PC-100

Now that keyboards were available in miniature form, they could be carried around the house to the living room and children’s rooms. This immediately welcomed more people than ever before into the cohort of people who enjoy music. Also, the fact that the instrument was battery powered meant that it could be played outdoors, further expanding its appeal to larger gatherings of friends and family. The original idea was to create a small keyboard as portable as a violin or guitar so that people can play whenever and wherever they want to. This ultimately came to fruition, and in the 1980s, the style of keyboard playing evolved into one of unprecedented freedom.

PS-35

The PSS-150 released the same year was equipped with enjoyable features for people of all ages, such as Auto Play, Auto Bass Chord, and Custom Drummer for recording and storing original rhythm patterns.

Later, the PSS Series would branch out into models for educational use and models designed for performing and music production.

Children learning how to play

In 1997, Yamaha released the PortaSound PSS-7 with 32 ultra-mini-sized keys. A product for children, the PSS-7 featured 100 built-in Voices, including animal sounds such as Pig, Dog, Cat and Cow, and effects such as Police Car and Video Game, and was also equipped with a karaoke feature with 10 songs and 30 accompaniment patterns for any type of melody.

This product proved that Yamaha’s portable keyboards were more than instruments, able to play back actual recordings of real sounds, including animal noises, different vehicles, and even sound effects from among the sounds of everyday life. The accomplishment was a testament to the hard work of Yamaha staff members, running from the streets of town to the zoo to collect sounds.

Currently, these roles are being fulfilled by three models: the standard PSS-F30 (not yet released in Japan); the PSS-A50, which doubles as a music production tool for everything from performing to recording; and the Remie (PSS-E30), which has a sound guessing quiz and other activities to stimulate children’s curiosity.

Meanwhile, in 1995, the PSR Series welcomed the PSR620, with enhanced usability for performing. Although it included features like Split, which allows players to use different Voices on the bass and treble parts of the keyboard, the notable features for the era were the 3.5-inch floppy disk drive and “music cartridge” slot in the keyboard. Music cartridges contained songs, Styles, and settings that were handled in the same way as the preset songs, Styles, and settings stored in the keyboard’s memory.

During the 1990s, AWM tone generators improved to the point that they could simulate sounds—especially piano sounds—realistically with sufficient polyphony. It became commonplace to expect a keyboard to offer automatic accompaniment as well as to allow the player to play with both hands, making performing increasingly authentic to the full ensemble experience. Also, the new Touch Response function allowed players to control the volume of the sound output by playing the keys harder or softer, ushering in an era where musicians could practice in earnest on portable keyboards.

Following this trend, we shifted away from mini keyboards to standard 61-key models that were more playable.

The 1990s also saw the beginning of a movement toward what can be characterized as local production for local consumption. In 1990, we began producing portable keyboards at our factory in Tianjin, China. In 2019, we launched another factory in Chennai, India.

EZ-J22

2005 saw the launch of the PSR-E Series, a dependable line of keyboards that continues to this day. Since then, we have continued to develop entry-level models with a wide range of voices and features, standard models to be used for everything from beginners’ recitals to serious performances, powerful performance models capable of accommodating advanced musical expression, models thoughtfully designed to match different lifestyles and room interiors, and more.

In response to growing interest in pianos in the 2000s, Yamaha created the DGX Series of multifunctional digital pianos, the NP (Piaggero) Series featuring box-shaped keyboards with high-quality piano sound and excellent touch inspired by acoustic pianos, and others that sold well for providing new options.

To satisfy the growing need for 76-key models that provide a wider range of notes than 61-key models, Yamaha introduced the EW400 in 2016 and the EW300 in 2017, establishing a new style.

In and after the 2000s, Yamaha would develop what could be called the standard interface for its portable keyboards, and more or less perfected them as digital instruments. The buttons surrounding the central display immediately identify these instruments as Yamaha portable keyboards.

At the same time, Yamaha’s designs have also changed substantially in response to the growing focus on lifestyles. There would be a shift away from the traditional, black-based color scheme toward silver for a softer, more sophisticated impression. Even the black models have evolved with the times, with silver accents added to the panels.

In the 2000s, as keyboards were evolving through a series of model updates, a major event shook all corners of the manufacturing industry, including makers of musical instruments: the global financial crisis of 2008.

Yamaha was not spared from the negative effects of this unprecedented economic meltdown. With such an uncertain future, it was time to buckle down and wait for the economy and sales to recover.

The entry-level model (PSR-E283) released concurrently has a full slate of lesson features with quizzes that make learning fun. One major difference between it and the PSR-E383 is that the PSR-E283 is not equipped with a Touch Response function. This is intentional—Yamaha learned from user feedback that small children, elderly people, and others with less finger strength have an easier time playing keys that are not sensitive to how hard or softly they are played.

The PSR-E473, a powerful performance model capable of accommodating advanced musical expression, is ideal for players who demand quality and originality and want to play in front of an audience. Its features include functions for creating original sound effects and dynamically changing sounds at the touch of a button. This is also the first keyboard in the series to have a microphone, allowing players to sing while they play and do voice sampling.

Yamaha has developed a lineup of portable keyboards for many purposes, from children’s lessons to adults playing for fun, to music production. They have evolved into an even more enjoyable form recently with the addition of USB connectivity and apps that allow players to easily record audio and video as their favorite tunes, and play and share their creations using their smartphones and other devices.

Many developing countries are not well set up for music education, and shortages of instructors and equipment and the lack of a teaching curriculum mean that people have few opportunities to come into contact with musical instruments. To address this problem, Yamaha launched the School Project in 2015 to promote music classes in public education by supporting teacher training and the creation of curriculums, and by selling and providing musical instruments and teaching materials. The company also has a portable keyboard program in place, which is now in use in Indonesia, Malaysia, and India.

One of the models used in these programs is the PSR-F Series, which features simple, basic functions and intuitive panel operation, and is designed to be easy for anyone to use and play. Based on the assumption that two students would sit at each keyboard, Yamaha developed Duo mode, which allows two people to play at the same time by assigning the same range of notes to the right and left sides of the keyboard, and prepared educational materials accordingly.

Most people are aware of musicians’ ongoing fascination with Stradivarius string instruments produced in the 17th and 18th centuries. While their basic structure has essentially remained the same, acoustic instruments gain depth over time, which is part of why acoustic instruments are so appealing.

In contrast, electronic instruments are destined to continue evolving as technology progresses and trends change. They must evolve to meet the limitless expectations of people who want to enjoy music in more diverse forms. They must accommodate a broader range of musical experience, beyond learning to play and performing, to include singing, listening, creating, and sharing.

To meet these many and varied needs, Yamaha now offers a full lineup including the PSS Series—the first new mini-sized key model since the PSS-15 nearly two decades earlier—and the EZ Series, the F Series, the E Series, the EW Series, and more. The company is serving as a foundation for an era in which music is more accessible and more freely enjoyed.

With the mission to expand the music-playing population from advanced nations to developing countries intact, Yamaha will continue to serve as a gateway to the world of keyboards, offering new possibilities that help everyone enjoy music.