Yamaha N1X
Get to grips with one of music's most advanced pianos
Piano manufacturing giants Yamaha are well known for their superior quality and wide range of pianos. Trusted by some of music’s biggest names – the likes of Michael Bublé, Jamie Cullum and Elton John all use Yamaha regularly – they were one of the first piano manufacturers to explore the idea of the ‘hybrid’ with Silent, Transacoustic, and AvantGrand instruments. Within the AvantGrand range, Yamaha now boast four piano models. But how much do you know about their innovative range and its remarkable ability to recreate the same sounds as a traditional acoustic piano? Here are 6 things to know...
1. Good things come in threes
Three AvantGrand models - the AvantGrand N3X, N2, N1X - all feature the same action as a Yamaha acoustic grand piano. These models contain over 5000 individual parts in order to make that possible!
2. Trusted by the world's best
Yamaha’s AvantGrand pianos have some incredible endorsements from all over the musical spectrum - from pop to classical. These include Chick Corea, Artur Pizzarro, Emeli Sandé, Cyprien Katsaris, Francesco Tristano, Giorgi Mikadze, Dr. Michael Shinn (Julliard School of Music), Ikuyo Nakamichi, Alexander Kobrin and Murray McLachlan.
3. The sound of two world-class grand pianos
With Yamaha AvantGrand, you don't just get the sound of one piano - you get the sound of Yamaha's flagship CFX concert grand, in addition to the Bösendorfer Imperial 290. So, if you are looking for a piano that can give you the best of both the acoustic and digital worlds without losing the essence of a real acoustic piano, perhaps the AvantGrand is perfect for you.
4. An organic feel
Anyone who has played a grand piano knows it is a living instrument; it resonates with you. The N3X and N2 models manage to recreate this organic feel with transducers attached to the keys and the pedals. This transducer - which is a device that converts energy from one form to another - transmits vibrations to the keys and pedals, giving a realistic sound response.
5. Introducing...model number 4!
The latest version of the AvantGrand has just been announced on January 24th. Called the N1X, it sees AvantGrand inherit many of the design features, now iconic from Yamaha's CX and CF series grand pianos.
6. 10 years and counting
This year, AvantGrand is 10 years old!
Pianist Noriko Ogawa gives a lesson on Erik Satie's Le Piccadilly on Yamaha's AvantGrand N3X below...