I don't get this one... Is it a joke telling clarinet are inferior to saxophone (in that case I would be totally offended as a bass clarinet player, I'd call the police ! ;) ), or is it because a good clarinet sound is harder to achieve than a good saxophone sound ?
@@Chryoss I was guessing he said that because clarinet is harder to maintain a clear tone. Im a clarinetist. Im also hoping he wasn't taking a shot at the clarinet.. everybody always trynna hate on the saxophones Mother
I bought one of these and discovered your findings were accurate. After two weeks of frustrating practice, the Venova began to become a friend. Being light and portable is a bonus.
@@lltheguy8387 He refered to himself sucking at clarinet + pulling correct notes in tone in clarinet being a pain if you aren't really a constant player, since he is clearly more of a Saxophonist most of the time
I think the Venova's intonation issues make it even more useless for group playing than for just playing for yourself. Recorders have similar intonation issues -- this, plus the high pitch of the soprano recorder (one octave above other soprano woodwinds) is what makes a group of 30 schoolchildren playing recorders so insufferable. The Venova plays like an ordinary soprano instrument, which might be gentler on the ears, but it's also richer in overtones. Frankly, I wouldn't want to be in a room with a class of schoolchildren playing Venovas. The Venova looks like a great woodwind instrument for younger children or older children whose parents cannot afford a clarinet. Semi-keyed, requires no cross-fingering for accidentals, lightweight and sturdy. But it only looks that way, it's very hard to play accidentals on it, in fact, even the manufacturer admits it. The leaflet takes it takes skill to play the accidentals. But beginners need an instrument that is responsive throughout the chromatic scale, everything that "requires skill" requires an experienced player who is able to bend notes into tune. A keyed woodwind instrument by and otherwise reputable company sounds to good to be true, and my suspicion was confirmed.
@@pestoriusj I'm a recorder player myself. I have several recorders I absolutely love. But the intonation issues exist. Due to the way the sound is produced (fipple vs. reed) the intonation issues are not as detectable as with a "reedocorder" like the Venova. Voicing is also an issue, some recorders are much better voiced than others. And, last but not least, the set-up. If you setting up a recorder ensemble, not everybody can play the soprano. The majority must play low recorders, basset and lower. Then you need a line of tenors, and only the best players on soprano and alto.
If you actually here the recorder playing, it’s quite beautiful. But your giving it to a bunch of elementary kids, so it sounds terrible. So I think, the more we change what we teach in music class, the more instruments we ruin.
I bought a sop venova to prepare myself for learning wind instruments. I’ve been playing violin for 10 years and took a recorder class along the way and the thing looked fun, so I was pretty excited. I was glad that I did, even though the venova is pretty much a toy for wind players it gave me a good and simple introduction to playing a wind instrument and taking care of reeds. Sometime after I began playing oboe since the band teacher at school said that I’d have to learn the alto or tenor sax before learning the soprano and I can say that if it wasn’t for my venova, I wouldn’t have had any clue as to what I was doing. I didn’t even know what the word “embouchure” was or how to develop one before. It was nice to have something to work off of, especially because oboe isn’t easy. I brought my venova to music camp and had a lot of fun with an actual sax player and a clarinet player just messing around with it. Later on my brother started playing saxophone and then the alto venova came out so I’m trying to get one XD Anyways, 10/10 recommend it’s pretty great for some casual fun, once I remember playing a dumb sound on it in the park and a goose nearby answered lol. Good for beginners and recorder players looking for something spicy Ps it’s resin, not plastic
@@TopherMoss My Soprano is a Lazarro and is one of the cheapest Sopranos you can get on Amazon. I bought a Yamaha 4c mouthpiece and Vandoren reeds for it, as well as a nice ligature. It does take a lot of work to get certain notes in tune, but it sounds fine. At a $240 price though, don't even consider these sacrilegious tubes
When I was a kid my dad used to do this "trick" where he placed some tracing paper over a plastic comb and used a mixture of his voice and breath to "play" it. The noise generated by the tracing paper vibrating on the comb's teeth made it "almost" sound like a harmonica (but not quite). That answers your question of what this instrument (Venova) sounds like. Still, I bought one and don't regret it. I can't afford a saxophone right now... and I'm using this to practice saxophone embouchure AND recorder fingering. LOL.
I really love my venova, its really nice to just take it with you on a hike. It sounds pretty decent to me aswell. Of course it wont sound like a 1000 dollar sax but for the price its awesome
That’s it! Sounds like a duck. And when you play it you wear a duckface :). I played this thing as well. It does help when you can play recorder as well. The fingering has variations. But it’s still a dead duck.
In my opinion I think the actual instrument is better but the venola has a unique sound and honestly it sounds like something in a Pixar movie or something
Nice video, but, as a Venova owner and player, you can tune it. Do it by moving the position of the mouth piece on the neck. Love that all my piano sheet music is mainly in the key of C, as this means that I can play it on my Venova. #Yammaha did a great job, first new wind instriment in decades.....
... And now for something completely different!!! ua-cam.com/video/DjAUtsWYxE4/v-deo.html One more ting. I’ve never heard any man or machine properly imitate the sound of a saxophone. Maybe I’m biased, but I doubt it.
From an acoustics standpoint the Venova is kind of facinating. There was a time when the saxophone was new, remember. The clarinet only has strong odd number partials because the end is closed. The flute has all the partials because both ends are open; the mouthpiece is a flow control, not a pressure control. The saxophone changes the resonator to a cone which fills in the partials and you get to hear what a clarinet would sound like if it had a complete overtone series. The other way to do this would be if you could somehow have a tube with a reed and two open ends... which would be some kind of ... 3 ended tube, and Yamaha did it... it should sound like a saxophone? right? Now practically... this does not seem to be best execution of the idea... but I'm sure it's actually pretty hard to do and in some years people may figure out how to make it work better; who knows?
I’ve been in the mouthpiece and sax business for about forty years and made mouthpieces from seven different materials and when I made the dimensions the same they played identical to each other, even wood. Did the same thing with necks. Bird played a plastic horn and it sounded the same as any other sax. It’s too bad that it doesn’t play in tune but it’s not because it’s plastic. Feel free to dialogue with me.
I’d have to say that both have their qualities, the soprano gives you the great tone and resonance, but the venova almost has a dreamy, airy sound that kinda puts a smooth overtone on it; but the intonation is the biggest problem, and it doesn’t compare at all to a soprano sax
I started on clarinet. It was very tricky for me. But I was told that if I completed three years of clarinet study, I would be allowed to play a saxophone. I was eventually able to rent a sax from my school so I can solidify my dedication. But I personally wouldn't suggest a recorder. Yes there are professional recorders out there, but no, most of the classmates that I went to school with had nothing to do with music. They all started on recorders. So, with this in mind, it might be a better choice to start with something that requires half the skill needed to play a woodwind instrument. And when I was a kid, renting a clarinet cost around six hundred bucks. So for the most part, this is a steal if you're just trying to get someone warmed up to the concept of embouchure. I ordered one and I intend on treating it Like A Penny Whistle with a reed. If used properly, this could be a versatile instrument for someone who records using samples.
I work at my local music store, my co-workers and I had a challenge to see who could sell one. 2 1/2 years later I finally sold it to someone that wanted a travel saxophone. We all think it sounds like a weird sax-kazoo.
@@NatashaEstrada Then you'd have a chalumeau, the clarinet's ancestor. It was Jacob Denner who invented the register key and thereby the first clarinet.Still without key work and needing cross-fingering for accidentals. Gradually, keys were added to improve intonation and temperament, and after the sixth key was added, the clarinet was considered a fully chromatic instrument. However, since both the recorder and the chalumeau have a conical bore, any type of recorder body with a clarinet mouthpiece overblows like a clarinet. The Venova is somehow twisted to overblow into the octave, like a saxophone. Clever idea, but the Venova has horrible intonation issues.
I have the soprano one but honestly I barely use it (for the same reasons listed on the video). But I think it’s a great strategy from Yamaha; young kids showing interest on saxophone are hard to find but they still play the recorder, which has a very similar fingering to the Venova. I think Yamaha is essentially investing on future players as kids will be using a fingering system they are familiar with at the same time they incorporate single reed “dynamics” into their playing, thus paving the road to the saxophone at a later age. It’s still a cheap instrument and investment for a much more expensive purchase later. Genius move!
It sounds like what it is, a Reeded Recorder. It's got all the hollow sound and pitch problems of the recorder and the distinct vibratory tone of reed instruments. I like the way that Yamaha sells it as a introductory or casual instrument. affordable accessible and dare I say fun. I recently picked up the recorder from my childhood and found that I like the challenge and reward of stumbling through simple tunes. while trying to find which exact recorder I had on their website I stumbled across this beauty and I was instantly intrigued. I grew up in a musical family so we all learned piano and a second instrument, my brothers being the alto sax and I always loved its tone. so this might be something that I buy.
Well said, he does like a kazoo. I have heard better on this instrument, but I think he showed the difficulty of having a sax background and trying to translate it to this casual instrument.
I have a venova and I like it. The sound is not like real sax but it is not so bad. It sounds quite loud but less than a sax. I using stock mouthpiece and Gonzales 2 1/2 reed. For me the best thing is that it is portable and lightweight and allows me to take it on my bike and play in a park or with my friends The fingering is like a recorder. The problem is the F# G# A# notes, I have to use vocing to be in tune, with the other notes I don't have problems to be in tune . You can use effects than use in a sax like vibrato glissando Growl Bending . Jay I hope one day to play like you. I have their courses and they are so GREAT!!!
Hey Jay, thanks a lot for reviewing this instrument. I saw it and was wondering what a pro player would think of it. You answered most of my questions in terms of sound and easy of play. Would love to see you review an electronic sax. Roland has a full AE series of electronic saxophones
Great, honest review. I play sax (not professionally or anything like that) and I got one just to play around with....and that's all it's good for. However, if they make the changes you suggest (especially the left pinky keys) it'll be a lot more fun to play.
Ha! I was sitting here listening to his criticisms and enjoying my Venova...with my ukuleles (each size of course), didgeridoo, and cajon literally within arms reach. :-) He totally called me on it.
Good Lord. If even Jay can't play it always in tune then nobody can. It's amazing that in the videos comparing chinese saxes with expensive ones; sometimes Jay can make them sound very similar, especially when closing your eyes. but this time, every time the sax popped out it was like sweet anodyne to ease the pain from the venova's sound.
The Venova sounds 'plasticky'(of course) in the sense that it lacks the timbre associated with a real brass saxophone. This is akin to playing a violin made of plywood , as opposed to a real violin made of spruce and maple.
This video certainly confirmed my suspicion that the venova has tuning issues (after watching lots of demos on UA-cam). Being a violin player, I just can’t get past this issue.
"Can a plastic tube sound good?" Isn't that just a clarinet? Jokes aside, it sounds like a saxophone that has a kazoo for a mouthpiece. I would like to see a elementary school band with recorders, pbones, and venovas though, that'd be fun
Dear God no!!!! What we don't want is a bunch of struggling venovas in Elem. school that can't hit the proper notes T_T.... we have violin for that....
The first thing I thought of is portability while travelling, but in that case I think I would use the Jazzlab mouthpiece silencer for emboucher work, and maybe a wooden flute for fun.
@@bettersax It is an exaggeration to say one could use the mouthpiece silencer in a library as shown in one of their videos, that's true, but my wife tells me she can't hear in at all when I'm in my "practice closet." The concert G, A flat, A, and B flat that I can make with the silencer so far doesn't exactly make for great music or fingering technique either.
Back in the good old days: guy brings his guitar, and girls flock around him. Nowadays: guy brings his Venova... and will probably stay single forever.
You are a kind of cruel but deadly right - this Venova is one of the things in the world that make being sorry for them and their existence... nobody really can like it...
@@ihatemyself2208 I'm married to an accordion player. xD xD And you're right, everything is very boring in that department, with two social distancing instruments under the same roof ;)
@@xtarssgi5922 I frowned, too -- clarinets aren't regularly put down. If clarinets sounded bad by default, why did great composers like Mozart write so much music for the clarinet? If a clarinet is tough on the ear, it's either a shoddy instrument, or the player is at fault. I guess in his case, it's the latter.
Venova sounds like a soprano and clarinet fused into each other and transformed into an instrument with less keys. The Alto version just sounds like a congested oboe/bassoon.
I didn't realize Yamaha came out with an alto version until now. Interesting, it's in F, like the alto recorder. Confirms my suspicion that they target recorder players. The instrument has an insert for the F-hole sou you can play it like a Baroque recorder, and now they have it in F. I think of all "reedocorders", the only one that works is the Kunath clarineau with 3 keys. It has intonation issues because it is lacking a key work befitting a true clarinet, but the better your embouchure, the better you are able to correct those. On the downside, the 3-eyed clarineau is expensive if you buy it as a transitory instrument.
I recently purchased a Venova YVS -100 . . I got rid of the synthetic Reed . . And I am using an alto reed because I couldn't find soprano reeds at the local music store . . And the alto Reed works fine . . I haven't played an alto sax in 38 years . . But picking up the sax is on my bucket list . . I can't afford another alto right now . . The Venova is a challenge . .it is helping me get my chops back . I had a stroke 8 years ago . . And I do have some paralysis to the left side of my mouth , but I am going to keep at it. . Until I can get another alto . . But thanks for your honest review. . But the Venova is priced for me at the moment . . Thank you
I think it being so small and short lessens it’s ability to bring out bass and get rid of the reed squeak if that makes sense (coming from a trombone player.)
I am in love. To be super clear I'm a collector of kitsch instruments. My casio Melody-80 just arrived in the mail today. This is a stupid instrument but it's innovative. It answered a question nobody asked and I love it. During the 80s there was so much innovation in instruments with companies trying to find a market for the new hot thing and so few of them withstood the test of time. But I find the Yamaha DG-20 delightful and I wasn't there for that release. But I'm here for this and I will definitely be buying one
This Video ist some years old but i think it's still relevant and i want to add a perspektive i got from Venova since then. I bought mine just to have some fun learning something new and after a while with the Venova i ended up buying a real soprano saxophone. Why ? Because i got some knowledge about wind instruments throught Venova to the level i can let them make a noise. And i got a legit mouthpiece (from Venova) that fits to a soprano saxophone. If you go to a music store as a beginner the missing thing for you is always the mouthpiece. Without a mouthpiece you can't try an instrument and if you buy an mouthpiece you can end up as an "mouthpiece owner" who doesn't like to play saxophone. It is the Henn or Egg problem the Venova solves and it does that in a really excellent way.
The problem with the reed is unsurprising. As a piper, I usually have to replace the reed on a new instrument with a better, or different reed. Having said that, the sound seems OK, as long as it is not compared with an actual sax. It is a little weird looking, and, as you said, the keying seems illogical. I agree with you it is a "toy" one could travel with. You don't give a price - I feel it would have to be pretty cheap to be worth buying. Better, I think , to learn on the real thing - there is enough opportunity for frustration there without adding to it. If it is cheap enough I might buy one for amusement.
First time hearing about this instrument, just got mine today and love it so far, I got it for exact reason at end. But I'm trying to get my kids interested in music so I got a wacky one and wanna learn to prove they can to.
Sounds like a good idea that went off half-cocked. I really wish it sounded better. Having a plastic alternative just to lower the price barrier is always a good thing in my eyes, but I felt like this could have stood another round of design improvements.
I got one for valentines day last year and I have been playing sax and clarinet since I was 11 on the sax and since I was 20 on the clarinet, Took some practice but I finally got halfway decent with a #2 reed. Sadly the range is not the best, I love it for horsing around with but it would never be good in a band situation or anything like that.
8:46 well, basically we are living a kinda weird, unexpected, yet quite interesting ... so i personally believe somewhere in the future there would be people compose songs/pieces for venova. Yeah~!!
I'm pretty sure the fingerings are based off of the German recorder fingering system, so sax players will find it very difficult to get use to the fingerings, and the german system also can have some tuning issues if not done correctly lol. Though I can't wait to see how far this instrument can go
Well....as the demo began, my eyes drifted away to the other videos below (I'm watching and listening on an Android smartphone). When I paid attention to your video, I realised you'd switched instruments so I rewound and the 'real' Sax sounded slightly fuller and more convincing? If I was only listening and not watching, I would not have have known the difference and in a live setting with a full band, you could play the plastic one or a mega-expensive vintage Sax and I could never tell the difference.
Well said Jay try the piano and recorder. Yamaha make some really good inexpensive recorders which in different colours for kids and have good intonation as do Aulos. Keyboard skills are great and will help with musical skills for life. Make it fun and don't pressurise your children. I once saw the great violinist Itzach Perlman being interviewed who said that he didn't like the violin when very young because the minute violin he was given made an awful sound and being so musical he didn't want to play it so he stopped till he heard a proper violin! What's more playing some instruments like the saxophone and clarinet are not good for the child as they have not started to develop their second teeth. Let your children hear good music. It should be one of many activities you do with them. In a book Your child and a musical instrument -Faber ( Ben Tovim & Boyd) the authors found that contrary to modern thinking children failed because they were either put on a particular instrument too early or they were on the wrong instrument. Obviously a small child who was captivated by the tenor saxophone is not going to be able to play it till they are ready to play it. We don't like our children driving cars until they are old enough to do so. Thank you J for your great advice and enthusiasm and as you have stated you have been doing this for a lifetime the world of you you make such a great sound Thank you. God bless. Bill. UK
I'd say that from a economical stand point it is about 50% worse than the real deal but it's less than 1 tenth of the price, so I'd say that it has a good cost vs benefits. Once I've bought a similar instrument made out of bamboo from Thailand and it sounds amazing although it was microtonal but I was able to catch up with it pretty fast...It did sound something between a tenor sax and and a clarinet depending on how you squeezed the mouthpiece that was also made out of a thin strip of bamboo.
Thanks for this video. I was always interested in learning clarinet, but don't really have the money necessary to buy a decent one, so I thought about trying this, trusting Yamaha's quality (?) and it having kinda a recorder's fingering (which I'm used to). Surely it's totally not a serious instrument (even Yamaha put it under "casual"), not like a sax or real clarinet, but for learning embouchure, playing reed instruments, and to start learning how to read musical charts...? Maybe, I hope? Mentally I always put the Venova in the same cathegory as recorders, peculiar ones, surely not saxophones.
You can't "look up" recorder fingering technique. Mastering it takes as long as embouchure. That's why you can't play in tune. I don't think Yamaha realized how devastatingly challenging this design would be. It requires as much mastery as a saxophone and a recorder combined.
I play the flute but decided to buy a Venova a couple of years ago just to try a reed instrument that didn't cost much. Still not sure that I like the sound, which is probably why I don't play it regularly. My embrochure has improved but those F#'s are very flat G's. I guess from watching the video that this is never going to improve. Thank you for pointing this out, I thought it was my inexperience with a reed instrument.
I really wanted to have hope for the Venova Alto--which is why I watched this video...but--I found myself looking forward to you playing your alto SO much every time you went back to the Venova. Let me say: this solidified my choice in *not* wanting to buy a Venova, as a Saxophonist. Even for fun. Thanks for the great video.
“And if I wanna sound bad, I’ll just get my clarinet out” as a clarinet and sax player I feel this.
I don't get this one... Is it a joke telling clarinet are inferior to saxophone (in that case I would be totally offended as a bass clarinet player, I'd call the police ! ;) ), or is it because a good clarinet sound is harder to achieve than a good saxophone sound ?
@@Chryoss bass clarinet gang. But I also play bari sax so..
Same) but now i’ve got venova too and you know... clarinet now become much better compared to my venova skills
I play both too. Im glad someone else caught that lol
@@Chryoss I was guessing he said that because clarinet is harder to maintain a clear tone. Im a clarinetist. Im also hoping he wasn't taking a shot at the clarinet.. everybody always trynna hate on the saxophones Mother
"Can a plastic tube sound good?"
Boomwhackers: Allow us to introduce ourselves
lel
mannn, i remember boomwhackers
Walasqueegee I own a pair and lets just say that my home revisits elementary school often
This needs more clout then it has
Hehe
I can't imagine someone hiking with a real sax but I could see chilling at the beach or bonfire with this
yeah I think there's a lot of room for it as a part of casual use. Porta-sax
Nice 🤯
its 200 to sound like that tho, I prefer to take a kalimba or harmonica
@@SBVCP maybe if you only play the saxophone
marching
I bought one of these and discovered your findings were accurate. After two weeks of frustrating practice, the Venova began to become a friend. Being light and portable is a bonus.
5:58 "If I wanna sound bad, I just need to pull my clarinet out"
all the clarinets in the world: *ooft*
Jeremy Lin is clarinet the viola of the woodwinds?
Jeremy Lin sadness._.
I think he just meant that he sucks at clarinet (or at least that's what I'll be telling myself...)
@@lltheguy8387 He refered to himself sucking at clarinet + pulling correct notes in tone in clarinet being a pain if you aren't really a constant player, since he is clearly more of a Saxophonist most of the time
PTSD from Rockin’ In Rhythm has entered the chat.
"Nobody's gonna write Venova concertos"
sounds like a challenge
I reckon if anyone writes a Venova concerto, they'll be Japanese
beethoven be like " the challenge i have accepted!"
Listen to the All Plasic Band playing Bolero, here on youtube.
yes, there are venova concertos and they're japanese
You would end up doing Mario game soundtrack
I would say that this might be useful in a mass education setting. It's hard to break, and sounds better than a recorder. Though it's not as cheap.
I think the Venova's intonation issues make it even more useless for group playing than for just playing for yourself. Recorders have similar intonation issues -- this, plus the high pitch of the soprano recorder (one octave above other soprano woodwinds) is what makes a group of 30 schoolchildren playing recorders so insufferable. The Venova plays like an ordinary soprano instrument, which might be gentler on the ears, but it's also richer in overtones. Frankly, I wouldn't want to be in a room with a class of schoolchildren playing Venovas. The Venova looks like a great woodwind instrument for younger children or older children whose parents cannot afford a clarinet. Semi-keyed, requires no cross-fingering for accidentals, lightweight and sturdy. But it only looks that way, it's very hard to play accidentals on it, in fact, even the manufacturer admits it. The leaflet takes it takes skill to play the accidentals. But beginners need an instrument that is responsive throughout the chromatic scale, everything that "requires skill" requires an experienced player who is able to bend notes into tune. A keyed woodwind instrument by and otherwise reputable company sounds to good to be true, and my suspicion was confirmed.
I actually really like the sound of the recorder (when not played by dozens of schoolchildren
@@pestoriusj I'm a recorder player myself. I have several recorders I absolutely love. But the intonation issues exist. Due to the way the sound is produced (fipple vs. reed) the intonation issues are not as detectable as with a "reedocorder" like the Venova. Voicing is also an issue, some recorders are much better voiced than others. And, last but not least, the set-up. If you setting up a recorder ensemble, not everybody can play the soprano. The majority must play low recorders, basset and lower. Then you need a line of tenors, and only the best players on soprano and alto.
If you actually here the recorder playing, it’s quite beautiful. But your giving it to a bunch of elementary kids, so it sounds terrible. So I think, the more we change what we teach in music class, the more instruments we ruin.
The Venova sounds like Elmo talking in scales
omg
shit it does
yeah it flipping does
The Elmo comment made me laugh for 10 minutes straight!!!
Omg it does that's messed up haha. Make a band called the elmotones
Part of me really digs the Venova, it’s a great novelty.
And it's cheap! I bought a used one for like $50
I bought a sop venova to prepare myself for learning wind instruments. I’ve been playing violin for 10 years and took a recorder class along the way and the thing looked fun, so I was pretty excited. I was glad that I did, even though the venova is pretty much a toy for wind players it gave me a good and simple introduction to playing a wind instrument and taking care of reeds. Sometime after I began playing oboe since the band teacher at school said that I’d have to learn the alto or tenor sax before learning the soprano and I can say that if it wasn’t for my venova, I wouldn’t have had any clue as to what I was doing. I didn’t even know what the word “embouchure” was or how to develop one before. It was nice to have something to work off of, especially because oboe isn’t easy. I brought my venova to music camp and had a lot of fun with an actual sax player and a clarinet player just messing around with it. Later on my brother started playing saxophone and then the alto venova came out so I’m trying to get one XD Anyways, 10/10 recommend it’s pretty great for some casual fun, once I remember playing a dumb sound on it in the park and a goose nearby answered lol. Good for beginners and recorder players looking for something spicy
Ps it’s resin, not plastic
The real soprano definitely has a fuller and deeper sound.
The venova is only 100 dollars
At a $5000 price tag, I sure hope it does.
My $300 soprano sounds hundreds of times better than that, too.
Don't buy these glorified plastic tubes
@@ryansmock2717 what sax do you have?
@@TopherMoss I have an Alto, Soprano, and Sopranino.
@@TopherMoss My Soprano is a Lazarro and is one of the cheapest Sopranos you can get on Amazon. I bought a Yamaha 4c mouthpiece and Vandoren reeds for it, as well as a nice ligature. It does take a lot of work to get certain notes in tune, but it sounds fine. At a $240 price though, don't even consider these sacrilegious tubes
This thing sounds like muted and thinned soprano sax to me
Yes that's true also it doesn't sound like a real soprano saxophone
phonomono78s 78 rpm records Actually it sounds like a very (unnecessarily) expensive tube to me.
Lol kirill
Everytime u pause when u play the venova, it looks like ur rethinking all of ur life decisions that led to this point
When I was a kid my dad used to do this "trick" where he placed some tracing paper over a plastic comb and used a mixture of his voice and breath to "play" it. The noise generated by the tracing paper vibrating on the comb's teeth made it "almost" sound like a harmonica (but not quite). That answers your question of what this instrument (Venova) sounds like. Still, I bought one and don't regret it. I can't afford a saxophone right now... and I'm using this to practice saxophone embouchure AND recorder fingering. LOL.
I really love my venova, its really nice to just take it with you on a hike. It sounds pretty decent to me aswell. Of course it wont sound like a 1000 dollar sax but for the price its awesome
It also doesn’t sound like a 50 dollar sax. Sound more like a pvc sax
Sounds like a kazoo on bad steroids.
Terry D just my thought!!
🤣🤣🤣
hahahahaha
I was gonna say it sounds like a tone deaf kazoo player.
I need to stop checking comments before I post. That was exactly what I was thinking it sounded like.
Sounds like a duck that's had a rather patchy musical education.
😂😂😂
That's rather humorous. Yeah it is. I almost lost my f***n monocle
That’s it! Sounds like a duck. And when you play it you wear a duckface :).
I played this thing as well. It does help when you can play recorder as well. The fingering has variations. But it’s still a dead duck.
In my opinion I think the actual instrument is better but the venola has a unique sound and honestly it sounds like something in a Pixar movie or something
AKA an oboe
The difference is so stark I actually laughed aloud when it transitioned back to the plastic pipe
Nice video, but, as a Venova owner and player, you can tune it. Do it by moving the position of the mouth piece on the neck. Love that all my piano sheet music is mainly in the key of C, as this means that I can play it on my Venova. #Yammaha did a great job, first new wind instriment in decades.....
Venova, for when you want your saxophone to sound like it has a cold.
It kinda sounds like a man trying to sound like a saxophone.
😂😂
Joseph Pujol ?!?
Exactly what's on my mind😅😅😅
... And now for something completely different!!!
ua-cam.com/video/DjAUtsWYxE4/v-deo.html
One more ting.
I’ve never heard any man or machine properly imitate the sound of a saxophone.
Maybe I’m biased, but I doubt it.
apinakapinastorba Adam Lavine?
From an acoustics standpoint the Venova is kind of facinating. There was a time when the saxophone was new, remember. The clarinet only has strong odd number partials because the end is closed. The flute has all the partials because both ends are open; the mouthpiece is a flow control, not a pressure control. The saxophone changes the resonator to a cone which fills in the partials and you get to hear what a clarinet would sound like if it had a complete overtone series. The other way to do this would be if you could somehow have a tube with a reed and two open ends... which would be some kind of ... 3 ended tube, and Yamaha did it... it should sound like a saxophone? right? Now practically... this does not seem to be best execution of the idea... but I'm sure it's actually pretty hard to do and in some years people may figure out how to make it work better; who knows?
As a trombone player of 7 years, I find the venova to be a good intro to reed instruments and treble clef, for not too high of a price.
I’ve been in the mouthpiece and sax business for about forty years and made mouthpieces from seven different materials and when I made the dimensions the same they played identical to each other, even wood. Did the same thing with necks. Bird played a plastic horn and it sounded the same as any other sax. It’s too bad that it doesn’t play in tune but it’s not because it’s plastic. Feel free to dialogue with me.
I was playing my Yanagisawa just the other day and thought, "Man, I wish this thing sounded a little more like a plastic tube." Well, here ya go.
Jordan, me, too! 😂😂😂😂
I’d have to say that both have their qualities, the soprano gives you the great tone and resonance, but the venova almost has a dreamy, airy sound that kinda puts a smooth overtone on it; but the intonation is the biggest problem, and it doesn’t compare at all to a soprano sax
If you want that dreamy sound, an EWI would be a much better choice with much more flexibility
6:00 thanks for that joke!!! Made my day!
I started on clarinet. It was very tricky for me. But I was told that if I completed three years of clarinet study, I would be allowed to play a saxophone. I was eventually able to rent a sax from my school so I can solidify my dedication.
But I personally wouldn't suggest a recorder. Yes there are professional recorders out there, but no, most of the classmates that I went to school with had nothing to do with music. They all started on recorders.
So, with this in mind, it might be a better choice to start with something that requires half the skill needed to play a woodwind instrument. And when I was a kid, renting a clarinet cost around six hundred bucks. So for the most part, this is a steal if you're just trying to get someone warmed up to the concept of embouchure.
I ordered one and I intend on treating it Like A Penny Whistle with a reed.
If used properly, this could be a versatile instrument for someone who records using samples.
finally, a sax comparison video where i actually can notice the difference
I work at my local music store, my co-workers and I had a challenge to see who could sell one. 2 1/2 years later I finally sold it to someone that wanted a travel saxophone.
We all think it sounds like a weird sax-kazoo.
It hits a weird market. For people like me who haven't touched a woodwind in years but wants a fun trinket for when I am bored at home.
Sounds like a recorder that’s pretending to be a saxophone
No.... dont bring back memories of recorders.....no, NO *NO*
Ummmm... I think that was kinda the whole idea of the instrument
If you tape a clarinet mouthpiece to a recorder you get basically the same thing.
@@NatashaEstrada Then you'd have a chalumeau, the clarinet's ancestor. It was Jacob Denner who invented the register key and thereby the first clarinet.Still without key work and needing cross-fingering for accidentals. Gradually, keys were added to improve intonation and temperament, and after the sixth key was added, the clarinet was considered a fully chromatic instrument. However, since both the recorder and the chalumeau have a conical bore, any type of recorder body with a clarinet mouthpiece overblows like a clarinet. The Venova is somehow twisted to overblow into the octave, like a saxophone. Clever idea, but the Venova has horrible intonation issues.
Would they do that? :)
I have the soprano one but honestly I barely use it (for the same reasons listed on the video).
But I think it’s a great strategy from Yamaha; young kids showing interest on saxophone are hard to find but they still play the recorder, which has a very similar fingering to the Venova. I think Yamaha is essentially investing on future players as kids will be using a fingering system they are familiar with at the same time they incorporate single reed “dynamics” into their playing, thus paving the road to the saxophone at a later age.
It’s still a cheap instrument and investment for a much more expensive purchase later. Genius move!
It sounds like what it is, a Reeded Recorder. It's got all the hollow sound and pitch problems of the recorder and the distinct vibratory tone of reed instruments. I like the way that Yamaha sells it as a introductory or casual instrument. affordable accessible and dare I say fun. I recently picked up the recorder from my childhood and found that I like the challenge and reward of stumbling through simple tunes. while trying to find which exact recorder I had on their website I stumbled across this beauty and I was instantly intrigued. I grew up in a musical family so we all learned piano and a second instrument, my brothers being the alto sax and I always loved its tone. so this might be something that I buy.
The venova sounds like the love child of a sax and kazoo...🤦🏽♀️
I can't even begin to explain how accurate this statement is...
Liked por venova than that soprano damn yes
I could see that definitely for the alto version.
Yesh
Damn that was the best description I've ever read
"it's grown on me" stockholm syndrome be like
Jacob Leavey 😂😂😂😂
Man that venova sounds like a really upgraded kazoo.
@Daeighve Geoughnns just go further beyond.
Well said, he does like a kazoo. I have heard better on this instrument, but I think he showed the difficulty of having a sax background and trying to translate it to this casual instrument.
I have a venova and I like it.
The sound is not like real sax but it is not so bad.
It sounds quite loud but less than a sax.
I using stock mouthpiece and Gonzales 2 1/2 reed.
For me the best thing is that it is portable and lightweight and allows me to take it on my bike and play in a park or with my friends
The fingering is like a recorder.
The problem is the F# G# A# notes, I have to use vocing to be in tune, with the other notes I don't have problems to be in tune
.
You can use effects than use in a sax like vibrato glissando Growl Bending .
Jay I hope one day to play like you. I have their courses and they are so GREAT!!!
Hey Jay, thanks a lot for reviewing this instrument. I saw it and was wondering what a pro player would think of it. You answered most of my questions in terms of sound and easy of play. Would love to see you review an electronic sax. Roland has a full AE series of electronic saxophones
A brass version of Venova would be interesting.
wait would it be a venova made of brass or a brass instrument venovafied
@@coolguy0140 of brass
resin cornett basically.
Its called a saxophone lfmao
no brass is casual.
Great, honest review. I play sax (not professionally or anything like that) and I got one just to play around with....and that's all it's good for. However, if they make the changes you suggest (especially the left pinky keys) it'll be a lot more fun to play.
Sounds like a plastic tube, not sure when I would ever want to use it.
traveling and wanted to keep you embouchure up without carry around a full size horn?
I posted before I got to the end...... whoops! :)
It's a lot cheaper
Maybe because it is a plastic tube.
sounds like a sax with a sock in it
The real sax blows it out the water. That plastic Yamaha sounds like you’re playing under water
Oh, and I really liked that rendition of "Fry me like a goon."
as a guitar player who has been tempted by these things, thank you! one perpetually out of tune instrument is enough for me...
It sounds like someone took a party blower and added some keys to it.
it sounds like if a soccer stadium had a music education
Wow pretty accurate
Ha! I was sitting here listening to his criticisms and enjoying my Venova...with my ukuleles (each size of course), didgeridoo, and cajon literally within arms reach. :-) He totally called me on it.
I don't have a didgeridoo in my room, but I have a uke, cajon and a Venova (and a dozen other instruments), haha...
Good Lord. If even Jay can't play it always in tune then nobody can. It's amazing that in the videos comparing chinese saxes with expensive ones; sometimes Jay can make them sound very similar, especially when closing your eyes. but this time, every time the sax popped out it was like sweet anodyne to ease the pain from the venova's sound.
The Venova sounds 'plasticky'(of course) in the sense that it lacks the timbre associated with a real brass saxophone. This is akin to playing a violin made of plywood , as opposed to a real violin made of spruce and maple.
Isn’t this just a recorder with a reed?
The body? Recorders are reverse conical.
Yeah pretty much 😅 It’s really fun to play tho
Probably
Sounds like one of these bamboo reed instruments on Jamican mento 78's ... but it still sounds even less like a sax.
Kinda - But how cool is that! Recorders are fun to play with too.
This video certainly confirmed my suspicion that the venova has tuning issues (after watching lots of demos on UA-cam). Being a violin player, I just can’t get past this issue.
"...if I want to sound bad, I'll just get my clarinet out." Hilarious!
"Can a plastic tube sound good?"
Isn't that just a clarinet?
Jokes aside, it sounds like a saxophone that has a kazoo for a mouthpiece.
I would like to see a elementary school band with recorders, pbones, and venovas though, that'd be fun
SameMan6 somehow I feel like it’s the exact inverse. A kazoo with a saxophone mouthpiece...
Dear God no!!!! What we don't want is a bunch of struggling venovas in Elem. school that can't hit the proper notes T_T.... we have violin for that....
Tyler M lmaooo
GriffenfacePlays I’m personally offended ugh
Imagine recorder players when the first plastic recorders came out :D
_"and if I just wanna sound bad, I'll just get my clarinet out"_
This is too relatable as a T Sacophonist 😂👌
It sounds like how it looks - plastic
The first thing I thought of is portability while travelling, but in that case I think I would use the Jazzlab mouthpiece silencer for emboucher work, and maybe a wooden flute for fun.
the silencer is anything but silent. I'd rather play this and at least be able to change notes....
@@bettersax It is an exaggeration to say one could use the mouthpiece silencer in a library as shown in one of their videos, that's true, but my wife tells me she can't hear in at all when I'm in my "practice closet."
The concert G, A flat, A, and B flat that I can make with the silencer so far doesn't exactly make for great music or fingering technique either.
@@bettersax Sorry Jay, I somehow missed the part where you said that you could probably play it in a hotel room without disturbing people.
I think it has a funny sound. And I'd love to hear some really good musicians play those in a group of - say - six persons.
It would sound hilarious
Back in the good old days: guy brings his guitar, and girls flock around him.
Nowadays: guy brings his Venova... and will probably stay single forever.
You are a kind of cruel but deadly right - this Venova is one of the things in the world that make being sorry for them and their existence... nobody really can like it...
Ha ha haaaaaa🤣
Ouch !!!
But.... You yourself single. Guess the sax women don't get the sex if you know wot i mean
@@ihatemyself2208 I'm married to an accordion player. xD xD And you're right, everything is very boring in that department, with two social distancing instruments under the same roof ;)
I gotta say, I really enjoyed the microtonal rendition of jingle bells on the Venova
"I play the saxophone! If I wanted to sound bad, I would just get my clarinet out.."
That was harsh but funny!
As a clarinetist that hurt me...
he's saying he's not a clarinet player, not that clarinets sound bad
@@xtarssgi5922 I frowned, too -- clarinets aren't regularly put down. If clarinets sounded bad by default, why did great composers like Mozart write so much music for the clarinet? If a clarinet is tough on the ear, it's either a shoddy instrument, or the player is at fault. I guess in his case, it's the latter.
The way i understood is that he is the one bad at playing clarinet
It sounds like one of those toy cat pianos and a plastic trombone mixed together
😂😂
Venova sounds like a soprano and clarinet fused into each other and transformed into an instrument with less keys. The Alto version just sounds like a congested oboe/bassoon.
I didn't realize Yamaha came out with an alto version until now. Interesting, it's in F, like the alto recorder. Confirms my suspicion that they target recorder players. The instrument has an insert for the F-hole sou you can play it like a Baroque recorder, and now they have it in F. I think of all "reedocorders", the only one that works is the Kunath clarineau with 3 keys. It has intonation issues because it is lacking a key work befitting a true clarinet, but the better your embouchure, the better you are able to correct those. On the downside, the 3-eyed clarineau is expensive if you buy it as a transitory instrument.
The Venova sounds like the bastard child of a cheap Soprano sax and a kazoo.
I recently purchased a Venova YVS -100 . . I got rid of the synthetic Reed . . And I am using an alto reed because I couldn't find soprano reeds at the local music store . . And the alto Reed works fine . . I haven't played an alto sax in 38 years . . But picking up the sax is on my bucket list . . I can't afford another alto right now . . The Venova is a challenge . .it is helping me get my chops back .
I had a stroke 8 years ago . . And I do have some paralysis to the left side of my mouth , but I am going to keep at it. . Until I can get another alto . . But thanks for your honest review. . But the Venova is priced for me at the moment . . Thank you
Definitely the real thing. Has a richer and fuller, warm tone.🤗
I think it being so small and short lessens it’s ability to bring out bass and get rid of the reed squeak if that makes sense (coming from a trombone player.)
You could use it to record a musical sound track bit for "Toy Story". Has a corny kind of sound to it. I actually find it a bit of a fun sound.
Sounds like an expensive kazoo, without the kazoo's wacky charm.
I am in love. To be super clear I'm a collector of kitsch instruments. My casio Melody-80 just arrived in the mail today. This is a stupid instrument but it's innovative. It answered a question nobody asked and I love it. During the 80s there was so much innovation in instruments with companies trying to find a market for the new hot thing and so few of them withstood the test of time. But I find the Yamaha DG-20 delightful and I wasn't there for that release. But I'm here for this and I will definitely be buying one
This Video ist some years old but i think it's still relevant and i want to add a perspektive i got from Venova since then.
I bought mine just to have some fun learning something new and after a while with the Venova i ended up buying a real soprano saxophone.
Why ? Because i got some knowledge about wind instruments throught Venova to the level i can let them make a noise. And i got a legit mouthpiece (from Venova) that fits to a soprano saxophone.
If you go to a music store as a beginner the missing thing for you is always the mouthpiece. Without a mouthpiece you can't try an instrument and if you buy an mouthpiece you can end up as an "mouthpiece owner" who doesn't like to play saxophone.
It is the Henn or Egg problem the Venova solves and it does that in a really excellent way.
I think the soprano is okay, but the alto one is just hilarious 😂.
One sounds like a congested nose, the other sounds like a warm fireplace
yeah the Venova has such a nice warm sound
4:59 if you guys don’t laugh at this transition you’re dead
The problem with the reed is unsurprising. As a piper, I usually have to replace the reed on a new instrument with a better, or different reed. Having said that, the sound seems OK, as long as it is not compared with an actual sax. It is a little weird looking, and, as you said, the keying seems illogical. I agree with you it is a "toy" one could travel with. You don't give a price - I feel it would have to be pretty cheap to be worth buying. Better, I think , to learn on the real thing - there is enough opportunity for frustration there without adding to it. If it is cheap enough I might buy one for amusement.
First time hearing about this instrument, just got mine today and love it so far, I got it for exact reason at end. But I'm trying to get my kids interested in music so I got a wacky one and wanna learn to prove they can to.
Sounds like a good idea that went off half-cocked.
I really wish it sounded better. Having a plastic alternative just to lower the price barrier is always a good thing in my eyes, but I felt like this could have stood another round of design improvements.
It sounds like you're playing with the mouthpiece by it self.
It reminds me of Jack Black's saxaboom.
don't you dare drag Sexboom down to this glorified pvc's level
I got one for valentines day last year and I have been playing sax and clarinet since I was 11 on the sax and since I was 20 on the clarinet, Took some practice but I finally got halfway decent with a #2 reed. Sadly the range is not the best, I love it for horsing around with but it would never be good in a band situation or anything like that.
8:46 well, basically we are living a kinda weird, unexpected, yet quite interesting ... so i personally believe somewhere in the future there would be people compose songs/pieces for venova. Yeah~!!
Sounds like a blend of muted trumpet and a saxophone combined🎷
Was he playing "Fly me to the moon" ?
Yes
I'm pretty sure the fingerings are based off of the German recorder fingering system, so sax players will find it very difficult to get use to the fingerings, and the german system also can have some tuning issues if not done correctly lol. Though I can't wait to see how far this instrument can go
Well....as the demo began, my eyes drifted away to the other videos below (I'm watching and listening on an Android smartphone). When I paid attention to your video, I realised you'd switched instruments so I rewound and the 'real' Sax sounded slightly fuller and more convincing? If I was only listening and not watching, I would not have have known the difference and in a live setting with a full band, you could play the plastic one or a mega-expensive vintage Sax and I could never tell the difference.
4:45 HAHAHAHAHA! When he jumped back to the Venova the piece that he was playing just shifted up half a step! XD
5:56 🔥🔥🔥
Clarinets are made out of plastic, also I write sheet music so maby I will make some venova sheet music and post it to the internet
Another thought: this is for the guy who buys an ABS plastic Ukulele as a serious instrument.
Well said Jay try the piano and recorder. Yamaha make some really good inexpensive recorders which in different colours for kids and have good intonation as do Aulos. Keyboard skills are great and will help with musical skills for life. Make it fun and don't pressurise your children. I once saw the great violinist Itzach Perlman being interviewed who said that he didn't like the violin when very young because the minute violin he was given made an awful sound and being so musical he didn't want to play it so he stopped till he heard a proper violin! What's more playing some instruments like the saxophone and clarinet are not good for the child as they have not started to develop their second teeth. Let your children hear good music. It should be one of many activities you do with them. In a book Your child and a musical instrument -Faber ( Ben Tovim & Boyd) the authors found that contrary to modern thinking children failed because they were either put on a particular instrument too early or they were on the wrong instrument. Obviously a small child who was captivated by the tenor saxophone is not going to be able to play it till they are ready to play it. We don't like our children driving cars until they are old enough to do so. Thank you J for your great advice and enthusiasm and as you have stated you have been doing this for a lifetime the world of you you make such a great sound Thank you. God bless. Bill. UK
I'd say that from a economical stand point it is about 50% worse than the real deal but it's less than 1 tenth of the price, so I'd say that it has a good cost vs benefits.
Once I've bought a similar instrument made out of bamboo from Thailand and it sounds amazing although it was microtonal but I was able to catch up with it pretty fast...It did sound something between a tenor sax and and a clarinet depending on how you squeezed the mouthpiece that was also made out of a thin strip of bamboo.
It sounds like a mouthpiece and neck that can play different pitches
The Venova has a bit of English Horn to the sound...
"Mom, dad! I will be the best venova player in the world!"
Hey, there's the new Yamaha YVS-140, which is the Tenor Venova. Check it out, when you have time
Thanks for this video. I was always interested in learning clarinet, but don't really have the money necessary to buy a decent one, so I thought about trying this, trusting Yamaha's quality (?) and it having kinda a recorder's fingering (which I'm used to).
Surely it's totally not a serious instrument (even Yamaha put it under "casual"), not like a sax or real clarinet, but for learning embouchure, playing reed instruments, and to start learning how to read musical charts...? Maybe, I hope?
Mentally I always put the Venova in the same cathegory as recorders, peculiar ones, surely not saxophones.
7:54 It looks like if you try to make it sound decent... your embouchure is going to get _such a workout._
The fact you cannot describe its sound proves its success.
You can't "look up" recorder fingering technique. Mastering it takes as long as embouchure.
That's why you can't play in tune.
I don't think Yamaha realized how devastatingly challenging this design would be. It requires as much mastery as a saxophone and a recorder combined.
I play the flute but decided to buy a Venova a couple of years ago just to try a reed instrument that didn't cost much. Still not sure that I like the sound, which is probably why I don't play it regularly. My embrochure has improved but those F#'s are very flat G's. I guess from watching the video that this is never going to improve. Thank you for pointing this out, I thought it was my inexperience with a reed instrument.
I really wanted to have hope for the Venova Alto--which is why I watched this video...but--I found myself looking forward to you playing your alto SO much every time you went back to the Venova. Let me say: this solidified my choice in *not* wanting to buy a Venova, as a Saxophonist. Even for fun. Thanks for the great video.