Yamaha EZ-220 Review

We rated the Yamaha EZ-220 8.5/10 because it does a great job at reaching its target audience: Piano learners. The EZ-200 has a ton of high-quality learning tools, as well as comes with a full-sized piano package. This instrument is economical, high-quality, and portable. While we wish the keys were at least semi-weighted, that’s the only really big ‘con’ we see in this Yamaha model.

Portable digital pianos are nothing short of a craze. They have been for a while, and that’s no surprise to me. A digital piano can help you with almost anything music, from clef-reading to practicing, to classical composing or pop-song writing. 

Even a more basic model of a keyboard can be a great starting-off point for your creativity. And when you think of pianos, the name Yamaha shortly follows. This company has been manufacturing instruments for a long time, so much so that it’s a household name! But I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that. What I am going to say is this: we are reviewing the Yamaha EZ-220 today. Stayed tuned for more information on this basic yet quality keyboard. 

Yamaha EZ-220 Overview

The Yamaha EZ-220 key-lighting keyboard is convenient and modern. Playing in the dark is cool! But it has much more than that too. Here’s what the Yamaha EZ-220 piano has to boast about itself;

“The Yamaha EZ-220 is a 61 touch-sensitive keyboard with lighted keys, built-in wireless connectivity to the free Page Turner iPad app and 100 preset songs with digital score make it the perfect learn-to-play keyboard. A USB port lets you connect to your computer for use with a wide range of music programs. 392 Voices let you play all kinds of instruments. The built-in Education Suite provides even more ways to learn how to play. Finally, 100 Styles act as virtual bands always ready to jam.” (Yamaha/ Amazon)

While this Yamaha doesn’t have a full-sized keyboard and isn’t really a professional instrument per-se, it still is a great start for the budding pianist. Do you live in a small apartment? Then you probably don’t have room for so much as an upright, and maybe even not for an 88-key electronic. The Yamaha EZ-220 portable digital keyboard is one you can tuck away in the corner of any house or apartment. Now, let’s check out some features. 

Features of the Yamaha EZ-220 61

The Yamaha EZ-220 piano has a ton of features. So here’s what makes this product shine: 

A High-Quality, Space Efficient Instrument

Like we said, the EZ-220 can fit in any house or apartment. But just because it’s small doesn’t mean it’s not mighty. The stand and build of this instrument is up to the standards of other Yamaha instruments.

Modern Learning Technology 

 Yamaha has incorporated modern technology into this piece of musical equipment in more ways than one. This includes a digital piano diary, built in animations, and the Page Turner App. The Page Turner App is an app that was designed for Ipads. This app is often paired with much more expensive instrument, so if you’re looking into getting the EZ-220, you are really lucking out here. In addition to all this, you can connect your computer to the piano with a USB to host cord. 

Touch Sensitivity

While this particular model lacks weighted keys, it still has touch sensitivity. This will make your playing sound more dynamically rich and natural. You can enjoy touch sensitivity on all 392 voices.  

The Perk of Accessories 

In my humble opinion, keyboards accessories as far as both quality and quantity have been going down the drain over the years. Piano makers used to make instruments that came with stands all the time, but that is all starting to go to the wayside. That being said, Yamaha is still staying true. Here are the accessories you’ll get when you purchase the Yamaha EZ-220: 

• Keyboard stand
• Headphones 
• Power supply cord

These three items make up a full set. It’s more than I would expect given the price of the whole package. There are a lot of keyboards out there in the $3000 range that still don’t come with stands. The fact that this comes with the stand, headphones, and power means you can get started immediately once you get it. And who doesn’t want that?

Specifications

• Weight: 17.81 pounds
• Dimensions: 51 x 8 x 20 inches
• Voices: 392
• Split Function:

Who Is It Suitable For?

Certainly, the Yamaha EZ-220 is suitable for piano newbies who want a quality package with everything included. It’s also great for low-pressure gigs and for other on-the-go fun, like vacations.

Yamaha EZ-220 Pros and Cons

Pros

• The Yamaha EZ-220 portable digital keyboard speaks for itself – You can take it just about anywhere! Pianos are portable which means you can practice anywhere and at anytime
• The keys are touch-sensitive
• It comes with a lot of teaching tools
• In addition to the tools, it has 100 built-in songs that you can practice to and learn from
• The package is more than just a keyboard, you get the stand and headphones too
• Speaking of headphones, you can use the ¼ inch jack to practice in places like an apartment without disturbing others
• The piano comes with guide stickers
• It is economical 

If a portable, basic keyboard is what you are after, then this one just make take the key. With it only weighing 17 pounds, it’s a lot easier to carry around or put in a car than a typical 36-pound, 88-key piano. In addition, the keys are touch-sensitive. A lot of 61-key pianos are not. This was a big sigh of relief to me once I heard that it was dynamically responsive.

Let me take a moment to tell you more about the teaching tools: Yamaha Education Suite, and the EZ-220 Page Turner app.

Yamaha Education Suite is a piece of learning software that is found on the Yamaha PSR (portable) keyboards. While Yamaha Education Suite was the original title of the tool, the newest version is actually called YES. This piano has YES Version 3. It has this really cool function called ‘guide lights’ like we mentioned earlier. Instead of reading sheet music, you can use YES to teach you to play by using these guide lights. Simply choose a song, and YES will teach you the rest. The keyboard can also sing to you in either note names or Solfege, which is great for the beginner music theory student. To learn more about YES, check out this Yamaha link:

The EX-220 Page Turner App is actually a digital songbook. This songbook matches up with the 100 preset songs that are on the instrument itself. What this app does is exactly what it sounds like…It turns the pages for you! Having an app that turns pages is indispensable for the beginning pianist. After all, you already have treble clef, bass clef, hundreds of sounds, and a foot pedal. So don’t worry, this app has your back. You won’t be needing to turn pages for a while. In order to learn more about the app that comes with this model, check out this link:

The other great things about this piano are that it comes with everything you need to get started, and it’s super economical. So what doesn’t the EZ-220 pull off well?

Cons

• The keys are not weighted
• This isn’t a full-sized keyboard
• It isn’t  a professional model

The drawback to getting an economical model usually means that the piano doesn’t have weighted keys, or a full-sized keyboard. Ultimately, this isn’t a professional model. That may be a pro for you, or a con, depending on what your wants and needs are as a pianist. 

Quick View 

Yamaha EZ-220 In Action

Ah yes, we’ve almost reached the end of our Yamaha EZ-220 journey. But first? You guessed it. Let’s check out an unboxing. 

Andrew and Karent bought themselves an early Christmas present. So, let’s watch them unbox and play it for the first time!

In this unboxing I learned that they keys are spring-mounted. The action of them looks quite nice, despite not being weighted. It also appears that the keyboard lights up whenever you play a note, not just during the learning function – This is a really cool feature! The piano sound Andrew is playing on is natural and respectable, especially at the price point. The soft ‘piano’ dynamic is impressively responsive. 

The demo mode (5 minutes in) he shows us is quite exciting and wonky! Certainly, it is clear to see that this electronic piano is a lot of fun and bright lights. At 6’ in, he shows us the learning mode, with the sample being the Little Brown Jug. Then, at closer to 7’ you get an up-close view of the keyboard’s console itself. 

What Andrew said at the end of the video really hit home. He said that this piano will keep him interested in music and entertained, after 30 years of him not playing at all. So, if you’re a piano player like him, this may just be the perfect tool for you. 

Conclusion

While the Yamaha EZ-220 keyboard isn’t top-of-the-line, a Yamaha is still a Yamaha. We recommend this piano for those just starting out, who are looking for the fun of many voices in an economical and quality package. In case you can’t find this particular model, try the Alesis Recital. It’s a comparable keyboard with a lot of the same features, for a similar price.

So, to recap:

• The EZ-220 is an economical, portable piano package
• It best serves beginners, but more advanced music students are likely to enjoy the learning tools and Solfege-key features
• This piano holds up to Yamaha build and sound quality
• While it is far from a professional piano, it is still a great option for many people

Be sure to come back soon to BestPianoKeyboards for more piano reviews, tips and tricks. Bye! 

8.5Expert Score

We rated the Yamaha EZ-110 8.5/10 because it does a great job at reaching its target audience: Piano learners. The EZ 200 has a ton of high-quality learning tools, as well as comes with a full-sized piano package. This instrument is economical, high-quality, and portable. While we wish the keys were at least semi-weighted, that’s the only really big ‘con’ we see in this Yamaha model.

PROS

• The Yamaha EZ-220 portable digital keyboard speaks for itself- You can take it just about anywhere! pianos are portable which means you can practice anywhere and at anytime
• The keys are touch-sensitive
• It comes with a lot of teaching tools
• In addition to the tools, it has 100 built-in songs that you can practice to and learn from
• The package is more than just a keyboard, you get the stand and headphones too
• Speaking of headphones, you can use the ¼ inch jack to practice in places like an apartment without disturbing others
• The piano comes with guide stickers
• It is economical

CONS

• The keys are not weighted
• This isn’t a full-sized keyboard
• It isn’t a professional model