If you look at the article I wrote “Digital or Acoustic Piano – What Should I Get My Child?” you will understand that digital pianos in today’s market are amazing and use incredible technology to “sound” and “feel” like an acoustic piano. This means that students can now start on a digital piano which is one of the reasons why digital pianos outsell acoustic pianos “two to one”!
Well the KDP-90 is just an amazing piano for the price, and I give it top marks if you are thinking of a digital piano for your children or even if you are already a player – and here’s why!
First Comes the Incredible Piano Sound Using 88 Note Sampling
So how did they get this authentic grand piano sound? Well, first they start with one of the world’s finest authentic grand pianos… the handcrafted Kawai EX Concert Piano. (This piano sells at over $200,000 and is used on concert stages world wide!)
Knowing that each dynamic level of the EX piano carries a unique harmonic signature, the Kawai engineers have created extremely accurate stereo “maps” of the entire dynamic range of this instrument. Next, their proprietary process called “Harmonic Imaging” was created to transform this vast “harmonic data” into a vibrant re-creation of the EX Concert Piano in a digital format.
The result is a faithful reproduction of the rich dynamic range of the original concert grand piano, from its delicate pianissimos to the thunderous fortissimos.
Then, incorporating techniques learned from world-famous recording studios in Los Angeles and Japan, Kawai sound engineers created their all new Harmonic Imaging with 88-key piano sampling.
What this means is each of the 88 individual keys on the Kawai EX piano is digitally recorded at different levels where the nuances and color of the sound is masterfully stored in memory.
So when you play a key on a KDP90, it calls all the information from the digital memory such as how hard you hit the key, what note you played how long you held it down for and gives you an absolute amazing reproduction of the sound you would hear if you played the same way on the Kawai 9” Concert Grand piano!
Advanced Hammer Action
So now that they have this incredible piano sound, they then needed to create a grand piano “feel” to the piano, which they have done with fantastic accuracy using what Kawai calls “Advanced Hammer Action IV” technology.
These actions utilize a hammer component under the keys that creates a mechanical movement and feel similar to an acoustic piano. Additionally, the hammers are weighted in a graded fashion where the left-hand, or bass, keys are heaviest. As you move up the keyboard the hammers gradually become lighter. This simulates the same characteristic found in an acoustic pianos action where the hammers are larger in the bass region and gradually get smaller as you move up the keyboard.
So now you have the “sound” and “feel” of a grand piano.
Grand Feel Pedal System
But that’s not all – they even tool the care to make sure the pedals perform and feel like a grand piano as well! The one your child will use the most is the right pedal – more commonly known as the damper pedal. What it will do is when the pedal is pushed down, any notes that are played will sustain and blend together giving a smooth transition from note to note.
15 Exceptional Instrument Sounds
And it’s not just the piano sound that will impress you…
In addition two Concert Grand piano sounds, a Studio Grand and Modern Piano sound – the Kawai KDP90 also give you a Classic Electric Piano, Modern Electric Piano, Jazz Organ, Church Organ, Harpsichord, Vibraphone, String Ensemble, Slow String, Choir, New Age Pad, and a cool synthesized Atmosphere sound with each sound giving you an amazing reproduction of the actual instrument – just like the piano sound.
Dual and Four-Hands Modes
Like some popular and much more expensive stage pianos, the KDP90 has the capability of playing two different sounds at the same time, such as piano and strings, for example.
Also, this instrument has what they call 4-Hands Mode (which you can also find listed in the KDP90 manual), which splits the keyboard into 2 identical 44-note sections, creating an ideal scene for teaching private lessons without someone having to move over or switch places.
Built-in Alfred Lessons
Another educational feature of the KDP90 is the built-in music lesson library consisting of Alfred’s basic piano library of songs books 1A and 1B (a very popular lesson book series) along with Burgmuller 25 Etudes.
With the built-in music library in the piano you can purchase the appropriate music books and then play along with the built-in songs at any tempo you wish (slower or faster) and also separate out the left hand and right hand parts for playback with controls in the piano accessed by the function button and keys.
The Alfred piano leaning series of lesson books library is very popular with pianos teachers and is especially useful if you are a beginner or novice player so you can listen to left and right hand parts separately on the KDP90 (before you play the song yourself) to understand how each part sounds and to then play each part one at a time along with the song playing back.
It’s a pretty cool feature and Kawai is the only digital piano company with this kind of built-in lesson song library.
Sliding Key Cover
In addition to a beautiful dark rosewood cabinet, Kawai has included an elegant sliding key cover which glides open and closed – depending on your entertaining needs!
Built-in Stereo Speaker System
The internal speaker system of the piano is surprisingly full and loud with a total of 26 watts going through two higher quality speakers which are positioned underneath the keyboard, and the power consumption of this model is only 15 watts so it’s quite low (especially compared to other brands) in terms of eating up your electric power.
Audio Outputs, MIDI in/out and 2 headphone jacks
Kawai had the foresight and understanding to put 2 headphone jacks on the KDP90 which is such a convenience for parent/child, teacher/student or duet “silent” practicing for the times when you need to play but also want to keep the sound quiet! And of course there are midi in and out jacks which will allow you to hook up to computer or other external devices!
Bench Included
A sturdy padded bench is also include with the KDP90.
IN SUMMARY
If what you have already seen is not enough, why not add 15 built in Demo Songs, 40 Concert Magic songs which allows ANYONE to play the song by pushing any key – a fun and fascinating experience for the beginner.
Lastly, Kawai included the ability to record your own music (up to 3 songs) with the touch of a button. This means you can record your piano playing, then sit back and listen to your music which allows the student to hear how they sound and where they are playing well and where some additional practice might be needed!
To me, the Kawai KDP90 is an amazing digital piano for the price and I find it hard, if not impossible, to have any negatives to say about this gem. It can be appreciated by the beginner and also the advanced player which is why I give it a big “Highly Recommended” rating compared to other digital pianos in the same price range.
If you would like to view a video demonstration of the KDP-90 – just click here!