ePianos.co.uk Blog

I don't think I would have started playing piano if there wasn't one in the house, my parents were not musicians they were antiques collectors, so it just happened that a very old fashioned upright piano was the centrepiece of our sitting room. As children my brother and I would walk past and tinker a few keys and before too long we would make up pieces and, in the spirit of sibling rivalry, we would improve rapidly. The point of this wistful journey though my childhood is to demonstrate that by simply having a piano in the house an opportunity to learn is presented to anyone living in it. If it's not there then no one is going to learn how to play it. Our previous blog entry was showing a typical beginners piano purchase for a budget of under £500, but when buying for children it's sometimes difficult to know if they're going to keep it up, or if it's just a passing phase. But it doesn't have to be expensive gamble, we now offer a keyboard starter pa...

Every week at ePianos.co.uk we get people started on their musical journeys. If you are thinking about taking up the piano hopefully you might find this guide useful. Here is the equipment a typical beginner will purchase from us to get started. For the purposes of this guide let's imagine they have a budget of under £500. 1. A Keyboard/Piano A Yamaha P45 Portable Piano The Yamaha P45 is a very popular beginners' model because it's priced so low (£299 as of now). The crucial thing is that it has weighted keys so really feels like a piano to play. For the uninitiated 'weighted keys' means that when you push a key down you meet quite a high level of resistance, precisely like you do when you press a key down on a real piano. This helps develop muscle memory in your fingers from an early stage which makes transferring to a real piano for an exam much easier. 2. A Stand XX Keyboard stand  is £29.99 You will need something to put your new keyboard on, whi...

So, that's the while P series covered then! -  As you've probably heard me point out in each comparison video  the 'P' stands for portable. Yamaha's aim is to produce a piano that you can simply tuck under your arm and take out to a gig. They've certainly achieved that because for a full length keyboard (88keys) all three of them are remarkably lightweight, only the P255 giving me slight trouble and causing me to make an involuntary groaning sound while lifting it. The Yamaha P45 - Got a narrow boat? Get a narrow piano The town that our store is based in (Banbury, Oxfordshire) has a canal running through it and we've supplied a number of these pianos to people who live on barges, particularly the P45 because it's so light and can be stored away so easily. Indeed a lot of people who are pushed for space at home find it handy as you can stand it up on it's end and put it in a cupboard. It wasn't long ago that you had to pay well over £8...

Here is Chris with the video comparison of Yamaha P115 v P255. Remember if you have any questions on either of these models then leave a message in the video comments and we'll get back to you. Also, what do you want to see compared? Let us have your suggestions, we have almost the entire Yamaha range in our store so get in touch and tell us what you want to see.

Here at ePianos HQ this morning we've been comparing the 'top of the range' Yamaha P255 with it's little brother the Yamaha P115. (Video is coming soon). Chris's trusty notebook Although they're in the same range it soon becomes clear that the P255 is in a different class in terms of quality, it's a real professional bit of kit. The P115 seemed a bit sorry when lined up against the P255, it really just can't compete. But what did we expect? it's half the price! It's still probably the best stage piano for under £500 ever made. The P255 is sublime for a compact stage piano with an upgraded weighted key action (GH) compared to the lower models in the range, it also is the only one that has synthetic ivory keycaps which is a nice touch. It's designed with live performing in mind, it has a panel lock button and a very accurate EQ slider system, which as gigging musicians will know is a VERY handy thing to have. There is loads more to talk...

Chris and David at the BIRA awards 2015 We're very happy to report that last night we were awarded 'British retailer of the year 2015 - unique achievement award' by BIRA (British Independent Retailers Association). We were recognised for our dedication to customer service, particularly for our online activities to demonstrate, review and guide customers. Being musicians it's a real joy play with all the latest keyboard/piano toys and technology, we truly enjoy sharing our thoughts with you and it's a pleasure to start so many people on their musical journeys by providing them with the right instrument. Plenty more reviews and comparisons coming soon....

Here is Chris doing a direct comparison of the new Yamaha P-series pianos; the P45 and the P115. If you're not sure which one to go for then hopefully this will help you decide.

I do enjoy getting to play with all the latest toys. Yamaha's P series pianos have been extremely popular, it wasn't that long ago you had to pay upwards of £800 to buy a full length, weighted key stage piano, but now you can pick one up from just over £300, great news for pianists. Yamaha P45 I'm currently uploading to YouTube a video I made comparing these two models, so look out for that. There are three models in Yamaha's P series; The P45 (£325), P115 (£469) and the P255 (£1009), as the prices suggest the cheaper ones are closer together quality-wise than the P255, and I intend to make a video soon explaining why. Yamaha P115 It was an interesting experience analysing the differences between P45/P115, with only roughly £140 difference in price it turned out to be a classic case of 'you get what you pay for'. I suppose there is a need for a very simple piano like the P45 and also a demand for a slightly more functional one like the P115, I...

It's always fun to play with the latest toys! - Chris has the Yamaha P105 side by side with its successor the P115 to see what's new. 

So here we are in the showroom setting up ready for a new video. Lights, camera....pianist. It's so important to get the correct lighting, backdrop and sound quality, sometimes it can take longer to set up than to film!