Yamaha NAMM 2023 Recap

For those who don’t know about NAMM, it’s the longest-running musical instrument trade show in the world, now going into its 122nd year. This past April, Yamaha debuted an array of new products at the show and hosted a star-studded cast of live performers. Here’s a look at what we had going on this year.

The Yamaha Exhibit

This is the second year that Yamaha has been at its third floor location at the Anaheim Convention Center, after previously being in the adjacent Marriott Hotel.

The Yamaha exhibit at NAMM featured a central stage that hosted artist performances throughout the show, with each instrument category represented in the outer perimeter. People could walk about freely and try out different instruments while Yamaha Artists were playing on the stage.

Product Areas

The Winds area included standout trumpets from Yamaha, such as the new YTR Series Xeno models.

The Percussion area featured orchestral timpani that people could try out. Lots of attendees were having fun using the foot pedals to change the pitch of the drums while playing!

The Strings area featured acoustic instruments as well as electric and SILENT™ violins, violas, cellos and basses.

Performances

In addition to showcasing products, the Yamaha exhibit area also provided attendees with a great opportunity to enjoy a variety of performances from many talented artists. The new FG9 acoustic guitar, for example, was launched to the sounds of Jordan Tice and Jake Eddy trading bluegrass licks.

Keyboardist and Yamaha Artist Dan Rouse brought the audience to their feet with an improvised jam that featured people in the audience playing various Yamaha instruments, all grooving together to create a vibe.

@yamahamusicusa What happens when you have a crowd of musicians and a room full of instruments? @Dan #YamahaMusic #YamahaArtist #DanRouse #jambandmusic ♬ original sound – Yamaha Music

Yamaha Artist Grace Kelly was rocking on her Yamaha saxophone, getting the people on their feet.

Yamaha Artist Dr. P. Blake Cooper played a fun and inspiring set on tuba.

And legendary keyboardist Greg Phillinganes — one of the latest additions to the roster of Yamaha Artists — had the show floor packed for his band’s performance.

Yamaha product specialist Craig Knudsen demoed the new CVP-909 Clavinova digital piano.

And Yamaha Japan’s own CEO Tak Nakata strummed the new FG9.

Last but not least, the band Lawrence closed out the show on the Grand Plaza stage with a standout set of pure positive energy.

Here’s a quick video recap of Yamaha at the 2023 NAMM show:

Hope to see you there next year, Jan 24 – 28, 2024, at the Anaheim Convention Center!

Special thanks to the crews, setup staff and other unsung heroes that help make Yamaha and NAMM happen every year.