Clavinova line of digital pianos made by Yamaha comes with some of the most attractive features found in digital pianos. You will be amazed at what this line of digital pianos can do. Some of these features include:
1. Virtual Resonance Modeling
Rich sympathetic resonance is produced through advanced Yamaha technology.
2. New Samplings of the Yamaha CFX and Bosendorfer Imperial Voices
These are recordings of several world-famous concert grand pianos. Turn on these voices in your piano performances to impress your audience.
3. Period Instrument Voices
Inside these digital pianos are period voices of the fortepiano, the ancestor of our modern piano. They are the pianos used by legends like:
- Chopin,
- Beethoven,
- Mozart, and
- Other famous classical musicians of the past.
4. Other Attractive Features
Other attractive features of the Clavinova series of digital pianos that enable it to produce top-notch sounds and also make it easy to play are the following:
- GrandTouch Keyboard
- Grand Acoustic Imaging
- 88-key Graded Linear Hammer
- Escapement Mechanism
- Key Counterweights
- Touch Sensor Control Panel
- Grand Expression Modeling
Specifications of the Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano CLP-795GP
Since there are several models in each class of the Clavinova digital piano, I will focus on one class with the most number of models. Specifically, the CLP-700 series. The model that I will discuss is the CLP-795GP, which is the top model in this series.
The table below lists all the important specs of this digital piano:
| Section/Part | Specifications |
| Dimensions | |
| Width | 56 – 5/16 inches |
| Depth | 48 – 11/16 inches |
| Height | 36 – 11/16 inches |
| Weight | 277 pounds |
| Control Interface | |
| Number of keys | 88 keys |
| Type of keys | GrandTouch keyboard: Synthetic ebony and ivory key tops Wooden keys (white only) Escapement |
| 88-key Linear Graded Hammers | Yes |
| Counterweight | Yes |
| Touch Sensitivity | Hard2/Hard1/Medium/Soft1/Soft2/Fixed |
| GP Response Damper Pedal | Yes |
| Number of Pedals | Three: Damper (with half-pedal function), Soft, and Sostenuto |
| Functions | Sustain Continuously Sustain (Switch) Soft Sostenuto Song Play/Pause Pitch Bend Up Pitch Bend Down Vibe Rotor Rotary Speed |
| Screen quality | 128 x 64 dots |
| Screen type | Full Dots LCD Touch sensors |
| Voices | |
| Number of Voices | 53 voices plus 14 Drum/SFX Kits plus 480 XG voices |
| Piano Sound | Yamaha CFX, Bösendorfer Imperial |
| Number of Polyphony | 256 notes max. |
| Binaural Sampling | Yes (Bösendorfer and CFX Grand and voices only) |
| Smooth Release | Yes |
| Key-off Samples | Yes |
| Grand Expression Modeling | Yes |
| Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) | Yes |
| Compatibility | XG (GM), GM2 (for Song playback), and GS (for Song playback) |
| Songs | |
| Number of Songs | 250 |
| Number of Preset Songs | 50 classics plus 25 voice demo songs plus 303 lesson songs |
| Number of Tracks | 16 |
| Recording | SMF (Format 0) |
| Playback | SMF (Format 0, Format 1) |
| Data Capacity | 500 KB/Song (per song approx.) |
| Effects | |
| Chorus | 3 |
| Reverb | 6 |
| Master Effect | 12 |
| Brilliance | Seven plus User |
| Stereophonic Optimizer | Yes |
| Intelligent Acoustic Control (IAC) | Yes |
| Split | Yes |
| Dual/Layers | Yes |
| Duo | Yes |
| Function | |
| Recording | .wav (44.1 kHz sample rate, 16-bit resolution, stereo) |
| Playback | .wav (44.1 kHz sample rate, 16-bit resolution, stereo) |
| Piano Room | Yes |
| Tuning | 414.8 – 440.0 – 466.8 Hz (approx. 0.2 Hz increments) |
| Transpose | -12 to 0 to +12 |
| Tempo Range | 5 – 500 |
| Metronome | Yes |
| Rhythm | 20 |
| Scale Type | Seven types |
| Bluetooth | Audio/MIDI (varies by country) |
| Connectivity | |
| Headphones | Standard stereo phone jack (x 2) |
| AUX IN | Stereo Mini |
| AUX OUT | [L/L+R] [R] |
| USB TO DEVICE | Yes |
| USB TO HOST | Yes |
| DC IN | 24 volts |
| AUX Pedal | Yes |
| Storage | |
| Internal Memory | 1.4 MB (approx. total) |
| Speakers and Amplifiers | |
| Speakers | Spruce Cone Speaker, (16 cm + 8 cm + 2.5 cm (dome) plus transducer) x 2, |
| Amplifiers | (50 W plus 50 W plus 50 W) x 2 |
| Power | |
| Auto Power Off | Yes |
| Power consumption | 60 W (when PA-500 AC adaptor is in use) |
| Adaptors | PA-500 |
| Accessories | |
| Seven items | Owner’s Manual Warranty Online Member Product Registration “50 Classical Music Masterpieces” Music Book Power cord and AC adaptor PA-500 Bench |
| Cabinet | |
| Music Rest | Yes |
| Music Braces | Yes |
| Style of Keyboard Cover | Sliding |
| MSRP | $8,499.00 to $9,999.00 |
Conclusion: Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano
The Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano is one of the model lineups of digital pianos made by the Yamaha Corporation. It is designed to have the looks, sound, and feel of an actual acoustic piano. Yamaha launched this premier line of digital pianos in 1983.
The Clavinova line of Yamaha consists of several classes of digital pianos, with each class consisting of different models. These digital pianos are all affordable, yet they don’t compromise quality, playability, and functionality. For these reasons, the Clavinova series is worth your consideration.
