Yamaha EZ30AD 61-Note Touch-Sensitive Portable Electronic Keyboard

by Yamaha

Product Features

• 61 piano-sized, touch-sensitive keys with guide lights
• 100 built-in songs to learn
• Interactive Yamaha Education Suite 3 with lessons for beginners
• 608 instrument voices and 32-note polyphony
• Two-way stereo speakers with bass ports

Product Details

Product Manual [12.45mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 22.5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00005K9DV
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,536 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Yamaha's EZ30AD portable keyboard is geared for the beginning musician. It's easy to use, powerful, inexpensive, and educational. With 600 different sounds, 100 accompaniment styles, 200 songs, a built-in sequencer, and guided piano lessons, the EZ30AD comes loaded with as many features as a new car.

The 600 sounds range from pianos to clarinets to drums to special effects. The EZ30AD is a General MIDI compatible keyboard, which means that when it's connected to a computer--via the MIDI ports using MIDI cables (sold separately)--the EZ30AD will correctly play General MIDI files (a standard of most MIDI files in educational software and of those available on the Internet).

Add an accompaniment to the sound that you are already playing, and you immediately have a whole band at you fingertips. The EZ30AD can supply drums, bass, chords, and other instruments, freeing you to be the star musician of the group. The sequencer allows you to record your song. It works very much like a multitrack cassette recorder. You can first record one instrument--a bass, for instance. Then add another instrument, such as a guitar, while you're listening to your first track. If the guitar track is not quite right, then you can record it again without changing the bass part. The sequencer is a great tool; however, you can only save up to five songs on the keyboard.

The 200 songs are fun to listen to, but the EZ30AD also wants you to learn how to play them. There are three lesson types on the EZ30AD: timing, waiting, and minus one. All lessons can be done with left hand alone, right hand alone, or both hands together. In the timing lesson, the song plays and the student presses any note in the proper time. In the waiting lesson, the EZ30AD holds the accompaniment until the student plays the correct notes. In the minus one lesson, the student plays the proper notes in the correct time. An evaluation function gives a grade for each lesson.

Colored lights above the keys and a staff display will help the student identify the correct keys. A dictionary function shows the student chord types on the keyboard and on the display staff. All these educational activities are very entertaining, and by doing them, the student will pick up rudimentary skills that may help in the further study of music.

The keys on the EZ30AD feel a little flimsy, so try not to play them too hard. The keys are also touch sensitive, which means that the harder you strike the key, the louder it will sound. Touch-sensitivity allows for greater control over how your music sounds.

The EZ30AD is lightweight, yet it has speakers built in, so you don't have to get an amplifier. A built-in headphone jack lets you keep your musical mistakes to yourself. It is hard to find many downsides with the EZ30AD.

If you become more serious about music, you will probably want more keys than the 61 on the EZ30AD, and you will want more sounds. (You can never have enough sounds!) If you really want to use the built-in sequencer, you'll find the five-song memory limiting. A keyboard like the href="/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004YAHG/${0}">Yamaha PSR-340 has a sequencer and the ability to store songs on a floppy disk.

The EZ30AD is a great quality keyboard for the price. The variety of sounds, the ability to record songs, and the educational lessons make the EZ30AD a worthwhile package. --Chris Fresolone

Pros:

• Easy to use
• 609 sounds
• Built in sequencer
• Educational activities and dictionary helpful to beginning musicians
• General MIDI compatible
• Touch-sensitive keys
• Lightweight yet sturdy

Cons:

• Limited memory for user songs (5)
• Keys are a little flimsy

Amazon.com Product Description

Beginning keyboardists will love Yamaha's EZ30AD Portable Keyboard with Guide Lamps. The follow-along illuminated keys facilitate learning and the Yamaha Education Suite 3 provides virtual lessons using 100 built-in songs. It features 61 piano-size, touch-sensitive keys and MIDI interface for computer connectivity.

Two stereo speakers plus bass ports and bass boost enhance the sound. With 608 instrument voices to choose from, plus 100 accompaniment styles, the Yamaha EZ30AD encourages creativity. If you need to practice in privacy, the EZ30AD includes a built-in headphone jack.

It operates with an included Yamaha PA5C power adapter or with six optional D-cell batteries. Yamaha provides a one-year limited warranty on parts and labor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beginners Dream Come True!, March 1, 2002

By 

palcat (Silicon Valley CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Yamaha EZ30AD 61-Note Touch-Sensitive Portable Electronic Keyboard (Electronics)

The EZ30 is without a doubt the best keyboard choice whether
you're a beginner or an experienced player. Benefits for
the beginning player include the guidelights, which allow
you to play any of the programmed songs right out of the
box, which is highly gratifying; and the YES 3 system.

The YES 3 teaching system is the real deal. FINALLY a
sorely needed training tool - using both hands together.
YES 2 and most other keyboard brands teach right hand
and left hand parts, and leave it to the student to
put them together. That's horrendously frustrating.
This keyboard teaches right hand, left hand, and then
both hands together, which makes this teaching system
complete and very easy.

Other keyboards I tried prior to this purchases were the
PSR280 and the Casio Magic Light Keyboard. The Casio is
fun and easy, but the quality of the sounds (voices) are
not good. It sounds like squeezing a goat. The piano
voice is fine though, and the keyboard is fun, but not

for anyone with the need for seriously clean/true sounds.
The Casio also only teaches RH/LH, but not both together.

The PSR280 is a fine keyboard, but not for a beginner.
The tiny LCD display will not be of any help, unless you
enjoy being frustrated. The YES 2 system is difficult, and
again only teaches RH/LH, but not both together.
If you're an experienced player, you'll find the sound quality
to be superior, as the Yamaha can be depended on for that.

The EZ30 guidelights can be turned off easily, if you
don't need them or want them on. It is also Midi
compatible, which opens the world to you regarding
choices of songs you want to add. You will need to
purchase a cable and software seperately, but having
done so, ANY midi song can then be played on the EZ30
and will light up for you as well. What more can you
ask? It really has it all.

For the more experienced player, there are a large
variety of voices and options available to be able to
compose to your hearts delight, giving your creativity
free reign. It does have a build in mixer/recorder,
and other memory functions.

In short, this keyboard can be as easy as pie for a
beginner, or as sophisticated as the user needs it to be.
The sound quality is excellent. It comes with a music
book and the AC adapter. You simply can't go wrong with
this keyboard.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! I can play!!!, August 16, 2001

By 

CDBURNER (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yamaha EZ30AD 61-Note Touch-Sensitive Portable Electronic Keyboard (Electronics)

Amazing keyboard from Yamaha. I have always wanted to play the piano and now with this, I just follow the lights and I'm actually playing the 100 demo songs. And I can download my favorite MIDI songs from the NET and the lights work with them 2. This keyboard also has 600+ other musical instrument voices to use and I'm now thinking of going out to a local lounge and make some extra $$$ on the weekends. LOL! And I just discovered the 6 track recording studio feature included in the keyboard so I can record my tunes. Excellent keyboard for a beginner like me and for someone that has played for years!!!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Makes it fun to learn!, September 13, 2002

By 

Kyle Bailey (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yamaha EZ30AD 61-Note Touch-Sensitive Portable Electronic Keyboard (Electronics)

I really like the Yamaha EZ30! It makes it fun to learn how to play the paino. I also bought a book to learn how to play. I started with the book first, slowly playing things like "Jingle Bells" and "Tom Dooley".

After a couple hours with the book, I was looking through the songs included on the EZ30. One of them was the Peanuts theme, which I've always wanted to learn.

I couldn't believe how easy it was to play with the help of Yamaha's YES3 technology. After only 15-30 minutes I was able to keep up a decent tempo and it sounded great with all the background music.

If you've ever dreamed of learning to play the paino like I did, order this product and start playing --you'll love it!