Introduction
The Yamaha PSRE203 (Yamaha YPT200). In 1984, Yamaha debut their first PSR keyboard: the PSR15. Since then, over 100 different PSR models have made their way out of the Yamaha R&D center into countless numbers of homes all over the world. Over twenty years later, Yamaha introduces the Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200.
Overview
The Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 is a 61-key, 32 notes of polyphony entry-level keyboard with 129 voices, 4 drum kits and 1 special effects kit. They have 100 different accompaniment styles with programmable split point, 102 preset songs and also come with the Yamaha Education Suite, which makes learning the keyboard fun. We will get into that a little later.
First Things First
You may be wondering: what's the difference between the PSRE203 and the YTP200? Answer: nothing. These two are twin brothers with different names. We wondered why Yamaha would call the same keyboard by two different names and the best answer we could come up with was for the purpose of marketing to different parts of the world. Go figure.
Powerful Features in a Little Package
Weighing in at only 4.4kg (9lbs. 11oz), this little guy is more powerful than you think. First off, the Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 has a 32-note polyphony capacity, which, is outstanding considering that these are entry-level keyboards. In addition, they have 9 high quality reverbs to select from ranging from concert halls, small rooms, to plate reverbs for realism, and, did we also mention that the Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 also comes with a built-in chord dictionary and gives music lessons for over 100 preloaded songs?
The Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 comes with a music rest and requires six AA 1.5V batteries for operation. The PA-3B/PA-3C power adapter, L-2C/L-2L music stand and the FC4/FC5 footswitch are convenient options Yamaha offers to make playing the Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 more enjoyable.
Sounds
Surprisingly, this little keyboard has some real descent onboard sounds. We loved the church organs, synth strings, French horns, and the new age, warm, and sweep pads. The pianos sounded good too. In addition, these keyboards have brass, woodwind, guitar sounds, four drum kits, and one special effects kit to keep you busy for a while. Keep in mind that this is Yamaha's entry-level keyboard, so it’s not touch sensitive or anything like that. You can, however, hook up a sustain pedal for the pianos and organs though.
Yamaha Education Suite
The Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 has over 100 onboard songs (102 to be exact) that you can learn using Yamaha's built in lessons. There are three steps that Yamaha outlines when learning a song. Lesson 1: Listen and learn—here you just listen and familiarize yourself with the song, Lesson 2: Timing—learn the correct rhythm without concern to the right notes, and, Lesson 3: Waiting—the Yamaha waits for you to play the correct notes before moving on. The notes you will play will be displayed on the screen for you. After lessons 2 and 3 have been completed the Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 will grade your practice with ok, good, very good, or, excellent.
If you wanted to, you could learn just the right and left hand parts separately plus, you can set loop points to specify just a section of the song you want to practice before moving on.
Other Features
The Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 has an on-board metronome, time signature, transposition, tuning, and reverb level adjustments.
Conclusion
The Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 is a great keyboard for a child or anyone to use to begin their exploration of music. These keyboards are packed with enough features and great sounds to keep them interested for many years to come. However, what's really great about these keyboards is their fantastic price. They are priced so well that parents don't have to worry about seeing a large investment collect dust if their child loses interest.
We highly recommend the Yamaha PSRE203/YPT200 to anyone who wants to learn the keyboard and have fun at it without denting your wallet.