Kawai Concert Performer CP3 User manual

1
OVERVIEW
OF CONTROLS
2
SOUNDS
3
STYLES
4
RECORDER
5
USB USAGE
Quick Start Guide

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OVERVIEW
OF CONTROLS
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SOUNDS
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STYLES
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RECORDER
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USB USAGE
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WELCOME!
Welcome to the Kawai CP3 Quick Start Guide.
This guide provides new CP users with a selection of step-by-step instructions to some of these instruments’ most useful
features. With so many buttons, menus, and functions, the CP3 can appear rather daunting at first, however by following
a few basic steps we’ll soon be learning how to select sounds and accompaniment styles, record our songs, and even
save pieces to USB memory.
Below is a list of topics that we’ll be covering in this guide:
Overview of controls
Selecting instrument sounds
Selecting accompaniment styles
Recording a song
Deleting, saving, and loading a song
Saving and loading a song to/from USB memory
Playing MP3 audio files from USB memory
Saving MP3 audio files to USB memory
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. OVERVIEW OF CONTROLS.................................................4
PANEL BUTTONS .................................................................................. 4
TEMPO/VALUE DIAL, VOLUME SLIDERS ............................................ 4
TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY ...................................................................5
2. SOUNDS ...............................................................................6
THE ‘RIGHT 1’ PART .............................................................................. 6
THE ‘RIGHT 2’ PART, COMBINING WITH ‘RIGHT 1’.............................. 8
THE ‘LEFT/SPLIT’ PART....................................................................... 10
ADJUSTING THE SPLIT POINT ..........................................................11
3. STYLES...............................................................................12
SELECTING A STYLE.......................................................................... 12
ADDING ACCOMPANIMENT TO THE DRUMS.................................... 14
SONG STYLIST.................................................................................... 16
4. RECORDER ........................................................................18
RECORDING A SONG......................................................................... 19
PLAYING A SONG................................................................................ 20
RE-RECORDING PARTS OF A SONG ................................................ 20
SAVING A SONG TO INTERNAL MEMORY ........................................ 21
DELETING A SONG FROM RECORDER MEMORY........................... 22
LOADING A SONG FROM INTERNAL MEMORY ............................... 24
5. USB USAGE .......................................................................26
SAVING A SONG TO USB MEMORY ..................................................26
LOADING A SONG FROM USB MEMORY.......................................... 28
PLAYING MP3 AUDIO FILES FROM USB MEMORY .......................... 30
RECORDING MP3 AUDIO FILES TO USB MEMORY ......................... 33

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OVERVIEW
OF CONTROLS
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1. OVERVIEW OF CONTROLS
Aside from the standard 88-key piano keyboard, there are a number of different ways to control the various functions of
the CP3 instrument. Below is a brief explanation of the panel buttons, tempo/value dial, volume sliders, and touch screen
LCD display which will be used throughout this Quick Start guide.
PANEL BUTTONS
The panel buttons are responsible for controlling the majority of functions on the CP3, with buttons to the left of the display
associated with selecting and adjusting registrations/accompaniment styles, and buttons to the right of the display used
to select and adjust instrument sounds.
Registration/Style buttons: to the left of the display Sound buttons: to the right of the display
In addition, the top row of circular shaped buttons are typically used to control the main functions of the CP3, while the
square shaped buttons on the middle and bottom rows are typical used to adjust parameters and settings within these
main functions. Finally, many of the buttons also contain an LED indicator which will turn on or off when a function is
activated or deactivated.
The position and grouping of the panel buttons should become familiar reasonably quickly, allowing you to navigate
around the CP3 almost instinctively, and concentrate on making truly great music.
TEMPO/VALUE DIAL, VOLUME SLIDERS
The Tempo/Value dial is used to increase or decrease the tempo of accompaniment styles and songs, scroll through
menu screens, and also to adjust values quickly and efficiently.
The Style/Song Volume slider is used to increase or decrease the volume of accompaniment styles, and songs played
back from the built-in recorder or USB memory. This slider does not control the volume of the keyboard or external inputs
such as the Line In jacks.
The Master Volume slider, meanwhile, controls the overall volume of the instrument, including accompaniment styles
and songs, the keyboard, and external inputs.
Tempo/Value dial Volume sliders

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OVERVIEW
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TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY
As well as providing information about the current sound and style selections, and other important settings, the LCD
display can also be used to control numerous functions of the CP3. Simply touch the part of the screen that corresponds
to the function you wish to control or adjust. Below is an example of the default MAIN screen that appears when the
instrument is first turned on.
Note that in order to avoid possible confusion within this quick-start guide, operating instructions related to the touch
screen will use the verb touch , while instructions related to the button panel will use the verb press .
E.g.:
 Touch the PAGE Xbutton on the LCD display.
 Press the RIGHT 1 panel button.
If no panel buttons are pressed, and the LCD display is not touched while showing different screen menus (such as the
sound or style category lists), the LCD display will automatically return to the MAIN screen after a period of 20 seconds.
To adjust this waiting period, or to prevent the MAIN screen from returning automatically, please refer to the Display
Control instructions in the main CP3 owner's manual.
Touch screen display: default MAIN screen
RIGHT 1 part: Concert Grand
selected and currently active
RIGHT 2 part: Beautiful Strings
selected but currently inactive
STYLE: Select STYLE mode
RECORDER: Select RECORDER mode
LEFT part: Pop Ensemble
selected, but currently inactive
MIXER: Show mixer screen

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2
SOUNDS
2. SOUNDS
There are over 700 different instrument sounds built into the CP3, providing an almost limitless range of possible musical
playing styles. However, with such a large selection of instrument voices available, it is important to understand the various
methods of selecting and adjusting the sounds. After following the steps in this topic, you should become confident at
navigating around different screen menus, and be able to select multiple sounds within a few seconds.
THE ‘RIGHT 1’ PART
The panel buttons are responsible for controlling the majority of functions on the CP3, with buttons to the left of the display
associated with selecting and adjusting registrations/accompaniment styles, and buttons to the right of the display used
to select and adjust instrument sounds.
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Step 1
Turn on the instrument.
After a brief wait the MAIN screen will appear, as seen below.
The RIGHT 1 field is highlighted, with Concert Grand
written in large letters to indicate that the Concert
Grand sound is selected, and that the part is active.
The LED indicator for the RIGHT 1 panel button will
also be turned on.
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Step 2
Play the keyboard.
The sound of a full bodied Kawai EX Concert Grand will be heard.
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Step 3
Adjust the volume level using the MASTER VOLUME slider.
Move the slider to the right or left to increase or
decrease the volume of the sound. The middle position
is often a good starting point.
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2
SOUNDS
The Concert Grand is a beautiful sound, possessing the distinctive warmth and character or Kawai’s finest acoustic
pianos. However, what if we wish to play a piano with a smaller, slightly more intimate? Let's experiment with some
alternative piano sounds.
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Step 4
Press the PIANO panel button.
A selection of acoustic piano, electric piano, and keyboard instrument sounds will be shown in the LCD display.
Initially, all sounds within a category will be available for
selection – the full list will often span several pages.
To display a particular type of sound, such as just the
available acoustic pianos, touch the corresponding
sub-category.
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Step 5
Touch the Acoustic sub-category.
The list of sounds will be filtered to show only the acoustic piano sounds.
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SOUNDS
 Step 6
Touch Upright Piano, then play the keyboard.
The sound will have changed to a smaller, slightly more intimate piano sound.
Press the EXIT panel button, or wait for a few seconds, to return to the MAIN screen.
Repeat the steps above, and experiment with selecting the various acoustic piano, electric piano, and other keyboard
instrument sounds. Next, try selecting sounds from a different category, such as Strings, Organ, or Vocal etc., until you
become familiar at selecting sounds from each category button and sub-category.
If no panel buttons are pressed, and the display is not touched while showing different screen menus (such as
the sound category list), the display will automatically return to the MAIN screen after a period of 20 seconds.
To adjust this waiting period, or to prevent the MAIN screen from returning automatically, please refer to the
Display Control instructions in the main CP3 owner's manual.
THE ‘RIGHT 2’ PART, COMBINING WITH ‘RIGHT 1’
The CP3 allows three different sound parts to be assigned to the keyboard at any one time. The RIGHT 1 and RIGHT 2
parts are used most frequently, and can either be played separately, or together. In the following steps we shall select
sounds for RIGHT 1 and RIGHT 2, practice activating and deactivating each part individually, before combining the two
parts simultaneously.
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Step 1
Select the Concert Grand sound for RIGHT 1.
 Step 2
Press the RIGHT 1 panel button.
The LED indicator for the RIGHT 1 panel button will
turn off to indicate that the part is inactive.
Press the EXIT panel button, or wait for a few seconds, to return to the MAIN screen.
Concert Grand will be written in small letters to
indicate that the Concert Grand sound is still selected,
but that the part is now inactive.
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SOUNDS
 Step 3
Play the keyboard.
No sound will be heard. This is because the RIGHT 1 part is now inactive.
Let's activate the RIGHT 2 part and assign a sound to it.
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Step 4
Press the RIGHT 2 panel button.
The LED indicator for the RIGHT 2 panel button will
turn on to indicate that the part is active.
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Step 5
Select the Warm Strings sound for RIGHT 2.
Press the EXIT panel button, or wait for a few seconds, to return to the MAIN screen.
Warm Strings will be written in large letters to indicate
that the Warm Strings sound is selected, and that the
part is active.
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Step 6
Play the keyboard.
The beautiful sound of Warm Strings will be heard.
The procedure above allows us to assign different sounds to the RIGHT 1 and RIGHT 2 parts, activating and deactivating each
part as desired, without having to reselect the same sounds multiple times. As noted previously, it is also possible to combine
both the RIGHT 1 and RIGHT 2 parts (often referred to as 'DUAL MODE'), allowing sounds to be layered together.
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SOUNDS
 Step 7
Press the RIGHT 1 panel button.
Concert Grand written in large letters to indicate
that the Concert Grand sound is selected, and that
the part is active.
The LED indicator for the RIGHT 1 panel button will
also turn on.
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Step 8
Play the keyboard.
The sound of both the Concert Grand and Warm Strings will be heard simultaneously.
Once again, repeat the steps above, experimenting with different sounds for the RIGHT 1 and RIGHT 2 parts.
Continue to activate and deactivate the two parts until you become familiar with this important control system.
THE ‘LEFT/SPLIT’ PART
Having familiarized ourselves with the RIGHT 1 and RIGHT 2 parts, let's continue this introduction of the part controls
by experimenting with the LEFT/SPLIT part. The LEFT/SPLIT part allows a third instrument sound to be assigned to
the left side of the keyboard. This is often used to play bass parts within the lower two octaves of the keyboard, however
the exact length (i.e. number of keys) can be freely altered by adjusting the SPLIT POINT.

Step 1
Press the LEFT/SPLIT panel button.
The LED indicator for the LEFT/SPLIT panel button
will turn on to indicate that the part is active.
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Step 2
Select the Acoustic Bass sound for the LEFT/SPLIT part.
 Step 3
Play the keyboard.
The Acoustic Bass sound will be heard in the lower notes, while the Concert Grand and Warm Strings sounds will
continue to be heard simultaneously in the middle and upper notes.
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SOUNDS
ADJUSTING THE SPLIT POINT
The SPLIT POINT is used to set the length of the keyboard split by defining the position where the LEFT/SPLIT part
ends and where the RIGHT 1 and RIGHT 2 parts begin. The default SPLIT POINT is between keys F-3 and F#3.

Step 1
Press and hold the LEFT/SPLIT panel button.
 Step 2
Press a key on the keyboard.
This key will be used as the new SPLIT POINT, defining the length of the LEFT/SPLIT part, and the RIGHT 1 and
RIGHT 2 parts.
As we have seen, assigning instrument sounds to each part is a relatively simple process. Yet by activating and
deactivating the parts it is possible to create rich, complex voices, allowing up to three different instrument sounds to be
played simultaneously, across the keyboard.
LEFT/SPLIT section RIGHT 1 &RIGHT 2 section
Default SPLIT POINT
hold

3
STYLES
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3. STYLES
There are over 200 different accompaniment styles built into the CP3, covering various categories of popular music.
After following the steps in this topic, you should become confident at selecting different styles, starting and stopping the
accompaniment with introduction and ending phrases, adding fill-in patterns, and also adjusting the tempo.
SELECTING A STYLE
 Step 1
Press the STYLES panel button.
The STYLE mode screen will be shown in the LCD
display.

Step 2
Touch the STYLE SELECT icon at the bottom of the screen.
A screen of style category buttons will be shown in
the LCD display.

Step 3
Touch the LATIN & ISLAND category button.
A selection of popular accompaniment styles from
the Latin & Island category will be shown in the LCD
display.

Step 4
Touch Bossa Nova.
 Step 5
Press the START/STOP panel button.
The LED indicator for the START/STOP panel button
will turn on.
The drum rhythm of the Bossa Nova accompaniment style will start to play.
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 Step 5
Adjust the volume level of the drum rhythm using the SONG/STYLE VOLUME slider.
The volume level of the instrument sounds played
using the keyboard will not change.
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Step 6
Touch one of the four on-screen VARIATION buttons.
The LED indicator for the touched VARIATION button
will turn on.
The drum rhythm will change slightly, usually with additional percussion beats added to each phrase.
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Step 7
Touch one of the four on-screen FILL IN buttons.
The LED indicator for the touched FILL IN button will
turn on briefly.
Additional patterns will be added to the drum rhythm, helping to punctuate the end of each phrase.
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Step 8
Touch the TEMPO area in the LCD display.
The TEMPO area will become highlighted to indicate
that the tempo function has been selected.

Step 9
Rotate the TEMPO/VALUE dial.
The tempo of the drum rhythm accompaniment will
gradually increase or decrease.
Set the tempo to 100 BPM (beats per minute).
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STYLES
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 Step 10
Touch one of the two on-screen INTRO/ENDING buttons.
The LED indicator for the touched INTRO/ENGING
button will turn on briefly.
A short ending pattern will be played and the drum rhythm accompaniment will stop.
ADDING ACCOMPANIMENT TO THE DRUMS
 Step 1
Press the ACC ON/OFF panel button.
The LED indicator for the ACC ON/OFF panel button
will turn on.
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Step 2
Touch the STYLE SETTING icon at the bottom of the screen.
The Style Setting buttons will be shown in the LCD
display, replacing the INTRO/ENDING,FILLIN, and
VARIATION buttons.
A keyboard image will also appear in the bottom area
of the display with an arrow marking the keyboard split
point. This accompaniment split point can be changed
by touching the left/right arrows on either side.
By default the on-screen 1 Finger button will be
selected, indicating that the chord sequence of the
accompaniment style can be controlled by pressing
single keys within the bass split region.
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Step 3
Touch the STYLE MAIN icon, then touch the on-screen SYNC/FADE OUT button.
The LED indicator for the on-screen SYNC/FADE
OUT panel button will turn on, indicating that the
SYNC/FADE OUT function is activated.
If, as in this case, the button is pressed before the accompaniment style has started, the SNYC function will be
used, allowing the accompaniment to start automatically when a key within the bass split region is pressed.
If the button is pressed while the accompaniment is playing, the FADE OUT function will be used, gradually
fading both the accompaniment and keyboard sound to a silent ending.
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 Step 4
Press the on-screen INTRO/ENDING 2 button.
The LED indicator for the INTRO/ENDING 2
panel button will turn on, indicating that an
introduction passage will play automatically when
the accompaniment starts.
Before we continue, let's confirm the previous three steps by checking that the LED indicators for the ACC ON/OFF
panel button and on-screen SYNC/FADE OUT, and INTRO/ENDING 2 buttons are turned on.

Step 5
Press the second top-most Ckey in the bass split region of the keyboard.
The Piano Bossa accompaniment will start to play in the key of C, with a 2 bar introduction passage.
When One Finger mode is active, it is possible to change the key of the accompaniment backing simply by pressing
one or two keys. For more information on the the various key recognition modes, and a complete explanation
of how to play different chords using the One Finger mode, please refer to the Auto Accompaniment System
instructions in the main CP3 owner's manual.
Repeat the steps above, and experiment with the various introduction, variation, fill-in, and ending passages of the Piano
Bossa accompaniment style. Then try selecting alternative accompaniment styles.
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STYLES
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SONG STYLIST
The Song Stylist is an incredibly useful function that automatically sets up the CP3 instrument to perform popular song
arrangements. Simply select the song that you wish to play – the CP will automatically chose the correct instrument
sounds and tempo, allowing you to play the piece immediately. In the follow steps we will use the Song Stylist to select
and play the John Denver song 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' , however please feel free to select an alternative song
of your choosing if preferred.

Step 1
Press the SONG STYLIST panel button.
An alphabetical list of letters will be shown in the LCD display.

Step 2
Touch the Citem.
A list of songs beginning with the letter 'C' will be shown in the LCD display.

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 Step 3
Touch the PAGE Xbutton.
Navigate through the pages of songs, then touch 'County Roads'.
The display will return to the MAIN screen, with the name of the selected song style, 'Country Roads', now shown
in the bottom left area. Note that the LED indicators for the ACC ON/OFF and SYNC/FADE OUT panel buttons will
be turned on, indicating that these functions have been activated automatically.

Step 4
Touch the on-screen INTRO/ENDING 1 button.
The LED indicator for the INTRO/ENDING 1
panel button will turn on, indicating that an
introduction passage will play automatically when
the accompaniment starts.

Step 5
Press the second top-most Ckey in the bass split region of the keyboard.
The backing accompaniment to 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' will begin with an introduction passage. Control the
backing accompaniment by playing chords with the left hand, while playing the song melody with the right hand.

Step 6
Touch the on-screen SYNC/FADE OUT button.
The backing accompaniment and the main keyboard
sound will both gradually fade out to a silent ending.
Continue selecting different Song Stylist accompaniment presets to familiarize yourself with the various Style functions
of the CP3.
It is also possible to list Song Stylist accompaniment presets by category, simply by touching the SEARCH BY
CATEGORY button in the Song Stylist list.
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RECORDER
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4. RECORDER
The CP3 recorder function allows you to record your performances, play them back at the touch of a button, and then
save each piece to a USB memory stick for posterity. Indeed, the recorder can also perform a variety of more complicated
functions, however for the purpose of this topic we will be focusing on the most frequently used operations – namely:
record, play back, delete, load, and save.
RECORDING A SONG
Let's try to record the 'Country Roads' song that we played earlier.
Step 1
Select 'Country Roads' from the Song Stylist.
 Step 2
Touch the RECORDER icon, then press the REC panel button.
The EASY RECORD screen will be shown in the
LCD display, and the LED indicator for the REC panel
button will start to flash, indicating that the recorder
function is in 'Ready' mode.
When the EASY RECORD screen is selected, buttons to control the style and individual keyboard parts will appear
at the bottom of the screen. Using these buttons it is possible to record, play, or mute each part.
Initially, all parts will be set to REC mode.

Step 3
Touch the STYLE icon, then touch the on-screen INTRO/ENDING 1 button.
The STYLE screen will be shown in the LCD display,
and the LED indicator for the on-screen INTRO/
ENDING 1 button will turn on, indicating that an
introduction passage will play automatically when the
accompaniment starts.
Double check that the LED indicators for the ACC
ON/OFF panel button and on-screen SYNC/FADE
OUT button are also turned on, indicating that the
two functions are both active.
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STYLE screen EASY RECORD screen
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 Step 4
Press the second top-most Ckey in the bass split region of the keyboard to start the recorder recording.
The backing accompaniment to 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' will begin with an introduction passage. Control the
backing accompaniment by playing chords with the left hand, while playing the song melody with the right hand.

Step 5
Touch the on-screen INTRO/ENDING 1 button.
The LED indicator for the on-screen INTRO/ENDING
1button will turn on.
An ending passage will be played and the backing
accompaniment will stop.
Note that even though the backing accompaniment has stopped, the recorder will continue to capture notes from
the keyboard. In order to stop the recording, we must also press the PLAY/STOP panel button.

Step 6
Press the PLAY/STOP panel button.
The LED indicator for the PLAY/STOP panel button
will turn off, indicating that recording has stopped.

Step 7
Touch the RECORDER icon.
The EASY RECORD screen will be shown in the
LCD display.
The STYLE and RIGHT 1 part buttons shown at the
bottom of the screen will now be set to PLAY mode,
indicating that these parts have been recorded.
Congratulations! You have successfully recorded your first song on the CP3.
Note that, while the explanation above demonstrates recording a song with an accompaniment backing style, it is
of course possible to record alternative arrangements, such as a simple piano piece, using the same process.
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RECORDER
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PLAYING A SONG
Having recorded a song to the internal memory of the CP3 recorder, we can now play back the performance.
Step 1
Press the PLAY/STOP panel button.
LED indicator for the PLAY/STOP panel button will
turn on, indicating that a song is currently playing.
The recorded song will start to play.

Step 2
Press the RWD and/or FWD panel buttons to rewind or fast-forward the song.
 Step 3
Press the RESET panel button.
The song will stop playing and the playing/recording position of the song will reset to the beginning.
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