Yamaha YDP-142 Review (2020)

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Yamaha knows exactly how a piano should feel, and that’s demonstrated beautifully in the YPD-142. It features Yamaha’s Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) key action, which accurately simulates the varying weights of an acoustic piano’s heavier and lighter keys.

This recreation is essential for the development of proper touch and technique during practice, and it’s an important feature in any digital piano.

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The YPD-142 includes three built-in foot pedals that replicate their position and function of the foot pedals built into an acoustic piano. Using half-pedal control, the YPD-142 varies the length of the sustain depending upon how long the pedal is pressed.

While most digital pianos include only a simple, on/off damper function, the YPD-142 accurately simulates the subtleties of partial damper engagement, bringing a new level of acoustic recreation to the digital piano’s abilities.

The Yamaha Arius YDP-142 utilizes the PureCF sound engine to accurately portray the tonal nuances of Yamaha’s world-famous CFIIIS 9-foot concert grand piano. Significantly, each note of the keyboard has been recorded at a number of different volumes and playing styles, which means that the force applied to the key is properly reflected in the sound that’s created.

Playing a key more lightly doesn’t just reduce the volume of the note, it plays a more subtle, gentle note. The same holds true for louder notes, which are experienced with more presence and force.

Overall, the YDP-142 includes ten high-quality voices: three stereo-sampled grand piano voices, two electric piano voices, two organ voices, a harpsichord, a vibraphone, and a complete string ensemble.

You can even layer two voices at once (a grand piano with a string ensemble in the background, for example), and add reverb for enhanced richness and depth.

The YPD-142 includes a built-in metronome with six time signatures and an adjustable tempo from 32 to 280 bpm. In addition, an on-board two-track digital song recorder is also included. This recorder uses standard MIDI format and serves as an exceptionally helpful tool in assessing and improving your own performances.

Pitch transition is a helpful advantage that comes with using a digital piano. You can shift the keyboard up or down six semitones, making it easier to accurately accompany a singer, or play along with a difficult recording. In fact, in the YPD-142, you can adjust the pitch of the entire instrument from A=427 to 453.

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Along with all of these other features, the YPD-142 comes with 50 pre-loaded songs. With the help of the included music book, “50 Greats for the Piano,” they provide a convenient way to practice reading and technique. Listening to these songs is a great way to experience the full range of the capabilities that are possessed by this impressive digital piano.