Meeting The Real CFX Grand

[@garysmith8455]

LOVED the Hornsby tribute! Might I add? I began my piano tech and tuning travels at a Yamaha piano dealer here in Massachusetts. It was wonderful to tune all the new Yamaha pianos on the showroom floor and then go out and tune for the customers. Fond memories from 1988 !

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks, and respect on your craft!

[@ToastandJam52]

That was breathtaking!!! Excellent video Woody!!!

[@TanerKaya-n2e]

What a beautiful insight into the CFX Grand! 🎹💖

[@sonic2000gr]

The guy was spot on explaining binaural recording. That's how I enjoy my P515 CFX early in the morning!

[@borisbosnjak4812]

You did great justice to this marvellous instrument with the snippets you played.

[@AlexKidd4Fun]

I'm pretty sure I was hearing C418's Sweden in there at the beginning ~ 7:11 😉

[@WoodyPianoShack]

good catch alex! or some minecraft thing... taswell i think.

[@henrik3657]

You play better than those other people, playing the Yamaha CFX.

[@willowmusic5]

Thank you for this. I’m happy that you got to play a real CFX. I am extremely fortunate to live near a piano shop that presents “Fourth Friday” free concerts. The shop has a CFX on stage, as well as a Bosendorfer of the same size. The CFX is truly a magical instrument.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

oh wow, that is a fortunate thing, enjoy

[@steelman86]

Wonderful bass!!!

[@antunkatona5674]

Hi Woody! Thank you so much for this absolutely wonderful video!! What a treat it is to sit in front of ‘the real thing’ and a top-of-the-range Yamaha grand at that!! Apart from the sheer beauty of the instrument and the sound which I can only describe as surreal, the thing that always impresses me is the power of the instrument. A friend of mine, a classically trained pianist held a concert in my home town last year. She played the works of Dora Pejačević (the first Croatian female composer), but also some of her favourite works by Chopin and Debussy. Needless to say, we don’t have a Yamaha CFX in our music school concert hall but rather a smaller Yamaha C3 grand. But man, it is simply incredible how much sheer volume can come out of that instrument just by pressing the keys! The music energy that comes out of it is simply unbelievable and if you were to ‘replicate it’ with speakers (though this is highly improbable), you’d need a thousand-Watt speaker system, at least! In relation to your other videos, it makes me thing just how big of a role the speakers ‘play’. Even if you have the best piano sample library known to man, if you speakers aren’t up to the job, it won’t matter and you won’t get the enjoyment out of playing them. Would you agree with that? Anyway, I don’t want to take too much of your time but I love everything about this video, including the train travel snippet. Funnily, I love trains and train stations, always have, but I don’t like arriving at the destination - this is where the travelling ends! I loved your piano playing and before you say something that goes in line with your modest nature, I assure you, no one played Bruce Hornsby on that piano that day!! I am a big classical buff but I’d rather listen to ‘The end of the innocence’ than Nocturne no.15. You, Sir, play with passion and I can sense genuine joy from you while playing. Hence, a brilliant video and a one I hope you can repeat in the future. Thanks again man!! All the best, as ever! Cheers - Tunka

[@WoodyPianoShack]

well said Tunka, and thanks, I am happy you enjoyed my performances! One thing I particularly want to agree with, was the volume and power the piano could generate. I also noted that when i attempted to playing fff as hard as I could to experience that it did not come even close to the power and volume that the classical players could extract, even those petite female pianists. they have a lot of technique and muscle strength that I obviously lack. ;). you could say the same actually about their ppp playing.

[@antunkatona5674]

@@WoodyPianoShack Thanks for the reply, Woody! Funny you should mention petite pianists - my friend is this tiny 5’ (probably less) Japanese woman and yet, the piano was so loud I thought the window glass would shatter! It IS amazing, isn’t it?! As she explained it to me, the point is to ‘harness’ the instrument’s power but also allow it to sing. She also said one interesting thing. She is familiar with the CFX and many, including her, consider it the best concert piano but she said she prefers the touch and sensibility of a Fazioli. As a total novice, I can only take her words for granted but I think, and this is just my theory, it is a matter of preference. One needs to be careful though - some of these musical pieces are so beautiful that it’s virtually impossible not to fall in love, both in the music and the pianist! 😉 If it's a female pianist at that, you can get in trouble! Theoretically speaking! :)

[@robbysams6439]

I've gotten the chance to play the CFX on several occasions, and it's unbelievable how amazing the sound and the feel are. Until you try it for yourself, no speaker or simulation will compare. Now, that silent upright is cool! How nice would that be on nights you have a practice and not end up waking the entire household? I need to try one of these! Thanks for the video.

[@mooculleniphone]

Loved all the playing. Sounds so good mate. Thanks heaps for this

[@cellpat7392]

Im glad I have a sample of this beauty to play with at home in my own Yamaha arranger. you guys all sounded really good.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks, yeah, it's cool that we all have that same sample in our homes.

[@Dbentzjr]

Not gonna lie. I LOVE my Roland FA-08 but I honestly did not expect to see my Roland collect as much dust as it has been since I bought my DGX 670. That CFX Grand piano sample is honestly SO GOOD that the DGX has become my main goto instrument. I could never fit a real CFX in my home, and even if I could, its still just such a blessing to have such amazing quality samples available on Yamaha's other mainline keyboard instruments. I believe I prefer the digital instruments over the real one just for the easier upkeep, but I would love to at least hear a real CFX someday. Im very happy that we have such amazing instruments. We are all blessed to infinity and beyond.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

second that!

[@calikokat100]

Thabk you for doing this video...so interesting to see and hear a real CFX

[@josephkarl2061]

If I won the lottery I would build a house with space for a Clavinova, because I believe they’re the best of both worlds. A great idea executed brilliantly 💯

[@ginises83]

The touch must be magnificent !

[@DarkSideofSynth]

Splendid!

[@carloblues]

Thanks woody. Great to see the real cfx. Always use this preset on my p515.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, we all have that preset on our yamahas!

[@lumpichu]

I don't use it always on my P515. I quite often use the Bosendorfer. It's so dreamy, nothing like it.

[@VocalEdgeTV]

Olga was playing this piano for a while. It could not cut through the orchestras. The bass was so thin. A beautiful instrument, and feels very nice.

[@CraigRodmellMusic]

Gotta love the bottom C on that thing!

[@PaulEastham]

Great video! I own C7 for recording and writing and I love it :) This thing sounds intense :)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

wow, you are very fortunate having that beauty close to hand!

[@ultrium2000]

Thanks for the video! It was very interesting. I guess I will have to buy one now. 😃

[@reallynotpc]

As a very happy Avantgrand owner for the last five years, I am most envious.

[@JS-hu7pv]

More a Steinway than a Yamaha fan, mainly for the feel, but I’ve never played on higher-end Yamahas. This CFX sounds phenomenal. Enjoyed the Bruce Hornsby! Got to play on a Steinway D that Yuja Wang played in concert and that John Williams used to write the last two episodes of Star Wars and the last Indiana Jones film. Pianos at this level are beyond comprehension.

[@rebeccaabraham8652]

I'll never, ever describe myself as a pianist - 6 strings tuned out to be my calling.... but sometimes I like to sit down at the digital piano and let rip - although not the sort of music that would be played in a competition like that! But... damn, it would be glorious to play the best piano in the world!

[@Omega072.]

That was amazing! In addition to my Korg Nautilus I also have a Yamaha U3 upright with the silent module as well, so it was cool seeing you look at a silent piano for the first time! When I’m practicing on silent I still find myself double-checking if the middle pedal is down because the sound of the CFX is so realistic. And most of all, I’m glad I finally got to see the real CFX being played!! Love it! It’s my dream to play that one.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

the sound on silent mode was indeed astounding, congrats on yours!

[@Omega072.]

Thank you!! ☺

[@RonWesterbeek]

Loved your tour of beauty in Malmö 😅 wonderful venue there, and yes Jan is right, U2 is quite an upright band as we understand. lol 😁✌thanks again for sharing Woody. CU next ! 🙏🎵🌱

[@stunik156]

Wow that lady was incredible

[@TheMusicLabComposer]

I think she was playing a piece by Liszt.

[@TheMusicLabComposer]

She’s got some chops!

[@cirisirpula152]

That was impressive, but to be honest I enjoyed more listening to Woody or Jens play

[@carstenaltena]

Yes! While Woodie is not a virtuoso like her, I really enjoyed his playing as well.

[@jenslempke7883]

Bruce Hornsby deserves to get his song played on this beauty. "That's just the way it is" 😊

[@dazzola]

Really enjoyed the video. I was lucky enough to get a Clavinova CLP-735 earlier this year and the binaural sampling is next level. Months later I'm still taking my headphones off at the start of each practice to make sure I really have plugged them in!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, congrats on the CLP! if i am not mistaken the silent acoustic digital engine is even higher level... it's exclusive to those, and yes, astonishing.

[@tomarmstrong1281]

When I stumble across a video like this after watching the heart-stopping atrocities happening in Ghaza, I cannot help but wonder just where our species has come from or where we will finish. It will be either in a pile of smoking toxic radioactive ash or some golden upland free of want where everyone can play a quality musical instrument.

[@davidmartin123]

The piano tech did a good job. This real CFX has a nice tone, sounding richer and less bright than many digitally sampled CFX versions. Or it could be the mic frequency response. Anyway, great video, fun to watch pianists enjoy this nice instrument.

[@neilloughran4437]

yep the CFX sample is actually my least favourite in Yamaha keyboards... I much prefer their C7/C3 and Bosendorfer samples

[@JayKay0245]

Great video! Great playing by all!!

[@chefnaj78]

Outstanding!

[@neilloughran4437]

Very nice Woody and you sound great! The way those bass strings resonate the strings is amazing. I have a C3X but CFX is another level (price is too!).

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks and congrats on that beauty!

[@RICHFOW]

Great vid!

[@synthverkstad2093]

Yamaha has been doing this silent option for many years with the middle pedal moving the hammers slightly away to make it silent but retaining the full feel of the real thing. We have Yamaha/Kemble piano bought in 2005 with this system using optical sensors for all the keys. Yamaha London at Wardour street have all the top range pianos on display and have been trying them out on a number of occasions. They can actually fit the silent option to almost of the models.

[@daanbaas2962]

Great video Woody, thanks!

[@cellpat7392]

I loved the CFX but liked that upright more. Impressed that the keyboard gets muted so you can play on it silently with headphones. Whoa! Guess the future has finally come to the real thing. I only wish you wouldve played it for us. Yamaha U-1

[@WoodyPianoShack]

some other time i hope. that upright on headphones was truly astonishing. better than any other DP, sample library or emulation i have ever played. that engine only available on the silent acoustic.

[@BuddhaofBlackpool]

I don't think I've ever heard a keyboard get anywhere close to that sound

[@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12]

I remember coming across an old Yamaha CF a few years ago it needed some restoration done to it, but as is it's not that bad Chopin pieces in my opinion sounded really great on it. I also may have come across eather a Yamaha CFX or a Yamaha CFIIIS meny years ago, however due to it being a wile back I don't quite remember exactlly how it played/sounded like. I did come across that piano during the time when Yamaha already made the switch from the CFIIIS to the CFX. For anyone wondering how are piano movers able to move concert grands threw tight spaces the legs and pedals can be removed so the piano can be carried sideways, and this is the same for all models of grand pianos🦊🎹🎶

[@NeuroPete]

My two favorite virtual pianos were sampled from the Yamaha CFX grand: Noire and Garritan CFX.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

so it's true then, you could sell your house to buy one

[@dykodesigns]

The silent upright piano, that’s a pretty clever design. It reminds me a bit of a piano that Dr. Mix has, in which some kind of sensors where built to give it midi output capabilities.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, this one can tx midi as well, probably even over usb, that is nuts for an acoustic!

[@Recommendable]

You were playing the Ragtime on this Concert Grand when the pianist lady says - What are you doin?? - that's enternaining Woody ;)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

it's like the kid in the music store annoying the staff with smoke on the water

[@RichardRobbins-jt5bt]

Hey Woody, You have a remarkable "at home" demeanor when playing that CFX, as I normally see all your videos seated in from of some sort of digital. However, you have a presence seated at that pinnacle of Yamaha's creation with a genuine purpose and a can-do style. So, when will you be buying that CFX???........ah c'mon, what's a few hundred thousand dollars anyway!😜

[@WoodyPianoShack]

haha, thanks i appreciate that! btw, that upright was perhaps the piano that unexpectedly impressed me most ;)

[@RichardRobbins-jt5bt]

@@WoodyPianoShack Yeah agreed. Uprights have a way of bringing back sounds and memories of bygone eras for old farts like me.

[@garysmith8455]

Those Yamaha uprights have been around for a long time. You could actually have a LIVE concert in your home via a live concert pianist via internet! Quite the break through some time ago! Another thing, the DISCLAIVER pianos were modern 'REPRODUCING' pianos that did not need the pneumatic systems from back in the day, yet do the same thing. Amazing things from Yamaha!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yeah, fun stuff! on this one tho, apologies to point out the obvious, but only the digital engine will respond to midi, not the acoustic action.

[@funnzie]

It is such an honor to play concert grand pianos....IF....they are tuned and voiced and maintained by expert technicians. Without the technician, you don't have anything. for 5 years while my wife played piano for a university, I had access to Baldwin's and Steinway's best 9 foot grands, and the technicians came straight from the Portland Oregon (USA) Steinway store. There are very few pianos I play on stage where I don't have to spend hours practicing on them because they have voicing, tuning and mechanical problems. These university pianos were always in perfect shape to play, when the piano is in this pristine condition, all I have to play is the emotion, I don't think about playing the instrument at all. I hope every viewer of your video realizes that no microphone or million dollar recording studio can even begin to capture the sound of these pianos in the room, and certainly not from your video. (no offence :) I realize you didn't even attempt such a recording endeavor for it would have been futile.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

well said, fully agree and no offence taken! i always claim that a recording of a digital piano can sound like a recording of the acoustic. but the playing experience is not just about that.

[@connor_flanigan]

I got to play a rather odd/rare Bosendorfer about 15 years ago at a piano/organ store. it went all the way down to C, supposedly to replicate the 32' stops when playing an organ piece. I kept looking at the size of it thinking what a nightmare it would be to have to move it.

[@mfurman]

Do you at all have a piano at home, Woody? You seemed to enjoy playing CFX very much. I was surprised that you got used to the action so quickly. Great playing.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

at my playing level, of fairly non-technical stuff, i can quickly adapt. no, I don't have any acoustic at home, an old upright might be nice one day, otherwise the DGX will have to suffice.

[@DELTAOMEGA12]

That’s amazing video. I Guess we will see you soon in upcoming release of new professional arranger Yamaha PSR-SX620 event.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

probably not, but only because i doubt yamaha would roll out the red carpet for that launch... hope i'm wrong!

[@DELTAOMEGA12]

@ maybe they will release in NAMM SHOW.

[@paistinlasta1805]

Great Stuff. Have you by any chance concidered doing a video on the Yamaha CP70/80 electro-acoustic piano? I have no idea how rare they are in Sweden, in Finland they are unicorns.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i probably have some viewers in the area that have one, otherwise yamaha have one in their museum, but that is in berlin! would be very interesting indeed to get to know one.

[@connor_flanigan]

I bought a CP80 22 years ago from the original owner for $500. I loved it dearly for 2 years, then sold it to the next lucky owner for $1800. over here in the states, they're fairly common.

[@stratobuddy]

I really enjoyed this, a complete change from electronic keyboards and computer simulations. Do you have an acoustic piano?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

sadly no, but a digital is good enough for my talents!

[@BYRON_says]

(Psst . . . looking forward to a Roland Juno-D review. I like the look of the BRASS. STRING. SYNTH. BASS. buttons at the front of the control panel.)

[@Denvermorgan2000]

Wow what a great video.

[@Johngengelbach2]

That's the Cadillac of pianos wow

[@area49g12]

Nice vid,, your Hornsby sounded great on that concert grand, and your playing was beautiful, of course you’ve spoiled yourself now, no piano patch, sample or other is ever going to sound as good compared to that real CFX, lol

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thank you and true!

[@RobinDaelman]

Thx for the video. Could it be that he was referring to a yamaha avantgrand N3x hybride model as it it is indeed sampled with the cfx and Bösendorfer and not a clavinova as far as i am aware of?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i played both, yeah. and loved them both about the same for different reasons, the CFX was perfectly setup, whilst the S was slightly out of tune, a bit rough, but with a ton of character.

[@ChrisP3000x]

A few questions: 1) What's the polyphony? 2) Does it have PWM?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i found out this thing was only mono-timbral. deal breaker.

[@ChrisP3000x]

@WoodyPianoShack 😁

[@cinepost]

Okay guys, pitch in and contribute to the "Buy Woody a CFX Fundraiser!"

[@WoodyPianoShack]

you are hilarious and a cool guy.

[@cinepost]

@ not as cool as you! Now I get the real reason for getting the fingers back in shape with the DGX. Takes tremendous stamina to get the best out of a CFX. Proud of you, sounded great. Glad you’re getting your chops back.

[@localboy333]

The first lady pianist in this video is the great Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva.

[@thomasg321]

No she’s not

[@robertschaaf8606]

@@thomasg321 No, this woman is a pianistic non-entity. Avdeeva wouldn't waste her time with Malagueña. LOL.

[@thomasg321]

@@robertschaaf8606 Sorry, I don’t mean to be obnoxious. This woman looks like Juliana but it’s not her.

[@ShanMichaelEscasio]

One of my ultimate dreams is to play on a grand piano.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

oh, should not be too hard, you can find them in churches, music schools, theatres, piano stores, hunt around!

[@ShanMichaelEscasio]

@WoodyPianoShack sadly not where i live. Haha. I am from the Philippines and we are a 3rd world country. And in my province i havent even seen any grand piano. I have piano lessons in 2001 but the studio used an upright. And unfortunately for me, i was forced to stop piano school due to financial constraints. I havent even experiencwd a pano recital yet. Lol

[@GaryMCurran]

Great video, Woody. Personally, I wouldn't want an acoustic piano. I'm more into keyboards, but I certainly wouldn't mind having a Yamaha CVP-909 GP Clavinova! Best of both worlds. So, let me ask you a question. How does the DGX-670 CFX sample compare to the real thing?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i was going to wrap up the video with a discussion about that, but it was getting long... will cover that in a separate video, but i think you already know the answer ;)

[@GaryMCurran]

@@WoodyPianoShack Okay, I guess I should rephrase that. I don't care how good, no digital instrument is going to replace a real acoustic instrument, even if the sample was taken from it. What I was wondering was compared to the CFX, how well does the DGX stand up to it? I know it won't match it, but I'm wondering how close. I guess I'll have to wait for the upcoming video. Thankfully, I'm subscribed.

[@ultrium2000]

I wonder if U2 has an U1.

[@tucoramirez3333]

U2 have a U3

[@ultrium2000]

@@tucoramirez3333 They probably do.

[@giuseppewolf473]

Forgive me for writing to You here. I need a program that separates the tracks of an audio or provides the transcription especially for piano (and/or guitar tablature) of some selected moments of some classic pop|rock songs. To understand like Genesis, Beatles etc. What do you recommend without thinking about the cost? Infinite thanks ❤

[@WoodyPianoShack]

no idea sorry, i have never been interested in that, maybe somebody else will know.

[@NabPunk]

There are some AI tools for that as far as i know, none of them are that good yet.

[@Skeletman0815]

Maybe something like Melodyne or IZotopeRx?

[@serg472]

RipX is the best tool for it that I know

[@PutItAway101]

No software can do that. There are services online where humans will transcribe songs or parts of songs for you.

[@JayTheJolly]

My ears think this piano tastes good.

[@7alken]

and btw, congrats :-)

[@serg472]

MSRP $200k, 9ft long. Next in line C7 is $90k and 7ft long

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i reckon you could get a couple hundred dollars off the price if you go into the showroom with cash...

[@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12]

The C7X is 2 series behind. Next in line is the CF6🎹🎶

[@MayolBlue]

Let's talk about the elephant in the house, did you get to compare it to the Steinway?🙃

[@TheMusicLabComposer]

Nice Kindersenzen woody!

[@mfurman]

I wish I could play CFX - I only practice and play on Yamaha C7 (and it is not mine 😊). I cannot really play on digital pianos any more and I do not even have one at home (I only have a one manual organ).

[@WoodyPianoShack]

poor you with your mere C7 ;)

[@mfurman]

@ 😊

[@therealchayd]

I just looked up the cost: £147,267 including VAT! 🤯 (From Yamaha Music London)

[@BYRON_says]

@@therealchayd Whaaaat !!! OMG !!! .

[@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12]

Way beter buy than a high end luxury car🦊🎹🎶

[@Pseudify]

194,299.00 USD according to the Yamaha website on this date.

[@henrik3657]

My "Grand" mother had one😂😂.

[@peterconnolly2724]

I'm just a hack... I bang keys and make noise. Got to be honest; I enjoyed watching you play the piano more than the female expert; she was too theatrical for me. I have the Yamaha MODX8 for my sins... The piano samples on that keyboard are pretty poor, including the CFX Grand, which doesn't sound anything like this piano. It really does sound magnificent.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i don't think any digital synth comes close tbf. that upright in silent mode was closest I have ever heard.

[@benedictdsilva3954]

I’ve still to play a CFX … I’ve played almost all the top end concert grands… I prefer the European sound..

[@henrik3657]

Only 280.000$😮😮😮

[@OE1FEU]

So, the piano was tuned by a non-Yamaha tuner. No regulation, no voicing. 80% of the piano's actual potential left buried.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

well tbf, neither of us know what he was doing for the other 3 hours when not on camera, the jury and contestants seemed more than satisfied...?

[@JoseOcampo-g5m]

Someone wearing leather is always going to play better

[@vegsozoltan5283]

That a piano sounds like a piano is not at all interesting. It would be interesting if it were different for some reason.

[@quananginh9446]

I love pianos, especially the very best ones. But, at the same time, I feel my skill is not worthy of these concert grands.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

i can relate to that!

[@themusicman-ij7op]

It may be good fingering, but nice it ain’t , give me a good tune/melody any day 🎹🎼

[@The_CrackedPot_Christian]

New, £147k. For millionaires only 😮