15 years ago I sadly sold my Yamaha C7F due to house downsizing. It was a day of tears. In December 2021 I took possession of a new Kawai GX2 and am very happy with it. I was going to buy another Yamaha but after learning about the carbon fiber action of the Kawai, I went with that and am very happy. Do I miss the C7F? Absolutely. Life lessons
I may no longer miss my C7F. Yesterday I traded up from my GX2 to the SK6. I’m very excited and want to thank you for all your comparison videos that helped with my decision .
After ten years with my Kawai CN33 recently acquired a Kawai CA49 . The former is wonderful ..and the latter nonetheless is such a drastic improvement over the former ...am still in clear state of shockwonder . THANKYOU KAWAI .
Very interesting, informative presentation & I enjoyed the history ‘lesson’👏👍. Back in the mid-2000’s I used to work at the Yamaha production factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan where they made brass & woodwind instruments. During that time I occasionally traveled to Thomaston, Georgia where Yamaha pianos were made. Unfortunately both facilities are now closed. But I was always impressed with the Yamaha management/leadership commitment towards excellence & quality of their product. Consequently I have always had a bias towards Yamaha musical products (and own my own Yamaha baby grand 🎹). Thank you for making this video 😁!
I absolutely loved your cover of change the world by Eric Clapton. Aside from being an excellent piano reviewer you are also an incredibly gifted piano player.
I have noticed it is difficult to access information about Torakusu Yamaha and Koichi Kawai. Yamaha took Kawai as an apprentice at the age of 11. Torakusu Yamaha visited the US for 5 months and toured apparently over 100 piano manufacturer facilities, learning how to make pianos. He came back to Japan and started building pianos the following year (Kawai was 14 when Yamaha built his first upright pianos and 16 when Yamaha built his first grand piano). Kawai worked for Yamaha for 30 years. Exactly what role Kawai played in Yamaha corporation or what he invented is not very clear. Most of the information readily available to the public about Koichi Kawai comes from Kawai and Kawai dealers. And even then they are not clear either. The claim that Koichi Kawai designed and manufactured the first Japanese piano action is unclear. It seems he participated in Yamaha's effort of designing an action made in Japan in 1903, a year after Yamaha introduced his first grand piano. The claim that Koichi Kawai designed a patented action is unclear as well. Apparently, he received a patent for a new piano action in 1933, when he was 47 years old, by which time he had left Yamaha and had been working for his own company for about 6 years. What exactly is this action, how it is different from the standard piano actions already developed, and whether this patented design was ever put into production and used in their pianos is unclear.
Hi Stu, great as usual. I hope in this series that you will also cover Chinese pianos, not just the " stencil" brands, but also giving credit to advancements in quality such as Hailun & others, bringing in German, Vienneise, & American scale design elements. Thank you.
I came to this series just hoping to get an overview of some of the manufacturers and different tonalities. What a _much_ more interesting series you’ve created! Thank you so much, Stu. This is really really enjoyable. I’m hearkening back to the first time I watched Connections, with James Burke. :)
Hi Stu, that was a great video with indept information. But i just want to ask why you leave Roland out because i think they also originate from Japan. They might not make great acoustic grand piano these days but i'm the've made some great ones in the past. Thank you
The SK- EX is amazing but for the actual player I think the SK-7 is much more satisfying. There is certainly no lack of power, and the balance of volume may be superior overall. The SK, as it should, seems to throw the sound out more to the audience side.
Thank you very much for telling the interesting history of the Japanese piano. I enjoy it very much. I have been watching a lot of your videos recently. You are very knowledgeable.
If the two brands are a bit same-ish, from a musical point of view, what about the cases? Always seemed to me that Kawai has the prettier woods and finishes. If I were in the market that might be my deciding point. (But I’m very happy with my plain old ‘27 Steinway Model L in satin ebony.)
The heart and passion of Japanese workmanship spirit start very early from their schools where children take responsibility and pride for their work. I feel this is one of reasons why their quality in workmanship in pianos and many other products are superior.
in the US, it is more like "what is in it for me?" Oh you ordered a lunch for 20 seconds with me as the cash register? Are you paying any tip? 10%? 15%? $1 only? You cheapskate. Is it really worth it for me to roll my eyes. What is in it for me? It is how they think when pirates divide their loot
I was playing some Yamaha and Kawai acoustic pianos recently, only small grand pianos, particularly the Kawai GL-10, GL-50, GX-2, and the Yamaha GB1, GC1, and I think a C2X. All new pianos. I think it is difficult to make a general statement on the tone. There were 3 Kawai GL-10 pianos and they all sounded different, and they were all brand new. They were in the same store (which is an authorized Yamaha and Kawai dealer), side by side, and I found difficult to make a general statement about their sound. I know that's just a small sample of grand pianos, though. I started playing some improvised pieces of soft music and let each piano dictate my playing, based on their sound. Each piano was giving me a different feedback, a different feeling, and I wouldn't say one was better or necessarily my favorite. Each piano evoked different emotions. I guess I would have to try a very large number of pianos before I reach a conclusion. By the way, in the world of digital pianos, I have noticed that Kawai tends to put samples that are very bass-heavy, which could explain why some people say they prefer the "warm" tone of Kawai. The word "warm" is used in audio to describe sounds tilted towards the bass frequencies. In addition, they have a more distant piano sample than Yamaha. I have played a couple of Yamaha concert grand pianos, and they have a lot more bass than what Yamaha seems to render in their digital samples. Of course, you can always adjust the tone using a quality parametric equalizer. So, I wonder if part of the reputation of Kawai of being "warm" comes from people playing digital pianos. Not saying their actual pianos aren't. Just saying that it is far more accessible a Kawai ES110 or Yamaha P125 than a 9-foot concert grand from each company to make general conclusions about their tone.
I think the answer to that question is always going to be one that comes down to the subjectivity and perception of the player or person making the assessment. Personally, I have always rated the American made Steinways above the Baldwins of those eras. With that said, there are still many amazing Baldwin pianos out there of course. :)
Apart from digital pianos, samples, modeling that gives the average Jo and Joanna an experience, is the acoustic grand piano too traditional? Have any company ever tried to seriously move away from wood?
I think Kawai is using composite wippens and other parts like the hammer rail constructed from aluminum. Personally I think wood is over rated for a variety of reasons. I just upgraded my Pianoteq Pro software, and there just isn't a better sounding instrument for the home. I love it. I'm using a Yamaha DGX for the controller. Given that the entire set up is around $2,500.00, It's really hard to beat.
Is the acoustic grand piano too traditional? No. There are pianos made out of other materials and they don't sound better than the wood and string acoustic grand. I would say both Kawai and Yamaha are constantly improving their acoustic grands, not just going with old designs like Steinway is. Yamaha has done a lot with tech, for instance the Disklavier enables someone to play a piano anywhere else with the same expression they do their own, through networking software. A teacher can show a student how to play a passage and their own piano will play exactly what the teacher is playing on his or her piano and it could be from Germany to Japan or Korea to the USA, you'd just need the software and to have a Disklavier grand. That disklavier is available on a large range of Yamaha's CX, (professional and institutional level), CF(highest level) and other pianos.
After a little search, I'm thinking something like this: th-cam.com/video/QOGbFKqyBZE/w-d-xo.html I guess I'm wondering what capacity a production has to be creative.
Hey @Benjamin Smith, great comments. In addition to Yamaha, I know QRS has also done extensive development regarding networked MIDI performance/capture through its high resolution player systems. I saw a demo on this about 6 months ago and was quite impressed...essentially the same concepts that the Disklavier has also been working on - biggest benefit is that for those out there interested in the tech but have or prefer a different acoustic piano experience, the QRS is avail as retrofit kit for pretty much any instrument. I don't believe Pianodisc has done as much in this area, though they are still making a great product as well. Cheers!
Yes - Korg and Roland are both Japanese piano manufacturers too, but this particular video was focused on acoustic piano manufacturers. Thanks for tuning in! :)
I do believe these videos are the best videos on pianos on youtube. Lots of great info, as well as great examples of various pianos, and well recorded, which is the best part. So many piano videos are recorded horribly, on phones or whatever, which seems completely pointless. I would love to see Yamaha and Kawai uprights compared to Pearl River or Ritmuller.
For the same price, i would prefer kawai, they always provide better product with same price compare with Yamaha. I tried k200 and b2 K200 can give a better Tone and better control.
I certainly agree that Kawai presents impressive cost-to-value ratios. The K200 in particular is a really remarkable piano point for its price point. Thanks for tuning in! :)
I am curious which sources have ever mentioned Western imperialism forcing culture on Japanese in the Meiji and following periods. Never heard it myself and all the period pieces from Japan always seems to show a Japanaese infatuation and obsession with Western colonialist if anything.🧐🤔
I will answer your question as a Japanese. The history of the Meiji Era as explained in this video is, in my opinion, correct. Americans led by Matthew Perry forced the Japanese goverment at that time to open their country, otherwise they would have attacked Japan with their army (1854, keyword: Kurofune/Black Ships). Other countries like British, French and Dutch armies were also waiting at sea. Japanese saw their necessity of mondernization by means of "westernization" according to the whole situation in order to avoid to be conquered by Western countries, even though Western countirs did not fource us their culture direclty. However, if they had not shown the possibility of armed attack, there wouldn´t have been any westernization in Japan. So I understood the word "forced" in the video in this sence. I hope I could help you :)
A better example of forced western imperialism is the British forcing (again under threat of warships) opium on China as payment for silk and highly valuable produce. But of course most western accounts give a totally twisted version of this history just as the mainstream media now does of world affairs…
Was Koichi Kawai an engineer? Stu mentions in 8:15 that Koichi Kawai was employed by the Yamaha company and was a very influential and instrumental engineer. It seems the word "engineer" is not the correct term to apply to Kawai, for a few reasons. Koichi Kawai was the son of a wheelwright. There were a small number of inventors from this period in Japan that received no formal education or just elementary schooling. Their training is classified in three categories: home training, formal apprenticeship and factory apprenticeship. Home training was the most common training method. Torakusu Yamaha made 11-year old boy Koichi Kawai his apprentice. They were neighbors. When no mention of apprenticeship or any type of training is specified in the records, home training is the default training method. So, it seems that Kawai became a skillful piano manufacturer over time, with great ideas of his own, thanks to his early experience in the Yamaha company, in which he worked for 30 years. I guess "piano maker" is a more proper term than "engineer" in this case.
Pianos are STILL a sign of "upward mobility" in 2022. As things get more expensive. Housing prices already too high for most people in Toronto/GTA. Detached homes in the millions. (2.5-3M range)....and being th at musical instruments have always been low on the list of "must own tiems".....We're probably seeing les even in "good homes"....as people still want to spend disposable income on cars and trips. "....hmmmm,...80k German upright or German Yuppie-mobile"? Stiell have an extra $80k burning a hole in one's pocket....I'd go with a Yamaha. Largest dealer/service network in the world ...not just fo pianos. Important for the average buyer putting pianos in homes and the professional who's livelihod depends on their instrument. Even more so if they travel with it. Needs to be able to be serviced wherever they are by qualified techinicians. What if you butt heads with the only qualified service man in the city for your brand/model?? :)
Yamaha makes motorbikes. Their guitars are robust, but soulless, good for beginners. I have ordered a Kawai NV5s, can't wait... Thought the presentation here was a little long-winded, and no mention of digitals. Not quite sure who benefits here, but there are always interesting comments. Thanks anyway!
"Yamaha makes motorbikes" the point being? You're probably not familiar with Mateo Mancuso, Mike Stern or the other myriad of top professionals who make their money playing Yamaha guitars.
![โรงเรียนห้ามรัก โดนจับได้ตาย...!! [เอิร์นไดเม่]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4u02Sbr556Q/mqdefault.jpg)
15 years ago I sadly sold my Yamaha C7F due to house downsizing. It was a day of tears. In December 2021 I took possession of a new Kawai GX2 and am very happy with it. I was going to buy another Yamaha but after learning about the carbon fiber action of the Kawai, I went with that and am very happy. Do I miss the C7F? Absolutely. Life lessons
I may no longer miss my C7F. Yesterday I traded up from my GX2 to the SK6. I’m very excited and want to thank you for all your comparison videos that helped with my decision .
Hi , what's your thought about Kawsi Sk6 vs Yamaha C7F ? Thank you.
After ten years with my Kawai CN33 recently acquired a Kawai CA49 . The former is wonderful ..and the latter nonetheless is such a drastic improvement over the former ...am still in clear state of shockwonder . THANKYOU KAWAI .
Very interesting, informative presentation & I enjoyed the history ‘lesson’👏👍. Back in the mid-2000’s I used to work at the Yamaha production factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan where they made brass & woodwind instruments. During that time I occasionally traveled to Thomaston, Georgia where Yamaha pianos were made. Unfortunately both facilities are now closed. But I was always impressed with the Yamaha management/leadership commitment towards excellence & quality of their product. Consequently I have always had a bias towards Yamaha musical products (and own my own Yamaha baby grand 🎹). Thank you for making this video 😁!
This was great! Love learning the history. Fantastic video.
Thanks a million! We're really glad you enjoyed it. :)
I absolutely loved your cover of change the world by Eric Clapton. Aside from being an excellent piano reviewer you are also an incredibly gifted piano player.
I have noticed it is difficult to access information about Torakusu Yamaha and Koichi Kawai. Yamaha took Kawai as an apprentice at the age of 11. Torakusu Yamaha visited the US for 5 months and toured apparently over 100 piano manufacturer facilities, learning how to make pianos. He came back to Japan and started building pianos the following year (Kawai was 14 when Yamaha built his first upright pianos and 16 when Yamaha built his first grand piano). Kawai worked for Yamaha for 30 years. Exactly what role Kawai played in Yamaha corporation or what he invented is not very clear. Most of the information readily available to the public about Koichi Kawai comes from Kawai and Kawai dealers. And even then they are not clear either. The claim that Koichi Kawai designed and manufactured the first Japanese piano action is unclear. It seems he participated in Yamaha's effort of designing an action made in Japan in 1903, a year after Yamaha introduced his first grand piano. The claim that Koichi Kawai designed a patented action is unclear as well. Apparently, he received a patent for a new piano action in 1933, when he was 47 years old, by which time he had left Yamaha and had been working for his own company for about 6 years. What exactly is this action, how it is different from the standard piano actions already developed, and whether this patented design was ever put into production and used in their pianos is unclear.
Hi Stu, great as usual. I hope in this series that you will also cover Chinese pianos, not just the " stencil" brands, but also giving credit to advancements in quality such as Hailun & others, bringing in German, Vienneise, & American scale design elements. Thank you.
I came to this series just hoping to get an overview of some of the manufacturers and different tonalities. What a _much_ more interesting series you’ve created! Thank you so much, Stu. This is really really enjoyable. I’m hearkening back to the first time I watched Connections, with James Burke. :)
great series :)
Thank you for your wonderful youtube program.
And thank you for your love of music and craftsmanship.
The piano playing was also great.
You're very welcome! Thanks a million for tuning in! We sincerely appreciate it. :)
What a great video. I am a fan of many Japanese products including motorcycles, guitars, and pianos!
Thanks so much! Japanese craftsmanship is outstanding in all facets. Japanese made pianos are certainly no exception to that. :)
Great info!
This is just amazing, good people!!! It is the second of the series that I watch...I am very impressed with your content 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you for taking the time to check out the video series! We appreciate it! :)
Thanks, I’ve learned a lot more than the piano from this channel.🎶🐯😇😎
I've heard the Yamaha C7 described as a forever piano. Owners don't let them go.
Hi Stu, that was a great video with indept information. But i just want to ask why you leave Roland out because i think they also originate from Japan. They might not make great acoustic grand piano these days but i'm the've made some great ones in the past. Thank you
Thank you!!
for rating japanese instruments🎹
I am japanese!!😌
You guys are the best, keep it up!
Such an interesting talk Stu. I loved hearing the history part of it.
The Shigeru Kawai SK-EX is in my opinion among the top 3 finest concert grand pianos in the world.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! It is a truly gorgeous instrument! I certainly agree with the sentiment. :)
The SK- EX is amazing but for the actual player I think the SK-7 is much more satisfying. There is certainly no lack of power, and the balance of volume may be superior overall. The SK, as it should, seems to throw the sound out more to the audience side.
Love your channel! Thank you very much for the video, as a piano player and a teacher i have learned a lot from you.
Thank you very much for telling the interesting history of the Japanese piano. I enjoy it very much. I have been watching a lot of your videos recently. You are very knowledgeable.
You are very welcome! We're so happy you've been enjoying the videos! Thanks for tuning in! :)
Thanks Stu - great video. Really interesting and informative.
If the two brands are a bit same-ish, from a musical point of view, what about the cases? Always seemed to me that Kawai has the prettier woods and finishes. If I were in the market that might be my deciding point. (But I’m very happy with my plain old ‘27 Steinway Model L in satin ebony.)
Great, as always! Do you have any thoughts on the Stuart & Sons 100+ key pianos?
I really like to learn about the history 🙂Thank you!
You gotta review some Bosendorfers too.
Maybe a brand new Imperial too. The 225, Their baby grand ...
Excellent Piano series !!!
The heart and passion of Japanese workmanship spirit start very early from their schools where children take responsibility and pride for their work. I feel this is one of reasons why their quality in workmanship in pianos and many other products are superior.
I agree. Contrast that culture with the mentality here in the US of "an A for effort" in schools. An "A" for effort? What about an "A" for perfection?
in the US, it is more like "what is in it for me?" Oh you ordered a lunch for 20 seconds with me as the cash register? Are you paying any tip? 10%? 15%? $1 only? You cheapskate. Is it really worth it for me to roll my eyes. What is in it for me? It is how they think when pirates divide their loot
Japanese are very dedicated to quality in everything they do. Chinese not so much. As for Koreans, I'm not sure, but they are very good pianists.
I would love to have either companies grand, but I really like the warmer tone of the Kawai.
I was playing some Yamaha and Kawai acoustic pianos recently, only small grand pianos, particularly the Kawai GL-10, GL-50, GX-2, and the Yamaha GB1, GC1, and I think a C2X. All new pianos. I think it is difficult to make a general statement on the tone. There were 3 Kawai GL-10 pianos and they all sounded different, and they were all brand new. They were in the same store (which is an authorized Yamaha and Kawai dealer), side by side, and I found difficult to make a general statement about their sound. I know that's just a small sample of grand pianos, though. I started playing some improvised pieces of soft music and let each piano dictate my playing, based on their sound. Each piano was giving me a different feedback, a different feeling, and I wouldn't say one was better or necessarily my favorite. Each piano evoked different emotions. I guess I would have to try a very large number of pianos before I reach a conclusion.
By the way, in the world of digital pianos, I have noticed that Kawai tends to put samples that are very bass-heavy, which could explain why some people say they prefer the "warm" tone of Kawai. The word "warm" is used in audio to describe sounds tilted towards the bass frequencies. In addition, they have a more distant piano sample than Yamaha. I have played a couple of Yamaha concert grand pianos, and they have a lot more bass than what Yamaha seems to render in their digital samples. Of course, you can always adjust the tone using a quality parametric equalizer.
So, I wonder if part of the reputation of Kawai of being "warm" comes from people playing digital pianos. Not saying their actual pianos aren't. Just saying that it is far more accessible a Kawai ES110 or Yamaha P125 than a 9-foot concert grand from each company to make general conclusions about their tone.
I worry a lot about the lid of a grand . Is that the optimal acoustic solution?
would some open frame with a funnel be better?
Please please will you make a review of the Yamaha cp88?
Cool 😎 I play a Kawai KG-2E 🎹
Very nice! The KG2E is an excellent piano! Thanks for tuning in! :)
It was my understanding that, in the early 1900s and through the 60's, "Baldwin" was the US equivalent of an American made Steinway. Is this not true?
I think the answer to that question is always going to be one that comes down to the subjectivity and perception of the player or person making the assessment. Personally, I have always rated the American made Steinways above the Baldwins of those eras. With that said, there are still many amazing Baldwin pianos out there of course. :)
Apart from digital pianos, samples, modeling that gives the average Jo and Joanna an experience, is the acoustic grand piano too traditional? Have any company ever tried to seriously move away from wood?
I think Kawai is using composite wippens and other parts like the hammer rail constructed from aluminum. Personally I think wood is over rated for a variety of reasons. I just upgraded my Pianoteq Pro software, and there just isn't a better sounding instrument for the home. I love it. I'm using a Yamaha DGX for the controller. Given that the entire set up is around $2,500.00, It's really hard to beat.
Is the acoustic grand piano too traditional? No. There are pianos made out of other materials and they don't sound better than the wood and string acoustic grand. I would say both Kawai and Yamaha are constantly improving their acoustic grands, not just going with old designs like Steinway is. Yamaha has done a lot with tech, for instance the Disklavier enables someone to play a piano anywhere else with the same expression they do their own, through networking software. A teacher can show a student how to play a passage and their own piano will play exactly what the teacher is playing on his or her piano and it could be from Germany to Japan or Korea to the USA, you'd just need the software and to have a Disklavier grand. That disklavier is available on a large range of Yamaha's CX, (professional and institutional level), CF(highest level) and other pianos.
After a little search, I'm thinking something like this: th-cam.com/video/QOGbFKqyBZE/w-d-xo.html
I guess I'm wondering what capacity a production has to be creative.
Hey @Benjamin Smith, great comments. In addition to Yamaha, I know QRS has also done extensive development regarding networked MIDI performance/capture through its high resolution player systems. I saw a demo on this about 6 months ago and was quite impressed...essentially the same concepts that the Disklavier has also been working on - biggest benefit is that for those out there interested in the tech but have or prefer a different acoustic piano experience, the QRS is avail as retrofit kit for pretty much any instrument. I don't believe Pianodisc has done as much in this area, though they are still making a great product as well. Cheers!
isn't Korg and Roland japanese piano makers too?
Yes - Korg and Roland are both Japanese piano manufacturers too, but this particular video was focused on acoustic piano manufacturers. Thanks for tuning in! :)
@@MerriamPianos oh I re-read and understand what you mean... you mean Korg and Roland only make digital pianos...
I do believe these videos are the best videos on pianos on youtube. Lots of great info, as well as great examples of various pianos, and well recorded, which is the best part. So many piano videos are recorded horribly, on phones or whatever, which seems completely pointless.
I would love to see Yamaha and Kawai uprights compared to Pearl River or Ritmuller.
For the same price, i would prefer kawai, they always provide better product with same price compare with Yamaha.
I tried k200 and b2
K200 can give a better Tone and better control.
I certainly agree that Kawai presents impressive cost-to-value ratios. The K200 in particular is a really remarkable piano point for its price point. Thanks for tuning in! :)
But long ago Yamaha was using paper board and MDF to manufacture their pianos in the 90's..
Many companies are constantly making modifications to their designs and manufacturing procedures of course.
I am curious which sources have ever mentioned Western imperialism forcing culture on Japanese in the Meiji and following periods. Never heard it myself and all the period pieces from Japan always seems to show a Japanaese infatuation and obsession with Western colonialist if anything.🧐🤔
I will answer your question as a Japanese. The history of the Meiji Era as explained in this video is, in my opinion, correct. Americans led by Matthew Perry forced the Japanese goverment at that time to open their country, otherwise they would have attacked Japan with their army (1854, keyword: Kurofune/Black Ships). Other countries like British, French and Dutch armies were also waiting at sea. Japanese saw their necessity of mondernization by means of "westernization" according to the whole situation in order to avoid to be conquered by Western countries, even though Western countirs did not fource us their culture direclty. However, if they had not shown the possibility of armed attack, there wouldn´t have been any westernization in Japan. So I understood the word "forced" in the video in this sence. I hope I could help you :)
@@user-lp5rq7dl3z I understand what you are saying. In a sense, there is a force, but it is self initiated. Thanks A.
Yamaha also steam roll over the Canadian piano brand in the 70s and 80s. They were simply better and cheaper.
A better example of forced western imperialism is the British forcing (again under threat of warships) opium on China as payment for silk and highly valuable produce. But of course most western accounts give a totally twisted version of this history just as the mainstream media now does of world affairs…
Was Koichi Kawai an engineer? Stu mentions in 8:15 that Koichi Kawai was employed by the Yamaha company and was a very influential and instrumental engineer. It seems the word "engineer" is not the correct term to apply to Kawai, for a few reasons. Koichi Kawai was the son of a wheelwright. There were a small number of inventors from this period in Japan that received no formal education or just elementary schooling. Their training is classified in three categories: home training, formal apprenticeship and factory apprenticeship. Home training was the most common training method. Torakusu Yamaha made 11-year old boy Koichi Kawai his apprentice. They were neighbors. When no mention of apprenticeship or any type of training is specified in the records, home training is the default training method. So, it seems that Kawai became a skillful piano manufacturer over time, with great ideas of his own, thanks to his early experience in the Yamaha company, in which he worked for 30 years. I guess "piano maker" is a more proper term than "engineer" in this case.
Pianos are STILL a sign of "upward mobility" in 2022. As things get more expensive. Housing prices already too high for most people in Toronto/GTA. Detached homes in the millions. (2.5-3M range)....and being th at musical instruments have always been low on the list of "must own tiems".....We're probably seeing les even in "good homes"....as people still want to spend disposable income on cars and trips. "....hmmmm,...80k German upright or German Yuppie-mobile"?
Stiell have an extra $80k burning a hole in one's pocket....I'd go with a Yamaha. Largest dealer/service network in the world ...not just fo pianos. Important for the average buyer putting pianos in homes and the professional who's livelihod depends on their instrument. Even more so if they travel with it. Needs to be able to be serviced wherever they are by qualified techinicians. What if you butt heads with the only qualified service man in the city for your brand/model?? :)
Yamaha makes motorbikes. Their guitars are robust, but soulless, good for beginners. I have ordered a Kawai NV5s, can't wait... Thought the presentation here was a little long-winded, and no mention of digitals. Not quite sure who benefits here, but there are always interesting comments. Thanks anyway!
"Yamaha makes motorbikes" the point being?
You're probably not familiar with Mateo Mancuso, Mike Stern or the other myriad of top professionals who make their money playing Yamaha guitars.
Oriental unmarried woman playing piano = educated and of good breeding. That mind set still exists today, Stu.
I can't comment on that mind set or perception, but there are certainly some strong links between music and cognition.
Plink plunk please k Asian pianos. My 1921 steiñway still the best.