What is auto accompaniment?

It is a system in which the keyboard generates complete backgrounds with drum, bass, and chord parts with the left hand so that the consumer can play melodies, and solos. All Casio keyboards have some degree of auto accompaniment.

What is a chord, Casio chord and fingered chord?

A chord is 3 notes that are played at the same time, and so as not to get into too much detail sound good together. This takes practice to play properly.Fingered chord forces a student to play the chord properly by only sounding if a chord is played. Casio Chord allows the chord to sound (3 notes) by only pressing 1 key. So for someone just learning only 1 key need sto be pressed to get the sound of 3.

What is MIDI and General MIDI?

Musical Instrument Digital Interface language by which keyboards, other MIDI instruments, and computers can universally communicate. When a note is played on a keyboard, the computer registers what note was played, how long it was held and what the tone number of the instrument. Then when it connects to another keyboard and played back it will play the same. General MIDI was developed so keyboard manufacturers would all have there own numbering system so someone would use a Casio piano tone to record a sound and when the song was played back on another manufacturer product it would sound like a guitar. So GM (General MIDI) took 128 tones and they are all in the same number so that it plays properly.

What is sostenuto and sustain?

Sostenuto sustains notes only which are depressed at the time the pedal is depressed. Note that the sostenuto pedal should not be confused with the much more commonly used sustain pedal, which undamps all the strings on the piano.

What is DSP?

Digital Signal Processing allows some keyboards to change the sound of a tone. They can make it deeper, or cysle, or sound like in a cathedral. Then the user can save these as a user tone and play these anytime.

Where can I get a manual for the Celviano Piano?

Click here.

Product Terminology FAQ

Tone: The word that Casio uses for a instrument selection, such as piano. Casio keyboards have instrument tones ranging from pianos, electric pianos and organs to strings, clarinets, brass, basses drums and countless others. Other manufacturers may use the words Program, Patch or simply Sound.

Rhythm: This could simply be a drum beat, but can include bass, guitar and other sounds which accompany what is being playing on the keyboard. Some models have Rhythms in a wide variety of styles or genres of music.

Polyphony: The maximum number of simultaneous notes the instrument can produce at one time. While we only have 10 fingers, the use of the sustain pedal, rhythms and accompaniment will use up the available polyphony quicker. All Casio digital pianos have 128 notes of polyphony.

Registration: Memory locations which allow you to store combinations of tones and rhythms for quick access. It could simply be a piano layered with strings – or something more complex with a split bass sound and rhythm as well.

Reverb: An effect which tries to recreate the natural ambience that occurs in an environment such as a concert hall or large room. Example: clap your hands in a gymnasium – you’ll hear the reflections or reverberations after you’ve clapped. Reverb effects add more realism and depth to instrument tones.

Chorus: An effect used to simulate multiple instances of the same tone at a slightly different pitch. This makes a tone have more depth. Particularly effective on electric piano and string sounds.

Line Input: An audio input which allows you to connect an MP3 player, iPod, CD-Player or other devices. The connected source can be amplified through the built-in speaker system so you can listen to or play along with your favorite songs.

Sampling: Allows you to take a short audio recording of the audio coming in the mic or line input. Once recorded this sound can be played on the keyboard. Low notes on the keyboard will play the recording slower, resulting in a low pitch. High notes on the keyboard will play the sound back quicker, resulting in a higher pitch.

World Music Library: A collection of both instruments and rhythms from around the world. This allows Casio keyboards to be useful to a wider range of customers, which may require a ethnic instrument and rhythms to play their favorite genre of music.

MIDI: Is short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. The purpose of MIDI is to allow different electronic instruments and computer to communicate with each other. In its simplest form, if two instruments are connected together via MIDI, when you play the keyboard on one instrument you would hear both simultaneously. When connected to a computer MIDI allows the keyboard to work with a variety of software applications for music composition. MIDI transmits note information (which keys are played) not audio.

USB: The USB Port on Casio digital pianos is an easy way for you to connect a your keyboard to a computer. This eliminates the need to purchase a separate computer MIDI interface. Once connected, the keyboard can be used a controller keyboard for popular software applications such as Apple’s Garage Band or free applications such as Music Studio Producer for Windows.