Casio Celviano AP-270WE Digital Piano and Stand (White)

General

With their successful Celviano series, Casio offer a number of high-quality digital pianos, including the entry-level AP-270WE. This sleek learning tool features 88 Hammer Action keys complete with a faux ivory and ebony playing feel that comes as close as possible to the real thing. The AiR Sound Service sound module features twenty-one sounds, including one American and one European grand piano, electric pianos, organs, strings and even a vibraphone. Like a full-sized upright, this digital piano includes three pedals, a frame and a music stand, which are all wrapped up in one elegant instrument complete with retractable lid.

Plenty of Options

The sound is amplified by a set of integrated speakers, and can be easily coloured in using various on-board effects; by using the acoustic simulator, which makes it feel like you're playing in a concert hall; or by combining sounds using the split and layer functions. This piano also comes equipped with Casio's own Concert Play functionality, which enables solo pianists to play along with ten pieces recorded by a full symphonic orchestra. But, that's not all. The AP-270BK also includes a Music Library of sixty songs as well as room to upload ten of your own songs from your PC, Mac or iOS or Android device via USB.

An Educational Tool

Learning to play with the help of the AP-270 is easy thanks to the various educational tools it has to offer. For starters, two headphones sockets have been fitted and the keyboard can be divided into two identical octaves so a teacher and student can play and listen together. And, using the two-track MIDI recorder, you can record your session easily using the clear menu and hot keys for the two grand piano sounds.

• A songbook to go with the digital piano can be downloaded via the Casio website.