Yamaha Venova Unboxing

A quick unboxing and look at the new Yamaha Venova, a so-called "casual wind instrument".

[@jonah7815]

THE RECORDER HAD OVER 900 YEARS OF REPERTOIRE. it’s only called a classroom instrument cause in the 60’s they made them out of CHEAP plastic. Actual good hand made wooden recorders cost over $1000.

[@Subcontrabassoon]

I completely agree. I have a Mollenhauer Modern Alto that I love and wish I had more opportunities to play. Just because an instrument has a gentle enough learning curve to be used as a classroom instrument, doesn't mean it shouldn't be counted as a full musical instrument. Like the recorder, the piano is also accessible to young children and that doesn't diminish it's artistic merits in the hands of a skilled professional. But this stigma is sadly much more pronounced on recorder than any other instrument, and it's something my early music group does our best to counteract when we perform.

[@CeToxihuitl]

Chill dude, we recorder players know this, but it's not worth explaining it

[@K.D.Meyers]

@@Subcontrabassoon The trouble is that it has a learning curve that yes, is gentle, but is like climbing a mountain compared to the tin whistle. I think that students just starting out learning music should never be given a chromatic instrument. That's just too much to handle, and so they focus too much on learning how to even make a good sound and not enough on why it works. The tin whistle has a much more intuitive fingering, and since most of the songs chosen in beginner music classes stay in one key anyway, I think that a chromatic instrument overcomplicates things and distracts from actually learning music. It's like they're teaching how to play a song instead of how to play an instrument. I know I'm generalizing, but I believe my point still stands.

[@All4Grogg]

@@K.D.Meyers As a tin whistler i find your perspective interesting, being able to change octaves by half holing a single hole feels like a cheat code! Open hole fipple flutes as a family are very much underestimated. Perhaps the recorder most of all, at the sight, lay-people are impressed with anything beyond hot cross buns, with a tin whistle anything less than a full tempo jig or reel is seen as inadequate. As school instruments it is a true benefit not having the inevitable mistakes be VERY noticeable to the audience, over blowing on a tin whistle is going to get the poor student noticed. We had "song flutes" honestly, they were a good choice.

[@K.D.Meyers]

@@All4Grogg I'm not sure what you mean by changing octaves by half holing. To change octaves on a tin whistle, I always just overblow or uncover the top hole. I also believe that a well-played air is every bit as impressive, and perhaps more difficult, than a faster tune. A tin whistle forces you to learn good breath control, whereas a recorder is like training wheels: they teach you to balance but only when you can't fall. And learning good breath control can be not as difficult as learning to find the right notes in between the wrong ones, as long as there's a good teacher.

[@kikimuscles3915]

I feel like the one thing stopping this from being a popular instrument is the fact that it looks more like s toy than an instrument

[@awayforthewin1325]

Its made for students and casual play. If isnt as good as an actual soprano sax

[@CoreyBrass]

What I like about it is I can take it camping with me and not worry about it banging around. I'll take durability over looks.

[@Solmangrundy]

If it wasn't being made and branded by Yamaha I dont think anyone would've taken it seriously as an instrument. It does look like something you'd find at the dollar-store though lol.

[@DesuchanSugoi]

It sounds like an oboe with a saxy twang to it. There's also a plasticy sound to it, not that that really means anything.

[@nathanbasurto8246]

Desu-chan Sugoi I think of you add a wooden reed it will sound less plasticy and more full

[@JewelBlueIbanez]

- Overdooo - no it still sounds like a piece of plastic. It has no bell for resonance either.

[@6754bettkitty]

8:12 I think that applies to all instruments...

[@Matthew-ll3fp]

I wish it looked more like an instrument then a toy

[@F0nkyNinja]

just try not to give a fuck and take it for what it is

[@Matthew-ll3fp]

I have one, I’m not hating. Its definitely a fun instrument it just doesn’t blend with the rest of my instruments.

[@F0nkyNinja]

ah alright

[@Matthew-ll3fp]

IKR

[@franklinbenjamin8063]

But this last longer

[@9uweeoncbmd890]

What a curious stopper that transposes the instrument down to the more clarinet like sound. I wonder if such a thing wouldn't be valuable in more professional instruments, if it isn't employed in them already.

[@Subcontrabassoon]

To be clear, the stopper doesn't come with it. I happened to have it laying around and wanted to see what it did.

[@9uweeoncbmd890]

Yeah, but seeing how interesting it is to use it and perhaps alternate playing with it as well as without it, one can wonder why an actual stopper isn't included at all.

[@the_dancing_carnivore]

@@9uweeoncbmd890 Some notes will be missing between the two registers when the stopper is in use so it can't be used with the stopper as configured.

[@jeffwinger1057]

Great....now all my snakes have come out of their baskets.

[@RosssRoyce]

Cool instrument shape! Sounds so much like a clarinet. Must be the ratio of the with/length of the bore.

[@camelCased]

Thanks for the video and that stooper thingy trick was an interesting idea. About that soprano reed. Which one do you recommend (brand and strength) for a low budget and a beginner who wants to achieve as relaxed and soft playing as realistically possible on Venova? I can't decide between Venova and jSax. If I had money, I'd buy a real sax, but I'm just a beginner and not 100% sure about my motivation, so it's not worth investing that much. There are cheap and used saxes, but their quality might be bad, so I'm thinking that maybe it's better to have a new and fully functional instrument than possibly broken. But I might be wrong. Still, I haven't found any good sax offer for 100 $, so Venova and jSax seem the only choices.

[@dakedres]

That prepackaged reed gives me PTSD of kids in highschool just leaving their feed on the mouthpiece when they packing up their clarinet without cleaning it up or anything.

[@awayforthewin1325]

An alto sax version of this would be awesome

[@brandonm7952]

Im sure there are

[@JewelBlueIbanez]

Brandon M There is. It’s called an Alto Sax. Really, just teach kids normal instruments.

[@brandonm7952]

JewelBlueIbanez If all school would invest in instrumentation, im sure they would. Except thats not exactly an option universally.

[@AlamBambangSurya]

They do now.

[@StereoTyp0]

Fascinating tour of an instrument, thanks for posting! Those plastic keys looked really flimsy but I am curious, what are the covers padded with?

[@TooSlowTube]

It seems to be some sort of dense foam or foam rubber. The keys are fine. They don't feel flimsy. I just wish there was a few more of them.

[@rajgill7576]

Mr. Boob, this was a very informative video. Thank you.

[@mheermance]

It's a clever design, especially the meandering tube which makes it compact. Thanks for the review.

[@Matthew-ll3fp]

How’s the subcontralbusoon?

[@Jack68676]

What sort of stopper is that? I might get one of these and it looks like it could be fun to mess with it

[@LarryShone]

I was thinking of getting one of these, but I think an actual chalumeau would be better

[@dak2386]

I'm asking for one for Christmas

[@AristotleBabyBottle]

Dakodah Prock same, they said ok

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

Getting one and the alto one as well. Gonna annoy the hell out of my neighbors like the time I tried to learn a certain titanic song on recorder.

[@Benjabenja77]

It sounds a lot like a Xaphoon when you put the stopper in!

[@JessHull]

would be neat to see you try teh tenor version.

[@renatobran]

Starts at 2:50

[@tbopetc4390]

How about T-junction membrane reed?

[@macster1457]

it sounds like you need a softer reed... try 2 1/2

[@awayforthewin1325]

This would look really cool if it was nickel plated

[@pabslondon]

You should review the Nuvo Jsax if you haven't already

[@drGeppo]

Any observations now, after some months? I am interested in getting one to goof around but it seems quite pricey at 90 euros

[@Kentavious444]

Which Venova is this? Alto? Soprano? Tenor?

[@nathanbasurto8246]

Would you say it's worth the money?

[@BretNewtonComposer]

Would the stopped instrument be a Bohlen-Pierce scale?

[@Subcontrabassoon]

No; it's more of a stretched diatonic. (one octave of fingerings covers a major 10th)

[@BretNewtonComposer]

Weird

[@ohomemnu]

could you elaborate on that stopper, please? A photo maybe... does it clamp the hole totally? how can one adapt something to do one?... how was yours made?...

[@TooSlowTube]

You could just use poster putty, wrapped over the end of the pipe. It might fall off when it gets wet, but you'll probably be bored with doing it by then :) I like UHU White Tack, for all woodwind instrument bodging purposes. It's good for sticking wires to furniture too, or as electrical insulation... maybe not for mains AC purposes. I guess Blue Tack (Blu Tack?) would work too, but White Tack is better.

[@ohomemnu]

Just to let you know - after some tries, I found that earplugs are an excellent option - those that you squeeze and put in your ears and they slowly come to the initial shape (like those: media.screwfix.com/is/image//ae235?src=ae235/3650P_P&$prodImageMedium$); just squeeze and insert inside that venova top hole, knowing that if you cover the whole hole it will be counterproducent as it will mute the instrument fully - the trick is to control how much air will you stop, so that you can control how you like your sound accordingly to how much you cover the hole.

[@tonyennis3008]

Put an oboe or bassoon reed on it.

[@michaelwendell6208]

DUUUDE..! just play the damn thing !!

[@4000marcdman]

Nuvo jSax vs Venova? What's wins?

[@elaxel1469]

The 75% of people who review the venova dont cover the holes properly and dont make it sound good

[@Subcontrabassoon]

I don't think that was my problem. Rather, the plastic reed that shipped with the Venova is, in my opinion, simply awful. The best I've found since recording the unboxing video is a #2 Legere soprano sax reed.

[@Madridme3]

Ok...I died while you fiddled! Zzzzzzzssssszsssszzddd Play the damn colon pipe!

[@dawsonhuynh7846]

sounds like an oboe

[@Subcontrabassoon]

You need to listen to better oboe playing :-P

[@colleencoleman1526]

Richard Bobo wow roasted

[@RiceWitch-dingus-400]

I still use cane reads

[@nottortilla5024]

For the venova you need to put you mouth and the edge so it doesn’t squeak and also curl your lips so you don’t get any spit in it

[@mason11198]

I think it sounds rather nice with competent players

[@Shatugi]

All it is is a soprano Sax main body but shortened down

[@yeezet4592]

It has a alto version too. A tenor an bari would be cool if they could.

[@Fafnerluver922]

Does anyone know how much this instrument costs in yen?

[@confusedflourbeetle4734]

I thought it was an EWI based on the thumbnail

[@xfa5255]

Clarinet reeds work?

[@seamorington2760]

From what I have seen, soprano sax reeds are what work for it, and not the reed that comes with it.

[@kryptie7259]

I think its a bit over priced

[@CeToxihuitl]

Is it recomended?

[@MS-fl9kz]

When I get one I'll let you know 😉

[@microz0258]

Mustafa Sabri well..???

[@wungomungo6177]

I’ll be able to say in two or three days... reply so I remember.

[@LinaSan]

@@wungomungo6177 Was it worth it?

[@LinaSan]

@@MS-fl9kz Was it worth it?

[@JiveDadson]

2:49

[@Chompchompyerded]

Q: What do you call a cross between a bass double reed instrument and a comedian? A: A bafoon.

[@dcuss7294]

You can't play a actual real chromatic scale on it. That was the biggest turn-off to me

[@Tennisers]

from what i've seen online, you can play a chromatic scale on it and there are fingering charts for that, but the intonation is challenging to get right.

[@dcuss7294]

@@Tennisers It's not a true chromatic scale

[@khitboksy3689]

audio is off and its so hard to watch AND listen