If you’ve ever played Guitar Hero; tried Dance, Dance, Revolution; or followed “the bouncing ball” while singing karaoke, you know how easy it is to rock along with your favorite songs.  Now imagine your PIANO can do that!  It’s true.  With the Yamaha Clavinova CSP and CVP digital pianos, you can “follow the lights” and play your favorite songs without a single lesson!  Yamaha CVP and CSP Clavinova digital pianos use special “ Follow Lights” software to light your way through the world’s most popular music from every genre.  Just play the note directly under the light when the piano tells you to and Yamaha’s virtual orchestras will back you up as you play!  It’s fast, it’s easy and it makes you sound great!

Developed for exclusive use with select Yamaha Clavinova CVP & CSP pianos, this technology uses pre-recorded MIDI song backgrounds that will actually “wait” for you as you play along – giving you complete control over how fast you go!  Start slowly as you get used to the patterns and then speed up over time.  In minutes, you’ll sound like a piano pro!  …and – thanks to Yamaha’s exclusive MIDI songs – you’ll sound good no matter how fast you play!  You’ll even begin to understand some advanced musical expression techniques such as ritardandos (strategic slowing of the music for expressive purposes) and accelerandos (strategic speeding up of the music for expressive purposes).

This effectively turns learning into Rock Band-like gaming where the player follows visual cues to play a familiar tune.  The system lights up upcoming key positions so you can ready yourself for a timely key strike when the LEDs lights up. You can even adjust exactly how complex the accompaniment is – from simple play-alongs to more intense patterns – meaning that you can start off with basic patterns and advance as your playing skills improve.

What’s more, the video lessons – as well as the interactive sheet music that you can follow along with – are color-coded to make note recognition quick and easy.  A red light appears above the above each white key when you’re supposed to play it.  A green (CVP) or blue (CSP) light appears above each black key.  After a few minutes, your mind instantly matches the color with the keys and playing becomes even easier!

You can also customize your learning experience.  Using Yamaha’s Smart Pianist APP (or the CVP’s built-in software), you can engage the Guide feature for just the right-hand part, just the left-hand part or both at the same time.  Learning one hand at a time helps you focus on one part before you have to worry about both at the same time.  As you get more familiar with the piece, you can play both hands together.  Some songs were originally written in keys the have several sharps or flats.  With the Smart Pianist app (or the CVP’s built-in software), you can change the key to whatever you like and reduce or eliminate sharps or flats altogether.  Are you an improviser?  With this technology, you can let the piano play the song as written while you improvise – making it seem like you are playing with the band.

If you read music, the Yamaha Clavinova screen will show you the notes to play.  If you don’t, the “Follow Lights” (Guide Lamps) on the piano can show you which keys to play.  Learning to play your favorite songs has never been easer!

One big advantage over traditional piano lessons is that you get to play songs you know right away!  …and isn’t that what motivated you to learn in the first place?  Playing your favorite music is more fun and – since you know the song you’re learning – it can help you more quickly recognize the patters involved.  The immediate satisfaction you get encourages you to play more and the more you play, the better you get!

The CSP-150 and CSP-170 digital pianos are the first in Yamaha’s Clavinova series where most of the feature set is accessed via a tablet or smart phone, with the Smart Pianist app. In addition to selecting voices, firing up a backing band and controlling parameters, the app features an Audio-to-Score mode. This can “listen to” songs in your music library (on iPad) or Android tablet, analyze the chord structure and produce Follow-Lights notes for you to play along!  That’s right – for the first time, your piano can listen to your mp3s and write music for you to play!  You truly can learn to play along with ALL of your favorite songs!

“The Clavinova CSP Series appeals to a new generation of casual players who want to learn the songs they already own and love, using the smart device they already own and love.  As they become more inspired, confident and proficient, they may even take the experience to the ultimate level – private lessons with a professional piano teacher.  You never know how far this software will take you.” – Craig Knudsen, Yamaha.

“Follow Lights” (and “Stream Lights” on the CSP pianos) has given people who didn’t have the opportunity to learn when they were younger a chance to learn and have fun right at home.  Small children can follow the lights before they are even able to read!  Everyone – even someone who has never had success learning the piano before – can use this technology to enjoy playing with their favorite songs.  Why not give it a try yourself?  Don’t put it off any longer.  Come in today and see how Follow Lights technology can help you achieve your musical dreams!