One advantage of choosing a digital piano is that you can play with headphones on to keep your surroundings quiet. However, many people may find that their ears become fatigued if they play with headphones on for too long. One of the main reasons for this is that sound played directly into the ears is completely different from the natural sound of an actual piano.

Binaural sampling solves this problem. This is a method of sampling in which special microphones are placed on a mannequin’s head in the same positions as the pianist’s ears to capture piano sounds the way that they sound in reality. We chose this method to create the ambience and full, natural resonance of acoustic pianos in Clavinova pianos. This makes pianists feel as though they are sitting at a grand piano even when they play with headphones on. The experience is so pleasant that they forget they are wearing headphones, no matter how long they continue to play. On the CLP-800 Series*, binaural sampling was used for the Bösendorfer Imperial as well as the Yamaha CFX.

We also developed the Stereophonic Optimizer function to achieve the same effect for the piano effects. Stereophonic Optimizer technology replicates the natural diffusion of sound in headphones nearly as closely as binaural sampling for the piano voices other than the CFX and Imperial.

*Binaural sampling of the Bösendorfer Imperial is not included on the CLP-825.

Yamaha developed GrandTouch/GrandTouch-S keyboards based on the concept of keys that convey the feel of a grand piano action. This does not mean that we take the approach of giving each key the same weight as its equivalent on a grand piano keyboard, or replicating the action of a grand piano. Rather, this keyboard mechanism is notable for how the loads applied to the fingertips and the way they change during performance is similar to that of a grand piano.

When playing grand pianos, pianists make minute adjustments to their input in response to whether the hammers at the ends of the keys are striking the strings in such a way that the piano produces the desired sound. In other words, players create sound by sensing the smallest changes in the resistance they feel in their fingertips within strokes measuring only 10 mm. We focused on this essence of sound creation from the player’s perspective and the changes in resistance they feel in their fingertips. Thanks to this unique approach to development, GrandTouch/GrandTouch-S keyboards provide an outstanding level of control to players so that they feel the same sensations as they would on a grand piano keyboard.

When playing a grand piano, the player feels two types of resistance in their fingertips. What makes players feel as though a grand piano action is behind the keys? In our view, it comes down to two key points: First, the resistance that players feel in their fingertips from the moment they press the keys to the moment the hammers spring upward to strike the strings. Second, the response that players feel in their fingertips when the hammers strike the strings. To make GrandTouch/GrandTouch-S keys simulate this resistance—a challenge given the compact size of the digital piano keyboard unit compared to the larger grand piano action—we do things like adjust the weight of the hammer weights and alter the shape, materials, and movement of the internal parts to bring the absolute resistance perceived in the fingertips as close as possible to that of a grand piano action. We also change the materials used, and reposition and refashion the stoppers in the GrandTouch and GrandTouch-S keyboard units to arrest the impact of the hammers, simulating the feeling of pressing grand piano keys to the bottom of the stroke. Of course, the resistance depends on the intensity of the player’s input. However, our innovations allow GrandTouch and GrandTouch-S keys to simulate a wide range of resistance from that felt when playing a powerful passage to the lightest, most delicate of keystrokes.

Grand Expression Modeling is a groundbreaking technology that enables richly varied, textured musical expression in comparison to conventional digital pianos, which tend to offer little tonal variation, inevitably resulting in a rather flat output.

The interaction and interplay of the hammers, dampers, and strings inside a grand piano respond to the intensity, speed, depth, and other subtle nuances of the pianist’s touch, creating a limitless range of tonal expression. This range comes from both types of tonal variation, the type controlled by the player and the type that occurs naturally as a result of physical phenomena happening inside the piano when it is played. When playing a grand piano, the pianist infuses their performance with different types of expression, from the force they apply when depressing the keys to what they decide to do with sustained notes in terms of releasing the keys to cut them or layering them with subsequent notes.

Simple tone generator algorithms on conventional digital pianos are not capable of this level of expression. On CLP-800 Series pianos, Grand Expression Modeling now senses the depth of the player’s touch on every key in addition to the intensity and speed to precisely calculate how a grand piano would respond physically to the nuances of the player’s input. As a result, players now have access to more capacity for musical expression than ever before on a digital piano.

This technology is the result of our advanced digital technology for sound as well as our extensive knowledge of the piano, which we owe to our many years of manufacturing grand pianos.

A person playing the piano by placing the smart device on a music stand and displaying sheet music on the Yamaha Smart Pianist app screen, and the Smart Pianist app icon Smart Pianist is a free application for use with Yamaha digital pianos/hybrid pianos that can create song data from PDF scores and then play it back, as well as analyze song data stored in your smart device and display chord progressions or piano accompaniment scores. The Bluetooth® MIDI function* of the CLP-800 Series lets you connect to Smart Pianist wirelessly.

Combining Smart Pianist with a CLP-800 Series makes it easier to enjoy playing the songs you want to play and increases your performance repertoire.

*Availability of Bluetooth MIDI varies by country.

Use Bluetooth® to listen to music on the high-quality speakers of CLP Series pianos.
Connecting the Yamaha Clavinova CLP-875PE to a smartphone via Bluetooth
You can play music through the audio system on the CLP-800 Series* by using a Bluetooth-enabled smart device. You can stream audio data such as mp3 files, and even enjoy playing along with any songs on your smart device.

*Availability of Bluetooth audio varies by country.

Keys and pedals that allow players to create the intended sound with the same feel as a grand piano

Comparison chart of keyboard specifications by model of the Clavinova CLP-800 series and a schematic diagram of how the pedals are depressed when playing a few bars of Chopin's Prélude The keys and pedals are the interface between player and instrument. The keys and pedals of CLP Series pianos are designed to feel as similar to their grand piano counterparts as possible, so that the way they behave in response to input from the fingers and toes perfectly matches the resulting sound output.

GrandTouch/GrandTouch-S keys
The GrandTouch and GrandTouch-S keyboards were designed around the concept of “a keyboard with the feel of a grand piano action,” with the goal of allowing pianists to feel the keyboard with their fingertips in the same way as they would when playing a grand piano, and from there to create exactly the sound that they are looking for. Specifically, these keyboards are notable for their responsiveness, offering everything from light, delicately nuanced tones to boldly powerful notes in answer to the strength with which the pianist plays the keys. They replicate the pleasing response felt when the grand piano hammers strike the string, and are free of any wobble when pressed to their fullest extent. Highly absorbent synthetic-ivory white keys and synthetic-ebony black keys prevent slipping even during extended play and feel just like those of a grand piano.

The GrandTouch keyboards equipping the top models in the CLP Series feature the longest-ever pivot length on a Yamaha digital piano, ensuring that the keys are easy to play from the edge to the back. Finally, Yamaha’s 88-key Linear Graded Hammers are the only* digital piano technology that provide a distinct touch for each key with the same weight and return for the corresponding key on a grand piano.

The GrandTouch-S keyboards on CLP-800 Series pianos are even more responsive than ever thanks to further optimization of the weights of the hammers.
*Yamaha research as of June 2024

GrandTouch pedals
The pianist controls the pedals to add expression to the music, and makes frequent fine adjustments to how deeply they depress them in order to create the envisioned sound.

On a grand piano, pedaling requires more force when depressing the pedal, with the pedal feeling lighter on the return. This is because lifting a heavy damper requires more power than lowering it. GrandTouch pedals differ significantly from those in previous CLP Series pianos in that they replicate not only the resistance on the toes when the pedals are depressed, but also how that resistance lessens as the pianist returns the pedals to their original positions, a telltale physical property of grand piano pedals. This enables more precise pedaling and subtler changes in tonal expression, not only when depressing the pedals, but also by making it easier to hold the pedals in mid-stroke and control them as they slowly return to their original positions.

The higher-end models also feature a GP Response Damper that starts out light to the touch and grows heavier as it is depressed and the pedaling begins to take effect, just like on a grand piano. This gives players the physical feedback they need to master the delicate art of half-pedaling.