People just want to play for the fun of it or as a hobby. Located on the second floor of Meek Hall on the Oxford campus, the eight new Yamaha Clavinova keyboards open up a world of possibilities for teaching piano, accompaniment and sight-reading, as well as for the storage of music repertoire. The instruments replace electronic keyboards that have been used for almost 23 years, Kincaid said. With the Clavinova, students have a myriad of choices about the type and style of music they want to play. They may choose acoustic piano, harpsichord or organ, or blend more than 100 orchestral instruments and natural sounds into traditional piano music.
Privacy is at a premium.
With individual headphone sets and a control panel, students can link keyboards together to practice duets and even trios without disturbing others. With the accompanying sequencer, students can pop in a computer disk and play a portion of a piece, record, critique their work, make adjustments and re-record. Traditional music isn't a requisite, however. We can take the latest Elton John album, isolate the band, mask the lyrics and play the piano part along with the album. Kincaid said one of the biggest perks of the new lab is coupling technology with tradition by allowing students to play an electronic instrument that feels and sounds like an acoustic piano.