The piano teacher in the above video is using the following setup:
| CVP809 Yamaha Clavinova | Digital Piano |
| Windows / Mac Computer | For Skype / Facetime / Zoom to physically see how the student is sitting at the instrument, correct fingering etc and to run remote connection software to connect the teacher digital piano to the student digital piano |
| USB A-B lead | Connect from the Yamaha Clavinova to the computer. This transmits the digital note data to and from the computer to the Clavinova |
| Internet MIDI | A 3rd party Windows / MacOs computer app that allows to transmit digital note data to and from the student and teacher digital pianos |
12.6 Midi files for download. See: List of repositories in the digital music library article. On some sites you can find files that specifically target the Clavinova CVP series, i.e. It uses Yamaha voices, in particular: Clavinova Creations in the CVP Users Group Forums. MIDI files are attached to message; yamahamusicsoft.com (commercial. A previous article called “Recording: The ‘Selfie’ of Music” focused on the benefits of making a midi recording on your Clavinova. As MIDI files are actually capturing data of performances rather than sound, everything about these recordings can be edited for a wonderful end result. CueTIME software, developed for use with select Yamaha Clavinova CVP keyboards (those equipped with guide lamps), provides pre-recorded MIDI instrumental backgrounds that actually “wait” for you as you play along, giving you complete control over the tempo, regardless of how fast or how slowly you play on your keyboard. As a result, it introduces musicality to the experience by allowing. The benefit of MIDI files, is that you can change the tempo (slow down or speed up), without loss of quality. Score Display: From the MIDI File, the Yamaha digital piano or via the Smart Pianist App – can produce a notated display. Guide Lights: The CVP range have Guide Light function and CSP has Streaming Light function.
The various students in the video had a similar setup to the teacher. Essentially, a Yamaha digital piano, Windows/Mac computer, USB lead and Internet MIDI app.
Which Yamaha Digital Pianos can work with remote lesson?
| CVP Clavinova | CVP-809, CVP-805 & CVP-701 |
| CSP Clavinova | CSP-170, CSP-150 |
| CVP Clavinova | CLP-625, CLP-635, CLP-645, CLP-665, CLP-675, CLP-685 & CLP-695 |
| AvantGrand | NU1X, N1X & N3X |
| P-Series Portable Digital Piano | P-121, P-125 & P-515 |
| YDP Arius | YDP-164,YDP-144, YDP-S54 & YDP-S34 |
Yamaha Midi Files Free
Depending on which model you have, will increase the educational assistance from the Yamaha digital piano.
The table below outlines features that may be used during a remote lesson and which model has which feature.
| CVP | CSP | CLP | N-Series | P-Series | DGX | YDP | |
| MIDI File playback | • | • | • | • | • * | • | • * |
| Score Display | • | • | • * | • * | • * | • | • * |
| Guide Lights | • | • | |||||
| Wait with Guide | • | • | • | ||||
| A-B Loop | • | • | • * | • * | • * | • | • * |
(*) Please note that as these features are Smart Pianist app based and use the USB port. Ea sports cricket game. It may not be possible to use this feature at the same time as the Internet MIDI app, as the USB port can only be connect to either the smart device (to run Smart Pianist app) or the computer (to run Internet MIDI).
A brief explanation of the terms above.
Midi Files For Yamaha Clavinova
| MIDI File playback | Essentially a music file that contains note data. This file will trigger notes inside the Yamaha instrument to playback the music. The benefit of MIDI files, is that you can change the tempo (slow down or speed up), without loss of quality. |
| Score Display | From the MIDI File, the Yamaha digital piano or via the Smart Pianist App – can produce a notated display. |
| Guide Lights | The CVP range have Guide Light function and CSP has Streaming Light function. These essentially guide you as to which note to play next. |
| Wait with Guide | When the Guide function is activated, the Yamaha digital piano can wait for the correct note to be played, before moving into the next note. Essentially, checking that you are playing the correct notes in your performance. |
| A-B Loop | This function repeats a section of music. For example, you might have trouble with bar-4 to bar-6. Set the A-B Loop to repeat this section until you can play this section perfect. |
If you are a piano teacher would like to discover how to use Yamaha digital pianos in your lessons, we have a FREE online training program entitled, Clavinova Teacher Certification. You can find out more about this exciting training program here.
By Bradley Eustace
Product Manager for Portable Keyboards and Digital Pianos
Yamaha Music Australia
There is a sense of panic that sometimes occurs when musicians try to play along with pre-recorded backing tracks. They know that once they’ve started playback, they need to concentrate not only on striking the correct notes, but also on keeping up with the background arrangements. Even advanced musicians who ultimately master this art often view such an experience — which they liken to playing along with a metronome — as being confining and unfulfilling.
What is CueTIME?
CueTIME software is designed to change this. Developed for exclusive use with select Yamaha Clavinova CVP keyboards (those equipped with guide lamps), it provides pre-recorded MIDI instrumental backgrounds that actually “wait” for you as you play along, giving you complete control over the tempo, regardless of how fast or how slowly you play on your keyboard. As a result, it introduces musicality to the experience by allowing for tempo expression such as ritardandos and accelerandos.
How To Play A Yamaha Clavinova
How does CueTIME work?
In the course of reading and playing a CueTIME selection, you’ll be striking strategically placed notes on the keyboard. These “cue notes” are used to advance the background sequence and are indicated on the printed music score with subtle highlighting consisting of a gray shading or a “halo” around the note head:
You can easily identify these “cue notes” on your Clavinova with the lights above each key:
How do I get CueTIME songs?
CueTIME software is available at YamahaMusicSoft.com. Every purchase is downloaded with a printable PDF version of the sheet music, along with the companion MIDI file. You can buy one song at a time, or in book collections of eight songs, and you can preview selections by listening to the brief MP3 audio samples next to each title on the website.
Now you’re ready to start playing along!
Begin by copying your downloaded MIDI files onto a USB thumb drive and then insert the drive into the USB port on your Clavinova. Now all you have to do is go to the “SONG” area of the instrument and load your purchases one song at a time. The “GUIDE” function — the feature that makes your Clavinova “wait” for you — is automatically activated when a CueTIME song is loaded.
When you press “Play” on the front panel of the Clavinova, you’ll see just one light appear above one of the keys — that’s the first cue. You won’t hear any background music until this note is played. If you then play the song exactly as written in the sheet music, you will activate all subsequent cues in the process.
Some hints when using CueTIME:
— Focus on reading the music.
— Slow down if you are unsure of the notes, because the Clavinova will adjust to your slower tempo as you learn the piece.
— If you miss a cue, simple look down at the keyboard and look for the light of the key you missed: that’s the note that the Clavinova is waiting for you to play.
— To determine where you are in the music, locate the “cue” note — one of the shaded (or “haloed”) notes in the music.
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