Yamaha Venova YVS-100 Manual

Let’s play Venova™ !
12
Contents
Before You Play............................................................13
Setting the Reed and Ligature....................................................13
Let’s Try Playing ...........................................................14
Tips on Making Sound ...............................................................15
Close the Tone Holes and Play Some Notes...............................16
Getting a Balanced Sound..........................................................17
Controlling Tone ...........................................................18
Inside of Your Mouth .................................................................18
Tonguing....................................................................................18
Troubleshooting............................................................19
Fingering Chart ............................................................92
German System .........................................................................92
Baroque System.........................................................................94
Sample Songs ..............................................................96
When The Saints Go Marching In...............................................98
Amazing Grace.........................................................................102
Let’s play Venova™ !
This guidebook provides important tips on how to hold and play Yamaha
Venova™, as well as details on controlling the pitch and timbre. Master the
basics and enjoy playing!
* Refer to the “Owner’s Manual” (separate booklet) for information regarding
the care and handling of the instrument.
• The Venova™ is a branched pipe wind instrument manufactured and sold by the
Yamaha Corporation. Venova™ and are trademarks or registered
trademarks of the Yamaha Corporation.
• The illustrations as shown in this manual are for instructional purposes only, and
may appear somewhat different from those on your instrument.
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Let’s play Venova™ ! 13
Before You Play
Setting the Reed and Ligature
Slide the mouthpiece onto the body’s neck, turning from side to side. After
attaching the mouthpiece, set the reed and ligature onto the mouthpiece.
Slide the ligature onto the mouthpiece from its tapered end.
Position the reed so that the edge of the mouthpiece is slightly visible
over the reed tip. Tighten the two screws on the ligature to secure the
reed in place.
* The reed tip is delicate so please take care not to damage it with the
ligature, etc.
* If you are using a reed made from cane rather than the resin reed
supplied with the instrument, moisten the end of the reed in your mouth
(or water) before playing.
* Position the ligature so that the tuning fork logo is centered in the
ligature’s open space.
* Tighten the ligature screws just enough to keep the reed from
moving. Take care not to over-tighten.
Mouthpiece
Ligature Reed
1
2
Reed
Ligature
screws
Ligature Yamaha
logo
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Let’s Try Playing
Hold the instrument as shown in the illustration below, keeping your back
straight, shoulders loose, and chin pulled in.
Position the mouthpiece in your mouth with your upper front teeth resting
about 1cm from the tip of the mouthpiece. Cover your lower teeth with
your lower lip to keep your teeth from coming into direct contact with the
reed.
Take a deep breath, and blow into the instrument.
1
First, hold the instrument
without covering any of the
holes.
2
Upper front teeth
Lower lipLower teeth
Tongue
3
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Let’s play Venova™ ! 15
Let’s Try Playing
Tips on Making Sound
Holding the Instrument
Holding the instrument the wrong way (wrong angle or poor posture) can
result in poor tone or difficult fingering. Always be aware of proper playing
form when playing the instrument.
Mouth Shape (Embouchure*)
With the reed resting on your lower lip, seal your mouth around the
mouthpiece to keep air from leaking out of the corners of your mouth
when blowing.
Blowing the Instrument
Compared to a recorder, the Venova requires more breath to play. Use a
lot of air and blow firmly into the instrument.
* Refer to the illustration on page 14 for proper instrument angle when
holding.
* The shape of your mouth when playing the instrument is called the
“embouchure.” The embouchure is very important when playing wind
instruments. Proper positioning of lips, tongue, teeth, etc., creates an
optimum embouchure, which lets you control the pitch and timbre of the
instrument.
1
1
2
• Do not bite hard on the reed or
mouthpiece.
• If you are experiencing difficulty
getting sound from the instrument,
refer to the chart on page 17 and check
the mouthpiece position.
3
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Let’s Try Playing
Let’s play Venova™ !
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Close the Tone Holes and Play Some Notes
• Use the ball of your finger (not the tip) to cover the hole.
• Use your fingers in a relaxed, stress-free form.
Since lower pitches are hard to produce without good embouchure and
sufficient airflow, let’s try playing a “G”.
Close the tone holes properly to achieve beautiful and stable tone, and good
pitch.
Fingerings for other pitches are provided from page 92.
Finger Position
* The illustration below shows all tone holes being covered.
Octave Key
The octave key is used for
playing notes above a
high “D”. It is not used for
playing any other notes so
take care not to press the
octave key by mistake.
Put your right thumb under
the thumb hook to hold the
instrument securely.
Fingering a “G”
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Let’s play Venova™ ! 17
Let’s Try Playing
Getting a Balanced Sound
If you are experiencing difficulty getting sound from your instrument, it might
be a good time to review your embouchure.
Mouth shape and teeth alignment vary widely among individuals so take time
finding an embouchure that works best for you. Refer to the chart below and
try varying the position of your teeth, the angle that you hold the instrument,
etc., to find a well-balanced tone.
Cause
Breath: Too much
Mouthpiece position: Shallow
+
Poor embouchure
(Biting the mouthpiece to hard)
Cause
Breath: Too much
Mouthpiece position: Deep
+
Poor embouchure
(Mouth is loose, open)
Cause
Breath: Too little
Mouthpiece position: Shallow
+
Poor embouchure
(Biting the mouthpiece too hard)
Cause
Breath: Too little
Mouthpiece position: Deep
+
Poor embouchure
(Mouth is loose, open)
No sound
comes out
or squeaks
Dark tone
No sound
comes out
or squeaks
Squeaks
Bright tone
No sound
comes out
Forte
(= loud sound)
Piano
(= soft sound)
Well-
balanced
tone
Amount of
breath
Amount of
breath
Mouthpiece
position
Mouthpiece
position
Shallow Deep
Too much air
(= loud sound)
Too little air
(= soft sound)
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Let’s play Venova™ !
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Controlling Tone
Inside of Your Mouth
When blowing into the instrument, the inside of your mouth should be
shaped as if you were pronouncing “OH.”
Tonguing
Tonguing is a technique for dividing a tone by interrupting the air flow with
your tongue.
It is done by touching the end of the reed with the end of your tongue and
releasing.
Tips on creating tone
The Venova is compatible with soprano saxophone mouthpieces and reeds, so
once you are able to produce individual notes smoothly using the supplied
mouthpiece (equivalent of Yamaha 4C soprano sax mouthpiece) you might
want to experiment with different reed/mouthpiece* combinations to change
the way the instrument blows and produce different tones (brighter, mellower,
clearer).
* The instrument comes with a soft reed making it easier to play for
beginners however, higher pitches may be more difficult to
articulate.
Once you can blow sufficient amount of air into the instrument, you
might want to move to a stiffer reed to play higher pitches more
smoothly.
* Stiffer reeds tend to play slightly sharp in pitch. If so, refer to the
“About Tuning” section in the owner’s manual and adjust the
mouthpiece position.
* Some saxophone mouthpieces made by other manufacturers may fit
poorly or produce poor pitch making them unsuitable for use with
the Venova. Always consult with your Yamaha dealer before
purchasing.
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Let’s play Venova™ ! 19
Troubleshooting
Condition Cause Solution
No sound. The reed is not properly
positioned on the
mouthpiece.
Refer to page 13 and
properly position the reed.
Not enough air to make the
reed vibrate.
Increase the amount of air you
blow into the instrument.
Biting too hard on the
mouthpiece (too much lower
lip pressure on the reed).
Reduce the amount of pressure
your lower lip is applying to the
reed.
Mouth is too loose (lower lip
is not sufficiently supporting
the reed).
Close your mouth tighter around
the reed (not to the extent that the
sound squeaks) to firmly support
the reed with your lower lip.
Low-pitch
sounds are hard
to make.
The upper front teeth are not
resting firmly on the
mouthpiece.
Use your left thumb to firmly
support the instrument so that
the mouthpiece is in firm
contact with the upper teeth.
Low-pitch
sounds shake
and waver.
Lower lip is covering too
much of your lower teeth.
Reduce the amount of lip
covering your teeth.
Makes a
squeaking
sound.
Mouthpiece is positioned too
deep in the mouth.
Refer to the “Getting a
Balanced Sound” section
on page 17 and review your
embouchure.
Biting too hard on the
mouthpiece.
Refer to the “Getting a
Balanced Sound” section
on page 17 and review your
embouchure.
Holding the instrument at the
wrong angle.
Refer to the “Tips on Making
Sound” section on page 15 and
review the angle you hold the
instrument.
Not adequately covering the
tone holes.
Refer to the “Close the Tone
Holes and Play Some Notes”
section on page 16 and firmly
cover the tone holes.
2
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Troubleshooting
Let’s play Venova™ !
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* The reason the pitch is off is possibly due to a poor embouchure. Refer to the “Getting a
Balanced Sound” section on page 17 to find a solution that improves your pitch.
Water noise can
be heard while
playing.
Moisture has accumulated in
the body, mouthpiece, or
reed.
Remove moisture from inside
of the body with the supplied
cleaning swab and also
remove moisture from inside
of mouthpiece and reed with
a soft cloth.
Overall pitch is
high.*
Biting too hard on the
mouthpiece.
Don’t bite too hard on the
mouthpiece.
Mouthpiece is positioned too
shallow in the mouth.
Position the mouthpiece deeper
into your mouth.
Upper front teeth are not
firmly resting on the
mouthpiece.
Make sure your upper front
teeth are placed firmly on the
mouthpiece.
Overall pitch is
low.*
Mouth is too loose or open
(the lower lip is not
sufficiently supporting the
reed).
Close your mouth tighter
around the reed (not to the
extent that the sound squeaks)
to firmly support the reed with
your lower lip.
Condition Cause Solution
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