AVANTGRAND


Grand


designs Y


amaha’s N3 and N2 AvantGrand hybrid pianos immediately caught the imagination of world-class artists, educationalists and venues around the world when they first


appeared in 2009, thanks to the unique way in which the instruments combine real grand piano actions with ground-breaking sound producing circuitry. Of course, piano manufacturers tend to make claims about their instruments all the time but, when pianists of the stature of Stephen Hough, Artur Pizarro and Julian Joseph praise AvantGrand for its exceptional sound quality, perhaps we should listen! So, what makes the AvantGrand so special?


For serious pianists and teachers it is the simple fact that it is the closest thing that you can get to playing a real grand piano, without actually going to the considerable additional outlay of owning and housing one. Yamaha’s premium acoustic pianos are now


world-beaters, with many winners of recent international piano competitions doing so on the magnificent CFIII and CFX hand-crafted concert grand pianos. But, if you are a high- end professional classical or jazz pianist who lives in a small flat or house it is unlikely that you’ll have access to the kind of instrument at home that will allow you to really work on every nuance of your performance. This is precisely where AvantGrand comes in and is the reason why it has attracted such high- level artist support. For the private teacher, too, the AvantGrand will provide a far more authentic and realistic


26


Leading piano teacher, performer and accompanist Nancy Litten tries the


AvantGrand N3 during the 2011 EPTA conference vantGrand N3 during the 2011 EPT


Why has Yamaha’s AvantGrand hybrid piano wooed teachers and high-level pianists since its 2009 launch? Bill C Martin investigates


piano experience for teacher and learner than their old digital or upright piano. The speed of response for rapid single-note repetitions and the ability to get a really crisp staccato – two hallmarks of a well-built instrument – come as standard on the AvantGrand and so allow the discussion between teacher and advanced student to inhabit levels previously possible only for those teaching on a top acoustic grand.


The most talented first-study pianists at the


leading UK conservatoires demand access to a range of leading premium piano brands, so that, during their practice and lessons at the conservatoire, they can thoroughly get to grips with the characteristics of whichever piano brand they may be expected to play at a recital. But what about their practice in their digs? Most student accommodation can’t house a grand piano so many students will use a digital piano or an old upright, if there’s one available. But these allow tomorrow’s piano stars to work on little more than note-learning since, to work on nuance, touch, advanced phrasing and interpretation, you need something capable of rendering the feel of a concert grand piano much more accurately. The AvantGrand is designed to fulfil exactly this requirement: as a high-level practice instrument for students and concert pianists with no space or budget for a concert grand; for teachers who can’t afford a top-end grand piano as their teaching instrument but who want to help their pupils to get much closer to the experience of performing on one.


The N3 AvantGrand weighs in at around


£13,500 and the N2 at just under £10,000. The good news is that there is now a new AvantGrand, the N1, with a price tag of around £5,500, to suit the smaller budget. Like its big brothers the N1 is a true hybrid piano, with a traditional piano action, complete with wooden keys, hammers and the pioneering new ‘Spatial Acoustic Sampling’ technology. This, when combined with optimum placement of the four loudspeakers delivers supremely accurate sound and feel, to enable pianists to work on detailed practice with confidence. All three instruments feature a metronome and the ability to record a performance and have it play back on the piano or transfer the resulting Midi file for playback or analysis on any sequencer. Despite punching well above their weight in terms of response and tone, the N3’s actual weight is less than 199 kilos and the N1, less than 121 kilos. This makes them easy to move in a teaching studio or classroom. So the AvantGrand delivers a highly authentic experience of playing a traditional grand piano with a tone that is warm and rich, from its gentle pianissimo to its powerful fortissimo. Whatever your budget you’re guaranteed an instrument that will appeal to serious players and teachers with concert- grand aspirations.


More information on AvantGrand is available from: http://bit.ly/qEGj8P


Photo: © Yamaha Education Department


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