Yamaha Alto Venova: Unboxing and Review! | Team Recorder
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- I have partnered with Yamaha to bring you an unboxing and review video of the Alto Venova! A 'single reed instrument with recorder-like fingerings': I'll offer my expert recorder advice, and my sax playing husband Jon will give his opinion as a reed player!
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Price: soprano Venova retails at around €95, the alto Venova retails at around €165. Prices will vary depending on your store and location.
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So the little "exhaust pipe" makes it so the Venova overblows at the octave rather than the twelfth! It's a pretty neat solution to have a cylindrical instrument with identical fingerings in both octaves.
Great point. A clarinet overblows a twelfth and a saxophone overblows an octave. The "exhaust pipe" makes for easier fingerings.
Also makes it sound an octave higher to begin with.
@@lesliefranklin1870 I also believe the pipe simulates conical shaped tubing, like a saxophone, which makes it sound like a saxophone
I think it would be funny if Bodil played one of those. Imagine her talking to a friend in the future:
B: My mom's a recorder player and my dad plays single reed
Friend: Cool, what do you play?
B: This! :D *plays a jazzy Vivaldi Concerto with Venova*
Friend: wHaT.. :v
I love Jon appearances so much. He is so talented and funny. - Very interesting video also. While this model does seem to complicated for me, I'll keep watching your follow-up videos about it.
It sounds great with Jon's normal mouthpiece on it, as you would expect really! It strikes me as having a similar tone to a saxophone for a lot less money, although the fingerings are very different, and I think the range is also smaller. Jon is hilarious by the way, and really brings a smile to my face in all of your videos, including your reaction to him!
No wayyyy, this is a dream come true. I’ve been obsessed with the venova XD
Edit: The soprano doesn’t have the top key, and you can choose to use the Baroque fingering by removing a rubber gasket.
Also, you don’t need to use the register key. Our regular recorder way works ( actually I feel like it works a bit better tbh )
I have had the soprano Venova for some time. I am not a reed player, more of a whistle and recorder player. 1) Yes, as everyone notes, the included mouthpiece and reed can be a struggle. A better reed is the way to go. 2) the soprano venova comes with an apadpter (a plug with a smaller hole) that allows for either baroque or german fingerings. You might give the soprano Venova a try.
The sound reminds me of the Tsungi Horn from Avatar.... So a duduk
I'd love to have john teach us jazz licks on the recorderrrr
I have both a soprano and an alto, I was so excited when I first heard about them. I'm using soft reeds which makes it much easier. Thank you for mentioning there are different fingerings for some of the notes! I was simply avoiding F# and B-flats! I think they are both super fun to play, but maybe not super fun to listen to one learn them.
The "exhaust" I think have been added to turn it into an "open-ish" pipe, which is the only way you can make a reed (closed-pipe) instrument both cylindrical in section (and as such, cheaper to manifacture) and overblowing the octave (thus, simplifying the fingerings).
Now we'd like to see you tackling some cornett or ancient reeds (chalumeau, shawm, etc.) ;) ;) .
I LOVE shawm! I feel like playing some crumhorn now 😁
@@Team_Recorder I've picked up for hobby both recorders and cornetts and apart from some initial patience with having to build the embouchure for the latter it's very rewarding. Just, before starting single, double or lip-reed ("brass") instrument I've always found useful taking some lessons about the embouchure from people yet familiar with instruments in that particular family (I.E.: trumpetists or hornist before picking up the cornett).
Fun review, you two are great together.
The little tube "opens" the mouthpiece end. This is important: it lets you have the compact straight bore of a clarinet with the much simpler keywork of a recorder or flute.
A straight tube that's open at both ends (recorder, flute, and yes, recorders have a straight bore, the "conical" stuff is a lie) overblows in octaves. That means you only need 12 holes for a fully chromatic instrument, and you can whittle it down to 6 or 7 holes for a primitive instrument like a recorder or baroque flute, and a C or D instrument comes in about 22 inches (55cm). Even when you add so many keys you have a fully chromatic instrument (Boehm flute) you don't really overload your fingers, because you've only got 2 more holes than fingers, and the keywork is surprisingly simple. So simple that Boehm flutes traditionally add a couple of extra key-operated holes on the footjoint, extending a basic D design right down to C or B.
A straight tube that's open only at one end (clarinet, oboe) overblows an octave and a fifth, which means you need 18 holes for a full chromatic instrument, and you cut it down to 10 holes for a primitive one, so you still need relatively complex keywork for primitive instruments. Obviously, devising keywork to map 18 holes to 10 fingers is not easy. This is one of the reasons all clarinet players eventually go insane.
A conical bore with a closed end (sax) overblows an octave, like a flute, which is one of the reasons Sax was able to borrow Boehm's basic keywork. If Yamaha had made this a plastic cone, they'd have gotten a straight sax, like one often sees in the soprano sax.
How is a recorder not conical if the end piece has a smaller bore than the mouth or body piece?
@@yoditgudit6578 Hard to explain it without math.
Picture a small object radiating energy in a sphere in all directions. Now roll up a cone, like a megaphone, and put the small end at that radiating object. The waves still keep their "piece of a sphere" shape as they propagate down the cone, just like they were propagating in an infinite space. A hole disrupts this propagation and reflects some energy back down the tube, setting up standing waves and making it resonate a note.
Something like a reed is an energy generator that is basically "closed", it's small in relation to the pressure waves it generates, so it can sit at the apex of a cone and provide the sort of spherical pressure waves that propagate down the cone.
A whistle head (recorder, tin whistle, native American flute, etc) is too open to drive a cone, but it's also a bit too closed to properly produce even pressure waves down a straight tube. (In engineering terms, it has a horrible impedance mismatch to the bore, and this causes a mismatch in resonant frequency across the octaves) and the fact that it doesn’t couple well to the straight bore leads to a lack of high harmonics and a "dull" sound. Tapering the bore towards the end doesn’t alter the fact that the instrument uses "straight bore" math. The tapered bore traps a volume of air, which provides extra mass. It acts like a ball on an elastic cord, bouncing up and down at a particular frequency. This volumetric (Helmholtz) resonance, doesn’t shift across octaves and that brings the higher octaves into tune with the lower. You could put all the volume in a "bulb" near the whistle end of the instrument and get the same effect. Some middle-eastern instruments work exactly that way. So, the recorder bore is mathematically straight, and the extra air trapped in the taper is a bulbous resonator.
@@josephwisniewski3673 Then why arent the overblown notes renissance recorders an octave higher then? And how are other modern recorder harmonic but still have much more range. Is it due to their length?
@@josephwisniewski3673 I am very interested in the physics of these instruments. Would you have any recomended sesrch topics?
As an oboe player, that is not narrow. Also, try supplying enough pressure to an oboe. You will see stars and get a minor headache at first. You have inspired me to try recorder. It is going to be interesting to see how I will adjust to the much lower air pressure and higher volume or air.
I tried to teach myself the soprano Venova. A friend who plays clarinet / sax heard me trying, and tried it himself. He thought the instrument would sound and respond better with a wood sax reed, and he gave me one. But a real reed didn't make a difference for a beginner like me.
After hours of practice over three or four days, I could sometimes play a one octave C-major scale. But it was a lot of work! I gave up.
I've had a soprano for a few years. Never really did get to grips with how to play it, but it's always been in the back of my mind to get back to it. The idea of an alto one is quite interesting too...
I clicked on this so fast just because I knew there was a good chance hilarious John would make a cameo. I love him, his sense of humor, and his little cycling outfit. As for the instrument: My students surprised me with a soprano venova a few years ago. They wanted to get me an instrument I didn’t already have and this silly hybrid seemed like just the ticket. I love it for the gesture, portability, and durability but I don’t love the intonation or tone. Also, mine has a rubber bushing which changes it from baroque to German fingering because the soprano doesn’t have a key on hole 4. I am trained in modern woodwinds as well as recorder and, as much as I really wanted it to work well with baroque fingerings, it does seem to be designed with the German/Boehm system in mind.
You made Jon’s day with this comment 😊 Interesting your soprano doesn’t have a B/Bb key! I’m gonna test mine out a but more to see if there’s an optimim way of playing it.
@@Team_Recorder good! I hope it inspired a goofy smile and some more of those snazzy dance moves. I have a student who calls that “dancing in cursive.” On the soprano it’s F/F# of course but, being a smaller instrument, there are only keys for the C/C# and D/D#. Many people see this as a new and innovative hybrid but to me it just feels like a plastic chalumeau. Those also frequently have something similar to German fingering and double holes for the 3rd and 4th fingers. I’ve seen that feature on crumhorns as well and playing a G major melody on an F instrument is tricky. Maybe you should try some of those Renaissance winds next!
the sound really changed with the professional reed.. wouldnt mind trying one of these one day
As a clarinet player, I feel that a cane reed is much more organic than a plastic reed. Also, it's much easier if you are used to a mouthpiece/reed combination.
Jon's mouthpiece quite likely cost double the price of the Venovo (which is $150).
Hi Sarah. I want to start by saying I love your channel, and your videos have made me fall in love with recorder (which I picked up when I discovered I would be teaching Music to elementary students). I am not a trained musician but I do love to play songs I know. When I started playing, I too got a venova, thinking I played tenor sax for a couple years in high school how hard could it be. It seemed much easier in high school!!!
If you are interested in checking out new "hybrid" instruments for fun, check out the Nuvo DooD and Nuvo Toot. They use recorder fingering, similar size to a soprano recorder but the DooD has a clarinet mouthpiece and the TooT has a flute mouthpiece. They are limited in range but are cheap ($35. CAD) and sized for kids. I have both for Fun, but still return to my recorders to play for real. Not sure if they sell them where you are but it is always fun to tell someone you play the DooD and/or TooT.
That’s an awesome tip Deanne, thanks!
Im a guitarist but Im suscribed to this channel and I watch these videos simply because I like Sarah!
😘😘
My husband bought me a venovo. I found it challenging because I'm asthmatic, and any extended playing left me breathless in not-so-good a way. One of the reasons I play recorders and whistles is that they don't require as much air, so I don't need an inhaler to play them.
german fingering for clarinet is actually a lot closer to baroque fingering for recorder than to german fingering for recorder. it is still found on some models produced, it is called a Simple System, or ( the next step) Albert system or ( the most advanced ) Ohler. Uebel and Thomann make some in C even, that is, they have the same fingering as Bass recorder, more or less. would be fun to see to review of them too.
I have the soprano, and replaced the reed. I haven’t been totally satisfied, but I do like it. I will try replacing the head. Please, please, more lessons!
A tutorial is coming! 😊
Wow! That looks so much fun. Thanks Sarah.
I got a soprano Venova some time ago and as a long time recorder player, I gotta say there are two things which I think are not stressed enough in this video:
1. Producing a sound with the included synthetic reed was really a huge struggle. Replacing it with the softest soprano sax reed (2 or 1,5) makes all the difference, especially if you're new to reed instruments. It will also make the sound much more pleasant and quiet (your neighbours will thank you).
2. Most of the half tones are really out of tune - something hard to forgive in a >100$ instrument of a respected brand. I wish Sarah wouldn't fast forward through the chromatic scale and showed how it really sounds. There's really no alternate fingerings which can help. Playing in any other key than C will make you have to use special embouchure for the sharp/flat notes only, whereas even in the cheapest Yamaha recorder they would sound just in tune. I realize this is probably some kind of an engineering compromise, but it makes it much less versatile and enjoyable to play.
Thanks for that comment. I think it could be a nice solo instrument, with a non equal temperament.
My experience precisely with a soprano Venova. I swapped the mouthpiece for a Yamaha 6C (the included MP is a 4C) as well as a cane reed.
I play clarinet in addition to recorder and I went from "this is a neat idea" to "I really don't like playing this thing" very quickly. It can be made to sound nice but it's not easy for the beginner to whom it's marketed, and I think the recorder fingering on this design forces too many compromises. They would have done better to copy sax fingering/keywork.
Actually the half tones "tuned" are possible using "unusual" positions.
What I noticed is the fact that the tune changes with the different pressure of lips. Very strange instrument!
Tried to learn soprano venova after some recorder. Deceptively simple, but not simple at all. Had better luck with a proper (Yamaha) student clarinet. Furthermore a used student clarinet is not much more expensive than a venova. Venova has been wasted time and money, to me.
Nice presentation! I am a flute/trumpet/tenor sax player; I have the soprano Venova. Maybe I will get one of these!
For those who are still uncertain about buying this thing or not: at 11:38, the final conclusion can be taken by John's words: "I did my bit. Can I go biking now?". The interest!!!! lol
That was fun and instructive, thank you! My boy has decided to learn the recorder next school year, when he will learn English the year after, I’ll introduce him to this channel.
Thank you for showing. Two comments: first is, if you want to be a clarinet player, do not complain about sliding fingers. It is quite common. To play clarinet, you would need say 14 fingers. Since few people have that, it is solved by technology. Second, be aware that using the reed requires training. When you first do it, you will be exhausted in a few minutes, because you really need the muscles of your lips. Combining clarinette and flute may not be a good idea, because you need almost opposite way of using your lips. For recorder, I have experienced this is not a very big issue. By the way playing a clarinette is just fantastic. I can recommend doing it,
This is one of the videos I have been waiting for. It was a great review.
Glad you liked it Seth!
I currently play saxophone and recorder; was curious to try a Venova. The most difficult part of learning sax is the embouchure. It appears this is also the case with Venova. However, I'm not liking the sound of Venova, and learning the odd fingerings would not be fun, so I'll stick with recorder and saxophone. For anyone who wants to learn a wind instrument for the first time, I'd recommend soprano or alto recorder, which are real instruments, that sound better and are less expensive than Venova.
Some of those notes sounded like a kazoo in a cardboard box. lol
Thank you for this video. I just bought a soprano Venova, and as I'm new to wind instruments (mostly learned strings); I find the embouchure difficult to master.
P.S. Jon is hilarious, please feature him more often. He reminds me of my cheeky husband (especially as they both have stylish moustaches) :D
I briefly considered the Venova yet tried a Nuvo Dood instead, which is somewhat similar to a chalumeau yet has rubber keys that allow chromatic playing and has a more clarinet-like tone vs the slight whiny sound of the Venova (though you two have shown that a good mouthpiece improves this).
I've gone on to pick up both alto sax and Bb clarinet, with the latter probably being my go-to reed woodwind. With my instruments being so varied now, as I'm primarily a low brass player, I've focused my recorder playing on the alto recorder and have been pondering recording a recorder duet yet with clarinet covering a bass recorder part.
I had the soprano Venova for a while (before I switched to flute) Quite a learning curve to get the first sound but got the hang of it after replacing the plastic reed with a softer sax reed & some YT tutorials on Sax embouchure haha unfortunately my family DID NOT like how the Venova sounded haha. Eventually sold it to a friend
Are you still friends?
That instrument looks cool and sounds cool.Jon is sooo funny 😆
One reason I decided to play the recorder is because I got tired of clarinet reeds, so I won't be going back to reeds. One thing I learned (at 11:52) is that the volume of a cone is 1/3hπr². 😀
I was never so disappointed with an instrument as I was with my soprano Venova. As a sax, flute and recorder player, I thought it would be fairly easy to pick up. Turns out the only key that was even feasible was the key of C and if you had any accidentals at all in the music, it was virtually impossible to play them in tune. I wouldn't waste money on this alto. Full disclosure, my sax and flute are both Yamaha.
Great fun - I have a plastic clarinet I bought second hand for £20 off eBay that was designed to allow smaller kids and adults with disabilities to learn Clarinet - I find it really hard to play!!
I also have a Xaphoon that has recorder fingering more or less - but takes a tenor reed and has a huge, uncomfortable mouth piece that cannot be changed - it sounds like a wounded goose when I play it - lol!!
have you tried playing a xaphoon?? I'd like a video on that
Same
Ja graag.
I have a Xaphoon - I never play it though because the mouth piece is too big for me and cannot be changed - it's for sale if anyone wants it!!
You can set up the soprano to play using baroque fingering. I'm learning to play the recorder concurrently with the venova. I got it because I wanted a crumhorn like sound. It doesn't sound like it but it's got it's own tone and it's fun to play.
The sound is very interesting. It kind of sounds like a single reed instrument that wants to sound like a double reed. Some of the notes sounded similar to an English horn or bassoon. Very unique.
I've been waiting for the moment you found a Venova
Yay!
Hello Sarah. Can you do a review of the Aulos resin baroque traverso flute. I feel like you are the best to judge it since you know the Aulos resin recorders and an expert in baroque music.
Modern flutists are more familiar with the Boehm system. I've been curious with the baroque flute, but the wood ones are quite expensive. So it might be a good idea to start with resin.
I love the tone. As a guitar player in a wedding band that has ditched amps to load less gear and is looking to take up sax or trumpet to spice up the band, this would be less delicate and smaller than a sax.
Thank you Sarah and Jon for this intro to the alto Venova - a fun video and informative video as always!!!
Replacing the mouthpiece and reed with professional-grade items made a huge improvement to the sound quality, but will a musician with this type of gear consider a Venova? I am honestly puzzled by this Platypus oddity of an instrument: With so many types and variations of acoustic and electronic wind instruments already available, each with it’s specialized fingerings and mastry techniques... the Venova Alto ($150 here in the US)... is not quite a toy, but also you can’t transfer skills to or from recorders, clarinets or saxophone without significant investment of time (as it is, the fingerings of Alto recorders are different from the Soprano and Tenor recorders) - And so on. But my number one critique is the aesthetics of the instrument, which to me looks more like an awkward piece of plumbing. Still - I look forward for the tutorial video/s, and setting critique aside - it is really fun to see what’s out there and experiment :-). Thank you!
I am trying to figure out why my recorder won't record anything I play. Where do the batteries go?
Wow, what an interesting instrument!!!!
Hello Sarah, that was fun watching you trying this instrument😂 i have the soprano version..the soprano has convertible fingerings in german and baroque fingering..however the baroque fingering is slightly different from the recorder 😄
Getting the Venove, today can't wait! Great timing 😎 I got the soprano.
Cool instrument! For the Bb - B linkage, it looks like there's a little platform where you could put the finger below the hole, like for the index finger of the LH on the oboe. It's really efficient to roll back and forth quickly, curious if you've tried that too?
I’m gonna try it out and report back!
RIP sockmyshoe, will be remembered.
Thanks a lot for this Review. Amazing.
Oh that's wild, I almost bought one of those too! Irish folk song can charm a snake on that.
I own both the soprano and alto. I prefer the alto as I feel the notes are easier to make sounds come out. Not a fan of the plastic reeds I used some sax reeds I had around the house. The tube coming out of the top is how the venova achieves it's weird sound. When I play mine it can get it to sound more like a french horn/ English horn sound
Yes, I know what you mean anout the French horn sound!
Oooh, I see "recorder" IN ESPERANTO right above your thumb - BEKFLUTO. Sweet.
So crazy and funny video 😎👌👍
Nice! Nonetheless, as a reed player myself, I'll stick with my Bb clarinet, alto and soprano saxophones. 👌 😊 🎷
Your videos are rad ty
Hi Sarah, if you want something REALLY different if you change your emboucher, Try Diatonic Harmonica 👍🏼
Ahhhhhh I want to!
I think the bit sticking out the top must be the overflow. :-) Plumbing jokes aside, it's tonally versatile, isn't it? At first I thought it was like a cor anglais, then a sax and there's a bit of a snake charming shawm-type vibe going on too. You have to wonder what would happen if you got a cork and rigged up a trumpet mouthpiece, or a bassoon reed. Hmm, interesting! Thanks, Sarah and Jon, for a definitely different video.
You’re welcome!
This is very interesting for me. For some months now, I wish to learn to play other woodwind instruments than the clarinet and the recorder. And I thought about the soprano saxophone because it can sound similar to an oboe and I wouldn’t have to learn a new embouchure.
Honestly, I can‘t afford any high quality instrument at the moment and I‘m not sure if i‘d stick to it anyway.
But this one has got several sound colours laying in between today‘s western woodwind sounds. It has got a medieval colour when you, Sarah, play it. I miss the older clarinets, shawms, crumhorns, cornamuses (it’s the french term, I don’t know the english one) etc.
I think it would be easier if you got a different read. The reed those comes with are synthetic reeds. Try getting a regular wooden reed with a lower strength
Good tip 😊
Very entertaining review - I was expecting an electronic instrument! Was it a lot quieter than a real sax? My dad plays alto sax, so I grew up with that sound around the house. You’re right about embracing it for what it is. Yamaha’s literature says, “Despite the simple fingering, it sounds just like a saxophone.” Hmmm, really? 😂
Yes, it’s quieter than a sax! Maybe a good option for practising some things at home without disturbing the neighbours too much?
Hello. I enjoy your videos from Venezuela. I'd like to see your review of Nuvo Instrumental, a British brand of plastic wind instruments. I have the Nuvo Dood 2 and I love it.
very nice instrument for branles and basse dances, this Venova.
Yes I could imagine that!
Replace the plastic reed with a bamboo one and you'll get a significantly rounder tone.
Ooh good tip!
I got one of these in my collection of 224 instruments. I also play soprano sax. Both very similar, I love it!!!
Thanks for this video and special thanks to your husband.
By the way I've a suggestion, please make another review on Yamaha soprano Venova which has a changeable hole which allows to change either baroque or german fingering system according to our requirement.
That’s so good to know!!
@@Team_Recorder Thanks for the reply. Believe or not you have been doing a great job. Thank you and hope you consider my kind suggestion. Stay safe!
Hi Sarah, the Venova bring a lot of fun,my daughter loves it. But you cannot compare it with a "real" instrument. It is a own thing.
By the way, I'm interested in a comparison between the Mollenhauer modern alto, the Moeck Ehlert alto and the Eagle-Ganassi made by Adriana Breukink. I love to play recorder in my little band, but I need a louder Instrument that you can hear between the piano and other modern Instruments.
Could you imagine, to make such a video?
That would be so cool....
That video has been on my list for a veeeery long time! I just have to get all thise instruments in one room together...
@@Team_Recorder Thanks for your answer! I hope you can do IT in future. IT will be amazing!
I think the Blockflötenshop in Fulda (Germany) have all three Instruments. Perhaps this is a new information for you...
Have a good day, Sarah!
Chalumeau for me - although the Venova looks fun!
I just discovered these come in red!
They do! ❤️
What do you feel is the practical use of this instrument in performance? Since it's not quite one or the other, it wouldn't necessarily make a good substitute, but how you you see it as a standalone performer?
Could you roll instead of slide, like the top key of an oboe?
Sarah, there is a piece made of rub which comes with the pack. You can use to change the German fingering into the baroque one. Look for it on the instructions.
Omg, how did I miss this!! Thanks for the tip!
I've never heard of a venova. It sounds like a tenor saxophone, but with a softer sound, as the instrument is made from plastic rather than brass.
There are dedicated plastic reed makers like Legere and I am a fan of their reeds. However all the plastic reeds provided with instruments like these are pretty sad. I would suggest you get a legere 1.5 or just get a real reed. They will probably be easier to play and sound better.
Good tip!
Nice!!
I bought a Kunath Clarineau (pear wood) and I feel it sounds better and has baroque fingering. But the embouchure is a real pain to learn...
Ooh I’m curious to try this!
If the outlook is better I would certainly get one
A soprano recorder headjoint is too small for an alto Venova and an alto recorder one is too large…therefore could a recorder d’amore (in A) have a headjoint which is just about the right size for it?
The sound is terrible. I presume the reason is due to the plastic reed. I think if one changes the plastic reed and replace it with a wooden one the general sound can improve a little bit. I tried some of the xaphoon and, as a recorder player, I struggled with the embouchure a lot. A LOT!
The sound did improve with Jon’s own reed!
It sounds like the love child of a baroque oboe and a crumhorn. I kind of like it.
Hi! can you please show us how to play Love is Blue in a recorder? thanks!
Oh dear. Now you've made me think of a Bear Dance in a Jazz style... My fellow folk musicians might end up taking a contract out on me... :D
It really sounds like an English horn it sounds kinda good
What would you recomend to a beginer: an alto or a soprano recorder? ( I alredy have a german soprano)
Hey how do you play the professional recorder songs that you played in your grade 1 to 8?
great video but i always hated the sound of that thing. it just sounds like plastic which i was hoping they would work around that.
This was a much needed video, at least for me (and congratulations on your first collaboration with Yamaha! They finally realised they needed to work with you!!!).
I've always been intrigued by the Venova, especially for its shape and "carefree" attitude but I have read some critical reviews.
Now, adding your first impressions to those reviews, I think this is not an instrument for me.
First of all, the compromise fingering... Not a fan.
Second, it seems like one needs to work a lot to get a good sound and this doesn't agree with a "carefree" instrument.
I wonder whether they wanted to "simply" create a new full-fledged instrument, but it sounds too saxophony to be really new.
The price - which is not low at all - might be further proof they wanted to create something new.
I'm not sure they succeeded.
As a reed player trying the recorder, I felt that the recorder uses wayy less air than most other instruments.
You should do a chalumeau video
Played it before.
I play strings. Why am I here? why are these vids so addictive? Why is there a hankering for a recorder formulating in back of my mind?
Mua ha ha ha. Everyone is a secret recorder player at heart 😉
It has a english horn kind of sound
Why is it so difficult (apparently) to keep the intonation while playing?
Still very funny the both of you,how can you concentrate with Jon in the background.
It looks like an instrument that one of the aliens from the cantina scene in Star Wars would play.
Occorre una configurazione?
The Venova concept is great. Unfortunately, it is impossible to play in tune, it is my experience confirmed by the Better Sax video. I wish Yamaha had added some keys to solve that issue.
A key tweak would make a big difference I think!
I've seen reviews by Better Sax and some other channel, and for the asking price I'm not super impressed. Actually you can buy your own piece of plastic tubing of the kind used to carry electric cables in walls (called VP-rör in Swedish), use a freeware computer program that lets you calculate distances and hole diameters in order to make your own recorder or clarinet by drilling holes into the tube. As a bonus, an alto sax mouthpiece fits perfectly onto the plastic tube.
I've made a few of those "instruments" and depending on how precise you are about measuring the distances and use the right hole sizes, you can get it to play fairly well in tune, at least equal to the Venova. If you do this as an evening hobbyist project, you have a material cost of perhaps $0.50 - $1.00 per instrument, plus mouthpiece and reed. You can even make a bass clarinet though the distance between holes quickly grows so you might have to try to find bends which distort the sound.