The History of Musical Genres, Part 4: R&B and Soul

Written by Marc Hopkins on January 4, 2021. Posted in History. 1 Comment on The History of Musical Genres, Part 4: R&B and Soul

For nearly a century, rhythm and blues (R&B) and its later offspring, soul, have provided a soundtrack for the everyday hardships and joys of life in the American experience. In this article, we’ll explore the roots of these genres, and take a look at some of the most influential R&B and soul artists of all time.

The Rise of R&B

Famed record producer Jerry Wexler is credited with coining the name “rhythm and blues” as a marketing device in the late 1940s. R&B is part of the larger continuum of Black music created in America and flows from the convergence of blues, big band swing, and gospel. The development of the genre and the growth of its popularity coincided with the second migration of African Americans from the south and rural areas to large cities like Chicago and New York following World War II.

One of the genre’s earliest practitioners, bandleader and saxophonist Louis Jordan — who also co-composed the 1944 hit song “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby” — used elements that would come to define R&B. These included the shuffle rhythm, boogie-woogie bass lines, and short horn patterns or riffs. “The songs featured the use of African American vernacular, humor and vocal call-and-response sections between Jordan and the band,” wrote ethnomusicologist Mark Puryear in a 2016 story in Smithsonian Magazine.

In the 1960s, the sound of R&B was largely influenced by Motown, the legendary Detroit-based record company started by songwriter/producer Berry Gordy Jr. Its roster of artists included dozens of legendary performers whose music would resonate for generations, such as Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Commodores, and, later, the Jackson 5. Many of Motown’s hits were penned by the songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland (brothers Brian and Eddie Holland, and Lamont Dozier), including “Heat Wave,” “Baby Love” and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You).” The skill of the backing musicians on Motown recordings — including drummer Benny Benjamin and the legendary bassist James Jamerson — also played a large role in shaping the sound and “feel” of R&B.

Even in a record company loaded with superstars and future hall of famers, there are standouts. Gordy once called Marvin Gaye “the truest artist I’ve ever known. And probably the toughest.” More than just an expressive R&B crooner with an astounding four-octave range, Gaye also penned his own songs. “Rarely has a musician had as great an impact on American culture as music legend Marvin Gaye,” said CBS News’ Rome Neal in a 2004 story about the singer’s lasting influence. In 2016, Gaye was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, who noted that he had “helped to shape R&B for a generation.” The honor came not only for Gaye’s own work — hits like “What’s Going On” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” — but also for songs written for his peers, such as “Dancing in the Street” for Martha and the Vandellas.

Another artist/songwriter who was crucial in the development of the so-called “Motown sound” was Smokey Robinson, the soulful leader of the vocal group known as the Miracles. During his decades-long career, Robinson wrote more than 1,000 songs, including “The Tracks Of My Tears,” “My Guy” (a hit for Mary Wells), and “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” popularized by the Temptations.

Stevie Wonder, who turned 70 this year, started his career with Motown at age 11, wowing audiences with his vocals and harmonica skills on the hit song “Fingertips – Pt. 2.” As the former child star matured, his skills expanded to synthesizers, drum machines and samplers. These modalities played a large role during what some refer to as Wonder’s classical period, which began in 1972 with the albums Music of My Mind and Talking Book, followed by Innervisions a year later, Fulfillingness’ First Finale in 1974 and Songs in the Key of Life in 1976. “What Stevie symbolized, especially during that time, is a fullness of the black experience,” said Zandria Robinson, professor of African American studies at Georgetown University, in a story for theundefeated.com. “Stevie is the black documentarian of the 1970s.”

Soul Men (and Women)

Sometime in the 1950s and early 1960s there was a co-mingling of R&B, gospel and jazz that led to the creation of soul. “When those three styles collided, soul’s big bang occurred,” said music writer Lois Wilson in a Telegraph article entitled “Life and Soul.” “Ray Charles and Sam Cooke laid the groundwork,” she says, “secularizing the sanctified with effusive vocal, stirring lyrics and deep rhythmic feeling: Ray with 1954’s “I Got A Woman,” Sam with 1957’s “You Send Me.”

At times, soul can sound a lot like R&B, but the genre’s best performers use the power and dexterity of their voice to tell their stories. Think of Aretha Franklin’s wail or the crooning of Al Green. The power of their storytelling lies in the subtleties of their vocals.

Like many Black artists, Sam Cooke honed his skills in the choir loft. He would later sing lead for the Soul Stirrers, a popular gospel quartet in the late 1940s. But Cooke was destined for bigger things and left the group in 1957 to pursue a path in secular music. He wrote (or co-wrote) many of the songs he sang, and also served as a mentor to other artists, jump-starting the careers of Billy Preston, Bobby Womack and Lou Rawls by helping them transition from the church to the bandstand. “What made brother Sam Cooke so special is he would stand flat-footed and kill you with one song,” said legendary singer James Brown in an interview with Dick Clark on the TV show American Bandstand. “If I had half the voice that Sam had, I would quit dancing.”

Ray Charles may have left us over a decade ago, but our musical memories keep him alive. “So much so that it’s a challenge to think of anyone else who ever performed such songs as “Georgia On My Mind,” “What’d I Say” and “You Don’t Know Me,” wrote Owen Edwards in Smithsonian Magazine. “Brother Ray” might often perform other genres of music, but no matter the tune, he was always singing soul. He also knew how to manipulate his voice to convey the feeling of the lyrics. “He could belt like a blues shouter and croon like a pop singer,” wrote Jon Pareles and Bernard Weinraub in their 2004 Ray Charles obituary in the New York Times, “and he used the flaws and breaks in his voice to illuminate emotional paradoxes. Even in his early years, he sounded like a voice of experience, someone who had seen all the hopes and follies of humanity.”

And then there’s the Queen of Soul: Aretha Franklin. Franklin’s instrument — her remarkable voice — made her much larger than the soul genre that so often defined her. The daughter of a Baptist minister, Franklin began her career as a child singing in church, but embarked on a secular career at the age of 18, finding acclaim and commercial success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. The label was also home to the aforementioned Jerry Wexler, who would produce both Franklin’s signature song “Respect” (written by fellow soul singer Otis Redding) and her 1967 mega-hit “(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman.” The impact Aretha Franklin had was lasting and profound, not just on her peers but on scores of R&B singers to follow — Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys among them.

Without R&B, there would be no soul music … and without the inspiration of jazz and gospel, there would be neither. Fortunately for us all, the convergence of these many different genres gave birth to music that will live on forever.

Check out the other articles in our “History of Musical Genres” series.

Chuck Leavell: A Life In Music and Conservation

Written by Mac Randall on January 1, 2021. Posted in Artists.

Mention the name Chuck Leavell to a knowledgeable music fan and you’re likely to hear about a first-call keyboardist who’s played with a dizzying list of famous artists over more than 50 years, including stints with the Allman Brothers, the Rolling Stones, Dr. John, the Black Crowes, Train and John Mayer. Mention the name Chuck Leavell to people in the field of environmental conservation and they’ll probably identify him as a leading American authority on land management, founder of the Mother Nature Network website (now Treehugger.com), author of three books about sustainable forestry and the 1999 winner of the National Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year Award from the American Tree Farm System, as well as one of only three recipients of an Honorary Forest Ranger award from the U.S. Forest Service.

Here’s the catch: Those two Chuck Leavells are actually one and the same person.

The Tree Man

Intrigued? You can find out much more in the recent documentary film by director Allen Farst, Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man, which explores the piano virtuoso’s fascinating dual life. Interviews with colleagues and pals like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Dickey Betts, Eric Clapton and David Gilmour are a big draw, but arguably more memorable — in part because they’re so unexpected — are the sequences that capture Leavell surveying and working the land on the 4,000-acre estate in Twiggs County, Georgia, that he manages with his wife of 47 years, Rose Lane.

Chuck Leavell riding horse through wooded area.

“I’m equally as passionate about doing that work as I am about working in music,” Leavell says over the phone from his home in Savannah, “and I feel blessed in both regards. One of the things that makes it interesting for me is that [forestry] is 180 degrees different in terms of careers and what it takes. You know, when we’re out rockin’ and rollin’ — and boy, do I miss it! — it’s an electric atmosphere. Big cities, big crowds, travel, travel, travel. And then when I get home and I hear the sound of the wind through the pines and leaves crunching under my feet rather than honk-honk, beep-beep and everything that goes on in the city, it really provides a fantastic balance for me.”

Leavell’s second career began in 1981, when his wife inherited a 1,200-acre plot of land from her grandmother. Rose Lane’s family has farmed and logged in the area for more than 200 years, and had bought this particular plot in the 1930s. “I took it very seriously,” he remembers, “that this was now our responsibility, to carry on a heritage of stewardship that her family had begun generations back. And I just felt a real need to educate myself, to learn as much as I could, and to be hands-on — not just pass it off to consultants or advisers but to get my hands dirty, to learn what it’s like to be a forester.”

A Journey of Self-Education

Some of that learning came via various in-laws, who were of course highly familiar with the land. And the more Leavell learned, the more interested he became, and the more he wanted to learn. “When I went on my self-education journey, the first thing I did was go to the library and check out books on land use,” he notes. “I went to government sources, which were quite good. What’s now called the NRCS, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, had great pamphlets about forestry. I went to meetings and seminars, I went to other landowners and asked questions.” He even took a forestry correspondence course in 1988, while on the road with the Fabulous Thunderbirds.

What he has learned is fascinating. “Trees communicate with each other, largely underground through their root systems,” he states. “Trees help each other when they feel one is distressed for one reason or another; perhaps in a drought year they try to share moisture with those that are ‘underprivileged.’ I think the science is there [to support that].”

The Impact of Climate Change

More than three decades since he began educating himself, the central challenges Leavell faces as a forester aren’t the same as they were in the ’80s. “Climate change has affected weather patterns everywhere, and certainly here in the Southeast,” he says. “In the last five or six years, we’ve broken records for triple-digit days and days of 90 degrees [Fahrenheit] and above. We had a drought in 2019, and this year, thank heaven, we’ve made up for some of that, but the bottom line is that there is no more ‘normal’ anymore that I can see. Typical amounts of rainfall per year or temperature range within a season — those rules have just been broken.”

Leavell urges that more people become what he has evolved into: an active advocate for the environment, though he acknowledges that he can’t always keep his career as “tree man” and his music career completely separate from one another. When he’s on the road, he says, “I’m always thinking, ‘Did we get enough rain this week? Have I lost any trees due to lightning strikes? Did that last storm knock anything down?’ I regularly call our caretaker and ask him for the latest report. These issues are constantly on my mind while I’m out touring.”

The Influence on His Music

Beyond this, Leavell feels that his life with trees has strongly influenced his life in music. “Being in the woods and working the land has a very calming effect on one’s psyche,” he notes, “and that transfers to when we’re on the big stage or in some other pressure situation. Rather than let myself get anxious when certain things go wrong, that calming effect of the forest allows me to take a deep breath and not panic.

“The other thing is, forestry is a slow-motion process. It takes a long time to grow that tree from a seedling and to manage a forest properly. It takes a lot of observation and a lot of patience, and that rolls over into my musical world as well: to not get in too big of a hurry, to think things through, to look at all angles of a song or a recording or a set list. When I’m out riding through our land, I’m saying, ‘Is this tract overcrowded? Is it conducive to wildlife? What does it need?’ And that thought process carries over to music. When I’m learning a new song for an artist, I’m asking myself, ‘What does this song want me to do?’”

Chuck Leavell sitting on piano in field.

Like Chuck Leavell, Yamaha has a deep commitment to sustainability. Read more here.

Photographs ©2020 Allen Farst.

Click here to watch “Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man.”

Check out this related blog article.

How to Install In-Ceiling Speakers

Written by Eric Thies on December 31, 2020. Posted in Audio How-to. 3 Comments on How to Install In-Ceiling Speakers

Finding a spot in your room for a pair of speakers can be difficult. Another challenge is that some speakers do not distribute sound evenly. For these reasons, in-ceiling speakers often provide the best solution.

In this article, we’ll show you everything you need to know to install a pair of in-ceiling speakers, using Yamaha NS-IC800s as an example. These speakers provide rich sound with excellent dispersion to fill your room with high-quality audio.

First, gather the tools you will need:

– Ladder

– Floor covering / tarp

– Stud finder

– Drywall saw

– Blue painter’s tape

– Measuring tape

– Pencil

– Wire stripper

– Screwdriver

Now you’re ready to get started! Simply follow these steps:

1. Plan your placement. Your in-ceiling speakers should be central to the room, and they should also be oriented with your furniture or prime listening spot so that the left and right speakers are actually to the right and left of where you will be sitting. You will also probably want to align the speakers with other ceiling elements (like recessed lighting fixtures) so there is a visual sense of symmetry.

2. Mark your locations. Locate your ceiling joists with a stud finder and mark them with blue tape so that you can properly align the speaker opening between the joists. Measure your distances from the other ceiling elements for alignment purposes. A good rule of thumb is to keep the speakers about eight feet apart or so. This will vary based on room size.

3. Use your template. A nice feature of the Yamaha NS-IC800 is that it includes a template that is the exact opening size you will need to cut. If you’re using a different make or model of in-ceiling speaker, you can create a similar kind of template with a piece of stiff cardboard. Place the template on the ceiling and in alignment with your other ceiling devices, then trace around it with your pencil.

4. Cut your openings. Once you have your opening marked out, grab your drywall saw and get to work. Keep in mind that you are going to make an enormous amount of dust, so be sure to protect your floors before you start cutting those holes.

5. Run your wires. Now that you have your openings cut, this is the perfect time to run wire back to your amp or AV receiver. Take advantage of your attic space if there is one over the room. Hopefully you are connecting to a receiver like the stellar Yamaha RX-V6A, which has a handy “Zone 2” feature that lets you fill an additional room with sound.

6. Make your connections. With your amp or receiver turned off, strip the conductors of your speaker cable and connect them to the speakers before you install them in the ceiling. Only expose enough copper to fit in the terminals. Any additional exposed copper leaves you susceptible to creating an electrical short and potentially damaging the amplifier.

7. Install your speakers. With your speaker wires firmly in place, place the speaker into the opening and use a manual screwdriver to tighten the screws. (I recommend a manual screwdriver so that you don’t run the risk of over-tightening and damaging the drywall.) The NS-IC800s have dogleg brackets that will grab the inside of the drywall and allow you to clamp the speaker in place by simply tightening the screws.

8. Put on the finishing touches. Now that the speakers are in place, add the finishing touch by putting on the magnetic grills. While you are still on the ladder, clean off any fingerprints that you may have left on the grills.

9. Turn the receiver on and enjoy your music! Here’s what the finished installation should look like:

Installed in-ceiling speaker to the right and left of a lighted ceiling fan.

All photographs courtesy of the author.

Click here for more information about Yamaha NS-IC800 in-ceiling speakers.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha RX-V6A AV receiver.

David Kahne

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on December 30, 2020. Posted in Recording.

Meet David Kahne, a multifaceted record producer, musician and composer who has worked with Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Kelly Clarkson, the Bangles, Sugar Ray, Fishbone, Sublime and Tony Bennett, among others. Kahne uses Steinberg Cubase and Nuendo software to compose and mix, and in this video, shot at New York’s Flux Studios, he explains why.

“I have a 38.2 [channel] surround room here,” he says, “It gets pretty complicated! So it’s great having Nuendo. I can load up matrixes upon matrixes and then easily render them, plus all the plug-ins are multichannel and surround-ready.”

“I started using Cubase when the Nuendo audio engine [was integrated into it],” he continues. “I use it more for recording because the MIDI functionality is perfect.” Kahne is a particular fan of the Cubase Delay Compensation feature. “When I’ve got several plug-ins running, normally I would think I’d have some kind of phase problem because of latency, [but with Cubase] it’s not there. When I ping out to a piece of external gear and back in, it figures out the latency and [the signal is] in phase.”

Kahne’s scoring setup is extremely sophisticated, with video running simultaneously on multiple networked computers and audio routed via MADI into summing amplifiers. This lets him access his wide array of analog audio gear directly, in real time, with immediate recalls. “For scoring, I would [normally] start with Cubase for the composition,” he says, “and then as the production went on I would switch to Nuendo. It’s really nice to [be able to] go back and forth between the two.” While he relies on Nuendo for surround productions, Kahne does, however, generally prefer to mix in Cubase. “It’s because of the way I have Cubase routed to all of my analog gear, so it’s faster,” he explains.

“The audio engine is why I switched to Steinberg DAWs,” Kahne says. “The frequencies were more clear, and the EQs — I was actually EQing the frequency that it said I was, with no phase problems. It was really a revelation.”

Check out these related articles.

Click here to learn more about Steinberg Cubase.

Click here to learn more about Steinberg Nuendo.

Here are the New Peter Hook and Billy Sheehan Signature Basses

Written by Michael Gelfand on December 29, 2020. Posted in Bass. 1 Comment on Here are the New Peter Hook and Billy Sheehan Signature Basses

If you’re anything like me, your heart skips a beat whenever you hear about a new bass. Truth be told, some manufacturers get inordinately worked up over vanilla variations of the same old theme. But there are times when the introduction of a new bass is actually something worthy of getting frothy over.

Such is the case with two recent product announcements from Yamaha. These aren’t just any basses, mind you — they’re a duo of limited-run high-end instruments released within weeks of one another: the BBPH Peter Hook Signature and the Billy Sheehan Attitude 30th Anniversary. This is truly a big deal! Let’s take a closer look at each.

BBPH Peter Hook Signature

If ever there’s been someone deserving of his own custom instrument, it’s Peter Hook, the renowned “lead bassist” for Joy Division and New Order. Recognized as a true innovator by peers and fans alike, Hook’s tone is synonymous with upper-register grooves and swirling melody lines. Interestingly, it’s something he gravitated towards out of necessity — simply to be heard — but it’s a sound that went on to become his own. It not only drew the spotlight to him, it also influenced a generation of bassists. You know, typical bass hero stuff …

Peter Hook electric bass guitar with maroon finish.

What’s particularly interesting about the evolution of Hook’s sound and style is that he was lucky enough to hone it on an instrument whose design couldn’t have been more conducive to what it would become. Hook’s first bass, a Yamaha BB600, was stolen during an early U.S. tour, but its replacement — a Yamaha BB1200S — proved to be a match made in heaven. The neck-through design and slim profile of the BB1200S felt custom-built for Hook, and its reversed split coil pickups accentuated his melodic lines and trebly double-stops. In recent years, the more modern Yamaha BB734A, with its bolt-on neck and extremely versatile active tone circuitry, started working its way into Hook’s arsenal. So when Yamaha approached him about creating his own bass, he thought long and hard about the qualities and characteristics he valued most in both basses. The BBPH Peter Hook Signature bass represents the perfect amalgamation of all of them.

Like the BB1200S, the BBPH features reversed split single coil pickups (these ones are VSP7n Alnico V pickups). The reverse design means that the traditional location of each half coil is swapped: the half dedicated to the D and G strings is closer to the neck, and the half dedicated to the E and A strings is closer to the bridge. This results in a sweeter, rounder sound for notes played on the two higher strings, and tighter lows for the two lower strings.

The BBPH draws on the BB734A, incorporating switchable active/passive three-band equalization, as well as a six-bolt mitred neck joint rather than a neck-through design. Two of those bolts connect at a 45-degree angle, which helps deliver the hallmark strength and solidity that Hook liked in the BB1200S neck-through design and also draws out extra brightness and snap from the upper mids and highs.

When it comes to construction and looks, the BBPH cuts no corners. It melds an alder/maple/alder body with a five-piece neck constructed from maple and mahogany, along with a rosewood fingerboard. The bass is finished in a sexy maroon finish (with a matching, autographed headstock), and comes appointed with lightweight open-gear tuners and a Vintage Plus bridge that gives you the flexibility of convertible stringing (top-loaded or through-body, depending on your taste).

Billy Sheehan Attitude 30th Anniversary

Billy Sheehan with Signature 30th Anniversary bass.

Billy Sheehan is a master bassist whose monstrous shredding style and boundary-busting experimentalism are well known … but perhaps less known is his expertise as an innovative designer. To celebrate the longstanding collaboration between Sheehan and Yamaha for the past 30 years, they worked in tandem to create the Attitude 30th Anniversary — a limited run of 30 basses made in honor of the auspicious milestone.

The Attitude 30th honors all of the defining characteristics of the heavily modified and customized bass (“the Wife”) that originally inspired the line of Sheehan Signature basses, and it spares nothing to effectively tweak out the absolute best performance features, design tolerances and flawless aesthetics.

If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one, you’ll immediately notice the beautiful sunburst finish — just like the original finish on his legendary customized bass, except without the scars — dressed up with a four-ply tortoise pickguard and nickel-plated hardware. You’ll also recognize the maple neck and maple fingerboard with its upper-register scallops. Like the original, the neck is bolt-on, designed to maintain the integrity of that body-neck connection in spite of the aggressive thrashing that Sheehan inflicts on his basses every time he takes the stage.

And then there are all the modernized features that bring the Attitude 30th firmly into the 21st century, such as a DiMarzio^® Woofer pickup in the neck position and DiMarzio Will Power™ split pickups in the middle position, along with dual outputs to enable true separation and finer articulation of the signals coming from each pickup (this also makes it easy for you to bi-amp the signal if you desire). As if that isn’t enough, each bass comes with a sturdy hard-shell case and a numbered certificate of authenticity signed by Sheehan, as well as a signed second pickguard.

Billy Sheehan Attitude 30th Anniversary electric bass guitar with sunburst finish.

These are product announcements worth getting excited over, with both instruments incorporating innovative design and quality control at its finest. If you’re serious about bass, you owe it to yourself to check them out!

Click here for more information about the BBPH Peter Hook Signature bass.

Click here for more information about the Billy Sheehan Attitude 30th Anniversary bass.

Letter to Myself: Jeffrey Grogan

Written by Jeffrey Grogan on December 28, 2020. Posted in YMEC Content.

Yamaha Master Educator Jeffrey Grogan is Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Activities at Oklahoma City University. He is also Artistic Director and Conductor of the Oklahoma Youth Orchestras.

Below, he pens a letter to his younger self, sharing advice, anecdotes and inspiration for a fulfilling career in music education.

Dear Younger Jeffrey:

I know how nervous and excited you are as you embark on your first day as a music educator. Let me assure you, the journey will be fun and rewarding, full of ups and downs. The highs will keep you motivated and inspired. You will work with tens of thousands of talented students, and you will feel the biggest rush when you perform together in concert halls all over the world.

The lows will be few and far between. Don’t be discouraged by them — instead, have fun figuring out how to overcome and solve these obstacles.

Jeffrey Grogan Conducting Be ready for anything, and I mean anything — even a terrible pandemic that shuts down schools across the country! The silver lining is that you will invent new ways for your students to learn and grow without actually being together in person. You’ll digitally host famous performers and artists who will engage your students in conversations. You will work together with your friends and colleagues to create a new teaching paradigm using smaller groups and exploring some of the greatest music ever written.

During the last 25 years as a music educator, I have learned so much about myself. Here are some invaluable tips — things I wish I had known on Day 1.

Find a few good mentors, people you respect and can rely on to tell you the truth. Ask them a lot of questions because figuring out what you don’t know is the key. Trust me, you don’t have all the answers … and seeking out new ideas is a never-ending quest!

I know you like to “fix” things during rehearsals, but inspired students possess superhuman skills. Always keep them inspired, and you’ll find that you have less to fix!

You will be tempted to let the importance of the final product outweigh the process. Don’t let that happen! Always keep the reasons you became a musician and educator at the center of everything you do. Pass along this love of music to your students.

Record your rehearsals. Though potentially painful to experience, you will learn so much about yourself and your students. Recording will be easy in the future — everyone will have portable phones that have video cameras! With the phone, you can send messages and check your emails, like having a computer that fits in the palm of your hand. By the way, you’re going to love these things called emoji.

But most importantly, your students and the people you meet and work with over the years will bring you indescribable joy. They will keep you going through the tough times and will enrich your life beyond measure.

Love everyone!

Jeffrey in 2020

Photo by Fred Stucker

SupportED 2020v5n3 cover with Mimi Stillman This article originally appeared in the 2020N3 issue of Yamaha SupportED. To see more back issues, find out about Yamaha resources for music educators, or sign up to be notified when the next issue is available, click here.

Fix It: Trombone Teaching Tips

Written by Domingo Pagliuca on December 28, 2020. Posted in Winds.

What makes the trombone special? The sound of the trombone is one of the most profound and glorious of the brass family.

As composer Hector Berlioz said, “The trombone is the true head of the family of wind instruments … it has all the serious and powerful tones of sublime musical poetry, from religious, calm and imposing accents to savage, orgiastic outburst.”

How to Fix Lack of Air Stream/Direction

How to Fix Syncing Movement Between Slide and Articulation

How to Fix Posture When Sitting in the Ensemble

Throughout my years as a professional player and teacher, countless people have asked me why I chose to play the trombone. My father played the trombone and was the principal trombonist of the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra. I remember going with him to orchestra rehearsals and recording session of all sorts. But when I started in the music world at 7 or 8 years old, my first instrument was the violin. I guess I was too small to hold the trombone, but I loved the way it sounded and listened to my dad practice and play in all kinds of ensembles. When I was 9, I started playing the trumpet, but the trumpet and I didn’t get along even though I liked the instrument deeply — and still do. It wasn’t until I was 12 that I was able to finally switch to the trombone. At that moment, I found my true passion for the instrument and music making.

By traveling around the world, I have observed common problems and mistakes that trombone students make. And I want to help them approach, deal with and ultimately solve these problems.

Fix It: Lack of Air Stream/Direction

When I get to work with students alone or as a member of Boston Brass, the main issue I encounter is the improper use of air when students play the trombone. Students always struggle with how to properly and efficiently use air.

It is vital to emphasize to students that breathing is a natural process, and it is the main resource they need to play the trombone. It is this breathing-as-second-nature process that helps the lips vibrate in order to produce sound. The vibration of the lips is created by the air stream that goes through the small aperture of their lips. This is what we call sound. Students cannot recognize good sound if they are not using proper and efficient air.

I always say that the trombone is the expansion of the human voice because it has the same register as the tenor voice. In order to make music, we need to “sing” through our instruments, and that is why it is so important to have proper and efficient air.

THE YSL-350C TROMBONE: Built for your beginning students!

The “Breathing Gym” process — created by the late great Boston Brass tubist Sam Pilafian and renowned tubist Patrick Sheridan — is the perfect approach to help students focus their breathing and be aware of how air needs to be used. Teachers must emphasize the similarity between musicians blowing air through their instruments and singers using air to make their vocal cords vibrate to sing.

Use the “Breathing Gym” daily as a tool to identify, process and deliver how to use air. This will definitely help students focus on how to properly create a nice sound and blow enough steady air to play one note or a set of notes with one continued air stream.

It is imperative to have students not only hear phrases, melodies or parts in their minds, but also to sing them before they even play them on the trombone.

They should listen to as much music, including singers, as they can. This is key to develop this concept of singing through our instruments. Just like Frank Sinatra said, “It was my idea to make my voice work in the same way as a trombone or violin — not sounding like them, but ‘playing’ the voice like those instruments.”

Fix It: Syncing Movement Between Slide and Articulation

Another big issue for trombone students is syncing between the slide and the articulation when they play. What makes the trombone unique compared to other brass instruments is how it changes notes or pitch. You change notes on trumpets, French horns and tubas by pressing a key or valve. Trombonists have to deal with a slide to change notes, and we also need to match articulation and phrasing with the other instruments. In many cases, the slide movement is late or slow as players go from one note to the other, or they stop the air (note) to move the slide to reach the next pitch. Either scenario is a big mistake.

To address this issue, begin by focusing on playing notes with no articulation. I play the first note using my tongue to have a clean start; the next notes will be played with just the slide movement and no articulation.

Students should metronomes and their tuners at all times. (I recommend the TonalEnergry Tuner and Metronome app). It is very important to breathe (as explained in the “Air Stream/Direction” section above) and play in time.

Another exercise to help with syncing movement between the slide and articulation is to play scales (quarter notes, 68-70bpm), making sure that your students move exactly on time for each note, not before. Focus on having that pitch change on top of the beat so that the note they are playing will sound longer to the next one. Make sure that students are relaxed so when they move their arms to change pitch, the instrument doesn’t move. The more you emphasize this, the better your students will sound, and they will be more aware of what happens when they do it wrong.

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Fix It: Posture when Sitting in the Ensemble

Students with bad posture in band/ensembles may not seem like a big issue, but it is. Posture affects breathing and sound.

If we don’t breathe properly (again, going back to “Air Stream/Direction”), we won’t produce good sound. If we don’t breathe efficiently, we won’t have endurance. If we don’t sit properly, we won’t be able to breathe or even hold our trombone correctly.

Proper posture allows our bodies to be balanced and relaxed. First, make sure students are seated with their feet flat on the floor. Their knees should be directly over their ankles. Both hip bones should be grounded to the chair. Most importantly, students should be seated at the front edge of their chairs — their backs should be away from the back of the chair so they can feel the curve of their spines. With that back arch, they can feel how much air fills their lungs when they breathe.

To show students the difference in breathing, have them breathe deeply while sitting with their backs against the back of the chair. Then have them sit at the front edge of the chair and breathe deeply again. Tell students to use their hands to feel the arch of their backs and have them listen to the sounds of their breathing.

Also, sitting at the back of the chair results in an unbalanced posture, forcing students to point their bell/sound to the ground, which makes it more difficult to move the slide.

As teachers, you will always have some students who need to be guided and told what to do and how to practice routine exercises and warmups. But the students who are invested in their musical education are the ones who will motivate you to do all you can to make them better musicians. Just give them the tools they need to be fired up, and they will spread their drive, attitude and enthusiasm to the other members of the ensemble.

As I’ve stated before, one of my main recommendations to teachers, students and avid instrumentalists is to listen to music — not just the music related to your instrument, but music in general. You are going to be as good as your ears are. The more you hear, the better musician and artist you will be.

Playing By Ear, Part 1

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on December 28, 2020. Posted in Keyboard How-to.

There are plenty of musicians who don’t read music. Instead, they are able to quickly pick up songs by listening to them. The Beatles are a good example. They showed each other their new tunes by simply playing them repeatedly, and it seems to have worked out pretty well for them!

There are also several well-known jazz musicians who only played by ear, including pianist Erroll Garner and guitarist Wes Montgomery, to name just two. Mind you, I’m not trying to make a case for not learning to read music — I think it’s an essential skill for all musicians. But I also feel that learning to play by ear is an equally important, if not more important aspect of musicianship to develop, regardless of how well you can read.

The good news is that playing by ear is a skill that can be learned, with an analytical approach and a lot of practice. In this two-part series, I’ll show you how.

Mastering the Melody

Start by listening to the song over and over until it becomes familiar to you. As you do so, try to sing along with the melody. It doesn’t matter how well you sing; this is a great first step before you even touch your keyboard. After you get comfortable with the song, focus on just the first note. After listening to it a few times, stop playback at exactly that moment so that the sound of that note “hangs” in the air. Now try singing it. When you feel you’re correctly singing that first note, try to find it on your keyboard. There are only 12 different notes in Western music, so it shouldn’t be too hard! If you’re having difficulty finding that first note on your keyboard, try to analyze why. Is the note you’re singing higher, or lower than the note you’re playing? Does it seem close, or far away? Thinking about what you’re hearing is a much better approach than just randomly poking away at notes.

Once you’ve found the opening note, you are on your way to picking out the rest of the first melodic phrase. The overall approach is similar — again, singing the part can be helpful — but try to hear the melody line in these terms: Does the melody move up, or down, and when does that change? Does it move through notes that are close to one another, or does it seem to jump further afield? These two aspects (direction and distance) will help guide you throughout the process. Once you’ve figured out the direction in which it moves, you can look for which note it moves to. This is achieved through a technique commonly known as ear training (actually, it’s training your brain, but we won’t quibble over semantics).

Ear training is all about learning to recognize melodic intervals — that is, the distance between two notes. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to use familiar songs to associate with each of these distances/intervals. This will help you to quickly hear (and therefore find) the notes in a melodic phrase.

In music theory, intervals are described by the number of half-steps (i.e., semitones) each note is from the preceding note. Here’s a list of some of the most common musical associations used, along with audio clips to demonstrate how they sound:

– Because it’s the smallest interval possible on the piano, the first is the half step/minor 2nd. The iconic cue in the movie “Jaws” that signalled that a shark was nearby works well to demonstrate this:

– The whole step/major 2nd (2 semitones away) has many possible references: “Happy Birthday” is probably the most well-known:

– The minor 3rd is 3 semi-tones away and is famous as being the lead-in to a lullaby:

– The major 3rd is four semi-tones away, and should be very familiar as part of the sound of a major triad:

– The interval called a perfect 4th is five semitones away and will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s ever attended a wedding:

– The next larger interval is the raised 4th (also called a tritone), which is 6 semitones away:

– You’ll find a perfect 5th located 7 semitones away—an interval that will be recognizable to fans of sci-fi movies everywhere:

– The minor 6th is 8 semitones away:

– … and the major 6th is 9 semitones away and is used in two iconic melodies:

– Next up is the minor 7th, which is 10 semitones away:

– The major seventh is 11 semitones away:

– And the last interval you need to train your ear/brain to recognize is the octave, which goes from one note to the next instance of that same note, 12 semitones away:

Whew! And we’re not done: You should also study these intervals moving downward as well as upward. Same principle — find a song to associate with each movement to get it in your ear and brain. If the above references don’t work for you, find your own (click here for some YouTube suggestions). It doesn’t matter what the actual song reference is — what’s important is that it is familiar to you and helps you to quickly recognize these interval jumps.

You can even turn ear training into a two-person game: One person plays a note on the keyboard, announces what it is, and then plays a second note; the other person guesses what the interval and second note is. There are also many online ear training exercises that can help you work on your pitch and interval recognition.

In Part 2, we’ll talk about using technology to learn both the notes and the chords to a song.

All audio played on a Yamaha P-515.

Check out our other Well-Rounded Keyboardist postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha keyboard instruments.

Young man with his eyes closed and wearing headphones.

How to Burn-In Headphones and Earbuds

Written by Ted Goslin on December 25, 2020. Posted in Audio How-to. 1 Comment on How to Burn-In Headphones and Earbuds

As any personal trainer will tell you, running long distances without stretching first is risky business. You could pull a muscle, or worse.

The same logic applies to audio gear. Have you ever put on a set of headphones and wondered why you weren’t hearing everything with absolute clarity? Maybe the percussive rattle of a tambourine is absent, or the vibrating thumpiness of an upright bass is a little lackluster. Sure, it may depend on the quality of the headphones, but best to reserve your judgement until you give them enough playtime to reach their maximum potential.

The good news is that there’s a way to accelerate this process. It’s called burn-in.

Why Do A Burn-In?

While not a requirement, burning-in your headphones or earbuds will help provide an optimal listening experience. Here’s why. Each individual headphone/earbud within a pair consists of an outer shell, magnet, diaphragm and coil. These internal components make up something called a driver, which is what produces the sound that is sent into your ear canal.

These drivers (sometimes known as transducers) are the same as what you find in speakers, only smaller. Their function is to take electrical energy and transform it into kinetic energy via the cone (or dome) of the speaker they are attached to. There are two connection points: the “Surround,” which attaches the frame of the driver to the cone, and the “Spider,” which is the flexible part underneath the cone that keeps the coil centered in the magnet structure. Once those two connection points are burned-in, they loosen and allow the driver to move in and out more freely. The audio quality will likely be noticeably better once the burn-in process is complete, though the improvement is generally gradual.

How to Do a Burn-In

There are two accepted methods of burning-in headphones or earbuds. Both involve sending audio to them for an extended period, with the optimal time frame being 40 hours of continuous play. The two methods are:

1. Use a burn-in playlist of music and noise tracks in various frequency ranges from highest to lowest. These are available from a number of websites, including Spotify^®.

2. Use loops of different noises and frequencies via a “burn-in disc” or online white noise playlist. One such product that we recommend is the free CASCADE Noise Burn-in Disc from TARA Labs, which allows you to download a file that can then be burned to CD and played back from your CD player or computer, or from the embedded video at the end of this article. (Be sure to read the instructions at the start of the video for proper safety measures and execution of the burn-in.)

Once you have your burn-in audio at hand, make sure your headphones are charged (if wireless), then connect your headphones or earbuds to the computer or mobile device that will be doing the playback. Caution: Burning-in your headphones or earbuds should always be done at a moderate volume or you run the risk of damaging or destroying the drivers. And don’t listen to your headphones or earbuds while the burn-in file is playing. It won’t sound very pleasant, and it’s not good for your hearing health.

As we mentioned, the total recommended burn-in time is 40 hours, but you can do this in multiple four- to five-hour sessions (while you sleep, for example) so you can enjoy listening to music in-between.

Once you complete your burn-in, we suggest listening to some test tracks, such as the Yamaha “New to high-res audio?” playlist on Qobuz. You’ll find that after you’ve “stretched” (burned-in) your headphones or earbuds properly, you’ll be able to “run” (listen) to any kind of music or podcast with full audio fidelity!

Photo courtesy of @nitagill

Click here to learn more about Yamaha True Wireless earbuds.

Click here to learn more about Yamaha noise-cancelling headphones.

40 under 40 2021

Written by Super User on December 24, 2020. Posted in 2021. 8 Comments on 40 under 40 2021

2021 Yamaha “40 Under 40” — Celebrating Excellence in Music Education

Yamaha launched the “40 Under 40” music education advocacy program to celebrate and recognize outstanding music educators who are making a difference by growing and strengthening their music programs. Their students range from transitional kindergarteners to college undergrads at public, private and charter schools, as well as private music students. Their programs are small and large, brand new and with storied histories.

In the fall of 2020, we asked for nominations of music educators under the age of 40 who showcased the following characteristics: action (anticipate what needs to be done and proactively take the necessary steps that lead to a stronger music program), courage (propose and implement new or bold ideas), creativity (show innovation and imagination in achieving plans and objectives) and growth (establish, grow or improve music education in their schools and communities).

We received hundreds of nominations from students, parents, other teachers and administrators, local instrument dealers and mentors.

The selected “40 Under 40” educators below have gone above and beyond to elevate music and music-making in their students’ lives — like Jason Sleppy, who secured the use of Lucas Oil Stadium during the pandemic so his students could have an end-of-year performance; Willie Garfield, who started his music education career as a teenager; Jennifer Antonetti, who created an app to help music educators keep track of inventory, student information and more; Eric Jimenez, who launched a podcast about urban music education; and Michael Gamon, who created a role-playing game complete with set pieces and a website to engage his violin students.

We are inspired and in awe of this inaugural class of “40 Under 40” educators.

** NOTE: Sign up for the Yamaha Educator Newsletter to stay informed about the “40 Under 40” program as well as other music education advocacy news and information from Yamaha.

Meet the 2026 “40 Under 40” Educators

Meet the 2025 “40 Under 40” Educators

Meet the 2024 “40 Under 40” Educators

Meet the 2023 “40 Under 40” Educators

Meet the 2022 “40 Under 40” Educators

Christine Adelmann

Band Director
Gompers Junior High School
Joliet, Illinois

Javier Alcántara-Rojas

Director of GREAT Academy,
Director of Instrumental Music
Granite Hills High School
Apple Valley, California

Jennifer Antonetti

Instrumental Music Teacher
Topeka High School,
Robinson Middle School,
Meadows Elementary School
Topeka, Kansas

David Bechard

Director of Instrumental Music
Wahlert Catholic High School
Dubuque, Iowa

Jenn Bock

Assistant Band Director,
Marching Band Director
Highland High School
Gilbert, Arizona

Erin Busch

Executive Director
Young Women Composers
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Jacob Campos

Director of Bands
Franklin High School
Franklin, Tennessee

Kevin Cooley

High School Band, AP Music Theory and Digital Audio Production Instructor
Platteville High School
Platteville, Wisconsin

Megan Cooney

Director of Athletic Bands,
Associate Director of Bands
St. Ambrose University
Davenport, Iowa

Lydia Cox

Chorus and Digital Music Teacher
Crosby Middle School
Louisville, Kentucky

Tiffany Cox

Director of Bands
Lake Worth Community High School
Lake Worth Beach, Florida

Christopher DiMassimo

Assistant Director of Bands, Guitar Teacher
Rachel Carson Middle School
Herndon, Virginia

Carmen Fields

Choir and General Music Teacher
Edgewood Middle School
Trenton, Ohio

Michael Gamon

Fine and Performing Arts Chair,
Center for Creative Arts Director
Harrisburg Academy
Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania

Willie Garfield

CEO
Garfield Institute of Music
Memphis, Tennessee

Andrew Gibb-Clark

Director of Choral Activities,
Fine Arts Department Chair
Highland High School
Highland, Illinois

David Irish

Director of Orchestras,
Associate Director of Concert Bands
Palo Verde High School
Las Vegas, Nevada

Eric Jimenez

Assistant Director of Bands
Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View, Texas

Chris Kaflik

Director of Bands
Brownsburg High School
Brownsburg, Indiana

Jarrett Lipman

Director of Bands
Claudia Taylor “Lady Bird” Johnson
High School
San Antonio, Texas

Matthew Martindale

Director of Bands
Shelby County High School and
Columbiana Middle School
Columbiana, Alabama

David Matchim

Director of Bands
Centennial High School
Ellicott City, Maryland

Matthew Moore

Matt Moore

Associate Band Director,
Director of Percussion
V.R. Eaton High School
Haslet, Texas

Steve Moreland

Director of Fine Arts
St. Michael’s Catholic Academy
Austin, Texas

Phil Nagy

Music Teacher
McVey Innovative Learning Center
(Part of Hilliard City Schools)
Hilliard, Ohio

Becky Paschke

Instrumental Music Director
D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School
Denver, Colorado

Megan Sahely

Director of Orchestras
Leon High School and Raa Middle School
Tallahassee, Florida

Doug Schaffer

Director of Bands
Mark Twain Junior/Senior High School
Center, Missouri

Jason Sleppy

Band Director, Mason Middle School
Marching Band Director, Mason High School
Mason, Ohio

Willie Snipes Jr.

Director of College Bands
Miles College
Fairfield, Alabama

Don Stinson

Director of Bands
Joliet Central High School
Joliet, Illinois

Tyler Swick

Elementary Music Educator
Robert and Sandy Ellis Elementary School
Henderson, Nevada

Brian Teed

Director of Percussion,
Associate Director of Bands
Wakeland High School
Frisco, Texas

Celina Velez

Music Director
Cayuga Elementary School
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Giselle Vento Banda

Pre-K-5th Music Specialist
Parkdale Elementary School
Waco, Texas

Vincent Vicchiariello

Director of Bands
Nutley High School
Nutley, New Jersey

E.J. Villanueva

TK-4th General Music,
5th-6th Instrumental Music Teacher
Orange Grove Elementary School
Anaheim, California

Tim Walck

Director of Music, Yearbook Advisor
Austin Area School District
Austin, Pennsylvania

Aaron Zeilinger

Director of Instrumental Music
Orange Lutheran High School
Orange, California

Cory Zilisch

Director of Orchestras
Westport Middle School
Louisville, Kentucky

Reset and Rethink New Year’s Resolutions

Written by Kathryn Drury Wagner on December 23, 2020. Posted in Self-Care.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that making New Year’s resolutions is a recent phenomenon — perhaps started by some 1970s ad campaign. But no.

The first New Year’s resolutions were reportedly made 4,000 years ago by the ancient Babylonians. At an annual 12-day festival at the beginning of the year, they would pay off debts and return borrowed items, hoping to earn the favor of the gods. The ancient Romans also had a New Year’s tradition, where they offered sacrifices and promised good behavior. So, our modern habit of making resolutions has a long history.

Humans have an equally long history of failing to uphold those resolutions. According to U.S. News & World Report, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail, and they fail fast — by the second week of February.

A Business Insider article states that people tend to fail at resolutions for several reasons. One, they set goals that aren’t specific like “eat healthier.” Two, their resolutions don’t sound particularly enjoyable. And three, they set goals that are more about societal expectations than what feels deeply personal.

With this in mind, here are some ways to make New Year’s resolutions that will resonate with you and help you actually achieve something awesome in 2021.

Reset 1: Make it Fun

Since you’re a music educator, how about setting an intention to create a monthly playlist? This could be songs that reflect your taste in pop music like a “Beatlemania” or “Boy Bands Forever” playlist. Or songs that match your current mood about social injustice or yearning to be outdoors.

What about a list to support your teaching goals, such as songs for groups, genres or timeframes you’ve been meaning to explore? To get you started, check out this Spotify playlist a teacher created to feel pumped up.

You can even involve your students in this exercise by asking them to create and share playlists based on a monthly theme. At the end of 2021, scan your playlists and compile the top 12 songs into a “Best Songs of the Year” mix.

Reset 2: Make it Decadent

What’s another step past fun? Total decadence.

Vow to create one utterly delicious new dessert each week. Or maybe you and your partner decide to curl up and do an at-home whisky tasting once a month, sipping spirits from various places around the world. Or indulge in screenings of classic movie musicals. Doesn’t that sound more inspiring than saying: “learn to cook, study geography and foster my passion for music?”

Reset 3: Think Quarterly

Try setting resolutions on a quarterly — rather than yearly — basis, a trick taught by happiness and habits expert Gretchen Rubin. She actually offers all sorts of ways of approaching resolutions, from forming a club with others to assessing your personality.

But for me, the best tip is to set quarterly goals. It’s much more tangible — and achievable — to decide, for example, that for Q1, my resolution is to work on my original music compositions for 20 minutes a day. Then for Q2, see how you’re feeling, reassess and set a new goal. With a year-long goal, the 12-month window creates a relaxed zone of “sometime soon” that can continually get pushed back and become “never.”

Reset 4: Simple Swaps are Powerful

Remember, vague goals like “eat healthier” don’t tend to work well. But let’s say you’ve been having a daily Snickers every day after classes end. Swap the candy bar with a daily snack of peanut butter on an apple and you’re getting 4.4 grams of fiber in the apple and 1.9 grams in two tablespoons of peanut butter, racking up 6.3 grams out of the daily 30 grams that you should aim for, according to the Mayo Clinic. (Save the Snickers for a Friday treat, if you can’t live without it.)

Reset 5: Take Tiny Steps

Vowing to get to know all your students better is a huge goal. Break that resolution down into break-out sessions — in person or virtually — with smaller groups of students, which will allow you to talk more with each student and get to know his or her strengths and goals.

On a personal level, decluttering your workspace can feel pretty overwhelming, but what if you commit to removing one item from either your home or school office every day, all year? Pretty soon, the piles of music, papers and files will be tamed.

By seeing New Year’s resolutions as ways to set goals and enrich your life, rather than trying to force change you’re really not interested in, you’re much more likely to succeed. So cheers to the fresh start, and let’s see what good things can happen in 2021.

Which Digital Piano Is Right for Me?

Written by Craig Knudsen on December 21, 2020. Posted in Digital Pianos.

Which digital piano is best for you?

If this is a question you are asking of yourself, I’m guessing that you have already decided to purchase a digital piano, as opposed to the many other choices out there, including portable keyboards, acoustic pianos, and so-called “hybrid” pianos.

Ultimately, the decision as to which digital piano to purchase generally comes down to four basic factors: price, size, skill level and features. In this article, I’ll outline some considerations for each, and then conclude with a handy website link that will make the process of selecting the right digital piano even easier.

Before we dig in, however, let’s be clear about what makes an instrument a “digital piano.” The defining feature of a digital piano is that it has full-sized keys, and that those keys are fully weighted, like the keyboard of an acoustic piano. Piano teachers tend to recommend digital pianos to their students because this type of keyboard action is essential in developing proper technique.

Price

A digital piano immediately offers significant price savings over acoustic and hybrid options, because it does not need to be tuned or regulated — it’s essentially maintenance-free. That being said, digital pianos, like all other instruments, are available in a wide range of prices.

Yamaha offers three categories of digital pianos. Starting from the most inexpensive, they are:

Portable Digital (P series and DGX series)

Arius (YDP series)

Clavinova (CLP, CSP and CVP series)

Your first task is to determine your budget, with the understanding that higher priced instruments often offer better piano sounds, higher quality speaker systems, more sounds to choose from, improved actions, and larger cabinets with more cabinet style options.

If budget is a major concern, Yamaha P series instruments provide a great basic solution, with an impressive piano sound and touch for the price. Looking for something more full-featured and able to spend a little more? Consider a DGX Portable Grand instead. For just a little more money you may want to check out an Arius YDP, which looks more like an acoustic piano. Finally, there is the Clavinova series, voted by Time^® Magazine as one of the world’s most influential musical “gadgets” of all time. If you want the very best in tone, touch, features and cabinet styles, this is the line for you, with a number of premium options.

In my experience, people often regret not buying the larger instrument they were considering, with a sort of a buyer’s remorse in reverse as they proceed on their musical journey. I think the reason is that the more you play, practice and listen, the more your “ear” improves over time. The piano that sounded superb when you purchased it a few years ago eventually starts to sound, well, not quite as good as you remember.

Size

When it comes to size, it really comes down to whether or not you are interested in a piece of furniture or not. YDP and Clavinova offer something that actually looks a lot like an acoustic piano in a variety of furniture style options. Clavinovas come in a whole range of sizes, from the small-sized CLP-725 to the top-of-the-line CLP-895GP, which looks like a miniature grand piano.

Keep in mind that all Yamaha digital pianos offer a full 88-note keyboard, same as a traditional piano. This means that the instrument’s width is not going to change significantly from model to model; you’ll find more diverse size variation in terms of the piano’s height and depth. The P-series, being the most portable of all the Yamaha options, can actually be tucked away in a closet when not in use. However, there’s a downside in that this can serve as a barrier to spontaneous play and practice — there’s less of a reminder when your passion isn’t right in front of you!

Skill Level

Your skill level is another important determining factor. A concert pianist or an Elton John is not going to be happy playing an entry-level digital piano. The reason is simple: Higher-end digital pianos provide the superior tone and touch that their skill requires. For one thing, such pianos often offer something called “string resonance” — a technology that simulates the harmonic resonance (a big factor in tonal quality) that skilled pianists get from their acoustic pianos. More advanced digital pianos also have a more realistic “feel” because they simulate the weighted action of an acoustic piano, complete with synthetic ivory, graded hammers and escapement (the part of the piano mechanism that enables a hammer to fall back as soon as it has struck the string).

One renowned educator has observed that, regardless of your skill level, “you can’t practice good tone into an inferior piano.” He goes on to pose the rhetorical question, “If you purchase a piano without good tone and touch, and you eventually get good, how will you know?” Wise words!

Features

This covers both the advanced piano technology we’ve already discussed (in terms of tone and touch, which may be of greater importance to skilled players), as well as other high-tech features that may be of interest for people at all skill levels.

For example, many digital pianos offer the ability to record and share your performances — some even include a microphone input to include your singing! Some allow you to play along with pre-recorded background arrangements, enabling you to sound like a complete orchestra as you play just the piano part. Some even allow you to control the “backup band” with the loudness or softness with which you play basic left-hand chord accompaniments.

Click here to visit a specially designed website that provides side-by-side descriptions of the four lines of Yamaha digital pianos discussed here. “Learn More” options provide detailed information for each, along with links to specific models that include photographs, features and specifications.

You’ll find that doing a little basic research will lead you to the best digital piano for you. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

Click here for more information about Yamaha digital pianos.

5 Positive Lessons from 2020

Written by Marcia Neel on December 21, 2020. Posted in Teaching Tips.

I’d like to share an uplifting collection of lessons that K-12 music educators have experienced during this tumultuous year, proving that even in chaos, the power and reach of music prevail!

1. A New Relationship with Technology

Mister Rogers was way ahead of us. He understood how to teach young people effectively and virtually — something we were forced to tackle in 2020. But remote teaching has its upsides. Teachers can better gauge students’ understanding of concepts because each student is seen in an equal space. Paradoxically, virtual teaching makes conversations more personal. The chat function engages more students because they often answer each other’s questions. And students who don’t like to speak up can enter a “safe zone” and directly “talk” to the teacher.

2. More Professional Development

Technology transcends geography, creating opportunities for educators to attend more conferences. With time and cost savings — as well as the ability to listen to all the sessions rather than choosing from the ones offered during the same time slots — comprehensive professional development is more within reach. In addition, music educators are creating a huge online community, sharing ideas and materials. The overall quality of music education will be positively impacted in the long term, and best practices will survive the pandemic.

3. Access to Artists

More guest artists can be brought into the classroom through virtual means, so students gain access to an increased number of experts. At one Nevada high school, the band students have been treated to guest speakers every week since distance learning began. That could never be accomplished via in-person teaching.

4. More Expressive Outlets

Some students have discovered that their creativity goes beyond playing music. Composing, arranging and creating videos have allowed students to enhance traditional music-making activities by finding their own voices.

5. New Opportunities for Student Leaders

Student leaders are rising to the occasion more than ever before. A choral director reported that her student leaders are “running our breakout room sectionals, creating remote spirit days, helping to produce our virtual performances, spreading positivity by weekly check-ins with their sections and setting the most positive examples for their peers.”

This article originally appeared in the 2020N3 issue of Yamaha SupportED. To see more back issues, find out about Yamaha resources for music educators, or sign up to be notified when the next issue is available, click here.

Best Holiday Movie Moments to Experience in Surround Sound

Written by Rich Tozzoli on December 17, 2020. Posted in TV & Movies.

The holidays are a special time of year, and watching seasonal movies with your family can make them even more special. There’s no better way to enjoy a movie than in the comfort of your home, especially if you’ve got a large-screen TV and a surround sound system under the control of a full-featured AV receiver like the Yamaha RX-V6A, which provides support for up to 7.2 channels of audio.

Here are some scenes from classic films that take advantage of surround sound to make the experience truly immersive. Time to grab a glass of eggnog and have some holiday fun!

Home Alone – Staircase Scene and Ensuing Chase

When two bumbling burglars (played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) try to break into the home of Kevin, an eight year-old played by Maccaulay Culkin, they realize they picked the wrong place. Left alone by mistake over the holiday season as his family travels, Kevin goes into full defense mode against the crooks and delivers some serious payback when they try to go upstairs to get him. Afterwards, the chase is on but Kevin outwits them every time. Check out the staircase scene here and the chase scene here.

Gremlins – Gizmo to the Rescue

This classic originates from the folklore of mischievous creatures called “gremlins” that the British Royal Air Force attributed as being the cause of equipment failures during World War II. The premise of this film is that a boy receives a pet creature, called a mogwai, as a holiday gift from his dad and names it Gizmo. Unfortunately, it spawns and transforms its offshoots into tiny evil monsters that wreak havoc. In this scene, Gizmo (voiced by Howie Mandel) speeds around in a toy car as he takes on one of the gremlins as it tries to spawn more of his evil brethren in a water fountain. The full-on action soundtrack fills your surround speakers with exciting audio as the two creatures zip around and battle it out. Check it out here.

Love, Actually – Airport Scene

In this 2003 Golden Globe^®-nominated romantic comedy, the ensemble cast presents ten different stories about ten aspects of love, many of which interlink their characters. With the likes of Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson and Emma Thompson, the twists and turns are an adventure into seasonal fun. In this scene, Daniel (Liam Neeson) convinces his young stepson Sam to catch the girl he loves at the airport before she flies home for the holidays. Eluding security, Sam finally meets up with her right before she boards, leading to a classic warm-hearted cinematic moment. Check it out here.

The Polar Express – Back on Track

If you’re looking for a scene that will really make your surround speakers shine, check out this one from the beloved animated action adventure. Set on the night of Christmas Eve, a boy who is skeptical about Santa Claus ends up on the Polar Express train bound for the North Pole. The excitement builds as the train accelerates off the tracks into a frozen lake at high speeds and eventually finds its way back onto the rails with some help from the crew. Check it out here.

Elf – Buddy Discovers New York City

This one always puts a smile on my face! Here, a wide-eyed Buddy (Will Farrell) finds himself in the Big Apple experiencing a whole new world of sight and sound as the classic Louie Prima song “Pennies from Heaven” plays in the background, supplemented by a symphony of New York City street sounds. The combination of laughter and naivete is infectious as you watch Buddy hopping across the middle of a midtown street in sheer joy, or discovering himself in a revolving door and creating endless circles. Check it out here.

Soul

Disney and Pixar Animations Studios’ new feature film “Soul” has lots of great surround sound. The film introduces Joe Gardner, a middle school band teacher whose life hasn’t quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is playing jazz, and he’s good. But when he finds himself in another realm helping someone else find their passion, he discovers what it truly means to have soul. Check out the trailer here. Stream Disney & Pixar’s Soul on Disney+.

Die Hard – Rooftop Scene

In this classic 1988 action film, police detective John McClain (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife in Los Angeles over the holidays and somehow finds himself in the middle of a terrorist takeover of a skyscraper. This rooftop scene is full-tilt surround sound excitement as helicopters zoom by, with gunshots and explosions going off all around you. Check it out here.

Trading Places – I Can See!

This 1983 comedy tells the story of a commodities broker (Dan Akroyd) and a street hustler (Eddie Murphy) whose lives are unwittingly swapped in a high-level bet between two rich brothers made at a holiday party. In this hilarious scene, Murphy rolls down the street on a cart pretending to be a blind man begging for money when discovered by two street cops who call his bluff. Check it out here.

Krampus – Krampus Arrives

Does your family enjoy horror films? If so, they may want to check out this one, based on a Krampus, a character from Austro-Bavarian folklore who punishes those who have lost the holiday spirit. The action revolves around a dysfunctional family that gathers three days before Christmas and mocks one member over his belief in Santa Claus. In this scene, Krampus arrives on a snowy, stormy night to confront them, making his presence known with total sonic attitude! Check it out here.

Image of Soul courtesy of Disney.

Check out these related blog articles:

Five Reasons Why Home Theater is Better Than Going to the Movies

Top 10 Musical Scenes to Watch with a Home Theater

Scary In Surround Sound

Stranger Things: Top Ten Scenes from The Upside Down

These are the Best Pirate Scenes to Watch on Your Home Theater

May the Fourth Be With You: The Best Moments from the Star Wars™ Saga

Click here for more information about the Yamaha RX-V6A AV receiver.

Woman with log dark hair at a desk in a home office smiling for camera.

Making the Perfect Creative Space

Written by Shelly Peiken on December 14, 2020. Posted in Creativity.

Do you remember being ordered to go to your room when you misbehaved as a child? You’d stomp down the hall in defiance at having been banished. The irony is, now that you’re grown up, you may have a different room (a studio, man/woman cave, sanctuary) that you can’t wait to get to because you do what you love best inside it: play music, write songs. And if you’ve decorated it with some awareness of what elements inspire you, you’ll probably thrive within it too.

Shortly after posting my conversation with songstress Beth Nielsen Chapman blog here, many readers wrote to me expressing their awe of Beth’s self-designed songwriting room, an extraordinary space that caters to her unique spirit and personal aesthetic.

String lights embrace her beloved baby grand. An abundance of mementos and baubles, all of which have meaning to her, are placed on surfaces everywhere. To the side of her ergonomically arranged recording set-up are cozy chairs and soft sofas into which anyone would feel comfortable sinking.

Beth’s home studio with pianos, keyboards, guitars and decorative string lights. — *Beth in her creative space.*

Of course, one of the limitations we face when considering our space is the real estate we’ve been allocated. Beth’s studio is spacious. It has all sorts of nooks and crannies and an angular ceiling that invites reciprocal lines below.

My space, on the other hand, is a 20′ x 12′ renovated one-car garage. No interesting lines anywhere. Still, I’ve done what I can to accommodate my process and encourage creativity. There’s a comfortable sofa on which to relax. Photos of my favorite people are positioned all around my desk. Gold and platinum records on the walls remind me of what I’ve accomplished. (This can be uplifting, especially on the occasions when self-doubt comes to visit … and, I assure you, it does.)

Purple futon couch with framed awards hanging on wall above it. — *Awards on the wall and a comfy sofa can help both body and spirit.*

On a side table are books that have motivated me throughout my life: Natalie Goldberg’s “Wild Mind.” Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist.” Rollo May’s “The Courage To Create.” They all come in handy when I need a jump start. Ruby, my Yamaha TransAcoustic guitar, is an arm’s length away from where I tap lyrics on a laptop, plus there’s a mic close by in case I want to capture a spontaneous melody and an upright piano on the opposite wall.

Speaker/mentor Elle Zimmerman, in an article about what makes her feel most productive, writes that lighting, smell, space and color “all affect how I feel and process. When these things are aligned, I’m most creative.” I concur. In fact, I have painted the walls of my room a soothing blue/gray and regularly burn geranium and lavender oil to promote optimum energy. I even had a dimmer switch installed so I can adjust the brightness of the overhead lighting, and the mood of with it.

Table with a basin with a bottle of essential oils and a candle. A Beatles' poster on the wall in the background. — *All the senses are important, including smell!*

I’ve also found that I’m much more clear-headed when my desk is tidy. In his online column Tips for Making a Writing Space That Fosters Creativity and Inspiration, writer Noah Rue states, “if there is less to fuss with, there is less time to be wasting that could be spent writing.” I couldn’t agree more.

That said, we all have different relationships with clutter. For instance, in my husband’s studio you’ll find piles of chord charts, random bowls of guitar picks, headphones, guitar straps, pop-filters and capos strewn about, plus a stray coffee mug here and there. Disorder makes him comfortable. Perhaps if his space were too tidy it would throw off his Qi.

On the opposite side of the spectrum are those who prefer a naked room with bare white walls and no furnishings except for a typewriter on a table. To each her own.

What’s in your space? Do you remember making conscious decisions about color and chaos? Is there something you could add (or remove) that would un-encumber your process? With us all spending more time at home, it’s a good opportunity to reassess and consider some creativity-inspiring Feng shui or Marie Condo.

But let’s not forget: Though a compatible work environment is important, it can only enhance what already lies within us. A true creative spirit is mobile — we take it with us wherever we go, be it our car, a plane, a hike, the supermarket, the shower, church.

As a songwriter who’s collaborated extensively and hopped from studio to studio over the years, I’ve enjoyed and have been inspired by all kinds of aesthetics. Each reveals something unique about my collaborator. In addition, unfamiliar focal points and objects of interest stimulate my brain and allow my mind to wander (and wonder). And that’s a good thing!

But when I come home, I want to return to the welcoming arms of my sanctuary. My personal Zen. No matter how small or symmetric, I’m grateful for a private universe that I depend on to receive me, comfort and nurture me and beckon my best work. A place where, as Brian Wilson famously wrote, “I can go and tell my secrets to.” A place where I feel safe. A place that allows me to cherish and appreciate the words Go To Your Room!

Woman with dark hair smiling at camera sitting behind a wooden desk with wall of shelving behind her full of books, pictures and albums. There is an acoustic guitar on a stand on her left.

Photos courtesy of the author.

Check out Shelly’s other postings.

Electric guitar headstock with Mike Stern’s signature and abalone inlays.

Twin Lead Guitars

Written by Robbie Calvo on December 9, 2020. Posted in Electric Guitars.

The blessing and curse for guitar players is that we have so many techniques and improvisational tools to choose from. Making a decision on what to play comes down to experience, taste and making sure we are honoring the song — and not ourselves — first.

When recording solos for my own projects, I tend to spend way too much time perfecting the nuances and second-guessing my decisions … that is, unless I have a deadline. When I work with a client or producer, I defer to them for choosing the final take, and when they’re happy, I lift the brush off the canvas and move on.

As many of you know, one of my favorite melodic devices is to create simple motifs (short melodic phrases) and develop them into a complete solo section. I often enhance those phrases with a close harmony part or two on top of the melody — the “twin lead” approach taken by so many great bands from the ’70s like the Allman Brothers, Boston and Thin Lizzy — to make the lines really stand out. This is also a great way to build a solo towards a natural crescendo.

Start with the Scale

The process of adding a harmony to a guitar solo is very much the same as adding one to a vocal line. To illustrate, let’s harmonize a C major scale, which consists of the following series of seven notes:

C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C

We build the first chord of this scale by stacking every other tone, as follows:

Root Major Third Perfect Fifth Major Seventh
C – D – E – F – G – A – B – C

We can play these four tones together as a Cmaj7 chord, or as separate tones played or sung by four musicians. Playing them as separate tones within the context of a melody will add texture and dynamic expression, as well as subtle pitch and phrasing variation between the four performances.

To hear how this works, take a listen to the audio clip below. I started by recording one octave of the C major scale. Then I played it again, this time going from the third note (E) up to the E an octave higher. Finally, I recorded both scales together. This produces close harmonies a third above the original scale tones, with a nice mixture of major and minor thirds within the seven tones.

You can continue building the harmony by adding a fifth above the original melody (this will be a third above the third). Simply play back your recording of the original C major scale along with the harmony part you just added. Then play the C major scale again directly over the other two melodies, this time starting on the fifth (G) up to the fifth an octave higher. As you can hear from this audio clip, the result is beautiful three-part harmony.

Now let’s discuss how to approach adding harmony to a lead guitar solo that contains non-linear scale tones — in other words, a real melody with a variety of intervals.

Move on to the Melody

To demonstrate how this works, let’s assume that the following series of C major scale tones are being used as an original melody:

A – C – D – E – F – G – E

To add a second lead guitar part above this melody, simply find the third (from the same scale) above each of the original tones, as follows:

A – C – D – E – F – G – E (original melody)
C – E – F – G – A – B – G (harmony in thirds above the melody)

You can then add another harmony part a fifth above the melody by starting it on the third above the third:

A – C – D – E – F – G – E (original melody)
C – E – F – G – A – B – G (harmony in thirds above the melody)
E – G – A – B – C – D – B (harmony in fifths above the melody)

If you analyze the stack of tones that result, you’ll find that they yield the following series of chords:

Am – C – Dm – Em – F – G – Em

Here’s what it sounds like:

I’ve restricted this to close harmonies to illustrate the concept, but you can of course further expand this into adding sixths, fourths, etc. as your harmonic knowledge and curiosity deepens. In the video below, you’ll hear me play a simple melody and then use each harmony part as its own melodic phrase. This is a great way to create new melodies!

Phrasing

When applying harmony parts, focus on precisely duplicating the phrasing from the original melody line. If you don’t use the same phrasing, your harmonies won’t sound locked-in and tight.

Since you want the harmony parts to be exact replicas of the melody from both a rhythmic and melodic standpoint, I’d advocate replicating the note durations and values too. If you bend any of the tones, try to articulate the bend in the harmony part to match the pitch and bend of the original part.

Oh, and here’s a mixing tip: If you play harmonies above the melody, the frequencies of those parts will be higher in pitch, and as a result will sound more pronounced. Consider mixing these parts slightly lower in volume to blend them into the main melody.

The Video

In this video, I play an original melody over a chord progression and then create new melodies from harmony parts, which are then stacked as twin (and, in some cases, three) lead guitar parts. I also break down the chords, describe how to find harmonies and talk about the Yamaha Mike Stern Signature guitar I’m playing:

The Guitar

The Yamaha PAC1611MS Mike Stern Signature Pacifica solid-body electric guitar.

The Yamaha PAC1611MS Mike Stern Signature Pacifica is a great-sounding single-cutaway solid-body electric with a scale length of 25-1/2″. It features a two-piece light ash body, a one-piece maple neck with 22 medium jumbo frets and a 7-1/4″ fretboard radius. (Click here for more information about these terms.) Its unique headstock features a bone nut, Gotoh tuners, Mike Stern’s signature and gorgeous abalone inlays.

Both pickups are Seymour Duncan^® humbuckers. There’s a ’59 PAF style in the neck position, which, in my opinion, creates some of the best guitar tones I’ve ever heard. The bridge pickup is a hot-rails humbucker with plenty of punch for rock and blues.

The Wrap-Up

Learning the fundamental aspects of harmony and theory from within major scale patterns will take you on a journey of discovery for both rhythm and lead guitar applications. Simple motif-based melodies can really shine when layered with one or two additional harmonies … and we can use those higher guitar parts as independent melodies within a solo too.

Photographs courtesy of the author.

Check out Robbie’s other postings.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha Mike Stern Signature Pacifica guitar.

Country musician plays guitar at sunset.

The History of Musical Genres, Part 3: Country Music

Written by Marc Hopkins on December 7, 2020. Posted in History. 4 Comments on The History of Musical Genres, Part 3: Country Music

Country music enjoys a long tradition of deft storytellers who capture the listener with well-spun narratives. Inspired by Appalachian folk and blues, the genre began to take shape in the early 1920s. As the art form matured, it would come to encompass other regional styles such as Western swing, honky tonk and rockabilly. In its early stages, instrumentation was limited to acoustic guitars, bass, banjo, fiddle and harmonica. Drums were initially omitted, but by the mid-1930s they were usually included in both recordings and live performances; by the 1950s, electric guitars became a mainstay as well.

Each genre has a core group of musicians who shape and define the best of its creative sensibilities. Let’s take a look at some of the most influential practitioners of country music.

Hank Williams

In his short 29 years, Hank Williams (1923-1953) played a seminal role in the development of the genre. In 2010, the Pulitzer Prize board honored Williams with a special citation, citing him for his “craftsmanship as a songwriter who expressed universal feelings with poignant simplicity and played a pivotal role in transforming country music into a major musical and cultural force in American life.”

Williams’ last recording session was at at Castle Studios in Nashville on Sept. 23, 1952, where he laid down the tracks for four timeless country music standards, including the classic “Your Cheatin’ Heart.” Songwriter Merle Kilgore, who was present at the historic session, recalled that “Hank would say, ‘Everybody likes to feel sorry for themselves … You write ’em, sing ’em, and they say that’s the story of their lives.’”

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was a striking figure, both in appearance — always in black — and in performance, wielding his bass-baritone voice to deliver the subtleties of his lyrics. A story in the New York Times following his passing in 2003 noted that Cash “forged a lean, hard-bitten country-folk music that at its most powerful seemed to erase the lines between singing, storytelling and grueling life experience.” Some of his most popular tunes include “I Walk the Line,” “Ring of Fire,” and “Folsom Prison Blues,” which was originally recorded in 1956 but gained popularity after the release of a live recording of Cash performing the song at San Quentin Prison in 1968.

Merle Haggard

Interestingly, another future standard-bearer of the genre, Merle Haggard, was present in the audience that night … as an inmate. The encounter inspired him to pursue his own musical path. When Haggard was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994, the organization said that he stood, “with the arguable exception of Hank Williams, as the single most influential singer-songwriter in country music history.” While country was Haggard’s main form of expression, he was also influenced by honky-tonk, blues, jazz, pop, and folk. His most popular tunes include “Workin’ Man Blues,” “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive” and “Natural High.” Drawing on the hardships of his own life, much of Haggard’s work focused on poverty and the difficulty of relationships.

Dolly Parton

Though, like most musical genres, country music has been traditionally dominated by male artists and songwriters, there have been a number of notable exceptions, Dolly Parton among them. The hugely successful and prolific singer/songwriter began her career in the late 1960s in Knoxville, Tennessee. In the ensuing decades, Parton’s creative output would have a profound effect on both country and pop music. Her song “I Will Always Love You,” as one example, was famously sung by Whitney Houston in 1992 for the soundtrack to the movie The Bodyguard. Parton’s classic hit “Jolene,” recorded in 1973, offers a dramatic faceoff between a spouse confronting a woman over a relationship with her husband. The song has been covered by more than 30 artists over the years, and in several languages around the world.

Garth Brooks

There are also moments when pivotal artists (such as Miles Davis in jazz or Jimi Hendrix in rock) expand the possibilities of their genre. In the 1990s, Garth Brooks pioneered a style called New Country that infused both the sound and performance values of country music with rock sensibilities. “[Brooks’] recordings featured more aggressive vocal performances, increased emphasis on drums and bass, plenty of rock-derived electric guitar solos, and more overt influences from gospel and R&B,” writes Jocelyn R. Neal in the Norton online essay “Garth Brooks, New Country, and Rock’s Influence.” This occurred at the same time that music videos started to become more sophisticated with globally oriented storylines and more choreography. This shift continued into the 2000s, drawing numerous rock musicians of the era to make country recordings. “In some instances,” notes Neal, “[they] even shifted their main musical identities to country.”

Country music has evolved to serve as a kind of musical unifier. Despite being nearly a hundred years old, it’s managed to remain dynamic and relevant, expanding its following by drawing fans of rockers and rappers to the fold while still retaining its traditional audience — a feat that few musical genres can claim!

Check out the other articles in our “History of Musical Genres” series.

Young students playing woodwinds with a teacher coaching.

Step Up to a Better Wind Instrument

Written by Brian Petterson on December 4, 2020. Posted in Winds.

Navigating the world of middle school, junior high or high school band can be tough for parents of young musicians — especially those of you who weren’t yourself an instrumentalist back in your glory days.

Instruments, reeds, strings, mallets, valve oil — there are many important things that school-aged band and orchestra members need in order to be successful. It goes without saying that having a quality, durable, well-made instrument is the foundation of a student’s success. So let’s take a look at five reasons why they may need to step up!

1. You’re still renting their first instrument

At first, renting is a great way to put off a purchase while you get a feel for whether or not your child is going to stick with it. But once you know he or she likes playing that not-quite-so-beautiful sounding saxophone (squeak! honk!), it will be a better long-term investment to own a quality intermediate level instrument that will hold its value.

2. They’re a couple years in and they still have their first instrument

If your child is dedicated and already has a year or two of experience, they are likely playing harder music or even competing with other students for chair placement. Like clothing, it is absolutely true that you can outgrow an entry-level instrument. Now that the squeaks and honks are rarer, a better instrument will greatly improve the quality of sound that can be produced and help your child learn faster!

3. That rockin’ horn from your glory days is now their main “axe”

Many parents who were in band when they were students still have — and treasure — their instrument. Sometimes an older instrument in good condition can make for a great starter horn and save some money on a rental. But it might be a good idea to retire that old classic back to a safe spot in the hallway closet for a few reasons, such as if it doesn’t have modern mechanics or if the pads aren’t in good condition — or if you just can’t bear the thought of them banging it on one more music stand!

4. There’s an audition coming up

A fun and unique challenge for your child can be competing for a spot in the district honor band. Or maybe they’re graduating soon and considering majoring in music in college (in which case, be sure to check out the Graduate to Yamaha rebate program). Continuing to improve at this age includes plenty of time in the practice room, but that’s just half of the equation. The other half is the instrument itself, and getting them a professional-level one to play will help them maximize their talent.

5. They need an instrument that offers all the bells and whistles

There are many instrument families where the more advanced models not only offer your student greater room to improve, but also additional features. For example, step-up model oboes have many optional keys that are important when playing advanced repertoire. Flutists will want a C# trill key and a B foot. Higher-end saxophones offer lacquer keys and a high F# key. Orchestral trombones will have an F-attachment and a larger bore size. French horn players will graduate from a single to a double horn.

In short, a better instrument can inspire your child to better develop their musical skills — and have more fun as they do so!

For more information about Yamaha wind instruments, click here.

Illustration showing optimum positioning for near-field monitoring.

Better Monitoring for Better Mixes, Part 2

Written by Mike Levine on December 2, 2020. Posted in Recording. 2 Comments on Better Monitoring for Better Mixes, Part 2

Part 1 of this two-part series focused on choosing and positioning studio monitors for optimal results. Here in Part 2, we’ll offer some tips and techniques to help you monitor more effectively, even in a room with questionable acoustics.

Keep the Volume Down

It’s essential to keep your monitoring volume relatively low most of the time when mixing. You want to listen at a level that lets you hear everything comfortably, but isn’t consistently loud. This also reduces the reflections created within your listening room that can color what you hear.

If you’re not sure what the optimum level would be, you can purchase an SPL (Sound Pressure Level) meter or get a free (or very inexpensive) SPL app for your smartphone that will get you in the ballpark. You want to keep your settings below approximately 85dB (A-weighted) most of the time. That said, you should check your mix at louder volumes for short periods, especially if you think that’s how most people will listen to it.

Another problem with listening loud for too long is that it’s less efficient because it will more quickly bring on ear fatigue (sometimes referred to as “losing your ears”), and you’ll temporarily be less able to make accurate judgements. Not only that, listening at levels over 85dB SPL on a regular basis can damage your hearing over time.

Take Breaks

It’s also critical to take regular breaks during your mixing sessions to avoid ear fatigue and to regain the perspective that you can lose when concentrating on a single task for a long duration. Take a 10-minute break roughly every hour.

Get out of your studio if you can. Go for a walk or do something else to get your mind off the mix. If you feel like your ears still aren’t back to normal after the break, put off the rest of the session until the next day, if your schedule allows.

When you get back to the mix the following day, you’ll be surprised how much more you notice with fresh ears!

Save Incrementally

While this next tip isn’t strictly about monitoring, it’s directly related and very important. When a mix session runs too long, you not only get ear fatigue, but you lose perspective. When that happens, it’s all too easy to steer your mix off course inadvertently.

Because of those inevitable detours and the difficulty of knowing when you’ve passed the point of diminishing returns, it’s crucial to save your Project files incrementally. This refers to the practice of using “Save As…” instead of “Save,” then putting a successively higher version number in the file name every time you make a significant change to the mix (or even to just a single track within the mix). The idea is that if you do go off course and wreck your mix, you can backtrack to a point before the damage happened and start again by reopening that Project file.

Screenshot of project file showing "save as" option. — *Incremental saving of Project files is critical.*

Besides the song title and the incremented numbers, you might want to add a descriptive word in the file name like “Bass up 2dB” or “New reverb on vocal” for a little extra context if you have to backtrack.

Take Notes

When you do reopen a mix after recovering your objectivity, jot down notes about everything you hear that you want to correct as the song is playing. (In my experience, this is more efficient when done the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper; typing in comments on a computer or smart device tends to be much more time-consuming and distracting.) If there are more than a few things that need adjusting, it will be hard to remember them after the fact.

With that list in hand, you’ll be able to go through the mix methodically and correct all the spots where you noticed problems or issues — something that should get you a lot closer to the finish line.

Listen Everywhere

When you feel like you’ve finished your mix, bounce it down to a stereo MP3 and listen to it everywhere you can to see how it holds up. Listen on your home stereo system if you have one. Listen on earbuds. Listen on headphones. Listen at your friend’s house. If you have a car, listen on its sound system via your smartphone. (Like many people, I find my car to be the most revealing place to check a mix.) A well-balanced mix should sound good anywhere, so the more systems you check it on, the better.

Smart phone connected to car audio system. — *Check your mix on every system you can.*

If, after checking your mix on different systems, you notice that, though it sounded great in your studio, it sounds weird or out of balance everywhere else, the acoustics are likely contributing significantly to your problem — something we discussed in detail in Part 1. These acoustic anomalies are distorting your perception of frequency and thus causing you to over- or under-compensate. It’s often in the low frequencies where this is most problematic.

For example, if the bass sounds too quiet in your mixes when you listen outside of your studio, then your room is probably accentuating low frequencies too much. Because you’re hearing your mix with what sounds like sufficient bass, you’re not turning the bass or kick drum (or both) up enough.

If you’ve already positioned your monitors in the most advantageous spot you can (see Part 1), try the room compensation EQ on your monitors, if they offer such a feature. For example, Yamaha HS Series monitors provide a rear-panel switch to cut the lower midrange (at 500 Hz) by either 2dB or 4dB and another switch that cuts or boosts by 2dB in the treble range (at 2 kHz).

*Room compensation EQ on Yamaha HS Series monitors.*

A/B Your Mix

Even if your acoustics are problematic, a technique called A/B referencing can help you make your mixes more balanced and accurate.

It works like this: When you’re pretty far along in your mix, compare it with a professionally mixed song you like, preferably in a similar style. If you can match, say, the bass levels and the vocal-to-instrument blend of your mix with that of the reference, you should be able to get an accurate balance of levels and frequency.

As you switch between the two, it’s crucial that you make all comparisons at the same volume level. Otherwise, your frequency perception will be inconsistent between your song (the “A”) and the reference (the “B”). That’s because our ears perceive frequency differently depending on the volume, and louder always sounds better because it accentuates the lows and highs more.

You can buy dedicated plug-ins for A/B referencing, but it’s not hard to do it yourself inside your DAW. The following method works in Steinberg Cubase and most other DAWs:

1. Import a reference file into your Project and mute its track.

2. Play your multitrack mix (A), and then press the solo button on the reference track (B). You should now hear B by itself.

3. To switch back to A, turn solo off (in some DAWs, you might have to press mute again).

4. Make sure that the volume is equal between A and B.

5. Use this technique to repeatedly switch back and forth between your mix and the reference as you compare the characteristics of the vocal level relative to the instruments, as well as the bass level, the drum level, the overall EQ, etc.

Screenshot of A/B referencing in Cubase. — *A/B referencing in Cubase.*

We’d all love to be able to mix in an acoustically treated, purpose-built studio. But for those of us who record at home, that’s rarely the reality. Yes, you have to work harder to mix in an imperfect space, but if you’re conscious of the issues you face, they are easily overcome.

Check out our other Recording Basics postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha HS Series studio monitors.

Click here for more information about Steinberg Cubase.

Q&A with Sportscaster Al Bernstein

Written by Marcia Neel on November 30, 2020. Posted in Q & A.

Al Bernstein is best known as the voice of boxing — on ESPN, NBC and now Showtime. In 2012, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

I met Bernstein about 10 years ago while dining at a local restaurant that features entertainment. The lead performer announced that Bernstein was in the dining room, and I expected him to stand and give an obligatory celebrity wave — but no! Bernstein stepped up to the stage and sang “My Funny Valentine.” Imagine my surprise when I heard this “sports guy’s” beautiful, smooth, warm, passionate voice. He crooned standard after standard from the Great American Songbook. I was blown away. As soon he sat down, I walked over and introduced myself, and we’ve been friends ever since!

Q: What’s something about you that most people don’t know?

A: Most people are surprised to learn that I would have pursued a music career if journalism and sportscasting had not worked out for me. I really have to thank boxers Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard for my side career as a singer. In 1987, during the week of what became a highly controversial bout between them, Caesars Palace asked me to do a three-night engagement. I’ve been performing ever since. My love of music has always been strong, which is why I have devoted part of my professional life to singing.

Q: Why is it important to protect access to a musical education?

A: Every student benefits from musical education. One of my favorite movies is “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” The final scene when his former band students — including the governor — come back to play his opus sends tingles up my spine every time I watch the movie. No young person should be deprived of experiences in music making.

Q: What book is on your nightstand?

A: I am currently reading “Becoming” by Michelle Obama. It is inspiring.

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: Deep-dish pizza from Lou Malnati’s — the best Chicago pizzeria.

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?

A: My pet peeve is people who use bad grammar. It drives me crazy.

Q: Other than music, what brings you inspiration?

A: I get inspiration from horseback riding. I have been a horseman since I was 29 years old and have participated in team-penning events and celebrity rodeos. And I have enjoyed countless trail rides. It feeds my soul the same way music does.

Q: What piece of music do you wish you had written and why?

A: The entire score of “Finian’s Rainbow.” It’s my favorite Broadway musical score. Every song is perfect for the moment in the play, and yet every song stands on its own as a great song to play or sing.

Q: Why is music important to humanity?

A: Music is the universal language of the world. It allows us all to communicate on an emotional and intellectual level. It’s hard to imagine this world without music.

Q: Which person from history, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with and what would you discuss?

A: This is a hard a question to answer! There are so many candidates. The top candidates would be Sidney Poitier, John Huston, Steve Allen, Orson Welles, Franklin Roosevelt, Mel Brooks and finally my actual choice — Theodore Roosevelt. I believe he was our best president, and he was a fascinating man. I would love to talk with him.

Q: What is the most embarrassing moment of your life that you can share?

A: I won’t share the precise details, but I got very angry about something in a public place concerning a service being done for my teenage son. I overreacted and embarrassed him, which made me ashamed of my actions. I was very disappointed in myself. I learned a lot from that experience.

Students Become Teachers as They Level Up

Written by Savy Leiser on November 30, 2020. Posted in Student Leadership.

Strike, an extracurricular percussion ensemble at Caledonia (Michigan) Community Schools, has been in operation for 23 years. Don Raaymakers, music teacher at Kraft Meadows Middle School who started Strike, developed a six-level program where students gain skills in performing and teaching. That way, older students get teaching experience, and Strike’s education stays in the family.

Newcomers enter at level one.

To advance to level two, they must record performances of six pieces. Level two students get to perform one piece of more difficult music in the first half of the June Strike concert and become eligible to travel on Strike performance trips.

At level three, Strikers access all of the June concert music.

At level four, students become eligible to teach Strike lessons. All lower-level Strike members must take lessons with upper-level performers. “I don’t do any of the lessons anymore; I do the supervising,” Raaymakers says.

Teaching these lessons becomes a part-time job. According to Raaymakers, level four students make $16 an hour, which increases if they hit level five and level six. Strike members pay a yearly fee to cover lessons and operating costs, but they can offset this fee by selling tickets to concerts.

Also at level four, students take a six-week class where Raaymakers teaches them music pedagogy and applied behavior analysis.

Level five comes with a pay raise, and level six performers get their names on an honorary Strike plaque.

“Strike has levels that students can achieve, like a testing program,” Raaymakers says.

Best Practices for Online Rehearsals

Written by Matthew Black on November 30, 2020. Posted in Teaching Tips.

And there it was … the email that said we were limited to online-only rehearsals for summer band camp. With COVID-19 numbers rising locally and our governor restricting mass gatherings, putting hundreds of band members in a room together would not be possible.

The news did not deter me. I am a tech nerd. I could figure this out. I scoured the internet for the most efficient and engaging ways to rehearse remotely. I found many helpful hints, but nothing prepared me for that first rehearsal. It was so quiet. A student was eating Taco Bell. Everyone was texting on their phones.

I needed to reevaluate how this rehearsal would run. My students were in their most comfortable spaces … their bedrooms or other places in their homes. How was I going to get them in the same mindset that they would be in the band room?

I had to figure out more than just software settings. Here are some ways that I overcame the pitfalls of remote rehearsing.

Learn the Software

Virtual meeting tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex and Google Meet allow teachers to connect with their students in real time even while socially distanced. When deciding on software, consider participant and meeting length restrictions. I recommend a Zoom account, currently free for teacher use with up to 100 participants and no time limits.

Most web conferencing platforms offer chat, screen sharing, recording and mute/unmute features. Become familiar with the options and create a tutorial document or video for your students. Include a meeting password to preserve privacy.

Maintain and Adapt Instructions

When you meet with your ensemble online, routines must be set up like they would be in your classroom. Students should choose well-lit and distraction-free spaces, away from younger siblings and pets.

Because they are at home, students might feel more casual about their posture and embouchure. Students should set up their cameras at a distance, so you can see their techniques.

Remind students to follow normal rehearsal protocol, including no cell phone use, eating or leaving without permission. Within a week of reinforcing these guidelines, I started to see progress.

When using any video messaging application, a slight delay occurs as the video and sound travel over the internet, making unified playing nearly impossible. Consequently, you must mute all students and teach more visually. Use the software’s spotlight feature, which allows you to see one student in full screen mode, so you get an eye on posture, embouchure, fingerings and bowing or percussion sticking techniques.

Hold Sectionals in Breakout Rooms

Some programs offer breakout rooms, so you can split up your ensemble manually into sections or peer mentor groups as well as randomly for icebreakers and team-building exercises. While other online platforms may not have the same feature, you can create multiple section-specific meetings that occur at the same time.

I ask my section leaders, first chair players or more experienced students to lead sectionals. Before the rehearsals, I meet with the leaders to brainstorm lesson plans that cover specific passages and techniques. They need a clear vision for rehearsals, so that they feel empowered, prepared and organized.

As the meeting moderator, you can move from room to room, listening to passages and giving bursts of feedback. When jumping between rooms, ask the student leaders how they are progressing through their planned lessons and offer quick tips to keep their rehearsals moving.

When your leaders run their groups, they may become frustrated. Follow up with them after rehearsals to reflect on difficulties. You will feel more appreciation from your student leaders since they have put themselves in your shoes.

Make Use of Chat Features

With the chat feature, you can give feedback to the students privately or publicly, and the students can ask questions while you are lecturing or demonstrating. I recommend eliminating student-to-student chat in the settings to avoid distraction.

Try this: Tell your students to play a passage, one person at a time. Type the corrections into a private chat, so the student can review areas of improvement while you listen to the next person.

Though online classrooms may never replace the electric feeling we get while performing in a live ensemble, we can provide our students with lightbulb moments and feelings of success.

Adapting to Change

Written by Frank DiMaria on November 30, 2020. Posted in Self-Care.

No stranger to change, Briana Engelbert Vogt accepted a position in June 2019 as assistant band director at Franklin (Tennessee) High School, just months before her maternity leave.

She began by co-teaching with Jacob Campos, who had recently been appointed director of bands. When Vogt returned from leave, everything was different. “COVID happened … just as we were trying to develop our relationship as co-teachers,” she says.

Due to the pandemic, Vogt and her students had to pivot to remote learning for the last three months of school. Since resuming the new school year in a face-to-face setting, students are adapting to a new set of protocols, such as remaining six feet apart, equipping their instruments with bell covers and rehearsing outdoors. Franklin’s marching uniforms now feature a facial covering.

To help his students deal with the changes that COVID-19 brought to Arizona State University, Josef Burgstaller, associate professor of trumpet, advised them to accept, embrace and even surrender to change. “If we fight [change], or we lament, or we label it as negative, or we mourn what was or get angry, that’s what all our focus is on,” he says. “If we’re focused on ‘Poor us,’ [then] we’re not solution-based,” he says.

Build Strong Relationships

Vogt and Campos built their co-teaching strategy based on shared values. “We have the same philosophy about teaching … relationships first,” Vogt says. “If I have [relationships] in the forefront of my mind, then the change doesn’t matter.”

Music directors should not tie the success of their programs to one individual, like a superintendent who is friendly to the arts. “[Music educators] think because the superintendent has their backs, they don’t have to cultivate other relationships,” says Bob Morrison, CEO of Quadrant Research and director of Arts Ed NJ.

Failure to develop relationships with several individuals within the district and administration may later haunt a music director, Morrison says.

Avoiding and Adapting to Budget Cuts

A music program’s budget is often in flux. To avoid finding themselves on the short end of a budget cut, band directors should launch a preemptive strike, Morrison says. The most effective time to advocate for a music program is during times of prosperity. “It prepares you, the community and your supporters for when there may be an issue you’re faced with, like staff reduction and budget cuts,” Morrison says.

Budgets for 2021-2022 currently look shaky, dependent on whether districts receive federal funding to backfill declines in state public education funding due to the pandemic. With so much in doubt, band directors must advocate for their programs now. “Proactive is better than reactive,” Morrison says.

When faced with budget cuts, Vogt turns to the band’s booster program. “They are our support and our go-to,” she says.

Letting Students Lead

Music educators often “have challenges letting go of … control,” Burgstaller says.

Vogt says that she’s learning to trust in students. “We’re giving up a lot of control and putting it in the students’ hands,” she says. “We’re saying, ‘Teach us how to help you in this new world that we’re living in.’”

From mid-March until late June, many of Franklin’s students studied from home and took the opportunity to make instructional videos, “teaching people how to march [using] themselves as models,” Vogt says.

Students also created workout challenges to stay engaged and in shape for marching band. “It’s like one collective group coming together to push us through with their proactive leadership,” Vogt says.

Burgstaller says that the musician’s role in the community is more important than ever. Therefore, he has encouraged his students to write and perform music for family and friends.

Standing on Shoulders

Over the years, music teachers of all levels experience an endless parade of students wending through their programs. Instead of looking at it as a revolving door, Burgstaller sees his students as an ever-growing, interconnected group. When students graduate from his program, Burgstaller stays in touch with them. “I look at my students as a continuation of my lineage,” he says. “Everyone of us stands on the shoulders of those before us.”

Building a great culture in a music program starts with the relationships that students develop with each other, Vogt says. Entering freshman are taught respect and personal responsibility. When the rising seniors take the reins and lead, “it’s this beautiful cycle,” Vogt says.

Burgstaller, who views life as a practice room, says that musicians are experts at true growth because of constant practice. “Change is necessary; change is organic; it’s authentic,” he says. “True growth is most often uncomfortable and sometimes emotionally painful [but] always worth it.”

Case Study: Extracurricular Ensembles in Michigan

Written by Savy Leiser on November 30, 2020. Posted in Case Studies.

Strike up the percussion ensemble and bring on the bagpipes.

Extracurricular music at Caledonia (Michigan) Community Schools entertain audiences with a variety of sounds from steel drums and Japanese music to rock ballads. Concerts aren’t just in the school auditorium, either; a surprise bagpipe march might energize students who are walking the halls to their first class.

In honor of the Caledonia High School mascot, the Fighting Scots, the school has a thriving pipe and drum band, created by Kyle Wellfare, director of bands. In addition, students ranging from elementary through high school can participate in the percussion ensemble Strike, which is the brainchild of Don Raaymakers, music teacher for Kraft Meadows Middle School.

Extracurricular ensembles excel at Caledonia due to the collaborative and open-minded culture within the district. “For us, it’s not about the competitive side of [music],” Wellfare says. “We want to encourage students to explore and try things at a high level.”

Caledonia’s administration finds power in pursuing new ideas, including those within the music department. “During my 20 years at Caledonia High School, the administration has always been very supportive of the music program,” says Jim Crites, an assistant principal. “This includes lending support to the teachers as they explore creative and unique ensembles.”

Breathing Life into the Bagpipes

Back in 2011, Wellfare was teaching a music appreciation class unit on Scottish music. Wellfare suddenly remembered that he had a set of bagpipes stored in his office.

“I stumbled my way through explaining what the bagpipes are,” Wellfare says.

Then a student expressed interest in learning to play the bagpipes, considering the school’s mascot. After some networking with adult bagpipe performers in the community, Wellfare decided to make the pipe band a learning experience for everyone — including himself.

Wellfare enlisted the help of Dan Smith, a local piper and friend of Caledonia’s orchestra director, to teach him and his first pipe students. Smith, who has since passed away, introduced Wellfare to Dorothy Wilson, a performer for the Muskegon Regional Police Pipes and Drums, who became a volunteer instructor as well.

Each year, the Caledonia Pipes and Drums band comprises 15 to 20 performers. Some are students and others are teachers, administrators or members of the community.

The group meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Tuesdays devoted to teaching new pipers the basics. On Thursdays, experienced players are joined by percussionists, which include snare, tenor and bass drum players.

Bagpipes have a big learning curve. “The first step is you learn the tunes on a chanter, a glorified recorder,” Wellfare says. “If you don’t know songs by memory, playing the bagpipes is nearly impossible.”

According to Wilson, perseverance and motivation are key factors for keeping students engaged during these early stages. “You start out just going up and down the scale,” she says. “It gets boring at first. That’s the hard thing, playing the same tunes over and over again.”

Wilson recommends demonstrating harder tunes as inspiration. “You say, ‘If you keep on practicing, you can play these tunes!’” she says.

Once performers memorize their songs on a chanter, they can start using the pipes. “It’s a unique process,” Wellfare says.

Since its inception, the Caledonia Pipes and Drums band has become a ceremonial staple for school events, performing a procession at graduation every year, leading the football team between the field and locker room, and honoring athletes on senior nights. “It gives me goosebumps to see them perform at school events,” Crites says.

Growing Up with the Drums

While the Caledonia Pipes and Drums band is completing its first decade, the Strike Percussion Ensemble has existed for more than two. Founded in 1997 with six of his private students, Raaymakers registered Strike as a not-for-profit in 2000 and brought it to Caledonia in 2004 when he started teaching at Kraft Meadows.

The Strike program has a continuum of levels: 4th and 5th graders can join Lil’ Strikers; 6th through 8th graders can participate in Mini-Strike; and high schoolers can perform in Strike. High schoolers in Strike must also be a part of Caledonia’s curricular band or orchestra.

Strike rehearses at the middle school but performs concerts at the high school in November, March and June. The June concerts feature college-level music by composers like David Maslanka, David Gillingham, Ivan Trevino and Christopher Rouse as well as steel drums, Japanese drums and popular music by bands like Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World. The Lil’ Strikers make an appearance, joining Strike for the pop songs. Mini-Strike has its own concert in April.

Like the Pipes and Drums band, Strike has become popular with students as well as faculty. “I have attended a number of Strike events over the years,” says Crites who played percussion in his youth. “I have a special fondness for all things percussion.”

In 2018, when Dr. Dedrick Martin became the district’s new superintendent, Raaymakers tried to introduce Martin to Strike and was surprised by his response. “He said, ‘I know what Strike is; I have my June concert tickets!’” Raaymakers recalls.

Exploring Unique Opportunities

In previous years, Raaymakers has assembled Travel Strike, which played in places like Disney World, New York City and Hawaii. Travel Strike was scheduled to perform at Disney World in 2020 but canceled the trip because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The group has also appeared at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

The Pipes and Drums band performs locally but with a wide breadth of paid and unpaid performance opportunities. The Barry-Roubaix bike race is one of the pipers’ biggest annual events. “We stand in the middle of nowhere, and hundreds of bikers ride by us,” Wellfare says. “I always joke that they’re riding fast to get to us or to get away from the sound.”

However, Wellfare says that one of his favorite gigs is the Armed Forces Thanksgiving Parade, which fosters connections within the pipe band community.

Connecting the Community

The supportive, family atmosphere in the pipe band community has been a force for growth. “If you’re part of a pipe band, you’re going to attract a lot of attention,” Wellfare says. “Other pipe bands take notice.”

Through connections, a partnership grew between Caledonia and the Muskegon’s police band. “They have been really supportive of us with equipment and giving our students extra performing opportunities around the state,” Wellfare says. “Some students were able to [participate] in competitions with that group.”

Wilson says that the support of administrators and family members make Caledonia a successful home for a variety of extracurricular ensembles.

“If the parents aren’t supporting it, it’s lost,” she says. “The kids love it because it’s something different.”

Photo by Christina Tell and Courtesy of Elisabeth Wellfare

Liz Love conducting class while composer Omar Thomas listens

Build Diversity in Your Repertoire

Written by Sarah Lindenfeld Hall on November 30, 2020. Posted in DEI. 2 Comments on Build Diversity in Your Repertoire

Indiana University Bloomington music students circulated a petition calling for more diversity across the music school’s curriculum.

These students were motivated by the dialogue about systemic racism following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others. They also met with the conductors of Indiana’s large ensembles, asking for diverse concert programs too.

The discussion led Dr. Rodney Dorsey, the chair of the Department of Bands, to explore the possibility of joint projects with Indiana’s Latin Jazz Ensemble and ballet program. But he’s recognized the lack of diversity in music for years. As a student, he remembers telling his parents that he didn’t see many Black men leading college bands.

Throughout the last decade, music educators have been acknowledging the need to build concert programs that include a diverse range of composers and musical styles.

Falling back on the classics, typically written by white men, means that a broad swath of students will rarely perform music written by somebody who looks like them or is familiar with their culture, says Dr. Cory Meals, head of analytical activities for the Institute for Composer Diversity, a group based at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

“We need to be mindful of the constellation of other information swarming around any given work: the composers themselves, their backgrounds, their stories, and how those stories intersect or reflect those of our students and communities,” says Meals, who is also assistant professor in music education at the University of Houston.

When building a diverse repertoire for your music program, try these five tactics.

1. Learn Where to Look

According to research from the Institute for Composer Diversity, white men wrote nearly 95% of the pieces on suggested repertoire lists for school bands in 23 states. Therefore, state lists should not be the only source for programming ideas, says Liz Love, band director at Grisham Middle School in Austin, Texas.

Meals recommends sites such as the Institute for Composer Diversity, …And We Were Heard and the Kassia Database. Self-published composers, smaller publishers such as Meredith Music Publications and co-ops like the Blue Dot Collective can also turn up new options.

Following minority composers on social media may also provide inspiration. When Love and her students went to the University of Texas at Austin to sit in on a college rehearsal, they met Omar Thomas and later performed his soulful rendition of “Shenandoah” at the 2019 Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. Some of Love’s students started following Thomas on Instagram and shared their excitement about his updates.

2. Consider Commissioning

Commissioning new pieces can be costly, but bands can split the composer’s fee through consortiums or other creative means.

While conducting the University of Oregon wind ensemble in 2016, Dorsey received a faculty grant to commission a piece by Andrea Reinkemeyer called “The Thaw” for voice and winds. Reinkemeyer had attended Oregon as an undergraduate student.

Love sought support from the Grisham Band community to pay for a commissioned work, also performed for the 2019 Midwest Clinic, called “Everybody Sang (In a Universal Language)” by composer Jack Wilds. The piece features folk songs from China, Mexico and Bulgaria, capturing Grisham’s diverse population.

Love says that Wilds, a white composer, was worried about appropriation, but the composition was a collaborative effort. Love had reached out to her students and their families to get feedback about their favorite folk songs. The work resonated with families, including a father who “was surprised and elated that, as part of [his daughter’s] schooling, she was to play something that he recognized,” Love says.

3. Think Inclusively

When creating a concert program, don’t focus on a single type of composer, such as all female or all Black, Meals advises. That situation can lead to “othering,” suggesting that underrepresented individuals are different or separate in some way.

Instead, when planning concert programs, he recommends a one-to-one ratio. For every Gustav Holst, Paul Hindemith or other classic, feature a work by an underrepresented composer.

4. Go Beyond the Music

While Dorsey plans to program more pieces by under-represented composers going forward, he has made efforts to incorporate them into his concerts in the past.

For the Indiana University wind ensemble two years ago, he featured “AMEN!” by Carlos Simon and the “‘Heritage’ Concerto for Euphonium and Band 2014” by Anthony Barfield.

Dorsey takes time to educate his students about the people behind the music. “At the start of the rehearsal cycle, I will talk about the composer and any pertinent information about the piece,” Dorsey says.

Performing newer works also creates the opportunity for students to meet composers directly. Barfield attended the Indiana concert. Reinkemeyer attended the dress rehearsal and premiere at Oregon.

5. Be Brave

Finding new material and learning to teach it take effort. Some band directors may shy away from unfamiliar musical cultures, styles or composers for fear that “they [might not] have the background, training or knowledge to navigate the musical and cultural content successfully,” Meals says.

To remedy this, he recommends a three-phased approach. First, learn more about the piece. Dive into any resources the composer has offered. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and the Routledge World Music Pedagogy Series can help.

Second, connect with culture bearers who can provide context to the musical piece. That person could come from your community, from a local university or from within your own school. “Look broadly and be inclusive,” Meals says.

Finally, once you’ve performed the piece, re-engage that culture bearer to ask what went well and how you and your students might improve your understanding. “We’re educators,” Meals says. “We should also be lifelong learners.”

Photo by Shawn Chaney

Buying Your First Guitar

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on November 28, 2020. Posted in Guitars How-to.

You’ve made up your mind: This is the year you finally get yourself a guitar and learn how to play. Or perhaps you know someone who’d really like to take up the instrument — and you’re ready to help them fulfill that dream.

Where to start, though? It all seems so confusing …

We’ve got the solution. Here’s a video that provides the basics on what to look for when choosing your first guitar or bass, whether you’re going for an acoustic or an electric. It covers common terminology and some of the technical details you need to know, such as the types of wood and other materials you’ll come across as you’re shopping — even how to choose the instrument that best matches your height and body shape. Guitars also come in many different shapes and sizes, and this video describes them all, along with the kinds of things you can do to maintain your new axe and make it easier to play.

Check it out and get ready to start a new chapter in your life!

Click here to find out more about Yamaha guitars and basses.

Robert Dudzic

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on November 25, 2020. Posted in Recording.

Here’s a video featuring sound designer, producer, engineer, composer and studio musician Robert Dudzic. Robert’s sound effects can be heard on many high-profile movie trailers, as well as television shows around the world. He has also produced several collections of sound and music effects, including sample content for the Steinberg Cubase DAW.

During this NAMM^® 2020 interview with Steinberg’s Greg Ondo, Robert explains why Cubase is so important to his work, with step-by-step demonstrations of both process and technique. Watch as Robert sets up sessions, imports and exports audio, applies normalization, adds reverb, performs sound replacement and shares tricks for adding punch to sounds.

Check out these related posts

Click here to learn more about Steinberg Cubase.

UHD TV mounted on wall with sound bar beneath.

So You’re Getting a New 4K (or 8K) TV for the Holidays

Written by Lisa Montgomery on November 24, 2020. Posted in TV & Movies. 1 Comment on So You’re Getting a New 4K (or 8K) TV for the Holidays

As the holiday season approaches, thoughts turn to gift-giving. Whether you’re shopping for the family or want to treat yourself to something special, one of the brightest presents you can put (or find) under the tree this year is an Ultra HD TV.

There’s good reason why. Entertaining at home has never been more popular, as households look for ways to stay connected and engaged. What better way to do that than through the lifelike images on the screen of a state-of-the-art TV?

In this article, we’ll take you through the ins and outs of buying a new UHD TV, and point you toward some audio components that will let you take full advantage of both the sights and sounds that make a TV such a great holiday purchase.

Size Matters … and So Does Tech

Most shoppers naturally gravitate toward large displays. And that’s okay, as long as the room in which the TV will be placed is big enough and you’re able to sit the proper distance away. But it takes more than impressive diagonal inches to deliver an enriched entertainment experience. For the best picture possible, an Ultra HD TV must excel at five basic functions: resolution, frame rate, bit depth, color space and brightness range. If the TV you purchase is lacking in any of these areas, you could be left with a serious case of buyer’s remorse. Let’s take a closer look at each of these in turn.

1. Video Resolution

4K or 8K? 4K is great, but there’s been a lot of buzz about 8K TVs lately. They’re currently the best thing going in terms of picture quality, and are poised to make an even greater impact in the very near future — future being the keyword, since there’s not very much 8K video content available to watch … yet. When that happens — and it will — images will reach a whole new level of realism. Just like 4K one-upped 1080p, 8K will outdo 4K, mainly due to better resolution. The picture resolution of 8K content presented on an 8K TV is four times that of a 4K TV. Bottom line: Trading up to an 8K TV prepares you for the future of video and offers unparalleled picture quality if you can fit it into your budget.

As a bonus, even “regular old” 1080p and 4K video content from cable, satellite, streaming sources and physical discs look better when displayed on an 8K TV. That’s because 8K TVs have something special built inside: advanced processors that upscale incoming video signals, which results in a finer, clearer, sharper image.

2. Frame Rate

Frame rate defines the speed at which video is captured on film and displayed on a TV. The faster the frame rate, the more images are displayed every second. But don’t let the numbers fool you: Faster frame rates are great for video games, but for movies, you’re better off sticking with the standard spec of 24 fps (frames per second) to avoid motion blur.

3. Bit Depth

The pixels that form an image are comprised of individual “bits.” More bits per pixel (bpp) result in a wider variation, or shades, of each primary color — red, blue and green. When more shades of color can be discerned, images appear more natural and have greater depth.

4. Number of Colors

Images also appear more lifelike when they can be created from a larger palette of colors. An Ultra HD TV that supports the latest spec (Rec. 2020) delivers a wider range of colors to the screen — even beyond red, blue and green variations — than earlier specs like Rec. 709.

5. Brightness

The headlamps of a car, city streetlights, sunlight hitting a pane of glass — images like these appear brighter and more akin to how they look in real life when the Ultra HD TV on which they are presented supports high dynamic range (HDR). Without it, bright areas of a screen can come across as somewhat muted. Look for a TV that supports the HDR10+ format, which allows for maximum brightness and color depth.

HDMI^® 2.1

Some of the newest TV models incorporate a specification called HDMI 2.1, which enables HDR10+, as well as higher video resolutions like 8K and faster frame rates. Another important feature implemented in HDMI 2.1 is something called Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC for short). This adds a boost in bandwidth and speed so that higher-quality uncompressed audio streams like Dolby Atmos^® and DTS:X™-encoded audio from movies can be sent from your TV to a sound bar or AV receiver. Which brings us to …

Add-Ons for Optimum Audio

As we’ve seen, modern Ultra HD TVs — in both 4K and 8K varieties — are capable of delivering terrific video. But in the interest of providing these great features in a cost-effective package, TV manufacturers are making their products thinner and thinner, resulting in speakers that are smaller and smaller, which begs the question: What good is a pristine picture if the audio is mediocre?

Fortunately, there are a number of audio components available that can bridge the gap, any of which makes a perfect add-on gift by providing a vastly better listening experience than the speakers built into Ultra HD TVs.

One great option is to add a sound bar such as the Yamaha YAS-109. Featuring a slim profile with built-in subwoofers, it can sit beneath a TV or can be easily wall-mounted, making its a real space-saver … yet it’s packed with technologies like DTS^® Virtual:X™ to give you 3D surround sound.

Yamaha YAS-109 sound bar speaker, wall-mounted directly underneath TV. — *Yamaha YAS-109, wall-mounted.*

If space and/or budget permit, you might consider pairing your new Ultra HD TV with an AV receiver, which can serve as the central hub between your TV and audio components. The Yamaha RX-A2A is a good example. It supports HDMI 2.1, which puts its audio performance on par with that of an HDMI 2.1-compliant Ultra HD TV. And the RX-A2A can deliver audio, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, to as many as seven discrete speakers to envelop the entire listening area with sound. When both the video and the audio components of a home entertainment system support the most advanced technologies available, you get a stellar viewing and listening experience that’s lifelike, immersive and engaging — something that brings home entertainment to a whole new level.

Movies are hitting on-demand services faster than ever before, offering a great opportunity to watch the latest releases from the comfort of your home. With the right features and technologies, an Ultra HD TV brings your family room closer to the cinema experience, making it a holiday gift well worth giving and receiving.

Check out these related blog articles:

What’s the Difference Between 4K Ultra HD, 8K UHD and HDR10+?

HDMI 2.1: What It Means for Gear and Gamers

Raiders of the Lost eARC

How to Shop for a Sound Bar

What’s a Receiver? Part 2: AV

Top Five AV Receiver Features

What’s So Good About Dolby Atmos and DTS:X?

What Is DTS Virtual:X?

Click here for more information about the Yamaha YAS-109 sound bar.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha RX-A2A AV receiver.

Jazz Chord Voicings, Part 3

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on November 23, 2020. Posted in Keyboard How-to. 1 Comment on Jazz Chord Voicings, Part 3

In previous installments, we’ve been practicing good voice-leading, where we move each note in our voicings to the nearest adjacent note when changing chords. In this, the final article in this three-part series, we’ll extend that concept by creating what are called passing tones within our chords. This will allow you to get more variety than just playing one voicing per chord change.

Creating Movement

You can think of passing tones as small melodies that occur within your chordal playing. For each chord quality (major, minor etc.), there are commonly used notes and color tones (that is, notes beyond the 7th) that can be employed to create this type of internal movement. The most typical way to extend a major chord is by playing it as a suspended 4th resolving into the 3rd, as shown (and heard) in the first bar of this example:

In the next two bars, there’s even more movement, accomplished by using color tones from the C major scale to create melodic interest. (In bar 3, I simply change the inversion of the notes in the right hand.)

You can think of these as small inner melodies: the left hand plays A, G, F, G, while the right hands plays in parallel with it, but a sixth higher (D, F, E, D, E). At the same time, the lower notes in the right hand move down from D to C and then B. It sounds a bit like a church hymn, and hymns are in fact a great resource for learning good voice leading. Just add some colorful harmony and you’re moving in the right direction!

As an aside, many years ago I went to see the late, great jazz pianist Bill Evans at the Village Vanguard club in New York, and I had the opportunity to speak with him during his break, asking (more like begging!) him for lessons. He deferred, but told me that he learned his basics of good voice leading by studying and playing the Bach Chorales.

Another common, though perhaps clichéd movement on a major chord is to go from the 5th to the augmented 5th and then into the 6th, as demonstrated in the first bar of this example — a sound that always conjures up Broadway musical styles to me:

In bar 2, I move from the 5th up through the augmented 5th to the 6th, and then back down again. In bar 3, I make that movement the inner part of the voicing, and in bar 4, I use the concept to just move down chromatically with the inner voice from the 6th into the 5th.

Next, let’s explore common movement for a minor chord, with is usually done by going from the root to the major 7th, then into the flatted 7th, and sometimes the 6th:

In the first bar, I cycle through the root and 7th tones, similar to the augmented movement played in the previous example. In bar 2, I add the 9th to the voicing, and descend chromatically from the root down to the 6th. In bar 3, I move the descending line down into the left hand, and in bar 4, I vary the right hand voicing to create a minor 6th chord. Bars 5 and 6 show ways to make the movement ascend from the 5th up into the 6th, and in bars 7 through 9, I explore left hand chromatic movement between the 5th and 6th.

The Dominant 7th chord has the most possibilities, since there are so many choices for the color tones. The 9th can be natural (D), flatted (Db) or raised (D#/Eb); the 13th (same as the 6th) can be natural (A) or flatted (Ab which is the same as the augmented 5th G#); and you can also flat the 5th (also called a #11).

The first two bars demonstrate a 9th to flatted 9th movement, and the next two bars show sharp 9th to flatted 9th. Bar 5 goes from the 5th up through the augmented 5th into the 6th. From there, I explore a variety of mixed uses of 9ths and 13ths while varying the final chord as well.

Using the suspended 4th to 3rd movement also works well on dominant chords, so we can add that to our mix of possibilities:

A dominant chord also functions as the V7 chord in a minor key, so let’s finish up by exploring some possibilities for that scenario:

Putting These Concepts Into Practice

To show you how these inner lines can add a character to your playing, let’s revisit a tune we explored previously — a harmonization of the jazz standard “Autumn Leaves,” accompanied by some bass and drums:

As you can hear, there’s already a little bit of voice movement, specifically in bars 2 and 14, but here’s a revision with a lot more motion:

In bars 1-5, the movement has been added to the top of the voicings, but starting in bar 6 it happens in the middle of the chords. And then starting in bar 13, it goes back to the top. Notice how it adds more interest to the part?

For our last example, let’s move to a solo piano style, where I play the melody of the song — a small refrain from the classic “Over The Rainbow” that’s pretty advanced harmonically. Listen along to the audio clip and follow the inner voices to get a feel for how the voice-leading creates beautiful countermelodies against the main melody.

We’ll come back to this example in a future “Well-Rounded Keyboardist” to explain some of the harmonic ideas. For now, enjoy it and learn to play it.

All audio played on a Yamaha P-515.

Check out our other Well-Rounded Keyboardist postings.

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A Guide to Bass Pickups

Written by Michael Gelfand on November 20, 2020. Posted in Bass. 2 Comments on A Guide to Bass Pickups

Music historians may disagree about whether the electric bass was first invented in the early 1920s, the early 1950s or somewhere in-between. But there’s no question that the technological catalyst required to make the concept a reality — a pickup installed to enable amplification of the bass — was a game-changer.

As my old friend and former bandmate/colleague Mac Randall has written about here on the Yamaha blog, guitars first started using pickups back in the 1930s, helping them project from the bandstand. But it wasn’t until the early 1950s that essentially the same invention helped the poor double bassist to be heard.

What Is a Pickup?

Basically, a pickup is a transducer — a device that converts a signal of one type of energy into one of another type of energy; a good example is a microphone, which converts physical sound waves traveling through air into an electrical signal. The earliest electric bass pickups were magnets wrapped a few thousand times in very fine copper wire. The magnetic field around these windings would react to the vibrations of a moving bass string, creating an electrical voltage that could be amplified.

Pickup design and construction have steadily improved since those early days (although some vintage pickups are highly sought after today and often serve as the inspiration for modern designs), giving us lots of great options to choose from. Today, there are a number of different types of pickups — magnetic, piezo and optical — and several intriguing pickup configurations, each with its own subtle but unique set of qualities and characteristics:

– Magnetic pickups are where it all began, with magnets wrapped in copper wire, and are still the most common type of electric bass (and electric guitar) pickup. They include single coil, split coil, double coil (aka humbuckers) and other minor variations on each theme.

– Piezo pickups react to pressure, rather than a change in a magnetic field.

– Optical pickups rely on light that’s shined onto a vibrating string — and the conversion of the resulting shadow caused by those vibrations — to create an amplifiable signal.

Let’s take a closer look at each type, and their common configurations.

Single Coils

A single coil pickup, as its name suggests, is a solitary straight copper wire wrapped around magnetic pole pieces aligned beneath the strings of your bass. Bright and aggressive-sounding, you’ll typically find single coils installed close to the bridge, but you’ll rarely encounter a bass with only one single coil pickup. More usually, you’ll find them coupled with another single coil pickup in the neck or middle position (as in the Yamaha BBNE2 Nathan East Signature Model), or paired with a split coil (see below) in the neck or middle position — the configuration used in all Yamaha BB and RBX Series basses, as well as Yamaha TRBX 200/170 Series basses.

Split Coils

A split coil is pretty much what it sounds like: a single coil split into two parts, each with its own smaller coil. Instead of running straight across the full width of your strings, those two individual coils are staggered, resulting in a signal that’s attractively out-of-phase, which in this case is a good thing. Compared sonically to the single coil, the split coil sounds juicier, with bouncier lows and punchier mids. Some of that comes from the traditional placement of split coils — roughly midway between the end of the fretboard and the bridge (as in the Yamaha TRBX204 shown below), where the string vibrations are more active and harmonic. There are also basses that have two split coil pickups, with the second one installed closer to the bridge.

Humbuckers

One benefit of split coil pickups is that they naturally cancel out electrical hum from lightbulbs and amplifiers that single coils can transmit. As its name suggests, so does the humbucker, also known as a “double coil” pickup. It consists of two single coil pickups connected out of phase with one another, and with their magnets aligned as polar opposites. This effectively cancels out interference, with a side benefit of a hotter signal, making it a popular choice among bassists.

Their sound can vary quite a bit, too. For example, if you like a crisp, modern sound, you’ll love the humbuckers in Yamaha TRBX 300/500/600 Series basses, as well as those in the Yamaha TRBJP2 John Patitucci Signature Bass. But they can also provide a beefier vibe, as in the vintage “mudbucker” inspiration behind the DiMarzio Woofer Pickup found in the middle position of the new Billy Sheehan-designed Yamaha Attitude 30th Anniversary bass.

Yamaha 30th Anniversary bass with humbucker pickups. — *Yamaha 30th Anniversary bass.*

Piezo

Unlike magnetic pickups that rely on magnetism to convert string vibrations into sound, a piezo-electric pickup uses a thin, compressed layer of crystal installed inside the bridge (under the string saddles) to convert the pressure changes caused by string vibrations into an electrical signal. Piezo pickups aren’t exclusive to acoustic-electric guitars, but that’s where you usually see them. (They’re rarely found on basses.) On their own — that is, without EQ and/or unblended with another pickup — piezos can sound a bit thin, but they faithfully reproduce the unique airiness and zing that define acoustic string instruments. They also have the added benefit of under-bridge installation for a stealth look.

Optical

Optical pickups are an even more esoteric innovation in that they use light to convert string vibrations into an electrical signal. Similar to piezos in their stealth approach, the under-saddle pickup shines a light onto the string and converts the resulting shadow (which changes when the string vibrates) into an electrical signal. Optical pickups aren’t found on many basses just yet, but maybe one day they will be. They’re touted for delivering a noiseless signal with extended frequency range and flat response. And interestingly, they boast longer sustain than magnetic pickups because there’s no magnetic field exerting pressure on the string. This is definitely technology worth keeping an eye on.

It’s All About Taste … As Well As Being Heard

What type of pickup (or pickups) your bass uses makes a big difference in the kinds of sounds you can create. Some players prefer one type — two single coils, for instance — while others prefer to combine types together, such as a middle position split coil paired with a single coil in the bridge position.

Whether you like your pickups underwound or overwound, blended or soloed, made with a specific type of Alnico material or with oversized pole pieces from rare earth materials is up to you. But whether you choose to obsess over it or ignore it, just be thankful there are so many options available. The electric bass pickup of today is a far cry from many decades ago. Bassists back then didn’t argue over how many pickup windings made for the best signal. To them, being heard at all was an improvement!

Check out Michael’s other blog posts.

Click here for more information about Yamaha basses.

History of the Five-Octave Marimba

Written by Rebecca Kite on November 19, 2020. Posted in History, Percussion. 2 Comments on History of the Five-Octave Marimba

Thirty-five years ago, Yamaha started the production of a new instrument — the five-octave marimba. This was the culmination of a 16-year partnership between the company and Keiko Abe, today considered the Grand Dame of the marimba.

Keiko Abe playing the marimba in 2019. — *Keiko Abe in 2019.*

Early Days

In the early 1960s, Abe was a young rising star in the vibrant musical life of Tokyo. After proving herself at her first studio job, she quickly became a first-call marimbist due to her sight-reading and ability to improvise on the spot. She met and worked with many of Japan’s most talented composers in film and audio recording studios, live TV studios and orchestral performances.

Abe also became famous as a pop music artist, recording 11 albums, both as a featured soloist and as the leader of the Xebec Marimba Trio. Not only did she appear on numerous TV variety shows, she had her own show teaching marimba. Abe was interested in serious classical music, but there were only a handful of compositions written for the marimba at that time. She began commissioning composers she knew from her studio work, and in 1968, presented the first full-length concert written specifically for the marimba. This singular concert was an important event for the marimba world and marks the beginning of the modern concert marimba that we know today.

The instrument Keiko Abe used to perform this groundbreaking repertoire was a state-of-the-art, 4.3-octave marimba (lowest pitch A, a tenth below middle C). However, after the concert, two of the composers told Abe that they felt the sound of her marimba was not adequate to express their musical ideas.

Yamaha Enters the Picture

Abe then decided to ask Mr. Genichi Kawakami, president of Yamaha at the time, to develop a new marimba for her. She requested that it be 5 octaves in range (with lowest C two octaves below middle C), with a big bass sound, a warm middle range, and a bright, clear and powerful tonality in the top octaves. Yamaha engineers would work with Abe over a sixteen-year period to develop this new musical instrument — one that would transcend the limitations of earlier instruments and create an entirely new world of musical possibilities.

Yamaha began the task by building a 4.3-octave marimba based on Abe’s recommendations. By the early 1970s, they had expanded the lengths of the bars and the range into a 4.5-octave instrument (lowest pitch F a twelfth below middle C), and Abe began using this instrument for performances and on her 1970s recordings with the Tokyo Quintet. It had a very bright sound and a wider dynamic range than the 4.3-octave model, perfect for contemporary chamber music.

Nonetheless, Yamaha engineers continued their R&D efforts to design the five low bars and resonators to get the lowest pitches of the 5-octave range — something that was especially challenging due to the acoustics and physics of these frequencies. They built a prototype extension with these five bars placed at the the low end of the existing 4.5-octave marimba, and that was the instrument Abe used on tour in 1981, including performances at the Percussion Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) ’81 in Indianapolis and at a number of colleges throughout the U.S.

Woman playing a marimba. — *Yamaha prototype extension marimba with extra five bars (right).*

The World’s First

However, Abe was still not completely satisfied with the sound; she was seeking a warmer tone. Yamaha engineers continued to work with her on various harmonic tuning strategies, bar lengths and bar widths, refining the sound until the world’s first 5-octave concert marimba — the Yamaha YM-6000 — was finished. In honor of this new instrument, Abe commissioned Minoru Miki to create “Marimba Spiritual” as the first composition written for a 5-octave concert marimba. Both instrument and composition were premiered in the spring of 1984 in Amsterdam and again in the fall at PASIC in Ann Arbor, Michigan — with enthusiastic acclaim from the audience on both occasions. Production and sale of the instrument began in 1985.

Abe was so inspired by the sound of her new marimba that she began composing and recording her own music. Her first solo album of her own compositions, entitled “Marimba Fantasy,” was released in 1986. She has continued to compose, tour internationally and teach master classes at academies all over the world. The beauty of her music and performances has inspired thousands of musicians to choose the marimba as their preferred instrument.

Today, 35 years later, we can see the results of this innovation that Yamaha brought into existence. Not only has there been a surge of musicians choosing to play the marimba, along with a huge increase in repertoire, the 5-octave marimba has become the standard instrument for serious study and performance. The current Yamaha YM-6100 5-Octave Artist Model Rosewood Marimba was also designed in partnership with Keiko Abe, and reflects that lasting legacy.

A five-octave concert marimba. — *Yamaha YM-6000 5-Octave Artist Model Rosewood Marimba.*

Photograph of Keiko Abe courtesy of Toho Gakuen College Music Department via Wikimedia Commons

Click here for more information about Keiko Abe.

Click here for more information about Yamaha marimbas.

How Low Can You Go?

Written by Howard Massey on November 16, 2020. Posted in Brand.

The lowest note in the universe is being played by a black hole in the Perseus cluster: it’s a B-flat, 57 octaves below middle C, with a frequency of 10 million years. But you don’t have to travel light-years away to get that bass rumbling in your chest. Let’s take a look at some ultra-low frequency instruments you can find right here on earth.

The Octobass

The octobass is the largest string instrument ever created. It has three strings and is tuned two octaves below the cello, with some of its low-end notes on the threshold of human hearing. Though usually played by two people, with one operating the bow and the other doing the fingering, there are also levers that can be used by a single player to activate fretting devices (actually metal clamps positioned above the neck). Click here for a video showing an Octobass in action performing “Amazing Grace” along with a standard double bass.

The Earth Harp

With strings that extend up to 1,000 feet in length over the heads of the audience, the Earth Harp is not so much an instrument as it is a musical installation. Invented by musician / performance artist William Close, it’s been attached to everything from the interior of concert halls to arches, canyon walls, the tops of skyscrapers, even mountain peaks. Played using violin resin on cotton gloves, the performer’s hands are rubbed along the Earth Harp’s strings to create beautiful cello-like tones. Check out the video here.

The Subcontrabass / Double Contrabass / Hyperbass Flute

Bass flutes are fairly common, and then there’s the less common contrabass flute — the so-called “gentle giant” of the flute world, which is pitched two octaves lower than a regular concert flute. But flautists in search of even more bottom end might want to try playing a subcontrabass flute (shown in the image below), which plays a fourth below the contrabass flute and has a pipe that’s over 15 feet long. You can hear what the instrument sounds like in this video.

And then there’s the double contrabass flute (sometimes called the octobass flute) shown below, which is even larger and lower-pitched. Its lowest note is one octave below the cello’s lowest C, two octaves below the bass flute and three octaves below the concert flute.

But if you think either of these instruments is as low as it gets when it comes to flutes, think again. The hyperbass flute, which the performer actually sits inside, contains nearly 50 feet of tubing. It’s pitched an octave below the double contrabass flute, with its lowest note an octave below the lowest C on a standard piano — a subsonic note that’s beneath the range of human hearing. Invented by flautist Roberto Fabbrician (shown below), you can hear it in action in this video.

Big Carl

A typical tuba is about 3 1/2 feet high, has about 18 feet of tubing and weighs about 20 pounds. Big Carl stands nearly 8 feet tall, contains 60 feet of tubing, weighs about 100 pounds and his bell, the widest part, has a diameter of just over 40 inches. Tuned a full octave lower than a standard BB♭ contrabass tuba, it takes two people to play Carl properly. Nobody is quite sure when or for whom Big Carl was created, but he’s rumored to have made a cameo appearance at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis — an event that also housed the world’s largest organ at the time. For most of the past century, Carl was on display at a music store in New York City, but in recent years he has been living in the conference room of a music publisher’s office in the Wall Street district. Check out the video here.

The Korean Five Meter-Wide Drum

The biggest drum in the world (as certified by Guinness World Records) was built in 2011 and is on display at a music center in Yeongdong, Chongcheongbuk-do, Korea. It weighs over 7 tons and is nearly 20 feet high, with a diameter of nearly 18 feet and a skin that was stitched together from 40 cowhides. Wonder what it sounds like? Check out the video here.

The Great Stalacpipe Organ

Constructed in the 1950s in Virginia’s Luray Caverns — the biggest cave complex in the eastern United States — this appears at first to be a normal organ, but instead of using pipes, the keyboard is wired to soft rubber mallets poised to gently strike stalactites of varying lengths and thicknesses. Leland Sprinkle, who spent three years designing and building the Great Stalacpipe Organ, was said to have tried over 2,000 stalactites before he obtained the correct sound! When the keyboard is played, the entire subterranean cavern — over 64 acres — becomes a huge, resonating musical instrument. Check out the video here.

Images courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Antoine Saito) via Wikimedia Commons, The Earth Harp Collective, Maria Ramey via Wikimedia Commons, Eva Kingma via Wikimedia Commons, Alessandro Grego via Wikimedia Commons, The Asia Book of Records, and Jon Callas via Wikimedia Commons.

Illustration showing YPAO microphone analyzing room.

How to Calibrate Your AV Receiver with YPAO™

Written by Phil Shea on November 13, 2020. Posted in Audio How-to. 11 Comments on How to Calibrate Your AV Receiver with YPAO™

Now that you have your new sound system and have connected all your components and speakers, it’s time to enjoy your investment. But not quite yet. There’s one more important thing to do — calibration!

Fine-tuning (that is, calibrating) your system to your unique listening environment can transform a good system into something magical. Calibration ensures that all your speakers are reproducing the sound at the proper level, arriving at your ears at the right time with the perfect balance of highs and lows as intended by the artist.

Fortunately, Yamaha has taken this seemingly daunting task and made it simple with something called Yamaha Parametric room Acoustic Optimizer, or YPAO for short.

YPAO Levels

There are several different levels of YPAO available, depending upon on the particular model of receiver. They are:

1. Basic YPAO auto calibration, available on all current Yamaha AV receivers. It starts out by testing that all your speakers are wired properly — that is, red wires are connected to red connectors and black to black. If something didn’t get connected correctly, the system will let you know. It then checks the frequency response of each speaker to determine if it is large or small. If the speaker is categorized as “small,” the deep bass notes intended for that speaker will be redirected to the subwoofer for reproduction, which helps prevent potentially damaging bass notes from reaching small speakers. YPAO also sets the right amount of delay to each speaker to ensure your ears are receiving all the sounds at the same exact time.

2. YPAO with R.S.C. (Reflective Sound Control). As explained in detail later in this article, this feature compensates for the boominess that occurs when speakers are placed too close to furniture or walls — something that’s very common in typical home theaters. YPAO with R.S.C. is available in the RX-V4A, RX-V6A and all AVENTAGE AV receivers.

3. YPAO with R.S.C. and multipoint measurement. In addition to Reflective Sound Control (see above), this feature takes multiple measurements around your listening area for a smoother and bigger sweet spot. (More information below.) It’s available in the RX-V6A and all AVENTAGE models.

4. YPAO R.S.C, multipoint and precision EQ is available in the RX-A4A and higher AVENTAGE receivers and builds on the previous versions. The addition of 64-bit resolution of the data calculations yields much more accurate correction data and provides the capability of measuring each speaker’s horizontal placement angle in relation to the listening position. This gives the internal signal processor information about where to place the decoded soundtrack in relation to your home theater’s unique speaker placement. The end result is that you hear sounds coming from the exact horizontal location where the mixing engineers placed them in the studio.

5. YPAO R.S.C. with 3D, multipoint and Precision EQ. The 3D aspect is reserved for the highest level of AVENTAGE AV receivers (RX-A4A and higher) due to the massive processing resources needed for this advanced feature. Using a quad-point measurement technique, this level of YPAO can determine what angle and distance each overhead (or Dolby Atmos^®-enabled) speaker is from the listening position. This allows for accurate 3D sound element placement in your room so that the sounds of helicopters flying overhead, for example, will come from the exact overhead position the mixing engineers placed them during the soundtrack production.

Whichever level of YPAO your model offers, it’s easy to use: just plug the supplied YPAO microphone into the connection on the front panel of your AV receiver, and follow the instructions on the on-screen display.

YPAO microphone with jack. — *YPAO microphone.*

In this article, we’ll focus on two YPAO features available in Yamaha RX-V6A and higher models: Reflected Sound Control (R.S.C. for short) and Multipoint Measurement. Both allow you to dial-in your speakers to the next level of performance for your particular room.

Reflected Sound Control (R.S.C.)two

In home theaters, there are often objects (for example, furniture and walls) that are close to speaker locations. These objects can reflect some of the sound coming out of that speaker, which can cause undesirable interactions since reflected sound has to travel a little further than the direct sound, so it will arrive at your ears a split-second later, as shown in the illustration below. This phenomenon is most pronounced in the lower registers of the audio spectrum — that is, in bass notes and the lower range of the human voice — and is usually described as a “boomy,” “muddy” or “muffled” sound. However you describe it, it’s never good!

Illustration showing Reflected sound versus direct sound in a room. — *Direct sound versus reflected sound.*

The R.S.C. algorithm in the YPAO system “listens” for these reflections as part of its calibration process and applies a corrective equalization separately to any speaker that needs compensation due to reflective surfaces on nearby objects. This correction produces a much clearer and more dynamic presentation of your favorite audio content, over the full frequency range.

Multipoint Measurement

YPAO Multipoint Measurement adds the capability of taking measurements at up to eight different locations in your seating area, sending that information to the YPAO processor about the acoustics of these additional locations, not just your prime seating position.

Physics makes it impossible for every location in your room to be calibrated perfectly, but that’s not the goal. In all likelihood, you won’t be watching your favorite movie or TV show (or listening to your favorite recording) while leaning up against a wall somewhere in the room — you’ll probably be sitting in the prime listening location (the “sweet spot”) in front of the TV or receiver and somewhere close to equidistant from the main front speakers. By including additional information in the calibration calculation, Multipoint Measurement makes the sweet spot bigger so that music and movies are more enjoyable for the rest of the family seated in the general area.

Illustration showing how multipoint measurments result in a larger sweet spot. — *Multipoint measurement results in a larger sweet spot.*

Multipoint Measurement Best Practices

When you plug the supplied YPAO microphone into the YPAO input on your receiver, the onscreen display will give you the option of performing a Single or Multiple measurement calibration. Press the left or right arrow buttons on the remote control until Multiple appears on the screen, then press enter to start the calibration. The onscreen display will guide you through the rest of the process:

Screenshot of the YPAO menu. — *YPAO menu.*

Always make the first measurement from your prime (“number one”) listening position. Make the rest of the multipoint measurements from locations 2 to 3 feet away from the number one position — not necessarily from every seat. It doesn’t matter what order or pattern you use for the additional measurements. YPAO is just collecting more data around the prime listening spot to get a better idea of how your room is reacting to the sound from the speakers. The more positions you measure, the more data YPAO gets to work with, and the better calibration you get.

Illustration showing multiple measurement locations in a diagram of a living room. — *Multiple measurement locations.*

Remember, not every seat in the house can be perfect. The goal is to make a larger prime listening area so all seating positions are closer to that sweet spot. Multipoint measurement is a big improvement over single-point calibration systems, which only take measurements from the sweet spot.

Expectations of exciting and enveloping music and movie playback are probably the reasons you invested in an AV receiver in the first place. Take the extra ten or fifteen minutes to fine-tune it in your listening room with YPAO R.S.C. and Multipoint Measurement and you can rest assured your system is performing up to its absolute best capability.

Have a turntable and need suggestions for vinyl that will flex your system? Check out this posting.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha RX-V4A.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha RX-V6A.

Click here for more information about Yamaha AVENTAGE receivers.

Expanding the Onboard Capabilities of the YDS-150

Written by Austin Snowden on November 12, 2020. Posted in Digital Wind Instruments.

The Yamaha YDS-150 Digital Saxophone has a lot of useful features built in, including 73 great sounds, a headphone output and state-of-the-art acoustic resonance technology for natural expressivity. But did you know that you can expand those onboard capabilities further still? In this article, we’ll tell you how.

Bluetooth

illustration showing the function button on the The Yamaha YDS-150 Digital Saxophone circled in red.

One of the most fun and rewarding things about learning a musical instrument is being able to play along with others. But sometimes it’s not always possible to get a group together, or maybe you feel you need to get in a lot more practice before heading to a jam session. The YDS-150 Bluetooth function allows the instrument to be paired to your smart device so you can play along with your favorite tracks.

First, you’ll need to turn on Bluetooth by holding down the Function button (circled in red in the illustration on the right) while pressing the low E♭ key. Use the up arrow to set this to “on” and release the Function button. Now press Function again and hold it down while pressing the low C key — you’ll see “[b–]” in the display and the Bluetooth LED will start flashing, meaning that the YDS-150 is ready to pair. Press the up arrow to begin pairing: The screen will change to “[b-P].” Keep holding Function, and choose YDS-AUDIO from your smart device. Once the pairing is complete, the Bluetooth LED on the YDS-150 will stop flashing and change to a solid orange color.

Now you’re ready to play along with your favorite songs! But what if the preset sounds on the YDS-150 aren’t quite what you want for a particular song? Here’s where the YDS Controller app comes in.

YDS-150 Controller App

You can also easily expand the YDS-150 onboard capability with the use of the free YDS Controller app, available for both iOS and Android™ devices. From your smart device, you can completely customize your sound with just a few simple taps.

Once you’ve paired the instrument to the app via Bluetooth, you can quickly and easily make adjustments to voice and playing settings. These include:

Breath Pressure Resistance

Determines how much the volume changes in response to the strength of your breath. The lower the value, the more responsive the YDS-150 is to changes in your air.

Breath Response

This is similar to Breath Pressure Resistance but focuses on the initial sound. The higher the value, the more air you’ll need to make the sound begin.

Key Response

This is a great setting for those who are just starting! The higher the value, the more the YDS-150 will hide unwanted notes from playing. For example, going from a middle C to a middle D requires six different keys to be pressed. If they aren’t timed perfectly, some extra “blips” could happen. Keep in mind that, the higher this setting, the more possible it is for a delay to occur while playing fast passages.

Tuning

Here you can adjust the overall pitch of the YDS-150, from 427 Hz to 453 Hz in increments of .5 Hz.

Fingering

This screen displays all of the preloaded fingerings that match how you would play those notes on an acoustic saxophone. One cool thing about this is that, if you finger the note on the YDS-150, the app will automatically scroll right to that note, allowing you to quickly find and change how that note is fingered. You can also add new fingerings; in fact, if you really wanted to, you could completely change the fingering of every single note and create an entirely new system! Or if you have a particular fingering for an altissimo note that you are accustomed to using on your acoustic sax, this is the place to program it.

Voice

This feature allows you to fully customize up to 20 user voices. Using one of the preset voices as a starting point, you can then transpose and add numerous other effects to craft the exact sound you are looking for. Here is also where you can change what the YDS-150 Analog Controller does, and how much of an effect it has. Why stop at just a half-step pitch bend when you can bend a whole octave?

Perhaps you aren’t ready to jump into live performance just yet, but with the YDS-150 Bluetooth capabilities and YDS Controller app, you can play along as if you were standing center stage!

Check out these related blog articles:

Beginner’s Guide to the Saxophone

What’s the Difference Between an Acoustic Saxophone and the YDS-150 Digital Saxophone?

Click here for more information about the Yamaha YDS-150 Digital Saxophone.

Virtual Celebration of the First Performance of the School Year

Written by Yamaha Staff on November 11, 2020. Posted in Teaching Tips.

The first musical performance of the school year is an exciting milestone for beginning band students because they can showcase their budding musical talents to their family and friends.

But how is this possible for the 2020-2021 school year when the country is in the middle of a pandemic? A large gathering for a musical performance is definitely out of the question.

The Music Achievement Council (MAC) has the solution — go virtual! In October, MAC announced that this year’s First Performance National Day of Celebration (FPNDOC) will be virtual. The official FPNDOC is Nov. 19, the third Thursday of November, but music directors can schedule their virtual concerts at any time — ideally within the first 8 to 12 weeks of school, according to MAC. With the virtual format, students’ family and friends from around the world can tune in to watch the performance.

MAC introduced the FPNDOC program three years ago because a key to retaining students in music programs is to get them performing as soon as possible and as often as possible. A complete set of materials called the “FPNDOC Toolkit” can help you plan your virtual concert.

5 Steps to a Successful Virtual FPNDOC

Schedule a date and time for your virtual FPNDOC concert.
Share the FPNDOC trailer with your students to inspire them to participate in this nationwide celebration along with other beginning level students from across the country.
Download the parts and studio tracks to distribute to your students for practicing.
On the date and time of your scheduled event, email your students the YouTube link to the virtual FPNDOC concert and have them play along karaoke-style.
Distribute a certificate of advancement to participating students; download a certificate template here. Share photos (if permitted) taken by the families of the participating students on social media with the #FPNDOC hashtag.

MAC thanks Hal Leonard for providing select music from “Essential Elements for Band, Book 1” for the virtual FPNDOC concert.

The FPNDOC virtual concert brought in major players from the music industry to replicate a live concert experience for students. Joe Lamond, president and CEO of National Association of Music Merchants, provided the opening remarks at the concert. Marcia Neel, Senior Director of Education at Yamaha Corporation of America, was the emcee. Dr. Charles Menghini, president emeritus of VanderCook College of Music, served as conductor.

It is possible to cheer on beginning music students as they discover the joy of performing in the middle of a pandemic. Let’s celebrate together, virtually.

Michael Tilson Thomas: Celebrating an American Icon

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on November 11, 2020. Posted in Artists.

Yamaha Artist Michael Tilson Thomas has a legacy that looms large. Recognized early on as a musical trailblazer and champion of the new, MTT (as he is known) has forged an illustrious career as a conductor, pianist, composer, educator and passionate advocate for American composers — a bold public figure who, like Leonard Bernstein before him, has reached out to new audiences as he entertains, educates, and shares the joy and magic of music-making. In that spirit, one of his most forward-looking projects has been his 1987 co-founding and artistic directorship of the New World Symphony — a postgraduate orchestral academy dedicated to preparing young musicians of diverse backgrounds for leadership roles in classical music.

After serving for 25 years as the Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, Tilson Thomas recently stepped down from this position and became the orchestra’s first Music Director Laureate. In celebration of his storied tenure in San Francisco, and in light of the recently aired PBS American Masters documentary “Michael Tilson Thomas: Where Now Is,” this article takes a look back at his roots and traces his career from its beginnings to today, spotlighting his many accomplishments along the way.

Early Years

Michael Tilson Thomas was born into a family with long ties to the Yiddish Theatre and the film industry. His formal studies at the University of Southern California included piano, conducting and composition.

At the tender age of 19, MTT was named Music Director of the Southern California Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, where he served as both pianist and conductor for master classes with violinist Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. During his time with the ensemble he collaborated with Igor Stravinsky, Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Aaron Copland on premieres of their compositions at Los Angeles’ Monday Evening Concerts, showing his early penchant for modern music.

Tilson Thomas’ New York conducting debut came when he was just 24 years old. He had recently been appointed Assistant Conductor and pianist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and when William Steinberg, the orchestra’s Music Director fell ill during the first half of the program, he said to MTT, “You! Put your suit on! You’re going to conduct!” This brought him to the attention of the world stage, and his career took off.

Musical Influences and Compositional Style

MTT has had an ongoing special relationship with the music of Mahler, and his performances and recordings of that composer are renowned the world over. He is noted both as a conductor of the standard repertoire, including the music of Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, and Stravinsky, and as a champion of such composers as Charles Ives, Carl Ruggles, Steve Reich, Lou Harrison, Morton Feldman, and Henry Cowell.

An adventurous composer himself, MTT has written works ranging from large orchestral pieces to solo piano miniatures. Among his most notable compositions was “From the Diary of Anne Frank,” a commission from UNICEF which was premiered by the New World Symphony in 1990, narrated by the late Audrey Hepburn, as well as “Meditations on Rilke,” featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and bass-baritone Ryan McKinny.

Career and Awards

In addition to his quarter-century with the San Francisco Symphony, Tilson Thomas has served two stints as a Carnegie Hall Perspectives artist and has appeared on over 120 recordings as a conductor. He’s also made numerous television appearances, including the Keeping Score PBS series as well as a series with the London Symphony Orchestra for BBC Television, broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts from 1971 to 1977, numerous productions on PBS’s Great Performances, and the aforementioned PBS American Masters documentary.

His many awards include 11 Grammys^® and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019, as well as a National Medal of Arts, his naming as an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, the Koussevitzky Prize at Tanglewood, and a Peabody Award for his radio series The MTT Files. He has also been inducted into the California Hall of Fame and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and previously served as Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor with both the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

MTT25: An American Icon

The San Francisco Symphony had planned to honor MTT’s tenure with special concerts this past summer, and though the events had to be cancelled, the organization pivoted successfully to a variety of online events. The San Francisco Symphony’s 25-day celebration of his history with the orchestra culminated in a Virtual Tribute event — MTT25: An American Icon — involving many of the orchestra members and guest soloists who have shared the joy of making music with Tilson Thomas over the years.

During the event, MTT reflected, “I do feel that there have been lots of moments when … as repertoire was premiered, or brought to life again in a completely new way, that we were right there on the cutting edge of what the performing arts are supposed to do — being a living testimony of keeping these great and noble ideas going forward … which music at its best witnesses so profoundly. It’s been a great honor.” And so it has been a great honor for all of us to share in the legacy of Michael Tilson Thomas — a legacy that will endure for all time.

Photographs courtesy of Michael Tilson Thomas.

For more information, visit michaeltilsonthomas.com

A Conversation with Beth Nielsen Chapman

Written by Shelly Peiken on November 9, 2020. Posted in Artists.

I first came to know the work of master singer/songwriter (and Yamaha artist) Beth Nielsen Chapman in 1992 when my girlfriend Lisa asked me to sing Beth’s song “All I Have” at her wedding. Bonding with this beautiful ode to love, I wondered about the voice behind it. Many years later I was introduced to Beth while on a trip to Nashville. We have since become friends, shared recipes, exchanged vocal tips, and yes, written songs together. Funny how people find each other.

Not surprisingly one of our favorite subjects is creativity. What holds it back? What sets it free? I thought I was the muse around here but Beth is truly the Queen of Inspiration — full of insight about how we access our inner life. I’m wide-eyed and all ears in her presence.

Needless to say, neither of us has been able to travel recently so Beth and I decided to catch up via, you guessed it, Zoom. I thought I’d share some highlights of our conversation here so that you’ll see why I lavish her with so much praise.

Immediately upon clicking “Join Meeting,” I have to admit that I felt some background envy — the angled placement of Beth’s pianos, keyboards and guitars; the decorative string lights, the abundance of tchotchkes. And yet it all seemed uncluttered and purposeful. I guess we design spaces that allow our creativity to thrive.

Beth Nielsen Chapman in her home studio. — *Beth’s home studio.*

Shelly: Just when I thought your studio couldn’t be any more bling.

BNC: Yeah, well, I need it!

Shelly: How have you been staying connected? Have you done much livestreaming?

(Turns out that indeed she has, but since Zoom was not designed with audio fidelity in mind, nor for concerts, Beth has wisely implemented an external webcam and audio interface in order to enhance the experience for viewers on the “other side.”)

BNC: I just thought, “Why do I want to plug a little microphone into my computer?”

(At this point Beth must have sensed my lack of confidence in my own tech savvy.)

BNC: You can do this, Shelly. That box [an audio interface] will change your livestream game!

(The day after our conversation I ordered one. And the webcam too.)

BNC: I think there needs to be an app where, when the audience taps on the screen, the performer hears actual virtual applause.

Shelly: I love that you’ve thought of all this.

BNC: Well, we’re all helping each other because we’re going to be doing this for a while.

Shelly: I hear you. So, have you been writing a lot?

BNC: The thing is, I belly right up to the bar when I have an assignment. But it’s a really unusual time and I’m finding that the impact of what I’m living through is getting centered into my body and will become songs, but maybe a year from now. So I’m probably not writing more, but I’m writing more deeply.

(A woman after my own heart!)

BNC: Of course, left to my own devices, I can find lots of ways to skirt around writing a song.

Shelly: Like cooking?

BNC: Well, that’s like writing a song. I always have like 15 or 20 on the stove.

(This made me smile because a few years ago when I first walked into Beth’s home, she literally had five pots on the stove, stirring this one, simmering that one. She’s a multi-tasker if there ever was one.)

BNC: Some songs go on for years. I’ve developed a sense of confidence in those times when you’re not quite writing that line yet but you know it’s coming, it’s moving towards you. I try to teach people some tricks about how to get out of their own way. The song is going to come when it darn well wants to. Instead of putting yourself down, I’m like, “Go get a banana split, dude!” You’ve shown up. That’s the important thing. Now be nice to yourself.

Shelly: I wonder why the process of songwriting is so interconnected with food for us? Anyway, yeah … you can’t give those negative voices power.

BNC: Unless it’s one of those times when you think, “It’s gone forever.”

Shelly: But it always comes back!

BNC: Well, it never went anywhere. If you’re not feeling creative, the door’s locked from the inside. For me, the process of writing is a way to take care of myself. “Sand and Water,” a song I wrote while going through loss, actually healed me. I didn’t write it thinking, “Wow, this is really good.” I didn’t know what I was writing at the time. I was a vehicle. Twenty years later, I still get emails from people who say they heard it when they needed it.

Shelly: It’s like therapy; I examine and discover so much about myself in that three-minute window.

BNC: Right! And it doesn’t have to be a sad, poignant song either.

Shelly: Have you been drawn to any particular instrument lately?

BNC: One of my go-tos is the Yamaha GENOS workstation. It’s great because of the way you can save the settings. Anyone can create with it — it’s super easy.

Shelly: You are a truly a singer-songwriter’s singer-songwriter. You’ve done the hard work, had success, reinvented, experienced longevity. How do you keep it together?

BNC: I used to think that you had to have super talent and write great songs to be successful. But a big part of being a successful artist is making good business decisions. There’s a massive amount of people trying to do it. I have a T-shirt that says, “Write anyway.” So be an artist anyway. Don’t let anything stop you. What if van Gogh thought, “Nobody’s really buying my paintings. Maybe I should stop”? There are more important reasons to write than whether or not you make it. If I lose sight of those reasons — if I focus on getting on the charts — the songs are not going to be as good anyway.

I think with what’s happening collectively in the world right now, there’s going to be a massive output of art from people trying to process it all. In the meantime, I have to respect taking care of myself. I’m really bad at not going to bed early enough. Sometimes I stay up till 2 in the morning and eat cinnamon toast.

But we’re going to come out on the other side of this thing. More than any other time in our history we have a job to do as musicians and creators. That’s always been the human answer to everything. Art is it. Art is our way through.

Screen shot of Beth Nielsen Chapman in her studio via Zoom. — *Beth!*

I love talking to and writing with Beth. Simply being in a room with her — even a virtual one — feels like a magical place where anything can happen. Because it can!

Check out Shelly’s other postings.

Yamaha THR30IIA desktop amp on wooden coffee table with acoustic guitar in background.

Creating a Television Cue with the Yamaha THR30IIA

Written by Rich Tozzoli on November 6, 2020. Posted in Amps.

When I first heard about the new Yamaha THR30IIA, a desktop amp that’s designed specifically for acoustic guitarists, I knew I had to get my hands on one. It seemed like it might be the perfect pairing for my trusty Yamaha FG-TA TransAcoustic guitar.

It arrived. I was blown away. And since the cues I compose for television shows often contain acoustic guitar tracks, I decided the best way to put the THR30IIA through its paces was on a real-world recording session. In this article, I’ll share the results of that session so you can hear the cues for yourself, and I’ll give you my thoughts about the amp too. But first, the basics.

What Makes the THR30IIA So Special?

This latest addition to the THR-II family of desktop amps is unique in that it’s designed specifically to be used with the direct signal coming from the pickup in an acoustic guitar. It’s loaded with useful features such as a built-in tuner and Line 6 Relay wireless receiver, a rechargeable battery and Bluetooth^® support that allows you to wirelessly stream audio from your computer, smartphone or tablet — great for play-along practice. There’s also a second input with independent volume and reverb; this input can also be used for a microphone thanks to its combo XLR / ¼” connector and built-in mic preamp.

With 30 watts of power, the THR30IIA delivers plenty of punch, and its specially designed speaker enclosure with dual 3.5″ speakers is optimized for both guitar and Hi-Fi audio playback. There’s even a Stereo Imager that offers Normal, Wide and Wider settings.

Rectangular guitar amp with knobs on top and a handle. — *Yamaha THR30IIA.*

Three-way EQ ensures that you have lots of control over your sound, and a unique Tone Blend control lets you determine how much of the EQ’d signal is blended in. (How cool is that!) There are five different types of acoustic mic modeling (Condenser, Dynamic, Tube, Nylon and Flat), as well as onboard reverb, chorus and delay effects that can be expanded with the use of the free THR Remote app for iOS and Android™ devices. Five user memories allow you to store your favorite settings, and compatibility with the free Yamaha Rec’n’Share app means you can easily record audio and video along with songs from your music library and then share your performances with the world.

Top panel of the Yamaha THR30IIA desktop amp. — *THR30IIA top panel.*

Stereo quarter-inch outputs on the rear of the amp make recording simple and straightforward; the THR30IIA can also act as a USB audio interface, and it even comes with Steinberg Cubase AI recording software. In short, there’s everything an acoustic guitarist could possibly need!

Putting the THR30IIA Through Its Paces

Of course, the first thing I did when receiving the THR30IIA was to plug my FG-TA into it. Being a TransAcoustic instrument, it has its own built-in effects, but I started keeping the effects off. I then turned the amp on, set Tone Select to Flat, the Tone Blend knob to Dry (so that there would be no EQ) and the Stereo Imager switch to Normal, with no effects on. Strumming a few chords, I was immediately struck by the directness of the sound, as well as its clarity and natural acoustic tone.

Leaving the FG-TA’s built-in effects off so I could focus on tweaking the THR30IIA controls alone, I quickly came up with a great sound by adding just a touch of bass and treble (around 1 o’clock), a dash of reverb and a taste of chorus/delay, with the stereo imager at its Wide setting. I noticed how similar this was sonically to something I was already used to, which was the sound of the effects coming out of my TA guitar … yet it was a lot louder and coming from a compact amp!

That’s all I needed as a base. Now I was ready to put this instrument/amp combo to the test.

When I write a cue, I begin with the end result in mind — in fact, I can usually hear the finished product in my head almost before it’s done. Since the sound coming from the amp was already so good, I decided to start by adding some extra Chorus/Delay, which gets deeper as you turn the THR30IIA Effect knob up. I then connected the amp’s left and right line outputs into my DAW via an audio interface. In my DAW, I panned the left channel hard left and the right channel just past 1 o’clock, knowing what was coming next. (When I record guitars, I layer them to make the sound bigger in the stereo field, which is also helpful for television.) The sound was exactly what I wanted — lush, thick and full of depth. Here’s the track I recorded with these settings:

For the next pass, I wanted to get a drier sound from the amp with no effects, to compensate for the “wetter” track I had just laid down. This was easily accomplished by setting the THR30IIA Tone Select knob to Dynamic. This yielded a nice natural tone with a bit of mid presence to it. But this time, I placed a good-quality condenser mic set to cardioid right in front of the amp, about 6 inches back and just to the left of center facing the left of the two speakers. Playing the same part as previously recorded, I panned the track hard right to begin filling out the stereo field. Here’s what it sounded like:

Now to fill things up even more, I set Tone Select to Tube on the THR30IIA, with the amp’s reverb set to Long, and once again captured the sound with a condenser mic. This sound was narrower and set back in the sonic field, but, panned to around 2 o’clock, worked perfectly with the previous pass. Here’s what it sounded like:

At this point, I had a full acoustic guitar mix happening:

Overall, the combination of recording direct from the amp with the line outputs and placing a mic in front of it worked out really well, as you can hear from the final mix, complete with backing track:

I was impressed with many things about the THR30IIA on this session. By just plugging in my guitar and twisting a few knobs, it delivered a great acoustic tone. The width and depth of the sound was surprisingly large considering the small size of the amp. The onboard effects sounded great, and being able to record directly from the amp using its line outputs was really useful. But placing a mic on the amp was equally as satisfying and inspirational. Simple, straightforward and sonically pleasing, this amp is clearly going to be an important part of my studio arsenal. I look forward to using the THR30IIA for more cues soon!

Click here for more information about the Yamaha THR30IIA.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha FG-TA.

Better Monitoring for Better Mixes, Part 1

Written by Mike Levine on November 4, 2020. Posted in Recording. 2 Comments on Better Monitoring for Better Mixes, Part 1

Imagine this scenario: You write a killer song and capture an excellent recording of it, including an awesome lead vocal. Your mix sounds fantastic on the speakers in your studio, and you can’t wait to send it to your friends.

But when you do, instead of the expected compliments, everyone tells you there’s something wrong with the mix. “Nice song, but it sounds weird.”

This is a good indication that there’s a problem with your monitoring setup. It might be because of the speakers you’re using, where you placed them, or how they interact with the acoustics (i.e., the walls, ceiling and floors) in your studio. It might even be a combination of all three!

The ideal remedy would be to bring in an acoustical consultant. He or she would be able to recommend room treatments, suggest the best placement for your monitors, and tell you if you need to replace them.

But that could be quite costly. What’s more, installing acoustical treatments onto the walls and ceiling might not be practical, especially if you rent rather than own your home. But fear not: There are common-sense methods that can help you get much better mixing results, even without any room treatments. In this article, we’ll tell you what they are.

The Difference Between Speakers and Monitors

You’ll invariably get better mix results if you use purpose-built studio monitors. Mixing on the speakers from your home stereo or a computer speaker system is not a good idea. That’s because consumer systems are designed to make music sound good, not necessarily to reproduce it accurately. They may hype the low end and high end in ways that will make it harder for you to accurately gauge frequencies and levels during the mix.

Instead, use a pair of dedicated studio monitors such as the Yamaha HS Series, which includes models with 5″, 7″ and 8″ woofers (the HS5, HS7 and HS8, respectively).

Two rows of monitors of various sizes. In the foreground are 4 monitors in black and in the background are 3 monitors in white. — *Yamaha HS series monitors.*

All HS Series monitors are self-powered and biamplified to ensure accuracy over their full frequency range. In addition, they offer EQ capabilities for tailoring their response to the acoustics of your room. For example, if you discover that mixes that sound good in your studio appear to lack bass when you hear them in other places, you can deduce that your room accentuates the bass response. (If you’re mixing in a space that’s exaggerating the bass, you’ll keep it lower in the mix.) In that case, you can use the rear-panel Room Control switch to reduce the low-end response by -2dB or -4dB. Many studio monitors, including all HS Series models, also offer EQ for adjusting the high-end response. These kinds of switches and controls are rarely found on consumer speakers, and almost never on computer speakers.

Monitor Placement

Another very important factor is where you place your monitors. Ideally, they should be kept away from walls and corners, which can interact with the audio to create what are called “standing waves.” These can wreak havoc with bass in particular.

While you can’t alter your room’s dimensions, you can minimize the standing wave issue by placing the monitors away from corners and as far back from the walls as is practical. If your room is rectangular, it’s better to position your monitors along the longer dimension. You should also locate your monitors so that they’re not equidistant to the walls on either side; instead, place them off to one side or the other. The less symmetrical your room and setup are, the less you’ll have to deal with standing waves and other acoustic problems.

Illustration showing the best placement of monitors in a rectangular-shaped room. — *Where should you place your monitors?*

Playing the Field

Another way to lessen the impact of room acoustics is to use “near-field” monitors, which are by far the most common type in use today. Because they are designed to be placed close by, near-field monitors allow you to listen at relatively quiet sound levels. This not only serves to maximize the direct sound and minimize the amount of room reflections (which can skew and distort what you hear) but also reduces the ear fatigue that lessens your ability to discern a good mix.

To monitor correctly in a near-field setup, the mix position (where you sit while mixing) should be one point in an equilateral triangle, with the monitors serving as the other two points, as shown in this illustration:

Each of the three points should be roughly three to five feet apart. If you’re using monitors with small (5″ or 6″) woofers, err toward the shorter distance; if they have 7″ or 8″ woofers, err toward the longer distance. Make sure to angle your monitors inwards (this is called “toe-in”) to line up with your mix position. There are apps that can help you in achieving these settings accurately.

In terms of height, it’s best to position your monitors at ear level. Use dedicated speaker stands instead of tabletops to further avoid reflections, and invest in monitor isolation pads to put under each speaker. Such pads are designed to “decouple” the monitors from the surface. Without them, the vibrations from the speaker cabinets can create resonance that distorts what you’re hearing.

Go Big if Possible

Which size monitor you should use depends on how large your home studio is. If you can fit (and afford) monitors with 8″ woofers, they’re usually the better choice. That’s because larger size woofers can reproduce lower bass frequencies, allowing you to accurately hear what’s going on in the low-end of your mix.

As an example of how size and bass response correlate, look at the different sized monitors’ bass response specs in the HS Series: The HS5 goes to 74Hz, the HS7 to 55Hz and the HS8 all the way down to 47Hz.

To Sub or Not to Sub?

Another option for improving bass response is to add a subwoofer, particularly if you plan to mix electronic dance music or hip-hop, where bass instruments commonly extend into the sub-bass frequency range (below 60Hz). A good option here is the Yamaha HS8S — it’s a powered sub that’s compatible with all HS models (as well as studio monitors from other manufacturers) and gives you bass response down to 22Hz.

Yamaha HS8S subwoofer. — *Yamaha HS8S subwoofer*

Unlike other kinds of monitors, subwoofer positioning is not critical — you can pretty much place them anywhere. That’s because the kinds of very low-frequency sounds they produce are not especially directional, meaning that the human ear can’t easily discern where they are coming from.

Why Not Just Mix Over Headphones?

Headphones are good for checking details in your mix, but they’re not a substitute for studio monitors. The problem is that you hear things differently when you have headphones on, for two reasons:

1. In headphones, the left and right sides are totally discrete, which is not the case when you listen to music in a room over speakers and hear some of the left signal coming from the right and vice-versa.

2. When you listen in headphones, you’re hearing only direct signal, whereas when you listen over speakers, you’re hearing both direct and reflected (room) sound.

Because many people listen to music on earbuds or headphones, it’s perfectly valid to check your mixes that way. Just don’t do it exclusively, because your mixes will also be heard over speakers.

Click here for Part 2: Tips and tricks for achieving better monitoring.

Check out our other Recording Basics postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha HS Series studio monitors.

The History of Musical Genres, Part 2: Blues and Jazz

Written by Marc Hopkins on November 2, 2020. Posted in History. 3 Comments on The History of Musical Genres, Part 2: Blues and Jazz

From cotton fields to recording studios and bandstands, blues and jazz are uniquely American and a vibrant testimony to the American experience. Yet without pain and suffering, there would be no blues.

Birth of the Blues

The genre emerged during the 1860s in the American South through the work songs and spirituals sung by slaves toiling on plantations. It was under these conditions that the recognizable characteristics of blues (such as call and response, a 12-bar I-IV-V structure, the use of two repetitive verses followed by a chorus, and distinctive rhythmic patterns) would evolve into the music that would later inform jazz, rock’n’roll and other musical genres.

Late nineteenth-century trumpeter and composer W.C. Handy, who called himself the “Father of the Blues,” is credited with popularizing the genre. Music critic David Hajdu has noted that Handy “documented blues in the form of musical notation, freezing songs in modes that suited him, and [having] the music copyrighted and published.”

Robert Johnson only lived 27 years, but in that short time, he created a unique playing style that would influence blues musicians for decades. The superstition that he “sold his soul to the devil” to achieve musical success belies a deep musical legacy evidenced by the many adaptions of his songs by popular artists like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. A 2019 story in the New York Times stated that “guitar playing on Johnson’s recordings was unusually complex for its time. Most early Delta blues musicians played simple guitar figures that harmonized with their voices. But Johnson, imitating the boogie-woogie style of piano playing, used his guitar to play rhythm, bass and slide simultaneously, all while singing.”

Another seminal bluesman was John Lee Hooker, known for his percussive guitar playing and growling vocals, which would serve to influence Chicago blues singers like Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. Introduced to the guitar early in life by his stepfather, who was friends with legendary artists Blind Lemon Jefferson and Charlie Patton, Hooker hit the road in the 1920s when he was just 14 years old, and was still actively touring into the late 1990s after enjoying a popular resurgence.

And then there’s B.B. King. The Mississippi native played over 300 shows annually for more than 30 years, developing a distinctive guitar style that featured string bending and vibrato — the precursor to (and a great influence on) the stylings of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and a legion of rock stars.

The Evolution of Jazz

In the early 20th century, a considerably more musically complex genre known as jazz (or “jass,” as it was called initially) began to take shape in New Orleans. It was within the boundaries of this multicultural city that an unplanned mashup of styles occurred, encompassing the blues, ragtime, minstrel shows, vaudeville tunes, brass band music, string band songs, dance music, marching music, and funeral music. “The result was an improvised sound that, within a few years, would captivate the nation,” writes author Court Carney in his online Oxford Research essay “Jazz, Blues and Ragtime in America, 1900–1945.”

It was during this time that one of the founding fathers of jazz emerged. Cornetist Charles “Buddy” Bolden is believed to be one of the first musicians to explore the developing genre. While there are no recordings of his performances, he is credited with creating a looser, more improvised version of ragtime, and his band was said to be the first to use brass instruments to play the blues. Bolden was not only renowned for his revolutionary technique but for his sheer volume. Clarinetist Alphonse Picou once said, “He was the loudest there ever was because you could hear [his] cornet as loud as what Louis Armstrong played through the mike.”

It would be left to Armstrong, another son of New Orleans, to help push jazz into the art form as it’s known today. New York Times jazz critic John S. Wilson wrote in 1971 that Armstrong was “the root source that moved jazz onto the path along which it developed.” Also known as “Satchmo” or “Pops,” Armstrong would frequently abandon the melody, addressing only the chord changes to chart his own path — a path that generations of jazz musicians would come to follow. His “Hot Five” and “Hot Seven” recording sessions (named for the number of musicians in the ensemble) held between 1925 and 1928, produced 89 recordings that showcased Armstrong’s evolution as an improviser both as a soloist and a vocalist, and also introduced a national audience to scat singing.

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington is considered the most important American jazz composer of the 20th century. His compositions number in the thousands and, for more than 50 years, he led a jazz orchestra that continually stretched the genre’s boundaries. Ellington also wrote Broadway musicals and conducted symphonies — even an Alvin Ailey ballet.

A deft songwriter, he crafted compositions to showcase the unique talents of the musicians in his ensemble, many of whom were prominent artists in their own right. For example, Ellington’s song “Jeep’s Blues” was conceived with saxophonist Johnny Hodges in mind. “For Hodges, this is declamatory preaching of the highest calling,” wrote Tom Reney of New England Public media in 2019. “With Ellington’s accompaniment prompting and cushioning his star soloist and the ensemble, especially in quiet passages, intoning like a choir, who needs a narrative?”

Like all other musical genres, jazz can be characterized by well-defined sub-genres like swing or bebop, and by the musicians who dominated a particular period or collection of periods. But the creative output of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis quashed those norms. Davis charted an eclectic path where he didn’t settle on any one particular sound or playing style.

On his milestone 1959 album Kind of Blue, Davis and the other soloists in his ensemble played a melody over just one or two scales instead of entire chord progressions, creating space for broad swathes of improvisation. There’s an orchestral feel to his 1960 Sketches of Spain, which offers a mix of jazz, classical and Spanish-influenced world music. A decade later, on Bitches Brew, he employed a heavy dose of electric instruments. The album is seen as the forerunner of the jazz-rock subgenre which rose to prominence in the 1970s.

When first introduced to popular culture, blues and jazz were branded by traditionalists as the “devil’s music,” yet both genres have endured the test of time and continue to maintain strong followings today through fans who crave classic recordings as well as those who seek out contemporary artists. Recent years have seen an increasing influence of R&B, hip-hop and pop music on jazz in particular. Another internet-aided trend of modern jazz is that of extreme reharmonization, performed by virtuosic players known for their speed and mastery of complex polyrhythms. Though their roots date back more than 150 years, blues and jazz are still alive and well today!

Check out the other articles in our “History of Musical Genres” series.

What’s the Difference Between an Acoustic Saxophone and the YDS-150 Digital Saxophone?

Written by Austin Snowden on October 30, 2020. Posted in Digital Wind Instruments.

Early versions of the saxophone first appeared in 1840, followed by a number of variations. However, it wasn’t until the 1930s that the world saw what is now considered the modern saxophone.

Advances in digital technology have allowed Yamaha to take the saxophone to a whole new level. The YDS-150 Digital Saxophone has a lot in common with its acoustic counterpart — yet it offers numerous exciting innovations. In this article, we’ll take a look at the similarities and differences between acoustic and digital saxes, and explore some of the new features offered by the YDS-150.

It Starts at the Top

Closeup of mouthpiece. — *YDS-150 mouthpiece, reed and ligature.*

Even at first glance, one major similarity is quite obvious: Both instruments use a mouthpiece, reed and ligature. This is where air enters the horn and ultimately where the player controls nearly every aspect of the sound. In acoustic saxes, whether you are playing a soprano, alto, tenor or bari, these components can be highly customized to suit your playing needs. The YDS-150, however, is designed to work with its included mouthpiece, which is nearly identical to a Yamaha 4C Alto Saxophone mouthpiece. This means embouchure and articulation have the same approach, although creating a characteristic sound is going to take more skill on an acoustic sax. The YDS-150 mouthpiece is designed so that any beginner or pro can pick up the instrument and make a great sound right away.

Reed All About It

Whether it’s made of cane or synthetic materials, any reed that can fit on an acoustic alto saxophone mouthpiece will fit on the supplied YDS-150 mouthpiece. But the similarities stop there. Unlike on an acoustic saxophone, the reed on the Digital Saxophone is not what generates the sound; instead, that’s the job of a breath sensor mounted inside its body, as shown here:

Closeup of inner workings of the apparatus. — *YDS-150 breath sensor.*

When playing the YDS-150, you do not want the reed to vibrate, because doing so interferes with how the breath sensor detects your air and prevents the instrument from functioning correctly. The supplied synthetic reed is designed so that it does not vibrate under normal playing conditions. This means that for the sax player with boxes of reeds ready to go, you are better off leaving them for your acoustic horn. Likewise, swapping other mouthpieces onto the YDS-150 may not yield the same results as the included “DS” (Digital Sax) mouthpiece.

Control

Players of acoustic saxophones control tone through manipulation of air flow and embouchure. With practice, a skilled saxophonist can even do pitch bends, add vibrato, and perform numerous extended techniques that same way. But all of these are dependent on a vibrating reed.

On the YDS-150, where the reed does not vibrate, these effects and more can all be fine tuned with the use of a dedicated smartphone app. Everything from pitch to key response, transposition, distortion effects — even switching from a soprano voice to a bari voice — can be done in a matter of seconds.

Sonic Variety

An acoustic saxophone is capable of producing many different tonalities with a great deal of flexibility, but it is the sole responsibility of the player to develop the skills needed to control and manipulate the sound that comes from their instrument. The YDS-150 also offers a wide range of tonalities via 73 preset voices, assuring a greater degree of consistency. In addition to standard sax sounds, there are non-saxophone sounds and other digital effects that simply are not possible on an acoustic sax, such as the sound of a soprano and bari playing at the same time. (Not easy to do in real life!) With the use of the dedicated smartphone app, the player can further hone in on the sound quality they’re looking for.

The Keys are Key

Closeup with lever circled. — *YDS-150 Analog Controller.*

The YDS-150 has the exact same key layout as an acoustic sax. Everything from the palm keys to the side trill keys, spatula, high F# — even a low A key — are positioned exactly where a saxophonist will expect them to be. The one difference is the addition of an Analog Controller on the YDS-150. Shaped much like a joystick on a gaming controller, this allows the player to control effects such as pitch bends using their right thumb.

Bell Resonance

Of course, a saxophone is not complete without its distinctive eye-catching brass bell. On an acoustic sax, the bell helps to project the sound and also plays a major role in how the instrument resonates. Although the YDS-150 has an internal speaker that “projects” the sound, its brass bell is connected to internal componentry in order to provide the player with physical feedback that emulates that of an acoustic instrument.

Ready to learn more? Here’s a video that highlights some of the main YDS-150 features:

Click here for more information about Yamaha acoustic saxophones.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha YDS-150 Digital Saxophone.

Click here to find a Yamaha woodwind dealer near you.

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Fred Coury

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on October 28, 2020. Posted in Pro Audio Artists.

From its speed of workflow and audio transparency to the inbuilt vocal correction and modeled amplifiers, Fred Coury relies on Steinberg Cubase.

Renowned for his drumming with the band Cinderella, Coury has fashioned a second career as a prolific composer for television and movies as well as sonic branding for sports teams. “I have a certain bar that has to be met, because I came from the world of tape,” he explains. “That’s a whole art that’s gone now, but I wanted something that sounded great, where you have the headroom, the top end and the low end, and everything in-between. I want to hear everything, and I don’t want the software to color the sound in any way at all. That’s why I’ve chosen Cubase — it’s really transparent.”

Being a drummer, Fred particularly appreciates the drum editing features offered by Cubase. “You should hear me play sometimes,” he says self-effacingly. “It sounds like a pair of sneakers in a drier! But Cubase just makes [my drumming] perfect. It’s such an easy editor.” Fred is also a big fan of the amp models in the VST Amp Rack that’s built into Cubase. “Whatever’s in this module not only sounds real, it feels real,” he enthuses. “That’s the most important thing.”

“They say that luck is being prepared for opportunity,” Coury observes. “Cubase makes you prepared for the opportunity.”

Check out these related articles.

Click here to learn more about Steinberg Cubase.

Go Behind the Scenes at Yamaha Guitars

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on October 27, 2020. Posted in Electric Guitars, Guitar History.

Did you know Yamaha has been making guitars for over fifty years? Here are three videos that trace our long history of quality guitar crafting and show how that innovation continues today.

First, a visit to the Innovation Road museum located in Hamamatsu, Japan, where U.K.-based guitarist Paul Hindmarsh conducts a hands-on “playing” tour of the many historic Yamaha guitars and basses on display. Highlights include an encounter with the SG3 — the company’s first production electric guitar, introduced in 1966 — as well as the SG7 “Flying Samurai”; the ’70s classic SG2000 solid-body electric; the original “Broad Bass” BB2000; and the Pacifica 912, the first-ever Pacifica guitar, introduced in 1990.

In this second video, Paul explores the Yamaha Guitar Archive in Hamamatsu — a treasure trove of the company’s early guitar and bass designs (many of which were never released commercially), including a 1965 prototype of the GSX33B — the very first electric guitar Yamaha ever built. Others include a 1973 SB75 bass that was the precursor to the BB line; a 2003 SG2000 Double Neck with both standard and extended necks plus a Hawaiian koa top; and an early Revstar prototype with “café racer” cosmetics.

Ever wonder how a guitar or bass is made? This way-cool behind the scenes tour of the Yamaha Guitar Development Custom Shop in Calabasas, California gives you exclusive insight into the design and build process. Learn about the research and development that goes into the creation of new instruments, view the workbenches on which they are assembled, check out the facility’s CNC (computer-controlled cutting machine) as it fashions a custom Revstar from scratch, witness the painting process, and visit the studio room where products are tested and the Guitar Showroom where artists get to explore design ideas with staff and finally hear their custom-crafted instruments in action.

Keep up-to-date with Yamaha Guitars:

https://www.facebook.com/YamahaGuitars

https://www.instagram.com/yamaha_guitars

https://twitter.com/yamahaguitars

http://yamahaguitardevelopment.com

Click here to learn more about Yamaha guitars.

Click here to learn more about the Yamaha Custom Shop.

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The Creative Repertoire Initiative

Written by Frank Ticheli on October 26, 2020. Posted in Advocacy.

Seemingly overnight in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic swept through our world, leaving us isolated at home and plagued with fear and uncertainty about the future. Jobs lost, businesses shuttered, classrooms moved online — our entire way of life changed in ways that shocked us. And for music lovers, an unthinkable thing happened — live music stopped.

Introspection

In early April while still adjusting to a new normal, I received a call from my friend Allan McMurray, director of bands emeritus at the University of Colorado. After we exchanged pleasantries, our conversation turned to the pandemic and its potential impact on school music programs. Allan pointed out the possibility that schools would be mandated to limit the number of students in a rehearsal room to eight or 10 students, perhaps even fewer if wind playing or singing were involved.

Allan said, “If the teachers don’t have music that adapts to this kind of situation, how will they keep their students engaged? Kids might become disillusioned or bored and drop music. Programs could be decimated, and it could take years for some to recover. Some may never recover! What are you going to do to help?”

These were strong words from someone I have known and respected for decades. I took Allan’s call to action very seriously. For days, I pondered his question, unsure of how I could help. As the seriousness of the situation began to sink in, I came to formulate a solution to Allan’s challenge: I began making arrangements of my music that were playable by ensembles of any size or makeup. I resolved to put together a group of composers to join me. I also enlisted conductor Robert Ambrose, a strong advocate of both composers and school band programs. He and I immediately began calling composer friends around the country to ask if they would join us in this mission.

No arm-twisting was required to enlist allies. The 10 composers Robert and I called jumped on board immediately, offering their time and talents without understanding fully what they were getting themselves into — they just wanted to help.

A Collaboration of Composers and a Conductor

That is how the Creative Repertoire Initiative (CRI) was born. We are a collective of 11 composers and a conductor, all committed to the creation and promotion of adaptable music to meet the serious challenges facing music educators in the coming academic year and beyond.

Creative Repertoire Initiative Members

Robert Ambrose, Brian Balmages, Steven Bryant, Michael Daugherty, Julie Giroux, John Mackey, Peter Meechan, Jennifer Jolley, Alex Shapiro, Omar Thomas, Frank Ticheli and Eric Whitacre

After a series of brainstorming sessions, we settled on a two-fold mission: 1) to create “adaptable” pieces, either arrangements of current works or new compositions, that could be performed in virtually any situation, and 2) to inspire, empower, guide and amplify the voices of other composers who wished to do the same.

Over time, we defined “adaptable” as an umbrella term that encompassed a variety of compositions intended for ensembles faced with limited, fluctuating or unpredictable personnel. We discussed a wide assortment of compositional techniques, including works that utilize electro-acoustics, found instruments and elements of chance. While we recognize that there are countless types of adaptable music, the pieces that CRI composers have created fall into the four categories detailed below.

Adaptable Music Type 1: FLEX

Flex pieces — where instruments are assigned to specific parts based on range/registration — have been in existence for many years. They are suitable for smaller bands where certain instruments are not represented; however, they do require that a minimum of one musician be available for each part in order to be fully realized. So, for instance, if there is no bass range player in the room, then the bass part isn’t performed. Flex pieces are abundant and include those published by Hal Leonard in their FlexBand series, as well as Bravo Music and its Japanese parent company, Brain Music.

Examples of recent flex pieces include:

John Mackey’s “Let Me Be Frank with You,”
Michael Daugherty’s setting of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” for young players, entitled “Made for You and Me: Inspired by Woody Guthrie,”
Julie Giroux’s arrangement of her “Hymn to the Innocent” and
Eric Whitacre’s arrangement of “You and Me.”

Adaptable Music Type 2: FULL-FLEX

These pieces offer maximum flexibility in which any voice is playable by any instrument making a fully realized performance possible with any combination of four or more instruments. Full-flex pieces are useful in situations where only flutes are present for rehearsal on one day, trombones on another day and a mix of instruments on yet another day.

The conductor can also experiment with part assignments. For example, a tuba player can be given part 1 and a flute player part 4, which places the melody in the tuba. This might prove to be a fun experiment — the tuba player might enjoy being able to play the melody virtually the entire time. The full-flex approach was created in direct response to the need for radically adaptable pieces in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recent examples include:

My arrangement of “Simple Gifts: Four Shaker Songs,”
Brian Balmages’ “Colliding Visions,”
Steven Bryant’s arrangement of “Dusk” and
Pete Meechan’s “Taking the Fifth.”

Adaptable Music Type 3: MODULAR/CELLULAR

These pieces rely on motivic cells in which one cell may be repeated at will before going on to another cell. A groundbreaking example of modular/cellular music is Terry Riley’s “In C.” Composed in 1964, “In C” can be played by ensembles of virtually any size and makeup. Performers are empowered to choose dynamic levels, the order in which individual cells are played, the number of times they are repeated, etc.

Recent modular/cellular pieces include:

Jennifer Jolley’s “Sounds from the Gray Goo Sars-CoV-2,”
Alex Shapiro’s electroacoustic “Passages” and
My “In C Dorian” (inspired by Terry Riley’s piece and dedicated to him).

Adaptable Music Type 4: IMPROVISATORY

These adaptable works based primarily on improvisation could entail jazz chords, verbal directions, alternative notation and any number of additional ways to provide a framework for improvisation. Omar Thomas’ “Sharp 9” for young musicians is a recent example. Its 12-bar blues serves as an introduction to improvisation while also introducing young ears to rich jazz harmony.

Composer Gatherings

We recognize that crises such as the current pandemic serve as wake-up calls, firing the imaginations of composers, conductors and performers to find new ways to engage in music-making. As we move forward, we hope to learn from others about new ways to enrich this repertoire.

As outlined in our mission statement, CRI is committed to encouraging, guiding and advocating for other composers who wish to create adaptable music. We have done so in myriad ways:

The CRI website has a composer resource section that contains tutorials, score templates and sample score excerpts for others to use or modify to suit their needs.
The CRI Facebook group is a place for composers to highlight their adaptable music and for directors to learn about these works.
CRI hosted two “Adaptable Music Forums” as part of Robert Ambrose’s The Digital Director’s Lounge Zoom show. These forums provided a platform for composers to present their adaptable music to a room of hundreds of educators from around the globe. These invigorating sessions provided hope, inspiration and joy to many. It was particularly heartening to learn about the vast number of composers who devoted their time during the summer months to create adaptable music.

A Network of Support

Adaptable music is available from the usual places music educators and musicians obtain their music: distributors, publishers and self-published composers or their representatives. Scores and parts for adaptable music are most often made available as PDF files, although some publishers also provide sheet music. While there is no single, centralized location where you can obtain adaptable pieces, The Wind Repertory Project has added “Adaptable Instrumentation” and “Flexible Instrumentation” categories to its website, as well as an “Initiatives: Creative Repertoire Initiative” category where adaptable works are listed alphabetically by composer.

While the COVID-19 pandemic served as the catalyst for the immediate creation of adaptable music, we recognize that the very same music may serve a vital purpose long after the pandemic has passed. Small instrumental music programs, college and university conducting classes, and anyone looking for ways to supplement mainstream large ensemble music may find adaptable music a welcome resource.

To all music education professionals, please know that you are not alone. As you face the unprecedented challenges that lie ahead, there is a huge network of professionals who are thinking of you and supporting your work. This includes the many living composers who are excited to artfully expand this greatly needed repertoire. We hope the growing number of adaptable pieces being created offer a path forward in the year to come and beyond.

This article appeared in School Band & Orchestra magazine and ACB Journal.

Jazz Chord Voicings, Part 2

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on October 26, 2020. Posted in Keyboard How-to. 1 Comment on Jazz Chord Voicings, Part 2

In last month’s installment of this three-part series, we began our exploration of jazz harmony and voicings. In that article, we mentioned that, when you play in a band context, the bass player will usually be covering the root of each chord so you are generally free to leave it out in order to make room for more color tones (the 9th, 11th and 13th). Let’s take a closer look at how you can do this.

Rootless Voicings

Jazz musicians commonly call the act of playing two-handed chords behind a vocalist or instrumental soloist comping — taken from the word “accompany.” There are many approaches to playing two-handed voicings, but let’s begin with some that don’t double any of the notes so you can clearly see how they are built. We’ll start with a Major seventh chord:

The first four voicings all use the 3rd, the 5th, the Major 7th and the 9th. The low C wouldn’t be played by you — it would be covered by the bass player. But for the sake of this lesson, you should play it and then try each voicing above it to hear the tonality, as I do in the audio examples. Can you hear how open these chords sound? They add a lot of color without sounding like plain triads and seventh chords.

Now we’ll look at dominant seventh chords:

To save some clutter, I did not go through all the possible variations of the 9th and 13th, with some of the typical notes changed. (In jazz harmony theory, these are known as alterations.) You should try them with the flatted ninth (D-flat instead of D natural), the sharp ninth (D-sharp) and the flatted-thirteenth (A-flat) as well. Figuring out those voicings for yourself is a good way to help absorb these concepts.

Next, let’s explore the minor 9th chord, with the flatted seventh as well as the Major seventh:

Next, the minor seventh with the flatted fifth, commonly called a half-diminished chord. I am showing these with both the natural ninth (D natural) and the flatted ninth (D-flat):

Finally, let’s take a look at a suspended fourth chord:

Rootless Voicings Used In A Tune

Of course, these voicings sound much better when they are used to play a series of chords, so let’s apply them to the same standard tune we used in last month’s column: “Autumn Leaves.” Here are the first 15 bars, played this month in G minor:

I added a little rhythmic interest, and I am showing the root tones below the voicings, but you don’t need to play them.

In this first audio clip, I play the root tones with an acoustic bass sound:

In the second version, I have the bass play walking lines to let you hear how this would sound in a real performance:

Left-Hand Rootless

By playing all the notes of your rootless voicings in your left hand, you are free to play the melody of the tune (or solo) with your right hand. This concept of left hand voicings was first introduced by the great jazz pianist Bill Evans, and has become a standard way of comping (there’s that word again!) when you take a solo. Here are some common left-hand voicings for the various chord qualities. First, Major, with an acoustic bass playing the root tone so you can hear the chord voicing in context:

Major left hand jazz voicing, with an acoustic bass playing the root tone.

Next, dominant seventh:

Don’t forget to explore the flatted and sharp 9ths as well as the flatted 13th on your own!

Here are some minor 9th voicings:

Half-diminished:

And finally, the fully diminished:

To wrap things up, let’s apply these left-hand voicing concepts to “Autumn Leaves” again, while playing the melody:

Autumn Leaves played with left-handed rootless melody plus bass walk.

Notice how I added rhythmic interest, plus some movement in the left hand voicings for variety. I also again added acoustic bass to hear the example in a performance context. Next: More applications of jazz voicings.

All audio played on a Yamaha P-515.

Check out our other Well-Rounded Keyboardist postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha keyboard instruments.

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5 Ways to Stay Positive

Written by Kathryn Drury Wagner on October 21, 2020. Posted in Self-Care.

“Put one foot in front of the other…” Do you remember that song from the 1970 stop-motion film “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”?

This year, the song seems less of a seasonal classic and more like a daily manifesto. Must. Keeping. Moving.

It’s not easy to stay positive when so much is being asked of us professionally and personally, collectively and individually. Here are five ways to boost your positive outlook, giving you a little “get up and go” while you put one foot in front of the other.

1. Power Up with Plants

Research has long shown that being outdoors boosts our mental and physical health. Scientists at the University of Rochester, for example, found that 20 minutes a day spent in nature increases feelings of vitality.

Getting outdoors and communing with nature may not be possible right now, but don’t forget the power of plants in an indoor environment. Potted plants in your office, home office or classroom can provide a sense of positive emotion. Try a pot of lavender in a south facing window, for example, for a little color and gentle fragrance. A peace lily offers visual serenity and does double duty, removing chemicals such as benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde from the air.

2. Dance Party

Good news: pop songs are getting more up-tempo again. The BBC reports that the average tempo of 2020’s best-selling songs is 122 beats per minute — that’s the highest BPM since 2009.

Music journalist Charlie Harding tells the BBC, “this is an important psychological change in people’s listening habits. Music is more than just escapism. It can help us imagine a different way of life. … We need sounds that help us forge a path to the world we want to live in, not the one we’re inhabiting today.”

As music educators know, tempo can literally change mood — a concept that was supported by a Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience study. Why not try some of the new dance songs with your musical ensembles and watch as the tempo boosts your mood and that of your students?

3. Dive into Deep-Focus Sessions

Overwhelm is a very real problem (read 6 Ways to Overcome Overwhelm). Music educators are teaching in new online formats while also fielding a barrage of texts, emails and calls. And if you’re on a computer, it can be tempting to pop over and see what’s on Facebook or a news site.

The solution? When possible, indulge in deep-focus sessions. Turn off the email notifications and close all the distracting tabs on your computer. There are focus tools that can help too, such as Freedom, which allows users to pick what they want to block (such as access to news sites), for how long and across which devices.

This is the restorative luxury of working on one thing, and one thing only. And imagine how accomplished you will feel when you cross an item off your to-do list. Ahhhh.

It’s much easier to stay positive when you feel like you are making progress.

4. Remember: Happiness Comes in Many Flavors

The positive psychology movement came to prominence in the 1990s. This field of science seeks to study what is going right with human’s psyches — what makes us happy and successful— as opposed to psychology’s previous emphasis on treating disorders or maladies.

To complement the positivity movement, there has been a lot of research on happiness. Happiness, it turns out, can be a transient emotion — “Woohoo! Just got a six-percent raise!” — as well as a long-term process of seeking meaning, working toward our full potential and pursuing our goals.

Knowing that happiness isn’t necessarily an on/off switch or based only on circumstance, can help redefine our approach to “feeling positive.”

5. Limit Your News Consumption

One and done. That is, check the news once a day. Too much news alters our perception, making it easy to see the negatives around us and miss the positive things that are happening.

Exacerbating the problem, there’s been a sea change over the past 15 years in how we consume news. What was once a leisurely read of a newspaper over morning coffee has become a constant barrage of video clips, TVs in public spaces and nonstop news input on our mobile devices. This can actually lead to increased cortisol — the stress hormone — in our bodies.

Reaching for your phone habitually? Try listening to music instead (especially up-tempo tunes — see “2. Dance Party” above) or watching a funny or sweet video clip — check out the gender reveal of the new baby panda at Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

What to Avoid: Toxic Positivity

The phrase “good vibes only” is seemingly everywhere these days — in rainbow bubble font on T-shirts and embossed on coffee mugs. While the expression is popular, it’s a prime example of toxic positivity.

According to the Henry Ford Health System, toxic positivity is “the culture of portraying yourself as happy no matter what. You’re switched off to anything that might be viewed as negative and feel pressure to act like everything is okay no matter the situation.”

Music educators are always under a great deal of pressure to be resilient. Chins up! But it’s okay to not be okay sometimes, to acknowledge and value the full range of human emotions. We weren’t built to only feel happiness. Boredom, anxiety, indifference, sadness — these are part of our emotional palettes too, in the same kit alongside curiosity, amazement, serenity, joy and confidence.

Even “strong” emotions like anger are important parts of the human experience. Lama Rod Owens, a contemporary Buddhist teacher, focuses many of his teachings and writings on love and rage. Metabolizing emotions such as sorrow or anger is supposed to be uncomfortable, he teaches. “Freedom/liberation means I have the agency to experience,” he wrote recently. “Experience means I am less likely to push things away or bypass them.”

It’s wonderful — and useful — to be in a positive and productive mindset. But remember, all of our emotions serve a purpose.

Maybe we need coffee mugs that say, “Good Vibes as Much as Possible” or “The Power of Positivity is Realizing I’m Only Human.”

aptX™: The Next Level of Bluetooth^® Audio

Written by Joy Frye on October 21, 2020. Posted in Music and Streaming.

A drawing of a Scandinavian man in traditional dress for 10th century man. — *King Harald “Bluetooth”.*

In the 10th century, a Scandinavian king overcame religious differences and territorial strife to unify all the warring factions in Denmark. What, you may ask, does that have to do with modern wireless connectivity?

Well, some historians believe this particular king had a dead tooth, and centuries later — 1994, to be precise — King Harald “Bluetooth” would become the inspiration for the name of Swedish telecom giant Ericsson’s new communication standard that aimed to unite laptops and cell phones from different manufacturers. In fact, the Danish runes for Harald’s initials, HB, form the Bluetooth logo.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth was originally designed for short-range low-power communication, like that used in the first consumer Bluetooth device, a hands-free headset sold in 1999. For its time, it was quite revolutionary, but there were some limitations on audio quality and occasional dropouts.

Since 1999, both the world and our communication requirements have changed dramatically. We now expect our wireless devices to operate almost as seamlessly as our wired ones, so we can watch movies, listen to music, and game anywhere, which usually involves streaming media. Streaming media requires codecs— encoder/decoder technologies that compress files being sent and decompress them on the receiving end. Codecs have been developed for specific file types, including data, still images, audio and video.

aptX

The aptX codec, which Qualcomm^® owns today, originally focused on compression for wideband stereo audio in entertainment industry applications. In the 1990s, aptX was used for the audio portion of many of director Stephen Spielberg’s biggest hit movies, including Jurassic Park. Today, it’s used in popular cell phones like Samsung^® Galaxy^® models, as well as in wireless speakers and headphones, including the Yamaha TW-E7A and TW-E5A. aptX’s fixed compression ratio and rigorous interoperability testing ensures consistent audio quality across devices.

aptX HD

In 2016, Qualcomm introduced aptX HD, the codec that finally brought high-definition quality to Bluetooth audio. In addition to support for 24-bit audio, aptX HD improved the signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in lower background noise, and also reduced total harmonic distortion for minimal interference. You can experience aptX HD in Yamaha YH-E500A and EP-E50A wireless headphones and earphones, both of which also support aptX.

aptX Adaptive

Qualcomm’s latest codec, aptX Adaptive, meets modern expectations for viewing movies, listening to music and gaming anywhere. In addition to providing the same high-resolution audio as aptX HD, aptX Adaptive features a dynamic low-latency mode for reduced lip sync issues while gaming, along with adaptive bit rate for glitch-free audio. aptX Adaptive is featured in Yamaha YH-E700A and EP-E70A wireless headphones and earphones, both of which also support aptX HD and the original aptX.

Here’s a summary of the specifications for each aptX version:


Parameter	aptX Adaptive	aptX HD	aptX
Word Depth	24-bit	24-bit	16-bit
Bit Rate	Adjustable from 276 – 420 kbps	570 kpbs	384 kbps @ 48 kHz sampling frequency 325 kbps @ 44.1 kHz sampling frequency
Variable Bit Rate	Yes	No	No
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise @ 1 kHz	-100 dB @ 420 kbps -90 dB @ 276 kbps	-90 dB	-85 dB
Signal-to-noise ratio @ 1 kHz	135 dB @ 420 kbps 130 dB @ 276 kbps	129 dB	93 dB
Frequency response over Bluetooth	20 Hz – 22.7 kHz	20 Hz – 22.7 kHz	20 Hz – 22.7 kHz

Qualcomm’s aptX, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive codecs successfully address some of the historic shortcomings of Bluetooth by greatly improving audio quality and providing a better listening experience, with fewer dropouts and significantly reduced lip sync issues.

Note: In order to enjoy the benefits of any codec, the source device must also be compatible with that codec. Check the compatibility of your source device here.

Click here to learn more about Yamaha wireless headphones.

Healing on the High Seas

Written by Rich Tozzoli on October 20, 2020. Posted in Brand.

Each year, 16.9 million people die due to lack of access to surgical care. A large percentage of those deaths occur in Africa’s developing nations, where the fragile healthcare systems simply cannot support the overwhelming need for safe surgical procedures.

For over 40 years, an organization called Mercy Ships has been on a mission to change that, by delivering world-class health care and sustainable medical training to over 55 developing countries — all at no cost — via a fleet of hospital ships staffed by volunteers from over 57 nations.

Next year, the current ship, named the Africa Mercy, will be joined by Global Mercy™, a 174-meter, 37,000-ton vessel that will be the largest charitable hospital ship in the world. It will feature six operating rooms and will be equipped with a training center that includes a simulation lab and virtual reality stations. The ship will house over 600 volunteers from around the globe, and will include a 682-seat auditorium, a school, a gym, a cafe and a library. Also onboard will be an array of musical instruments provided by Yamaha.

I caught up with Mercy Ships director of corporate development Russ Holmes recently for a wide-ranging discussion about the past, present and future of the organization, and the ways that music can help heal those in need.

RT: How is Mercy Ships able to provide its services free of charge?

RH: Our current ship, Africa Mercy, is completely staffed by volunteers. Whether you are the captain, chief engineer, someone who cooks the food in the galley or someone who works in the hospital — everyone volunteers their time. They also pay their own way to get to and from the ship and in addition they pay a monthly crew fee to cover their board and lodging. Since the crew pay their own way, any donations that come in to the organization go straight to the people and programs we are providing services for.

Russ Holmes.

We partner with several host governments in sub-Saharan Africa. The Africa Mercy spends ten months in each country and at any one time, we have around eighty patients onboard who receive care in the five operating rooms. The goal is not just to provide lots of free surgeries and then sail away; we also aim to understand what the healthcare plan is for each country we visit and see how we can enhance and add some value to it. So it’s not only about the free medical care, but also the training we provide to local health care professionals, whether they’re a surgeon, anesthetist, nurse, or biomedical technician. We invite them onboard the ship for mentoring programs, and in turn, we visit their facilities and see what upgrades we can suggest.

RT: Your ships are actually multi-purpose, aren’t they?

RH: The Africa Mercy is not just a hospital — it’s actually a floating city. We have a bank onboard, a post office, a hair salon and a full K-12 accredited school system for the children of the volunteer families that live on the ship. We also employ a lot of the local population in each port we visit. They serve as translators and help out in some of the different departments onboard the ship as well. On any given day there are probably about 600 people onboard, with 200 local day workers and 400 or so crew.

RT: How has Yamaha been able to help Mercy Ships achieve its goals?

RH: In talking with the team at Yamaha and sharing our mission and vision, we felt a strong sense of alignment with one another. We wanted to get musical instruments into our patient’s hands because it’s a powerful part of the healing process, and Africans in particular like to celebrate with music.

Unfortunately, sometimes there is a cultural stigma in the continent of Africa regarding people who don’t fit into society with everybody else — for example, those with large facial tumors or women who are incontinent as a result of childbirth injuries. Many of these folks get shunned and pushed out of the village — they literally have to live out in the bush by themselves.

So when they come onboard for their treatment, quite often some of them say that’s the first time anyone has ever been near them in ten or fifteen years. You can see the joy come back to their faces. If you’ve been shunned for so many years and nobody wants to talk to you or have anything to do with you and then you receive free life-changing surgery, it’s amazing. Then you also get to be around other people who have been through similar challenges and you get musical instruments to play as well.

We have a celebration every few weeks, when patients get their sight back because we’ve removed cataracts from their eyes, or when they’re able to feel better about themselves because cleft palates or large facial tumors have been removed. At that point all the musical instruments come out. Believe me, it’s quite the place to be!

All the instruments onboard the new ship Global Mercy will be from Yamaha, and will include drum kits and electronic keyboards — even a grand piano. And since it’s a bigger ship, it will house more children. We want them to learn all different aspects of education, not just geography and English and other languages, so one of the classrooms will give students the opportunity to take music lessons as well. These kids miss out on a lot when they are living onboard — there’s not much green grass in an industrial port, and they are very restricted as to where they can go because their home is a working ship. So all these musical instruments will provide them with an outlet for creativity.

We’ve seen a lot of very gifted, talented and musically oriented people come onboard our ships over the years. To be able to provide them with an opportunity to celebrate by playing music just adds to the joy that comes out of this entire experience.

Photographs courtesy of Mercy Ships.

For more information, visit www.mercyships.org.

What Is HDR10+, and What Does it Mean for Your Home Theater?

Written by Mike Levine on October 16, 2020. Posted in TV & Movies.

In the acronym-heavy world of TV-picture technology, there’s a new kid on the block: HDR10+. It’s the name of a new standard that offers even more accurate visual reproduction than HDR10, which was itself a significant leap forward.

Developed by a consortium that includes two leading television manufacturers and a major film studio, HDR10+ can go toe-to-toe with Dolby Vision™, previously considered the highest quality consumer video format. So, what exactly is HDR10+, and what does it mean to home theater enthusiasts or movie and TV buffs? Let’s take a closer look.

From One Standard to the Next

To understand HDR10+, it’s helpful to know about its predecessor, HDR10, a video standard that was released by the Consumer Technology Association in 2015. “HDR” is an acronym for High Dynamic Range, a term that refers to the brightness and contrast of a TV display. Don’t confuse it with Ultra-High Definition (which you’ll see as “4K UHD” or “8K UHD”), which references your TV screen’s pixel resolution.

An HDR10-supported TV offers a significantly brighter picture than an SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) TV, which uses a much older brightness standard. In this instance, the term “dynamic range” refers to the difference between the darkest and lightest content in the picture. The wider the dynamic range, the more realistic the picture.

One of the ways science quantifies brightness is with a measurement unit called “nits.” SDR TVs can only support up to 100 nits. HDR10 TVs can handle ten times that amount, while HDR10+ supports brightness of 4,000 nits (4 times that of HDR10).

African American man dressed all in black like a super hero with a diagonal cut across the image to show that the HDR10+ is clearer on the left than the HDR on the right. — *HDR10+ / HDR brightness comparison.*

Getting Meta

Another important aspect of HDR is that its video content contains data instructions, known as “metadata,” which configures the television’s color and brightness to best match the video characteristics. HDR10 supports “static metadata,” which consists of a single burst of metadata that custom-configures the TV for the overall video content being displayed. Dolby Vision takes things a step further with its support of “dynamic metadata,” which is encoded with separate instructions for each scene, thus offering much greater accuracy in terms of brightness and colors over the course of the video.

HDR10+ was developed in large part to compete with Dolby Vision. Not only does it support dynamic metadata, it’s even capable of frame-by-frame metadata, which offers an even higher level of accuracy than Dolby Vision. All in all, HDR10+ provides a picture that’s much closer to a cinema experience than anything currently out there.

Young man on stage singing into a microphone. Image has a diagonal slice across the middle showing how much brighter and clearer the HDR10+ version on left is over darker HDR version on right. The words "Every Color" headline on bottom of image. — *Colors are also richer on HDR10+ than HDR10.*

There’s one other important difference between HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, and it’s is not a technical one. Like HDR10, HDR10+ is an open-source standard that’s royalty-free. Dolby Vision, on the other hand, requires manufacturers and content creators to pay license fees to use it — something that should give HDR10+ an edge in terms of the number of products that will likely support it in future.

How to Watch HDR10+ Content

Most widescreen televisions support multiple video formats, and many new models include HDR10+ too. If you’re considering upgrading your TV to reap the benefits of this exciting new standard, note that you can already find native HDR10+ content — albeit still in limited quantities — on a growing list of streaming services that includes Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten, and Google Play™ Movies.

Netflix^® doesn’t offer HDR10+ content at the moment, but it does support HDR10, so you’d still be able to watch content with extremely high quality because TVs with HDR10+ also support HDR10. In addition, an increasing number of HDR10+ movies are becoming available on Ultra High Definition (UHD) Blu-ray Discs™, though of course you’ll need a Blu-ray player that supports HDR10+ as well.

Great Video Demands Great Sound

If you’re upgrading to an HDR10+-capable TV, you also want to have the best sound possible to match the improved visuals. If you have a home theater, consider getting an AV receiver that’s upgradable to HDR10+. Passing the video signal through such a receiver allows you to distribute the audio through your surround sound system at the highest quality while simultaneously reaping all the visual benefits of HDR10+.

All current Yamaha AVENTAGE AV receivers are HDR10+-compatible. The RX-V4A is a 5.2-channel receiver with 80 watts of power; the RX-V6A is a 100W 7.2-channel unit; and the top-of-the-line RX-V8A is a 150W 11.2-channel receiver. All include Wi-Fi^®, AirPlay 2^®, Spotify^® Connect and voice control, as well as support for the Yamaha MusicCast wireless whole-home audio system and myriad interconnectivity options.

View of front panel of AV receiver. — *The Yamaha RX-V4A AV receiver.*

View of back of AV receiver showing cable and other input output access. — *The RX-V6A rear panel offers myriad connectivity options.*

Video technology is getting closer and closer to the day when what we see onscreen is equal to what our eyes see in the real world, in terms of brightness, contrast dimension, depth and colors. HDR10+ is a giant step forward to achieving that goal and one that will significantly improve your home theater experience. If you love watching movies and TV shows, this is one area of high-tech well worth checking out!

For more information, visit www.hdr10plus.org.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha RX-V4A AV receiver.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha RX-V6A AV receiver.

Neck and Neck

Written by Robbie Calvo on October 14, 2020. Posted in Electric Guitars.

I tend to buy footwear based on the functionality, fit, comfort, color and (being the diva that I am) how they look!

Running shoes need to provide cushioned support, while deck shoes are great for my live performances because they are flat and allow me to feel the pedalboard beneath my feet when I’m looping. Dress shoes or boots need to work with my wardrobe and (limited) sense of style. Comfort is a plus, but not a prerequisite.

What does any of this have to do with guitars? Well, we take considerable time selecting the appropriate shoe for every occasion, but do we make similar considerations when choosing our guitars? You know, those expensive instruments we covet and adore with our eyes, ears, and more importantly, our hands!

In this installment of The Calvo Report, I thought it would be interesting to explore the anatomy of the electric guitar neck and take a closer look at some of the choices we have (and may not have even considered) when choosing a new instrument.

Neck Tonewoods

Maple and mahogany are extremely strong and stable tonewoods, making them great choices for guitar necks. Roasting the maple is a great way to add additional strength, and the resulting vintage hue is extremely pleasing to the eye, especially when birds-eye, curly or flamed varieties are used.

Fingerboard Tonewoods

Yamaha Revstar guitar with mahogany necks and rosewood fingerboards. — *Revstar guitars have mahogany necks and rosewood fingerboards.*

A fingerboard (sometimes called a fretboard) is glued on top of the guitar neck. Ebony, rosewood and maple are some of the most popular fingerboard tonewoods. Maple fingerboards tend to have satin or gloss finishes while rosewood and ebony are generally left unfinished with open wood grain. I prefer the darker tonewoods, as they look better on camera for my video lessons, plus it’s easier to see what the fingers are doing against those backdrops. There may also be slight tonal variances between the three, but I’m not sure even the most astute listener could identify the difference between the three fingerboard materials in a “blindfold” test.

Fingerboard Radius

This refers to the positive camber (convex or arch shape) of the fingerboard from the low E-string to the high-E string. This is an extremely important detail to pay attention to when choosing a guitar. Vintage instruments typically have a 7″ or 9″ radius. These guitars often feel great for chordal playing, but careful attention needs to be paid to fretwork in the upper regions of the neck to make sure bends remain clean without choking off. Many modern guitars have a 10″, 12″ or even 13″ radius. These flatter cambers are often better for playing slide guitar in standard tuning as well as clean, uninterrupted bending in the higher regions of the neck.

Compound radius fingerboards are common too. For example, the radius at the nut may start at 10″ and gradually flatten out to a 16″ camber in the upper regions of the fingerboard. Various compound ratios are available and can be customized to your preferences by a luthier.

Fret Wire

Revstar guitar with jumbo frets and full C-shape neck profiles. — *Revstar guitars have jumbo frets and full C-shape neck profiles.*

Frets are usually made from “nickel silver” (an alloy that doesn’t actually contain any silver) or stainless steel, and they come in a variety of heights and widths. This may be one of the most important considerations for most players.

Some guitar players like to feel the fretboard under their fingers and may prefer smaller, narrow frets to make that physical connection. However, I prefer jumbo frets (like those found on Yamaha Revstar guitars) because I find string bending, glissandi and position shifts easier on larger fret wire. The downside to larger frets is that you have to be careful not to push down too hard as this will affect the pitch of the notes under your fingers. (The notes will bend slightly sharp if too much pressure is applied.)

Neck Profile and Finish

Guitar necks are available in a wide array of profiles, depending on the brand and style of guitar. Full C-shape, shallow-C, V-shape and slim-wide are all terms used to describe the thickness and feel of the neck. However, these terms don’t necessarily relate directly to actual size, and so they may vary.

The neck finish also plays an important part in the overall feel of a guitar neck. Personally, I prefer a satin-finished neck, as this allows my hand to glide freely along the surface. Gloss finishes are hard-wearing, but tend to be “sticky” to the touch. Oil-finished necks are popular too, and because these finishes tend to be thinner, they provide a more natural wood feel under your fingers.

Scale Length

The two most popular scale lengths for electric guitars are 24¾” and 25½”. The shorter scale length (used on Yamaha Revstar and SA2200 models) brings the frets closer together and the nut closer to your body. String tension is also lower, which allows for easier string bending.

I’d definitely recommend the shorter scale length for people with small hands and a small body frame, and the longer scale length (as provided by Yamaha Pacifica models) for players with larger, stronger hands. Of course, this is ultimately the preference of the player.

*The Yamaha Pacifica 112VM features a maple neck and longer scale length.*

Number of Frets

22-fret necks are the most common on electric guitars. (All current Yamaha electric models feature 22 frets.) However, if for some reason you need to access a full four octaves on your guitar (open low E string to high E), you’ll need a 24-fret neck.

Nut Material and Width

Close-up image of the nuts on the Yamaha Revstar guitar. — *Revstar nut.*

There are many nut options available and choices may vary from builder to builder and model of guitar. Bone, corian, plastic, urea and brass are common materials used, and each will have an effect on the guitar’s tone. The nut slots should allow the strings to glide freely between the tuning pegs and the bridge, and it’s imperative that they be cut with exacting precision for each string gauge to ensure perfect intonation along the entire string length.

String Spacing

The width of the neck — and consequently the nut width — will also determine the spacing between each string. Players with large hands and fingers may want to look for a wide neck with a larger string spacing. Alternately, if you have small hands and are struggling to facilitate chord voicings and scale shapes on a wide neck, a short-scale (24¾”) neck with a narrow nut width may be a consideration for you.

Truss Rod

An internal metal truss rod allows for fine adjustments of positive and negative bow (curvature) along the length of a guitar neck, which ideally should be as straight as possible. On modern guitars, the truss rod covers and the adjustment screws (normally via hex key) are typically found on the headstock; on older instruments, at the heel of the neck. If the truss rod is at the heel of the neck, the strings will need to be loosened to access the adjustment screws.

The Video

I recently filmed a promotional video for the Line 6 POD^® Go guitar processor in which I played two of my favorite guitars: the Yamaha Revstar 720B and 502TFM. Both guitars have a full C-shape mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard and jumbo frets with a 13″ radius. I also strung both with 10 – 46 gauge strings, which in my opinion provide the perfect string tension on guitars with a 24¾” scale length. String bends, intonation, tone and sustain are further enhanced by the neck-through body construction.

Notice also how easily I glide along the fingerboard to flow between scale patterns and how well the two guitars complement each other on those sweet harmony lead guitar lines.

The Wrap-Up

We spend a lot of time sleeping, so a comfortable bed is key to getting a good nights’ sleep. We also work lots of hours to earn a living, so choosing a job we love is advantageous to thriving in a career.

Our recreational guitar playing time is just as important to our general happiness, so making detailed and informed choices regarding the instruments we play will enhance our enjoyment and ultimate progress on the instrument. Trust me, the necks on the guitars you’re considering make a big difference, so choose wisely!

Photographs courtesy of the author.

Check out Robbie’s other postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha Revstar guitars.

Click here for more information about the Line 6 POD Go.

Beginner’s Guide to the Saxophone

Written by Austin Snowden on October 13, 2020. Posted in Woodwinds. 1 Comment on Beginner’s Guide to the Saxophone

Every musician remembers when they first chose to pick up an instrument. For me, I was amazed by how intricate the saxophone’s keywork was and I wanted to know how it all worked. What sounds could I make with this instrument and where could it take me?

Like most things, knowledge comes with practice and you can’t expect to be perfect on your first try. Regardless, there are some basics that all saxophonists should know. Let’s explore a few of them.

The Air Comes First

First and foremost, the saxophone is a wind instrument. That means at the root of it all, your air is the most important aspect to your playing. On an acoustic saxophone, everything from your tone, pitch, volume, projection and articulation to your style and control — you get the point — starts with your air. So take the time to pay close attention to how you breathe and what your air is doing while you are playing.

By the way, this isn’t just true of acoustic saxophones anymore, because the breath sensor inside the new Yamaha YDS-150 Digital Saxophone can detect the slightest changes in your air speed. So just because you can adjust your volume with a button and change your tone using an app doesn’t mean your air isn’t important!

3d rendering of the breath sensor on the YDS-150 Digital Saxophone. — *YDS-150 breath sensor.*

The Reed Is the Source of the Sound

Close-up image of the saxophone mouthpiece, ligature and reed. — *Saxophone mouthpiece, ligature and reed.*

Next most important is the reed. This is where the “wood” part of the term “woodwind” applies. On an acoustic saxophone, the reed vibrates in response to air pressure, producing the sound waves that are amplified by the rest of the instrument. It’s important to place the tip of the reed either level to, or just below, the tip of the mouthpiece, and that it be secured in place with a ligature. The ligature should be just tight enough that it does not move, but there’s no need to crimp it down any further than “snug.” (Click here for more information.) By the way, although the reed doesn’t vibrate on the YDS-150, it still plays an important role on how the instrument will respond.

Relax!

In support of your air, you need to also have good posture. If you are hunched over, chin down to your chest, and tense throughout your whole body, you won’t be able to take a proper breath. Instead, you need to have a straight back, look directly ahead, and generally be as relaxed as possible. This position should feel comfortable and natural.

Once you’re in this relaxed position, attach the neck strap to your sax and adjust its length so the tip of the mouthpiece reaches your lips without your having to bend over. Place your thumbs on the correct thumb rests, and gently curl your fingers onto the touch pieces of the keys. Pretend you are picking up an empty water bottle, but don’t crush it! This approach should be taken whether you are playing an acoustic saxophone or a digital saxophone — the concept and keywork is the same.

Making a Sound

So you’ve got your sax assembled, and you’ve checked to make sure your posture is upright and relaxed. Now you’re ready to make a sound!

First, though, take a look at the mouthpiece and note where the tip of the reed is. Do you see the point at which the reed touches the mouthpiece? That generally is the point at which you need to create an airtight seal with your embouchure — a technical term for the way in which you apply your mouth to the mouthpiece. Do so by making a cushion with your bottom lip over your bottom teeth, inserting the mouthpiece into your mouth and placing the reed on your bottom lip, then place your top teeth on the top of the mouthpiece (the corners of your mouth should touch the side of the mouthpiece). As shown in the illustration below, this should closely resemble the shape of your mouth when saying the word “oh.”

No biting is necessary, but the bottom lip should be somewhat firm. It may take a while to find the right balance because of the number of different muscles at play, but bear in mind that there is no single right answer as to what your proper embouchure could be! When you’re ready, take a gentle breath in from your diaphragm and release the air, imagining it going through the body of the horn and out across the room. If you’ve done these crucial steps correctly, you should produce a focused and steady note. And don’t worry if your lips quiver a little when getting the mouth shape right — this is a common and short-term side effect of asking something very new of your facial muscles.

One benefit to playing digital saxophones like the YDS-150 is that your embouchure doesn’t directly affect the breath sensor. That’s one reason why digital saxes are great for someone looking to start playing with little to no experience: They allow you to quickly make a great sound out of the box, and focus on actually making music.

Remember, practicing these fundamentals is like learning to talk; you can’t say a full sentence until you learn how to sound a few words. Play long tones to start, learn your scales and always listen to your teacher or private instructor — they have been in your shoes and best know how to troubleshoot any issues you may encounter. Welcome to the saxophone!

Click here for information about Yamaha acoustic saxophones.

Click here for information about the Yamaha YDS-150 Digital Saxophone.

Click here to find a Yamaha woodwind dealer near you.

Finding My Inner Joni

Written by Shelly Peiken on October 12, 2020. Posted in Creativity.

Let’s face it, if you had a PB&J for lunch on the same plate at the same table every day, you might get, shall we say, palate fatigue. At some point you may start considering a tuna sandwich or a bowl of pasta just to keep things interesting at meal time.

Well, the same thing goes for creativity. What if we wrote every song in the same key? Yawn.

I’ve noticed that when I compose on guitar by myself (which I’ve been doing a lot these days), I tend to default to the same chord progressions, the same voicings — in other words, my old tricks. Sure, I can slap on a capo and lift my range but lately I’ve been hungry for more adventurous techniques to perk up my spirit.

Although I’ve long been fully aware that alternative guitar tunings can transport us to uncharted creative territories, there seems to be an opposing force that keeps me from straying from the norm. Why?

I’ve come to the conclusion that there are three main reasons:

1. I’m lazy. Many people can tune their guitars by ear. Not me. So having to change tuning means hoisting my body from that comfy chair and fetching a tuner. And what if, on the way to fetch it, I lose the idea that was percolating? Sure, I should keep a tuner clipped to my instrument — that’s why tuners have clips. But even then, I’d eventually have to …

2. … tune the strings back to standard position because that’s where most of my songs “live.” My fantasy is to one day own 5 acoustics — all of which could be left in a designated tuning and I’d never have to lift a finger except to play them. In the meantime …

3. What if, while performing a song in an altered tuning, I forget to tune back to standard for my next song and unmindfully position my fingers as if I had? This could result in one huge disastrous clam!

Sigh. There are endless excuses. Perhaps you have some yourself. The truth is, for me, it feels like work to learn something new. But I should know better, because whenever I do expand my palette (as well as my palate) and challenge myself, I discover the unexpected. And I always thank myself later.

That said, it’s not like I’ve never dabbled in alternate tunings before. I’ve actually explored the Joni Mitchell favorite — the “Big Yellow Taxi” open E — quite a bit. It’s effortless. In fact, sliding one lone finger up and down the fretboard produced some magical results. My harmonic synapses were so stimulated I churned out two new songs (“Christmas In LA” and “17”) within an hour of getting started.

But it’s been awhile. So, inspired by Mac Randall’s “Altered Tunings” Yamaha blogs in which he states that “a whole universe of possibilities open up when you turn a few pegs,” I decided to revisit that creative space again. I’m not a sophisticated musician. At first, unfamiliar terms in the article like “minor-second intervals” and “modal” were intimidating. But when I listened to his audio examples, I heard what he was talking about. “You don’t always know what you’re playing, and that’s a good thing for your creativity,” he writes. I couldn’t agree more. I’m a songwriter. I don’t need to understand why. Just make me feel.

I decided to start with what Mr. Randall calls the “Ed Sheeran” tuning (E-A-D-E-B-E) and got busy. I’m already thanking myself. Here I am playing my new song “Muscle Memory” in that tuning, using Ruby, my Yamaha FS-TA Transacoustic guitar:

Next time, perhaps I’ll remove my low E-string like Keith Richards does. Or maybe I’ll graduate to detuning two, or even three strings! As for that potential disastrous clam when performing? Well, like my song says, we have to have faith in muscle memory — that with enough practice and repetition our fingers intuitively know where to fall. (The little cheat sheet with titles and tunings discretely affixed to the side of my guitar doesn’t hurt either.)

The important thing is that I’m getting more comfortable being somewhere outside the box. I have more options, and I’m having more fun. Plus I’m excited about the possibilities, which makes life (and creativity) more interesting.

And that makes getting up out of my comfy chair worth it.

Check out Shelly’s other postings.

4 Steps in Caring for Mallet Percussion Instruments

Written by Troy C. Wollwage on October 11, 2020. Posted in Percussion.

After a semester of percussion activities, it’s time to assess all your instruments, including marimbas, vibraphones and xylophones, and take proactive steps to protect your equipment.

With performances, rehearsals, and transportation to venues and practice facilities, mallet instruments undergo a lot of stress and strain. The good news is that keeping your mallet instruments in top shape is a matter of following four steps.

The Four Key Steps

Step 1: Take Inventory — Take a complete inventory of all your mallet instruments at the end of each semester. This eliminates the question of “what do we actually have” and will help cut down on “disappearing” equipment during downtimes. Ensure that every instrument has a proper cover. Take note of every instrument model number, serial number and any pending repair issues.

Step 2: Designate a Contact — Select an individual — it can be a member of the percussion staff or a student leader — to be responsible for all the mallet instruments during the semester. This person will make sure that maintenance checks are done after every performance. The best way to ensure that mallet instruments are well-cared for and ready for the next performance is for ensemble staff members to be diligent about post-event care.

Step 3: Find the Proper Environment— Keep all mallet instruments in a cool, dry environment all year. Extreme changes in temperature can cause extra wear and tear on equipment, so, for example, do not leave mallet percussion instruments in an equipment truck for any length of time. To ensure the integrity of the equipment, keep all instruments in a safe and secure location. Due to extreme weather during the winter, improper storage can cause significant damage to mallet keyboards.

Step 4: Keep it Clean — At the end of every semester, all mallet instruments should be thoroughly cleaned. Take the bars off each instrument. Wipe down the rails and end pieces with a dry, soft cloth, removing any dust in the process.Then place clean covers on all instruments before storing them in a well-ventilated, room-temperature location that is safe from significant changes in temperature and humidity. Remove all mallet bags because they can get overcrowded with extra weight like water bottles, which can damage the rails and resonators.

Care Details: Cleaning Tone Bars

The bars of marimbas and xylophones are made of wood, chiefly the highest quality rosewood. Some instruments use wood called padauk. These woods are dried over long periods of time — sometimes as long as three years — to lower the moisture content so that the resulting bars yield lingering reverberations. Because moisture is the archenemy of bars, avoid playing mallet instruments in the rain or in other damp environments.
The surfaces of marimba and xylophone bars are painted to protect them from humidity. The paint on the bars can be harmed by dust, so carefully wipe the surface with a dry cloth.
Never use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) on marimba or xylophone wood bars because it can be hazardous to the finishes over time. Even in small quantities, such as spatter drops, alcohol can act as a solvent, damaging the wood finish.
Vibraphone bars are made from a mixture of aluminum alloy and topped with a silver or gold finish. They should be cleaned with light soapy water and thoroughly dried off every week or so. (Any time the instrument is played outside, it should be wiped down.) Do not let vibraphone bars air dry.

Care Details: Never Use Metallic Mallets

Never use metallic mallets on marimbas, xylophones or vibraphones because they can damage or break the bars.

Care Details: Damaged Bars

Replace the bar if the pitch is off, the bar is broken, the surface has peeled off or if the bar is otherwise damaged.

Care Details: Adjusting and Cleaning Resonators

Metal resonators, or tubes, are affixed beneath the bars. The bars and resonators are tuned so that they project sound the best when the temperature of the room is 23°C, or 73.4°F. If the room’s temperature is higher or lower, the resonators will need to be tuned. Humidity affects the resonators as well.
If the room’s temperature is higher, the pitches of the bars will be lower, but those of the resonators will be higher. In this situation, lower the pitch of the resonators to create better resonance. The opposite is true for when the room’s temperature is lower — the bars’ pitches are higher, and the resonators’ pitches are lower.
With instruments with adjustable resonators, move the opening of the pipes closer to the bars to lower the pitch. Conversely, move the resonators farther away from the bars to raise the pitch. Use the resonator receptacle under the lower-note bars to change the size of the gap between the resonators and the bars. When the temperature of the room is high, position the resonators high, or closer to the tone bars; and when the room’s temperature is lower, set the resonators in a lower position, away from the bars.
When a mallet instrument sounds strange, look inside the resonators because there might be something like a pencil, an eraser, grass or dirt stuck inside. Each resonator tube’s length is based on its corresponding tone bar; if something is trapped inside, it effectively shortens the space inside and changes the sound. Sound is also affected if dust has accumulated inside the resonators. A few times each semester, flip over the pipes and clean them using a can of compressed air to remove dust or any particles that may have fallen inside.

Care Details: Bar Suspension Cords

The bars of a marimba, vibraphone and xylophone are suspended from cords, and the tension of these cords may need to be adjusted. If the cords are too taut, the bars will rebound too much when struck. If the cords are too loose, they will absorb the vibrations and sound will not project well from the instrument.
To adjust the tension of the suspension cord, use the springs and cord-tighteners, which are found on the bass side, to alter the cord’s length and the location of the knots.
The amount of tension is acceptable if there is an adequate amount of elasticity when the cord is pushed down with a finger while connected to the springs.
If a cord is starting to fray, replace it as soon as possible.

Care Details: Watch for Bent Bar-Posts

The metal fixtures that anchor the suspension cords are called bar-posts. These fixtures can bend after repeated transporting of the instrument. Bent bar-posts will interfere with the vibrations of the bars, so always check the bar-posts before playing.

Storage

When storing a mallet instrument for long periods of time, take the bars off and carefully pack them in a bar bag. Store the bag in the director’s office or drum room to ensure that the bars are not mishandled during storage. Make sure to avoid extreme temperature changes and high humidity to keep the bars looking and sounding fresh.

Finally, never place anything on top of a mallet instrument while it is stored. Mallet keyboards are not table tops. As attractive as they might be, placing something as delicate as a large winter coat will degrade the bars over time and place unnecessary weight on the rails.

This article was adapted from the Yamaha Musical Instrument Guide.

Small boy and his father playing video games and communicating in the living room.

New Gaming Features You Can Enjoy in Your Home Theater

Written by Ted Goslin on October 8, 2020. Posted in Gaming.

Gamers know that there’s nothing more exciting than plugging in the latest console and starting your next adventure … that is, unless you’re gaming with an outdated TV and lackluster audio equipment.

With each new generation, video game consoles have continued to level-up both their video and audio capabilities, from 8-bit to 4K Ultra HD, from mono to surround sound. In this article, we’ll walk you through the most important features being offered by the latest systems and describe the ways you can best enjoy those features in your home theater.

New and Improved

According to the Entertainment Software Association^® (ESA), more than 900 million people play video games in the United States at least once a week. The Microsoft Xbox™ Series X, and its more compact version, the Xbox Series S, are the first of the company’s next-gen gaming consoles, and both offer significant improvements to the previous Xbox One offerings. These include the removal of the disc drive in favor of digital downloads, and a more powerful CPU that’s four times faster than its predecessor. In this article, we’ll use the Xbox Series X as our frame of reference.

Image of the Xbox Series X (left) and Xbox Series S (right) with their respective controllers. — *The Xbox Series X (left) and Xbox Series S (right).*

Seeing is Believing

As described in our HDMI^® 2.1: What It Means for Gear and Gamers blog, the latest HDMI specifications offer a number of new video capabilities, including image resolutions that can support 4K UHD signal (so long as they are playing on the right equipment and the game itself is built to those specs). Xbox Series X will support a host of HDMI capabilities, including 4K video at 120 fps (frames per second) and Dolby Vision^® HDR (High-Dynamic Range), an advanced technology from Dolby that provides more color depth and brightness than standard HDR.

Some AV receivers provide support for these features, including the Yamaha RX-V6A, which offers both 4K UHD and Dolby Vision HDR. If you’re planning on connecting your gaming console, make sure your AV receiver has a sufficient number of inputs (the RX-V6A has seven). This is important since one of the inputs will need to be devoted to receiving incoming signal from your console, and you’ll likely need several others to connect additional devices such as an Apple TV^®, Roku^®, Firestick or older gaming consoles.

*A screenshot from the Xbox Series X title“Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.”*

Listen Up

Has your home audio system kept pace to deliver the excitement of a low-end rumble and the subtlety of ghostly whispers? If not, you might want to consider an upgrade because the latest gaming consoles offer considerable audio as well as video enhancements. For example, 3D surround sound has become popular with game developers, who use it to create a more immersive audio experience that goes way beyond two-channel stereo. The new Xbox offers 3D spatial sound, which will be available via dedicated audio hardware. This will make it easier to reveal where enemies and allies are coming from — around, above and below you — to simulate more realistic environments. (The Xbox Series X and Series S will be the first-ever game consoles to support both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos^® surround sound simultaneously).

The proper reproduction of 3D surround sound, however, requires the right kind of audio equipment. Your sound bar or AV receiver will have that capability if it supports Dolby Atmos or DTS:X™, which utilize multiple speakers to create a 3D soundfield to accompany the onscreen gaming action in a more realistic and natural way than basic surround sound. (Both technologies are supported by the Yamaha RX-V6A.) AV receivers, which act as a central hub for games, TV shows and movies, have the added benefit of being able to handle all of your audio and video needs.

The Yamaha RX-V6A AV receiver. — *Yamaha RX-V6A.*

Most new game consoles benefit from eARC (short for Enhanced Audio Return Channel) — a feature that’s provided by AV receivers like the RX-V6A. This technology allows audio to be sent from your TV to your AV receiver or sound bar with enhanced bandwidth and speed, and through the same HDMI cable that sends the signal from your AV receiver/sound bar to the TV.

Voice Control

On top of enhanced video and audio capabilities, most new gaming consoles offer voice control. This powerful feature allows you to integrate the console with other smart home devices such as TVs, lights and shades so you can set the mood whenever you decide it’s game time. Xbox Series X (and previous Xbox One models) offers a number of smart home skills for Amazon Alexa, which include commands to turn Xbox on or off, launch or pause games, and adjust volume. AV receivers like the Yamaha RX-V6A provide the option for voice control via connected devices, but there are also sound bars, like the Yamaha YAS-109, which include many of the audio features mentioned above, along with Alexa built-in.

Yamaha YAS-109 sound bar. — *Yamaha YAS-109.*

Start Small

If space and/or budget are an issue, consider using a regular or compact sound bar with your gaming console. For those with smaller TVs or less room to play with (pun intended), the Yamaha SR-C20A compact sound bar is a great option. The C20A offers Dolby 2D virtual surround sound and a built-in subwoofer to capture the low-end elements in your favorite games.

Yamaha SR-C20A compact sound bar. — *Yamaha SR-C20A.*

If you’d like a few more features, the Yamaha SR-B20A sound bar provides 3D virtual surround sound via DTS^® Virtual:X™ technology, plus two built-in subwoofers for even more low-end boost. Both models provide four different sound modes, including a Game setting.

Whichever new game console you decide to buy, pairing it with a home audio system that’s up to the task is a sure recipe for maximizing the fun factor!

Xbox and “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II” images ©2020 Microsoft.

Check out these related blog articles:

Three Reasons to Upgrade Your System for Modern Gaming

HDMI 2.1: What It Means for Gear and Gamers

Gaming in Dolby Atmos: An Interview with Josh Osiris

What’s So Good About Dolby Atmos and DTS:X?

How to Connect Nintendo Switch™ to Your TV, Sound Bar or AV Receiver

Click here for more information about the Yamaha RX-V AV receivers.

Click here for more information about Yamaha sound bars.

Get Ready, Get Set … Mix!

Written by Mike Levine on October 7, 2020. Posted in Recording.

Ask five audio engineers how they start their mixes, and you’re likely to get five different answers. Mixing is more art than science, and there are myriad ways to get to a great-sounding result.

But when you’re new to mixing and haven’t yet had the time or experience to develop your own style, it’s easy to sit and stare at your DAW and think, “Where do I begin?”

Here’s a suggested road map for starting a mix.

Get Organized

Before you even start moving onscreen faders or turning knobs, you want to make sure to organize things — a topic we covered in detail in a previous blog.

In a nutshell, it’s helpful to first arrange your tracks by type, color-code them for easy recognition, then add markers at the start of each song section. That way, you’re beginning each mix from an orderly and logical place.

Screenshot of control panel. — *Organize your mix window before you start.*

Another helpful preparatory task is to play each track in solo mode, listening for glitches and noises and mistakes that you didn’t notice with everything playing. I’m always surprised by the number of little things I find and end up fixing during this process.

If you discover pitch issues, particularly on your vocal tracks, this is an excellent time to pitch-correct them. If you’re using Steinberg Cubase, the VariAudio feature is very powerful for fixing pitch issues. Read more about pitch correction here.

Envision Your Final Product

Next, try to visualize what you want the final product to sound like. It’s helpful to have a rough goal in mind for the sound of the final mix, so before you move a single fader, think about songs you know that have a similar vibe, and spend some time listening to them.

Analyze these reference mixes as you listen and ask yourself questions like: How loud is the lead vocal compared to the tracks? What kind of ambience effects — reverb and delay — are there on the vocal, and how are they being applied? How loud are the drums compared to the rest of the instruments? Is there a lot of reverb in general on the mix or does it sound pretty dry?

There’s no shame in copying mix ideas from professionally produced material — doing so can only help you improve your repertoire of techniques. So if you hear something cool, try to figure out how to reproduce that sound.

Now, finally, onto the actual mixing.

Ground Zero

A good way to begin is to set all of your tracks to unity gain (0dB), all your pan controls to center, and switch off any processing plug-ins like EQs, compressors, reverbs and delays that you may have added during the recording process. (The only exception would be for plug-ins that are critical for creating the raw sound of a track, such as virtual instruments or an amp modeler on a DI guitar track.) In the analog days, this is what used to be referred to as “zeroing out the console.” The idea is to start from a neutral place.

As you get more experienced, you may end up “mixing as you go,” which means putting together a rough mix as you’re recording the song. But beginners will find it more helpful to start from scratch.

Once your DAW console is zeroed out, play through the song and start adjusting the volume faders to get as good-sounding a balance as you can. For this step, you want to focus exclusively on the level relationships between the tracks.

Left, Right and In Between

Next, start panning. You’ll be surprised how everything springs to life when you give it space in the panorama. As described in our blog entitled “The Virtual Soundstage,” creating a place for each track is one of the key goals when mixing.

Although there are many different panning approaches, putting the lead vocal, the bass, the bass drum, and the snare drum dead center is standard practice in just about every contemporary pop music mix.

With that as your baseline, position the other instruments to create whatever panorama you think sounds good. Be careful, however, to keep elements that are predominantly in the same frequency range (such as rhythm guitars and chordal keyboard parts) in different panning positions. Otherwise, they can mask one another, making it hard for the listener to distinguish between those sounds.

At this point, it’s a good idea to check your mix on headphones, where panning always appears more extreme because the left and right sides are completely discrete — unlike when you’re listening on speakers and hearing room reflections too.

EQ for You

The next step is to listen to your tracks and adjust any frequency problems or deficiencies with equalization — a topic we covered in detail in our “Practical EQ Techniques” blog.

EQ can help with frequency masking too. If you have two instruments that are masking each other and for some reason you can’t apply separate panning to them, try boosting a small frequency range in one and cutting the same range in the other. If necessary, you can repeat this process in a different frequency range, this time boosting the second track and cutting the first one.

Another way to clear up muddiness is to use high-pass filters (also known as low-cut filters) to remove unnecessary low frequencies from a track. A good way to do this is to solo the track in question, then slowly raise the frequency on the high-pass filter until you hear the instrument or vocal start to thin out, then back it off to the point right before you heard it change. Then turn off the solo button and check the track with all the instruments playing (all adjustments should always be checked in the context of the full mix). Doing this for each track will help bring clarity to your final product.

Squeeze It

Now it’s time to listen to the dynamics of the tracks and apply compression where necessary. If you hear parts that are too loud or too soft in spots, compressing them will knock down the peaks, narrowing the dynamic range. That will make it easier to turn the overall track volume up to compensate for quieter parts, without the louder parts sticking out.

Alternatively, you can do “compression by hand” with the use of volume automation, which lets you change levels on a track at any point by any amount.

Vintage compressor plug-ins can also be used for adding “color” to instruments or voices. You can find out more about compression in our “Why Compress?” blog.

Space is Nice

Now you can feel free to start adding reverb and delay wherever you like. Both of these effects are best applied from an aux track (called an “FX Track” in Cubase.) However, bear in mind that reverb that takes too long to decay can wash over successive notes and cause muddiness, especially on up-tempo songs. A basic rule of thumb here is: the faster the tempo, the shorter the decay time (sometimes called “reverb time.”)

Using the reverb’s EQ controls to reduce the low end of the reverberated signal can help with clarity. Read more about effective ways of using reverb here.

Break Time

At this point, you’ve got a rough mix going. Now it’s time to take a break for an hour or two … or even better, until the next day. Come back with a fresh perspective, and you’re sure to hear things you want to adjust. Mixing is a process, and you’ll likely need several stabs at it to get it to get it sounding exactly how you want to. In the meantime, you’re off to a good start!

Check out our other Recording Basics postings.

Click here for more information about Steinberg Cubase and Cubase plug-ins.

Under the Lid: The Custom Pianos of J. Elliott and Co.

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on October 6, 2020. Posted in Piano Artists.

From their workshop/showroom located in Central Florida, husband and wife Justin and Jina Elliott perform what can only be called piano alchemy — an almost magical process of transforming Yamaha pianos into whatever their clients can imagine. Their company, J. Elliott and Co., is dedicated to perfecting the sound and optimizing the feel of the pianos they customize, while matching the look of each instrument to the environment and personal taste of the owner.

The art of customizing pianos is a niche, to be sure, and it’s one that J. Elliott and Co. have created for themselves. It often involves coming up with new colors or veneers to help the instrument better fit into the décor of a room or stand out spectacularly on a concert stage or film set, but also sometimes includes redesigning parts like the legs, music stands and benches. Justin and Jina’s star-studded client list includes The Piano Guys/Disney, David Foster, Andrea Bocelli, and most famously, Prince, for whom they created a custom purple piano.

Attention to Detail

Grand piano with curved legs in a setting with an ornate staircase behind it and paintings on adjacent wall. — *Royal Ebony grand piano.*

Justin got interested in piano as a thirteen-year old, when his parents bought an old baby grand piano. He quickly became fascinated by how it worked, and even tried to fix aspects of the instrument after asking a litany of questions of the piano tuner that would visit. This led to an introduction to well-known piano technician Susan Graham, who mentored the youth and eventually got him accepted into a rigorous Yamaha training program, which he graduated at the ripe age of 17 — the youngest person to go through the company’s comprehensive courses at the time. During those classes he learned skills such as basic piano regulation, hammer replacement, voicing and concert tuning, as well as Disklavier maintenance and calibration.

During the ensuing years, Elliott began to dream of new design ideas, drawing sketches, and refining his ideas until, in 2001, he produced his first curved leg. Some years later, this became part of Justin’s first custom piano — a modified Yamaha C7 that he called the Royal Ebony. Much to his surprise, tests revealed that the curved design of the legs had a positive effect on the sound of the instrument too!

Let’s take a look at some of J. Elliott’s most interesting designs through the years.

Prince’s Purple Piano

Prince's custom Yamaha purple grand piano.

In 2015, representatives for Prince reached out to Chris Gero, founder of Yamaha Entertainment Group of America, about making a purple piano for Prince’s upcoming Piano & A Microphone solo tour. “It was so exciting to get that call,” says Justin. “It was kept very quiet; only a few people knew about it and were part of the process. He had chosen a Yamaha C7XSH model and wanted it to be painted a very specific color purple. I was sent a tiny piece of suede from one of his couches to match, and we went back and forth with him a number of times until he was satisfied. I had to use a lot of different gloss additives for the paint to make it really pop under stage lights.” The color, in fact, went on to become an official Pantone color: Love Symbol #2.

Spray painting grand piano. — *Painting Prince’s Purple Piano.*

“There was a lot of dialog between Prince, Yamaha and myself,” Justin recalls. “For example, he already loved the piano, but he had some specific requests for the touch and response of the keys — he had great touch and control.”

After about a week after receiving the piano, Prince tweeted: “BOOM (FROM LOTUSFLOWER) ON THIS NEWLY ARRIVED PURPLE PRESENT FROM YAMAHA … ‘RESOUNDING!’”

“On April 16, 2016,” said Chris Gero in an article in the Orange County Register, “Prince invited a small crowd to a music party at Paisley Park … The piano was covered with a purple cloth. He had canceled recent shows in Atlanta, and rumors were flying that he was very sick. ‘Wait a few days before you waste any prayers,’ Prince told the crowd. Then Prince dramatically pulled the cloth off the purple piano. He played chopsticks first, then a few minutes of classical music without singing.”

“It’s the last instrument Prince ever played in public,” adds Justin, “which is a deep honor for all of us involved. I’ve been told by so many people who were around him that the piano brought him so much joy.”

The Avatar Piano

“This piano was a commission from the Piano Guys for a video they were shooting on the Avatar set at Disneyworld in Florida, so Disney was also very involved,” says Justin. “I had to come up with a pretty neutral design that didn’t compete with the space around it, but I wanted to give it some special lines and look, even though we had a very short time to do it. So we started from one of my existing designs that I call the Grand Rossa [see below], which has really striking leg and bench lines. I changed it to satin black, to fit in as a neutral tone, and I removed a couple of pieces here and there to make the lines a little cleaner. We went back and forth a bunch with ideas, especially about the finishing sheen to put on the piano.”

Watch the video here.

Grand Rossa

Customized Yamaha grand piano, black with red trim.

“The Grand Rossa came from a request from a Ferrari enthusiast,” says Justin. “He wanted a Disklavier piano for his garage/man-cave, which would be sharing space with his car collection. So I did a lot of research on Ferraris, and the 1957 Testa Rossa had a lot of good lines and inlets that I incorporated into my design. Look at the tail leg that is at the far end of the piano, and how the design element sweeps across the side of the piano. A lot of people say it looks like it’s just floating. That came directly from the back quarter of the car’s design. I wanted to show the curve of the piano on the back end, and when you are adding massive red highlights to a solid black piano, it really defines it.”

Sol Vas Yacht

Grand piano in a formal living room setting on a yacht.

The legs for this piano were designed to match its environment — the hull of a luxury yacht. “It’s mahogany to match the ship’s interior with gold lines everywhere,” explains Justin. “We went through a lot of veneer to get as close a match as possible. It’s not just about color, but it’s the grain in each piece and based on the angle you view the piano from. Since the piano is in open air, and out to sea a lot, they had a custom heavy-duty, marine-grade fire-retardant cover made that goes all the way to the ground, so they can pack it up safely when they’re underway, or if they’re leaving doors open for an extended period of time.”

All photographs courtesy of J. Elliott and Co.

Click here for more information about Yamaha pianos.

Click here for more information about J. Elliott & Co.

The History of Musical Genres, Part 1: Classical Music

Written by Marc Hopkins on October 5, 2020. Posted in History.

Predated by a baroque era that had been dominated by the prolific output of Johann Sebastian Bach, the classical period is generally defined by music created between the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as exemplified by the works of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, among others. During this time, the now familiar forms of classical music began to take shape: the symphony (compositions written for full orchestras, usually in four parts); the concerto (one or more soloists interacting with an orchestra); and the sonata, performed in several movements by a solo pianist.

While the art form was conceived centuries ago, classical music’s impact on modern music is significant. For example, the chorus — a brief melody repeated throughout most pop songs, from The Beatles’ “She Loves You” to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and beyond — is an idea that started in the classical era.

Let’s take a closer look at the history of this genre and some of its key players.

Haydn

Born in 1732, Joseph Haydn is often called the father of the string quartet and the symphony. While he didn’t create those musical structures, his body of work set the standard for the composers who came after him.

“His greatest contribution was consolidating the sonata form, a three-part musical structure that lays out a couple of themes, messes around with them and then restores them to their original design,” wrote music critic David Stabler in a 2009 story published in the Oregonian. “Before Haydn, tunes didn’t develop much; they unfolded and repeated. He took a tune, slapped it around, put it through different keys and stretched it over changing rhythmic textures.”

Haydn also stands apart due to the infusion of Gypsy influences in his music. For example, during his Piano Trio No. 39 in G Major, the polite, delicate pace of the composition is abandoned for a passionate rapid-fire exchange between the piano and strings.

Mozart

By the time Haydn met the 25-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1781, Mozart was already famous. A child prodigy who had written several compositions before age 6, Mozart would create 600 works in his short 35 years, including symphonies, concertos, sonatas, operas, chamber music, and string quartets and quintets. His unusual life was captured (though not necessarily with 100% accuracy) in the 1984 fictional biopic Amadeus.

One of Mozart’s most lasting works is A Little Night Music — a piece that was created for an ensemble of two violins, viola and cello with optional double bass, but is mostly performed by string orchestras. The composition has graced the soundtracks of motion pictures like Alien, Batman Begins and There’s Something about Mary. Mozart is also well known for The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro, two of the most popular operas of all time. The overture to the latter is part of the soundtrack to The Last Action Hero.

One of the many reasons that a thirst for Mozart endures is the notion that his works speak to our deepest values. In 2016, Paul Salerni, a composer and professor of music at Lehigh University, told the Christian Science Monitor that “Mozart is relevant today because his music, at its best (e.g., his opera The Marriage of Figaro), expresses something deep about the human condition.”

Salerni still feels this way. In a recent interview with the author, he explained that Mozart’s music can translate our humanity in ways that far exceed other composers of the classical era. “This is something that I’m not sure there is a rational explanation for,” he says. “But there is something about the humanity in Mozart that comes out immediately. Some perpetrators of music capture it more quickly than others.”

Beethoven

And then there’s Ludwig van Beethoven, perhaps the most famous of all classical composers … despite being deaf in one ear. This year marks his 250th birthday, which has spawned numerous celebrations of the composer’s life and music. As a cultural force and musical risk-taker, he stands apart from his peers.

“He not only left his mark on all subsequent composers but also molded entire institutions,” wrote music critic Alex Ross in a 2014 article in The New Yorker. “The professional orchestra arose, in large measure, as a vehicle for the incessant performance of Beethoven’s symphonies. The art of conducting emerged in his wake. The modern piano bears the imprint of his demand for a more resonant and flexible instrument.”

Testimony to the composer’s greatness lies in the fact that even diehard non-classical music fans are familiar with the first four notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (da-da-da-dum) — a staple of every school music program. His Ninth Symphony stands out not only because of its lilting melody but because, clocking in at 70 minutes, it took twice as long to perform as other compositions of that era! Beethoven also added a chorus and vocal soloists in the final movement — the first major composer to do so in a symphony.

Contemporary Classical

Some may think of classical music as a relic of the distant past, but there were many hugely influential classical composers in the late 19th and 20th centuries, including Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, and Stockhausen.

In fact, you may be surprised to learn that the genre is very much alive today. “There is an incredibly vibrant classical scene,” says Timothy Weiss, professor of conducting at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. “I don’t think the landscape of contemporary classical music has ever been more wide than it is right now.”

According to Weiss, most music created before the 20th century employed a storytelling approach, with one theme leading into the other. Modern composers, on the other hand, have largely rejected that approach. “There is a lot of music today that has no narrative structure at all,” he says. “It’s static, it’s intentionally not trying to be narrative and it’s unbelievably beautiful. But you have to listen differently.”

Whether you’re a fan or not, there’s no arguing the influence of classical music on virtually every genre that followed. Try treating yourself to a little Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven, and see if you can detect in their compositions the roots of the music you love listening to today.

Check out the other articles in our “History of Musical Genres” series.

Choosing the Right Electric Guitar: Hollow-Body vs. Solid-Body

Written by Mac Randall on October 1, 2020. Posted in Electric Guitars.

For at least the past 70 years, conventional wisdom about electric guitar body types has been as follows: If you’re into jazz or blues, get yourself a hollow-body; if you wanna rock, go for a solid-body.

There’s a lot of historical precedent for this. Jazz and blues players have indeed tended to gravitate toward hollow-body guitars, especially those instruments that replicate the classic archtop designs guitarists used before the age of amplification. Meanwhile, rock enthusiasts often prefer instruments that don’t look like archtops. When solid-body guitars were invented in the middle of the 20th century, part of what made them so revolutionary was that manufacturers no longer had to be concerned about an instrument’s acoustic properties — which meant that they could carve it into any crazy shape they wanted … and rock players love crazy shapes.

Nonetheless, lots of rock guitarists have favored hollow-bodies, including legendary names like John Lennon and that absolute rock ’n’ roll archetype Chuck Berry. And if anyone still thinks you can’t play jazz or blues on a solid-body, they obviously haven’t heard the work of Les Paul, Allan Holdsworth, Duane Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughan and countless others.

The bottom line is that the style of music you want to play shouldn’t be a major factor when you’re trying to decide between a hollow-body and a solid-body electric guitar. Here are a few of the pros and cons you should consider.

Hollow-Body Pros and Cons

Even before you plug a hollow-body electric guitar into an amplifier, at least a couple of the instrument’s greatest virtues will be immediately evident. First, because its body is hollow, it usually weighs considerably less than a solid-body — something to think about if you’re planning to spend a lot of time standing up with the guitar strapped to you. Second, because it has a resonating chamber similar to that of an acoustic guitar, you can hear it better when playing unplugged — an important factor if, say, you’re living in an apartment building with neighbors who go into conniptions when you practice at stage volume.

Once you’ve plugged in, you’ll find that a hollow-body naturally delivers a warm, rich tonality. That’s because the resonance of the body emphasizes low-mid and bass frequencies. That said, hollow-bodies are capable of a wide variety of tones; if you want to get trebly, start tweaking the instrument’s (or amp’s) knobs, and go for it.

Another way in which hollow-body guitars are similar to acoustic guitars is that they usually don’t summon up a great deal of sustain. That’s not exactly a surprise — a hollow body just won’t vibrate or interact with pickups the same way a solid one will — but it does mean that if you’re partial to long drawn-out notes, a hollow-body may not be for you.

The main downside of hollow-body guitars has always been that they’re prone to feeding back if you turn them up too loud. There are three principal ways of addressing this problem: 1) Don’t turn your amp up so much (not always practical); 2) Go old-school like B.B. King used to do and shove a sock inside the body (more or less effective in a pinch, but not recommended for daily practice); and 3) Make the body shallower by putting a solid block of wood in its center to combat unwanted resonance.

Many manufacturers have opted for the latter choice over the years, leading to the creation of what could, strictly speaking, be called a separate category, but is usually thought of as a subcategory: semi-hollow electric guitars. The Yamaha SA2200 is an excellent example; its laminated sycamore body has the recognizable contours of an archtop guitar, complete with double f-holes for better acoustic projection, but the center block inside the body — made of soft maple — helps keep feedback at bay, making it a far less fraught matter when you need to crank it up (though please protect your ears while doing so!).

Electric guitar. — *Yamaha SA2200 semi-hollow body electric guitar.*

Solid-Body Pros and Cons

Make no mistake, you’ll get feedback if you turn a solid-body electric up loud enough too, but you can control it better, and even get it to produce predictable tones — as, for example, Jimi Hendrix did on “Machine Gun,” a performance that would have been just about inconceivable on a hollow-body instrument. Why? Because the greater mass and diminished acoustic resonance of a solid-body emphasizes fewer frequencies, allowing the guitar’s pickups to focus on less sonic information.

This also helps explain why solid-body guitars tend to have better sustain than hollow-bodies. The lack of a resonant chamber means that when you pick a note, secondary and tertiary harmonics fade away quickly while the primary ones continue to vibrate. Just how much more sustain you can get from a solid-body depends on other factors, principally the type(s) of woods used and the type(s) of pickups in the guitar.

On the whole, a trebly tone sounds more pleasant on a solid-body than on a hollow-body. Likewise, solid-bodies sometimes strain to produce the kind of rich, warm tones that come easily to a hollow-body. But these are sweeping generalizations, and either type of guitar can surprise with its tonal versatility.

As discussed previously, weight can be an issue with solid-body guitars. Many players, of course, prefer the feel of heavier guitars — though that probably doesn’t include guitarists with neck, shoulder or back problems. But electric guitars don’t need to weigh a ton to sound good or sustain well. For proof of that, just grab any model in the Yamaha Pacifica or REVSTAR lines. Their bodies (mostly a maple/alder combination for Pacificas, primarily maple and mahogany for REVSTARs) are cut for comfort, while still providing all the benefits of a solid-body.

In the end, choosing between a solid-body and a hollow-body electric guitar comes down to personal preference, as it should. When making that choice, you’ll need to think about what you like most in a guitar in terms of sound, feel and look. But don’t let anyone tell you that you need a certain type of electric guitar to play a certain type of music. Guitars are willing accomplices in music-making; what you create with them is up to you.

Click here for more information about Yamaha electric guitars.

Click here for more information about the Yamaha SA2200.

Click here for more information about Yamaha Pacifica guitars.

Click here for more information about Yamaha REVSTAR guitars.

Mastering engineer in studio sitting in front of mixing console.

Full Album Mastering

Written by Pete Lyman on September 30, 2020. Posted in Recording.

Mastering a full album is somewhat different than mastering individual songs. The goal here is to not only get every track sounding as good as possible, but to make the overall project sound cohesive, similar to a film editor compiling different shots to create a feature length movie. In this article, I’ll explain my process for full album mastering.

Getting Started

The very first thing I do is to create a Wavelab Montage with three stereo tracks. The first track is for the raw mixes, the second is for the analog captures, and the third will hold the final rendered image of the full record (this is the final print with all processing, including digital plug-ins, captured). I then import the mixes into the session and begin the initial listen-through, which gives me a chance to assess each individual track, and the project as a whole, allowing me to judge how the record flows from start to finish.

Even if it’s just passively listening to the audio while I answer emails, I’m still exposing my ears to the project, and oftentimes find elements that stick out. Once I have an idea of how the record should feel, I go back and sequence and space it roughly how I think it should sound, then start to dig in specifically on the tracks I think are the strongest. I use these to lay the groundwork for the rest of the mastering and overall tone of the project.

Tweaking, Capturing and Rendering

Once I’ve gotten the main tracks dialed in, I start tweaking the rest of the record. Obviously each track needs its own adjustments, but, again, the goal is to make them all fit together, especially when it comes to dialing in the low end, which can drastically change from mix to mix.

After each track has been mastered, I move onto capturing. I perform the analog capture while monitoring through any digital processing at the very end of the signal chain. However, I typically wait to commit any final limiting until I’m ready to render.

Before doing the rendering, however, I’ll go back and listen to the entire record again. This allows me to make micro adjustments to my analog captures. For instance, if I feel that a track needs some “air” (a lift in the 18kHz frequency range), I might add a half dB of air post-capture (that is, pre-final limiter). Once I feel that everything is sitting where it needs to, I render the files.

WaveLab makes the entire mastering process incredibly convenient for me. It allows me to view raw mixes, analog captures and rendered versions stacked on top of each other. This way, if a client comes back with any notes, I can make them without having to recall all of my settings. For example, if one track ends up being too loud, or too soft, I can easily make the adjustment, pre-limiter, since I’ve waited to add the limiting until the rendering stage. Then I can simply make the tweaks and re-render the file.

One of the main reasons I don’t commit to limiting until the rendering stage is because I can keep a clean analog capture in my project to use as my basis for creating vinyl cutting files. I can manipulate the level and do any additional processing on these tracks, such as high frequency limiting or low frequency summing, seamlessly. These files can be used to cut lacquers directly in our facility, or we can send them to be cut anywhere in the world without the worry of damaging lacquers through shipping.

Overall, I think my favorite thing about WaveLab is how powerful and adaptable the Montage window is. For one thing, you can customize the layout to only feature the tabs you want to see — two of my favorites are the level meter and spectroscope, so those are usually front and center. When it comes to the actual audio, I can resequence, change PQ codes (stop and start markers for CD players), make fade adjustments or make level changes, all non-destructively … which is exactly what recording, mixing and mastering engineers look for in any software they use.

Photograph courtesy of the author.

Check out Pete’s other blogs.

Click here for more information about Steinberg WaveLab.

Why Everyone Needs to Practice Self-Regulation!

Written by Kathryn Drury Wagner on September 30, 2020. Posted in Self-Care.

A toddler kicking and screaming in the middle of the produce section of the grocery store is not cute. But we understand that children are still developing.

An adult slamming an office door or sending a really harsh email is definitely not cute and it’s unacceptable. Both behaviors stem from the same issue — a lack of self-regulation skills.

Self-regulation is how we keep our emotions and behaviors in check and, more importantly, in line with our goals and our values. It’s why music educators rise before dawn on a cold Monday to get ready to teach, even though staying under the cozy covers feels awfully tempting. And it’s why adults don’t eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast (at least, not too often).

The Advantages of Self-Regulation

Self-regulation is basically self-control. But it’s a bit more nuanced than that. You may have heard of self-regulation as it relates to your students, especially if you work with younger children. But it’s equally important for adults to have self-regulation skills.

According to a study published in Trends in Cognitive Science, “Self-regulation allows people to make plans, choose from alternatives, control impulses, inhibit unwanted thoughts and regulate social behavior.”

People with good self-regulation skills tend to be more resilient and calmer when under pressure. They are more persistent in going after their goals. And because they are calmer, they usually remain clear-eyed and can scope out golden opportunities that others may miss. You can see how this can lead to more success in your professional and personal life.

Cover the Basics

To effectively manage emotions, first lay down a solid foundation. Good habits like getting enough sleep, exercising, staying hydrated and remembering to make time for a good laugh with a friend go a long way toward being able to rein in our emotions.

According to the Cognitive Science study, “The most common self-regulation fails are when people are in bad moods, when minor indulgences snowball into full-blown binges, when people are overwhelmed by immediate temptations or impulses, and when control itself is impaired (e.g., after alcohol consumption or effort depletion).”

The bottom line? Staying calm under pressure is next to impossible in an exhausted, depleted body that is hopped up on six espressos. So, take care of yourself. (Read how to create a stress-relieving routine.)

Have Clear Goals

According to Bradley University’s counseling programs, setting goals is an essential part of the self-regulation process. Establishing clear goals helps a person “focus attention on positive behaviors that must be performed to meet these goals,” suggests the university.

For the best results, set short-term, obtainable goals. Meeting them gives that sense of momentum on the journey toward the bigger-picture goals. For example, all music educators’ overarching, big-picture goal is to impact and inspire young people to pursue lives of musical excellence. A short-term goal could be to plan a workshop for high school juniors and seniors (and their parents) to hear from current college students about what it’s really like to be a music major.

Know Thyself

What are your triggers? C’mon, be honest here. Think about what sorts of situations that could lead to behaviors that you might later regret.

For example, if the end of the marking period always turns you into a stressball, come up with a plan to address the required tasks, calendar them in and have a solid plan. That way, you won’t wind up feeling like you want to crawl under your desk and curl into a fetal position. Part of self-regulation is planning around your strengths and weaknesses.

Three Options in Every Situation

Very Well Mind suggests that we all have three options in every situation: “Approach, avoidance and attack.”

Avoidance is when we choose behaviors such as procrastination or rumination — these are not terribly helpful. Attack is just what it sounds like — going for the jugular and snapping at a student or band parent. Yikes, obviously not helpful.

But approaching a situation is beneficial and involves a problem-solving mindset: “What skills or resources can I use to deal with this?” Maybe that will mean making a list or breaking an onerous task into smaller, step-by-step chunks. Maybe it means reaching out to a colleague or a valued teaching mentor for collaboration.

Now you’re acting in ways that align with your long-range goals and your internal values.

Avoid All-or-Nothing Thinking

“I just bombed that Zoom call. I’m terrible at district-level presentations, and they will never invite me to speak again.”

This kind of thinking, where our brains tell us something is all or nothing — and usually focuses on a doomsday outcome — is what psychologists call a cognitive distortion. It can throw our self-regulation off track, so it’s good to be aware of this little mental trap.

Envision, for example, two people who have just slurped down a tasty vanilla shake. Person 1 thinks, “I had the milkshake; might as well eat a whole pizza for dinner.” In contrast, Person 2 thinks, “I had the milkshake — man that was good. For dinner, I’m thinking salmon and a salad.”

Person 2 is able to think big picture, enjoy the treat and get back to healthy habits. Person 1 is having a cognitive distortion, and it’s sabotaging self-regulation.

What’s the solution? Look for opportunities to see things in percentages, sliding scales or shades of gray instead of all-or-nothing, binary outcomes. Tell yourself things like, “I’ve made big progress setting up that new string ensemble. Things aren’t always going to go completely smoothly, and that is okay.”

Creating a Daily Practice

Just like practicing scales over and over, working on self-regulation skills may take time to fully master. If you want to take your practice deeper, try journaling, meditating, seeking cognitive behavioral therapy or developing behavior change plans. Here are a couple of handouts that can help:

Emotion Regulation Handout (PDF)
Triggers Worksheet (PDF)

With greater knowledge of self-regulation, you can benefit from it — and so will your students.

Fix It: Clarinet Teaching Tips

Written by Shawn Goodman-Royer on September 29, 2020. Posted in Winds.

The clarinet is the coolest and perhaps most versatile instrument in the band. It has an amazing 3.5-octave range, the greatest dynamic capabilities of any band instrument, and is used in many different genres of music from jazz to klezmer to classical.

But perhaps the most impressive and noteworthy fact is that Squidward Q. Tentacles (from SpongeBob SquarePants) plays the clarinet!

A well-intentioned band director may not always know the right thing to say to help clarinet players conquer their struggles. In this article, I have highlighted a few counterproductive approaches to common clarinet issues followed by a few tips and tricks to get the results you want.

How to Fix When Students Tighten Up Their Embouchures to Get the High Notes to Come Out

How to Fix When Students Blow More Air to Make Notes Resonate

How to Use “Ta” for Articulations

How to Fix When Students “Drop their Jaw” to Lower or Bend a Pitch

Fix It: When Students Tighten Up Their Embouchures to Get the High Notes to Come Out

Perhaps this mistake stems from struggling to sing high notes, but many students and directors think that tightening or firming up the embouchure will help the high notes to respond. This is counterproductive because tightening up the embouchure often causes the student to put more upward pressure on the reed. This can result in the reed closing off, making the issue worse. We adjust the embouchure, specifically the firmness of the bottom lip, to control how clean or airy our tone is, but a tighter embouchure will not necessarily help with high note response.

To help your clarinet students with those high notes,

Have students push up with their right thumb. For the high notes to respond, students must have enough mouthpiece in their mouths so the reed can fully vibrate the way it needs to for high notes to sound. One trick to get them to take in more mouthpiece is to tell them to push the instrument up into their mouths by pushing up with the right thumb.
If the high notes respond but sound constricted, have students point their chin down to lessen the upward pressure against the reed. This allows the reed to vibrate more freely without constriction. In this way, students need to be more relaxed, not tighter.

Fix It: When Students Blow More Air to Make Notes Respond

Air is, of course, an essential part of producing and maintaining good pitch and tone. However, it is not the solution to all problems. Sure, beginners who are transitioning from recorders to the clarinet may need to be encouraged to use more air. If a student is using adequate air and the notes still will not respond, check the following things.

Do students have enough mouthpiece in their mouths? To find out, ask them to push up with their right thumb or take in more mouthpiece. Once students make their way up to high G and above, if the notes will not respond and you can hear air, your students probably do not have enough mouthpiece in their mouths.
Is the reed hard enough? Most students should start on a #2.5 reed. When students make their way up to high G and above, and the notes won’t respond and you do not hear air, then the reed is completely closing off. This is an issue that “more air” cannot fix. Move students up a half-size to a harder reed.
Look at students’ hands. Are they accidentally venting keys or not sealing all of the holes? Specifically, first look at their left hand and make sure they are not accidentally hitting their throat-tone Ab key. Then, make sure they are sealing their right-hand ring-finger hole. This is the biggest tone-hole on the clarinet and not sealing it is the most common issue for small-fingered students. Lastly, if the fingering requires left-pinky keys, check to make sure that the left-hand ring-finger is sealing the hole. Have the student stop, close their eyes, and put one finger down at a time all the way down the clarinet and ask them to feel the pads of their fingers completely covering each hole, then try again. This usually fixes the issue. Occasionally, a student with small fingers will curve their fingers into a C position, causing their fingers to not fully depress the key rings. Encourage students to curve their hand position like they are eating a burger, but to keep their fingertips flat over the keys and tone holes so that the pads of their fingers completely seal the holes and depress the key rings.

Fix It: Using “Ta” for Articulations

How we articulate affects so much of our playing. Which part of the tongue touches the reed (or doesn’t touch the reed, in some cases) directly impacts the tongue position, meaning what the middle and back of our tongue does. This affects pitch and overtones. How much of the tongue touches the reed determines how heavy or light our articulations sound. Which part of the tongue we use also impacts how fast we can articulate and the speed of the response of our high notes. For the most control and versatility, articulations should be produced with the tip of the tongue touching the reed.

Say “ta.” Notice what specific part of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth when you say it. Now say “da.” Notice the difference? Also take note of how the shape of the middle of your tongue changes between these two syllables.
When I want my students to use the very tip of their tongue, I tell them to use the “da” syllable to articulate. Tell students to think about using the one cell on the very tip of their tongue to touch the reed.
For staccato, we touch the reed at the tip and hold the tongue on the reed in between notes. But the air continues to flow even when the tongue is on the reed. For legato, we lightly touch the reed slightly below the tip. For both techniques, use the “da” articulation syllable. For a more staccatissimo style, use a “dut-dut-dut-dut” syllable.

Fix It: When Students “Drop Their Jaw” to Lower or Bend a Pitch

Many students mistakenly believe that in order to make the pitch go down, they need to make their jaw go down. Unfortunately, dropping the jaw does not really affect pitch on the clarinet. Instead, when students drop their jaw to lower or bend a pitch, the note quickly stops responding.

Tongue position affects pitch on the clarinet. This is because the tongue position focuses the airstream, much in the same way that we control the pitch with our tongue when we whistle. More specifically, the closer the middle of the tongue gets to the reed, the lower the pitch drops. This is how we bend the pitch without losing the response of the note or sacrificing tone.
This is also the same technique we use for glissando, which is controlled 75% by the tongue and 25% by the fingers. The middle of the tongue grabs the air right in front of the reed and slowly returns to the normal resting position (usually “oh” for high notes, “ee” for low notes). Conversely, to fall from a note, such as in jazz, play the written note first, then quickly finger a descending chromatic scale while decrescendo-ing. Falls are typically accomplished this way rather than by bending the pitch down with the tongue and are almost never accomplished with jaw movement.

Troubleshooting

The clarinet often seems counterintuitive. If the above tricks do not work to solve these clarinet problems, have your students experiment and work together to find a solution. There will always be that one kid who is doing something differently than everyone else, and part of the fun is figuring out how to help him or her. One of my former students used to articulate with her tongue on her lip. It sounded light and fine until she got into her altissimo register. I could not figure out what she was doing until I saw her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth when it touched her lip.

If you cannot figure out what a student is doing, pick up a clarinet and try to imitate the sound they are making. Once you can do what they are doing, come up with baby steps to transition the student from what they are doing to what they should be doing.

If you would like to access more clarinet or jazz specific resources, including activities to try with your students that address the above problems, please visit www.shawngoodmanjazz.com and click on the “educational resources” tab. There, you will find handouts, videos, PowerPoints and more. Please reach out to me on Facebook (Shawn Goodman Jazz) and let me know if any of these techniques worked for you or to let me know if you have another tricky issue to solve.

Good luck, educators. Thank you for all that you do!

Jazz Chord Voicings, Part 1

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on September 28, 2020. Posted in Keyboard How-to.

Studying jazz harmony and voicings is essential when you want to play sophisticated pop tunes, show tunes and standards (the pop tunes from the ’30s through the ’50s). It’s also used a lot in neo-soul and R&B … and, of course, in jazz!

In this three-part series, we’ll take you through these voicings in a progressive fashion. In this installment, we’ll talk about techniques that work well for solo piano and accompanying vocalists.

What Makes A Voicing Jazzy?

The attribute that most makes your playing sound jazzy is the use of more color tones in your harmony and voicings. Color tones are notes added to extend a chord beyond a 7th chord. Chords are built by stacking notes up in thirds (by either three or four half-steps), and when you extend a chord beyond a 7th you’ll get the following:

Example of color tones in jazz voicings on piano.

Since the octave comes after (i.e., is higher than) the 7th, these color tones are the same as other lower scale tones, but they are named seven numbers higher. So the 9th is the same as the 2nd, the 11th is the same as the 4th, and the 13th is the same as the 6th. As a rule, if a chord already has a 7th in it, the higher number is used in naming; if it doesn’t have the 7th, the lower number is used.

Second example of color tones in jazz voicings on piano.

Not every scale tone can be stacked up to make advanced chords — for each chord quality there are good notes and not-so-good notes, because they are too dissonant, or harsh to our ears. Here are a wide variety of chord qualities and the color tones that are usually added to them:

A wide variety of chord qualities and the color tones that are usually added to them. — *(The notes in parentheses can work, but are less commonly used.)*

How did those choices get made? If you refer back to our “Well-Rounded Keyboardist” column on the basics of chordal harmony, you’ll see that when scale tone chords are constructed, certain chord types occur on more than one scale tone. A Major-seventh chord, for example, occurs on the first and fourth step of the major scale, so the Cmaj7th chord that occurs on the fourth step of a scale happens in the key of G major. That key has an F-sharp in it, so when you get to the 11th it is called a “sharp-11th,” since it is raised up a half-step. This avoids the harsh clash that happens when you play both the 3rd (E) and the 11th (F) in the same voicing.

The Dominant-seventh chord always occurs on the fifth step of a scale, but when you compare the major scale and the most common minor scales/modes, you’ll find that the 9th and 13th tones will vary, like this:

That’s why, when you are using the V7 chord in a minor key, you’ll want to use a flatted 13th in order to maintain the minor key sound.

For the sake of brevity I’m not going to show the harmonic justification for all the other chords types I demonstrated earlier, but don’t think of these choices as absolutely rigid rules. When using a Dominant seventh chord in a major tonality, you can, for example, use all flavors of the 9th and the 13th tones to create small movements within your voicings.

The Important Tones

Certain notes are critical to define the chord quality — others, less so. The root is the most important, and someone in the band needs to be playing it down low. As a solo pianist you’ve got to play it, but if there’s a bass player, they will usually cover it, freeing you up to do other things. The next most important tone is the 3rd — that’s how we know if a chord is major or minor. The next critical tone is the 7th, or the 6th in the case of a sixth chord. I skipped the 5th, as it is only important if your chord has an altered 5th in it, be it an augmented chord, a major or dominant-seventh with a flatted fifth, or a minor-seventh with a flatted fifth (commonly called a half-diminished chord).

From here, you are free to start using our color tones (9th, 11th and 13th) to make your voicings more jazzy. If needed, you can leave out the 5th so you have fingers available for those color tones. Check out this example of the chords for the song “Autumn Leaves” played with 4-note right hand voicings and a single note in the left hand. This approach is a bridge between the pop/rock voicing style discussed in a previous blog and more advanced jazz treatments, and it has the benefit of freeing up the left hand to play a walking bass line if needed.

Notice that I use good voice-leading throughout, always moving to the nearest note in the next voicing. In bar 9 I jump up two inversions on the second A-minor 9th chord, so I don’t travel too low. In bars 10 and 12 I leave out the 5th so I can add the 13th as discussed earlier. On the D13 chord in bar 10 I move from the natural 9th to a flatted 9th as an inner voice movement that resolves down into the D of the following G-major 9th chord. I again leave out the 5th of the B7 altered chord in bar 14 so I can use both the flatted and sharp 9th tones at the same time, for a wonderfully dissonant/jazzy tonality.

Two-Handed Voicings

You can play richer and fuller voicings if you spread them across both hands. The most common way of doing that is to play either the root and 7th or the root and 3rd in your left hand, and then add other tones in the right hand, as demonstrated in the example below. Try not to play any doubled tones between the hands.

Here’s “Autumn Leaves” again, using this approach:

Now I’ll add some chord substitutions to make our example sound even cooler. I’m mostly using the concept of secondary dominant chords and tri-tone substitutions that I first explained in my blog about functional harmony. In the first audio clip, I play the chords by themselves, and in the second clip I play them accompanied by bass and drums so you can hear them in context.

Autumn Leaves 2-handed voicings with substitutions.

Analyzing what I did, the E-flat ninth chord in bar 1, the D-flat augmented ninth in bar 3, and the A-flat ninth with the flatted fifth in bar 10 are all tritone substitutions of the secondary dominant chords that can be used to set up the chords that follow them. Also notice my use of the suspended fourth resolving into the third for the D dominant seventh in bar 2, and the nice color tone movement on the B dominant seventh in bar 14.

I know, it seems like a lot to digest, so spend some time reviewing — you’ll get there! Next: More jazzy chord voicings.

All audio played on a Yamaha P-515.

Check out our other Well-Rounded Keyboardist postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha keyboard instruments.

Closeup of hands playing an electric guitar.

Picking vs. Fingerstyle

Written by Michael Gelfand on September 25, 2020. Posted in Bass. 2 Comments on Picking vs. Fingerstyle

Basses should be played, not objectified. The features, technical specifications and other aspects that make a bass special are important, but how a bass makes you feel when you play it matters so much more. For me, the main “feel factors” are neck profile and how deeply the body and neck vibrate when I play a note — in other words, how responsive the bass is to my touch. The fretting hand, of course, selects the notes you want to play. But the other hand is where the magic truly happens.

How you make the strings vibrate is everything — there’s a wide chasm between a light touch and an aggressive attack, with lots of nuance in between. Some bassists prefer to play the strings with a pick, while others prefer to use their fingers. Thankfully, there’s no binary choice to make here. Bassists of all styles and ability levels have different reasons for choosing one approach over the other, and all those reasons are valid. There is no “best” way to do it — there’s only what works best for you. In fact, I’d argue that you’re limiting your own growth as a bassist until you get competent at both techniques.

Let’s weigh the pros and cons of each approach.

Picking Pros and Cons

Picks come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, thicknesses and materials (plastic, latex, metal, felt, wood), which allows for a very expressive tonal palette in the right hands (or right hand, if you’re a punster). But playing with a pick requires you to combine how you hold it — tightly or loosely, how much of the pick you leave exposed, etc. — with how relaxed your wrist and forearm are. Strings can be played straight-on or with the pick held at an angle to create a sound with more grind to it; either way, it’s hard to play bass with a pick for long periods of time if you’re not resting your hand on the bridge.

Generally speaking, playing with a pick delivers better articulation (there’s more treble harmonic content), whereas playing with your fingers loses some of that sizzle and snappiness. Here are two audio clips that demonstrate the difference. First, a groove played with a pick:

… and here’s the same groove played with the fingers:

Picking has more inherent rhythmic attack — you can better accentuate each kick or snare drum hit, and if you play with a pick, it’s also easier for guitarists to convert to bass. Playing eighth-notes at a fast tempo is easier too — at least initially. In addition, bass techniques like “palm-muting” — where you touch the fleshy side of your hand to the strings while picking — work well when playing with a pick, as this audio clip demonstrates:

But there are some downsides, too, depending on what you’re trying to do. For instance, it’s impossible to play both notes in a double-stop simultaneously with a pick (though you can blend the use of a pick and your fingers if you like), and it’s much harder to play and repeat complex arpeggios that skip across adjacent strings with a pick. In addition, two fingers are required to hold a pick at all times, and there aren’t lots of places to put a pick when you’re not using it (other than holding it between your teeth, which raises hygiene issues), so you’re essentially locked in if you choose to use a pick and don’t have someplace convenient to stash it mid-song. You should also be aware that down- and up- picking strokes have slightly different tonal qualities, which may not be a problem for certain types of music, but could be for others. And then there’s the ever-present danger of dropping a pick mid-song — something that won’t ever be an issue if you play your bass fingerstyle.

Fingerstyle Pros and Cons

Playing bass with your fingers is perhaps more complex than playing with a pick in that it allows you to use one finger or a combination of fingers — even different parts of those fingers, such as your fingernails — to create the sounds you’re feeling. It gives you a more diverse toolkit to get the tone you want out of your bass.

However, unlike the differences in tonality caused by playing down- and up-strokes with a pick, it’s easy to maintain consistent tone with two alternating fingers moving in the same direction. There’s also more dynamic range and tonal variety when playing with your fingers — slapping, thumping and plucking are all possible with your thumb alone, and you can still use the edge of your fingernails to approximate the twang of a pick. In addition, complex polyphonic patterns are easier to play with your fingers (whether using an alternating finger approach or a flamenco-style approach) than with a pick.

These possibilities are magnified by the location in which you choose to anchor your hand. Playing just in front of the bridge by resting the underside of your wrist on it gives you a tight sound, whereas placing your thumb on a thumb rest, a pickup, or even on the side of the neck where it meets the body will result in a juicier, more harmonic sound because different locations along the string have different tonal characteristics. It’s also easier to prevent string noise with your fingers already touching the strings than it is to mute certain strings with your hand.

On the downside, as mentioned previously, when you play fingerstyle, you sacrifice some of the sizzle and snappiness that you get when playing with a pick — although you will be compensated with considerably more low end. You also lose the ability to tamp down the sound by touching the fleshy side of your playing hand to the strings. And last but not least, many guitarists switching over to bass find the fingerstyle technique challenging, if only because it’s so different from the way guitar is played.

If you’re unsure which approach is best for you, try them both and find the one that feels most comfortable. But whether you’re just starting out or well on your way as a bassist, my advice is to not focus on one style exclusively. If you develop expertise with both techniques, you’ll be able to choose the approach that best suits the song you’re playing, without there being a noticeable drop-off in how well you play your part. Having the versatility to do what’s called for in a specific situation gives you the flexibility to change your mind on the fly so you can always create your deepest musical expression — a lofty goal, but one that every musician should aspire to.

All audio clips played on a Yamaha BBP34 bass.

Check out Michael’s other blog posts.

Click here for more information about Yamaha basses.

Steve Gadd poses with the new Steve Gadd Signature Snare Drum.

The Signature Sound

Written by Steve La Cerra on September 23, 2020. Posted in Artists, Drum Artists.

There’s probably not a drummer on the planet who isn’t familiar with Steve Gadd’s work. With a list of recording and tour credits that include Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Al Di Meola, Chick Corea, Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin and Paul McCartney, Gadd has become one of the world’s most influential drummers since his rise to prominence in the 1970s.

For more than 40 years, this Grammy^® Award winner has played Yamaha drums, but his relationship with the company doesn’t end at the tips of his sticks. Gadd helped popularize Yamaha Recording Custom drums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and has worked with the Yamaha Research and Development team in an effort to improve and maintain the quality of the company’s drums. This partnership led to the introduction of the Steve Gadd Signature 30th Anniversary Drum Kit in 2006, and the updating of Yamaha Recording Custom drums and Recording Custom metal snare drums in 2016.

To honor this long-standing relationship, Yamaha and Gadd have once again collaborated to create the Steve Gadd Signature Snare Drum. Featuring a 14″ x 5.5″ steel shell and die-cast hoops (both finished in black nickel) along with chrome one-piece lugs, this great-sounding snare drum is also outfitted with 10-strand snares for enhanced sensitivity and articulation.

“I’ve been prototyping with Yamaha the whole time that I’ve been with them,” Gadd says. “When we worked on the Recording Custom drums, we A/B’d different samples, and we did the same thing with the Signature Snare to develop the sound of the drum.”

“My idea of a signature snare drum isn’t entirely a personal thing. What I try to do with any drum is to get it to sound good. We worked on the Signature Snare as a group and started by agreeing on certain specs for the drum. For example, I like using a Remo Powerstroke^® 3 for the top snare head and a Diplomat^® on the bottom, so those were consistent throughout the process. We worked out which snare mechanism we’d use, and when we had all of those parts in place, we tried different shells with die-cast hoops as well as with other kinds of hoops.”

Gadd and the Yamaha R&D team honed in on constructing the drum using a 14″ diameter 1.2 mm beaded steel shell with a 3.5 mm snare bed. To produce an open, articulate sound, the center bead is formed on the outside of the shell instead of the inside. “I always consider different sizes,” says Gadd, “but for this drum our target was the standard 14″ diameter. We didn’t experiment with 15″ or 13″ diameters, and the same goes for the depth — I wanted a snare drum that sounded good at a standard 5.5″ depth.”

The snare wires employed on the Signature Snare are something of a Gadd trademark. “Years ago,” he explains, “I was playing on an old snare drum and some of the snare wires had broken off. When I replaced the old snares with a new set that had all the wires intact, I didn’t think it sounded as good. Those broken snares — which had a little space in between each two wires — worked great. I liked the way they sounded as well as the way they felt, so we decided to make snares with some of the wires removed, and it worked.” Finding the right snares was one of the reasons why, during the development process, all the prototypes used the same components for uniformity. “When we tried different kinds of snares on one drum versus another,” Gadd says, “we could hear how those snares were affecting the sound of each individual drum.”

The same goes for the die-cast aluminum hoops used on the Signature Snare. “We experimented and A/B’d different types of hoops, and the aluminum die-cast hoops sounded the best,” Gadd recalls. “[Yet] this snare drum wasn’t just about trying to accommodate what I wanted. We were trying to accommodate each other and create a drum that spoke, had a good tuning range and was comfortable to play.”

“I like playing a drum with a wide tuning range,” he adds. “It allows you to cover different kinds of music on one instrument, and this drum has that ability. A lot of snare drums sound good at a certain tightness with a certain tension on the snares, but as soon as you get out of that tuning area, the life of the snare drum goes away. The Signature Snare drum opens up at different head tensions and at different snare tensions. You can tighten it up and get it to sound crisp or you can loosen it up and make it sound funky or tubby.”

Gadd sums up his role in the development of the Signature Snare drum this way: “My contribution was dealing with how these different elements contribute to the sound of the drum, and judging the way it sounds and feels in the field. I’m not a drum maker but I do know certain things that I like based on having played a lot of different drums. Creating [this] drum was a process for Yamaha and myself, to come up with an instrument we both like, and that drummers will enjoy playing. The better it gets for me, the better it gets for Yamaha; and the better it gets for Yamaha, the better gets for me!”

The Steve Gadd Signature Snare drum is limited to 200 units in the United States, each one individually numbered. The shell is fitted with a Steve Gadd signature badge, and it ships with a limited-edition black nickel drum key and a card certifying authenticity.

Want to learn more? Check out this video.

Click here for more information about the Steve Gadd Signature Snare drum.

Young Asian woman with long hair, black shirt and leather skirt holding the neck of an open bodied electric cello.

Dedication to the Craft

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on September 22, 2020. Posted in Artists, Strings Artists.

“I definitely remember my days of early morning cello schlepping,” says Tina Guo with a laugh. “In college, I was pretty regimented. I would get up at 5:30 every morning so I could go to the gym and then get to the practice rooms right when they opened. Then I would practice for three or four hours before going to class.”

Guo has become one of the world’s most renowned cellists, with composing and performing credits on soundtracks for chart-topping movies as well as video game scores and numerous record releases, and a new album coming out soon on a major record label. But before all that, there was a dedication to her craft.

The Family Trade

Guo’s musical commitment was instilled in her at an early age, through her father, a professional cello teacher, and her mother, a violin instructor. “I was born into the family trade,” she jokes. “I had no choice but to practice eight to ten hours a day.”

The technical proficiency that sprung from this helped earn her acceptance into a prestigious college music program as a performance cellist major. And it was there that Guo began to develop a unique creative vision — one that would ultimately take her to the next level.

Tina Guo with her electric cello. — *Tina Guo.*

Heavy Metal Cello

As Guo began her studies, she also started to experience more diverse influences. “When I first got to college it was all classical,” she remembers, “but then I discovered the Yamaha Silent Cello™, which changed my entire world. As I began exploring new sonic possibilities with this instrument, I started experimenting with other types of music and genres.”

One day, Guo had a bolt of inspiration. “I wanted to be like a guitar shredder and play heavy metal on the electric cello,” she says. “That was really my thing.”

Post-College Realities

The two different career paths Guo was considering — a traditional one in classical music and a distinctly non-traditional one following her own creative vision — soon began to converge. “I learned some great things in college, and there was one teacher in particular — cello professor Eleonore Schoenfeld — who told me two things I’ll never forget: One, she said, ‘Dearie, there is a fine line between the sublime and the ridiculous,’” referring to Guo’s free-form interpretative playing style. “And the second was that the best teacher is someone who teaches you to no longer need a teacher. Because you can’t always depend on someone to tell you what to do.”

Following that dictum, Guo decided to drop out of college and focus full-time on her metal band projects and trying to find gigs as an electric cellist. But the money had yet to match the effort. “My parents told me to stop being crazy and just audition for an orchestra, because ‘you’ll have a safe job’ and all that,” she reports with a chuckle.

Funding the Dream

Seeking to appease her parents, Guo prepared to audition for an open cello position at a major symphony … but not without giving her dream one last shot, making the bold decision to self-fund a music video featuring her metal prowess on the electric cello. “I was living in a garage at the time with no air conditioning and no heat — it was pretty terrible circumstances,” she remembers. “I thought, OK maybe this video will be my last hurrah, so I’m just going to make it and put it out. At least I’ll be able to tell my grandkids, look at what I did when I was 20 years old!”

The video became a big hit online, attracting the attention of none other than famed film composer Hans Zimmer and culminating in an offer for Guo to tour with Cirque de Soleil. “It was more money than I had ever seen in my entire life,” she says of the compensation she received, “it wasn’t until then that I was able to pay off my school and instrument loans, credit card bills, then proceed to build my savings and begin investing.”

Breaking New Ground

These days, Tina spends most of her time recording in her home studio and collaborating on new projects, including a number of score credits in soon-to-be-released major films. Her musical skill set may have expanded beyond heavy metal shredding, but Guo was still able to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing the main stage at a large metal festival in Germany last year.

“I think being flexible in your method is important, and at least for my career, not putting all your eggs in one basket,” Tina reflects. “If I had only stuck to playing metal, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” And if she hadn’t developed an unshakeable dedication to her craft — a commitment that got her awake at 5:30 every morning to get to the practice room ahead of other students — the world might have been deprived of Tina Guo’s unique musical stylings.

*Tina Guo with her Yamaha Silent Cello.*

For more information, visit tinaguo.com

Check out these related blog posts:

Scott Mayo on building a strong foundation for a lifetime of good habits

Larry Mullen Jr. reflects on the beginnings of U2

Butch Walker talks about practicing through the roadblocks

Jackie Miclau looks at the ways music brings people together

How to Connect a Sound Bar to a Computer

Written by Ted Goslin on September 21, 2020. Posted in Audio How-to. 4 Comments on How to Connect a Sound Bar to a Computer

Your computer shares a key, albeit unwanted trait with your TV: tiny built-in speakers. Great audio simply isn’t in its wheelhouse. There’s not enough room in a laptop (or even in a desktop chassis) for high-quality speakers, so if you want good sound, you need to get that audio information out of the computer and into an external speaker. And since space is often at a premium on your computer desk, there’s no better solution than a sound bar.

But not every sound bar is ideal for use with a computer. For one thing, large sound bars take up a lot of space and are not designed for close-up listening. The Yamaha SR-C20A compact sound bar, however, can fit pretty much anywhere and, thanks to its wireless capabilities (along with extensive wired options), can be used all over the house, including in front of a computer for gaming.

In this article, we’ll show you just how easy it is to connect a sound bar to your Mac^® or PC, using the SR-C20A as our point of reference. Note: No matter what kind of connection you decide to make, we suggest you always begin by placing the sound bar directly in front of your computer facing where you sit, at roughly chest level.

Get Wired

Just about every make and model of sound bar offers one or more options for wired connections. An analog input is almost always provided (it’s usually on the rear panel), and many sound bar models offer digital inputs as well. Let’s take a look at each in turn.

Analog

Most laptop and desktop computers have built-in analog audio outputs, sometimes labeled AUX (for auxiliary). These are the jacks you use for connecting wired headphones or computer speakers, but they can also be used to connect your computer to a sound bar. Simply obtain a cable of sufficient length, with 1/8″ (3.5 mm) stereo plugs at both ends, and plug one end into your sound bar’s analog input port (labeled “ANALOG” on the SR-C20A, as shown in the illustration below), then plug the other end to your computer’s AUX out. Check your computer’s audio settings to ensure that signal is being sent to the analog output and you’re good to go.

Optical

An optical input (sometimes called “SPDIF,” short for the type of digital audio interconnect protocol used) allows a sound bar to receive digital audio via a fiber optic cable, with light (flashing inside a glass or plastic tube) carrying the signal. Because this is a digital format, it can carry Dolby Digital and Dolby Audio virtual surround sound audio as well as standard two-channel stereo, making it a better choice than analog.

Most computers don’t offer an optical/SPDIF output, but if yours does, all you have to do is plug an optical cable into it, then plug the connector on the other end to the sound bar’s optical input (circled in red in the illustration below).

Illustration showing location of optical input port on the Yamaha SR-C20A. — *SR-C20A optical input.*

If your computer doesn’t have an optical/SPDIF output, the SR-C20A offers a workaround: Run an HDMI^® cable (see below) from your computer to a monitor or TV that’s equipped with an optical ouput, then plug an optical cable into the monitor/TV optical output and connect it to the SR-C20A’s “TV” input (circled in red in the illustration below). This adds a step but lets you enjoy all the digital features that come with using an optical connection.

Illustration showing location of TV input port on the Yamaha SR-C20A. — *SR-C20A TV input.*

HDMI

This is considered to be the gold standard of TV wired connections, and is available on all modern TVs. In addition, some sound bars, including the SR-C20A, provide HDMI support (see the illustration below). HDMI cables are exceptionally durable and use multiple layers of shielding and copper conductors to transmit both audio and video simultaneously. The HDMI protocol allows you to enjoy all the audio features that your sound bar offers, such as full 5.1-channel surround sound, Dolby Digital audio and Dolby Audio virtual surround sound, along with support for ARC (Audio Return Channel), which lets you send audio from your computer to your TV or sound bar over a standard HDMI cable.

There is one “gotcha” here: Computers typically don’t have ARC built in. There are, however, two ways to get around this: One is to use an ARC-enabled TV as your computer monitor. To do this, simply run an HDMI cable from your computer to the TV, then connect a second HDMI cable to the sound bar’s ARC input. If your TV does not have ARC, you’ll need to purchase a third-party adapter to convert HDMI to optical or analog audio and then create the following chain:

Computer HDMI out -> Adapter HDMI in -> Adapter optical or analog out -> TV optical or analog in -> TV optical or analog out -> Sound bar.

Yes, it’s fairly involved, but it provides you with all the great features offered by HDMI. Be sure to change your computer’s audio output setting so you that audio is sent via HDMI and not to some other attached device like a headset.

Go Wireless

Some sound bars (like the SR-C20A) offer wireless connectivity via Bluetooth^®. In addition to the simplicity of a wireless connection, Bluetooth offers additional features that you won’t get with wired options, such as:

Placement flexibility (up to 33 feet from your computer)
The ability to connect and switch between two separate devices (like adding a mobile device to the mix)
Audio enhancement technology like the Yamaha Compressed Music Enhancer, which improves the sonics of compressed audio formats like MP3 through the use of sophisticated digital signal processing

Here’s how to set up a Bluetooth connection between your computer and your sound bar:

1. Switch the sound bar’s audio mode to Bluetooth. On the SR-C20A, this can be accomplished via the remote, the Yamaha Sound Bar Controller app, or manually on the bar itself by pressing the arrow icon (shown in the illustration below) repeatedly until the blue Bluetooth light comes on.

2. Look for Bluetooth. On your computer, go into your PC Settings (Windows) or System Preferences (Mac) and look for Bluetooth. In Windows computers, this is found in the Devices section; in Macs, go to the Bluetooth section under Internet & Wireless.

3. Make sure your device is discoverable. (The SR-C20A is automatically discoverable when you switch to Bluetooth mode.)

4. Pair your computer with the sound bar. To do this on Windows systems, click on the sound bar from the list of devices displayed on the screen:

Illustration showing how to pair Windows computer with a sound bar.

On Mac systems, click the Bluetooth icon, then click the audio icon for a drop-down menu that lists all named devices and select the device you want for output:

Illustration showing how to pair Mac with a sound bar.

Whichever system your computer uses, be sure to set your default audio playback device to the sound bar before testing it by playing audio from your computer. If there is no sound, check that your computer and sound bar have the volume turned up. Some other common troubleshooting methods include:

Unpairing and re-pairing the two devices
Restarting the computer
Updating the Bluetooth driver on your computer

Regardless of the connection option you choose, adding a sound bar will allow you to enjoy much better audio than your computer provides on its own. And be sure to try the different sound modes on your sound bar to get even more from your audio!

Check out these related blog articles:

Introducing the SR-C20A Compact Sound Bar

How (and Where) To Mount a TV and Sound Bar

How to Shop for a Sound Bar

How to Hide the Wires in Your Home Theater

How to Connect Nintendo Switch to Your TV, Sound Bar or AV Receiver

Click here to learn more about the Yamaha SR-C20A sound bar.

Click here for information about the Yamaha SR-B20A sound bar — a larger alternative with two subwoofers and added features.

Yamaha NTX5 acoustic nylon string guitar.

Atmosfeel™ Technology Comes to the Nylon-String Guitar

Written by Mac Randall on September 18, 2020. Posted in Acoustic Guitars. 1 Comment on Atmosfeel™ Technology Comes to the Nylon-String Guitar

If you’ve had the good fortune of trying — or maybe even purchasing — a Yamaha FGX or FSX Red Label steel-string acoustic guitar, you’re probably already familiar with the impressively realistic sound of the Atmosfeel™ pickup and preamp system. But what if your taste in acoustic guitars leans more toward the warmer, deeper tones of a nylon-string? Well, you’re in luck, because Yamaha has recently added Atmosfeel to its upgraded NCX and NTX series of nylon-string acoustics — and that is something for lovers of guitar tone everywhere to celebrate.

As has been discussed previously on this blog, amplifying any acoustic guitar in a way that actually sounds good is a difficult task, but nylon-string guitars present a special challenge. A standard magnetic pickup cannot be used because the lack of metal strings means that there’s nothing to create a magnetic field with. Piezo pickups (which utilize crystals to generate the necessary electric signal) can work, but they have a tendency to sound unpleasantly trebly and harsh. Perhaps the best solution for amplifying the sound of nylon-string guitars is to use a microphone, but besides the usual danger of feedback, you run the risk of boominess and overemphasis of the instrument’s lower frequencies, particularly when close-miking.

What makes the Atmosfeel system so remarkable is that it combines three means of capturing the sound: a mini-microphone inside the guitar’s body, piezo sensors in the bridge, and a proprietary synthetic sheet transducer under the soundboard, each devoted to a particular frequency range. What’s more, you can custom-blend the tones each device produces via three unobtrusive knobs on the left side of the instrument.

Man playing an acoustic guitar with the features of the Yamaha Atmosfeel system detailed. — *Yamaha Atmosfeel system.*

The Atmosfeel systems in Yamaha NCX5, NCX3, NTX5 and NTX3 nylon-string guitars operate the same way as the ones in the steel-string FGX/FSX Red Label models, but that doesn’t mean they are the same. Because of the unique tonal characteristics of nylon-string guitars, the specs of the systems in those instruments had to be tweaked substantially. As in the steel-string version, the sheet transducer captures the guitar’s higher frequencies and the mini-mic handles the lower ones, but the six individual piezo sensors in the bridge have been re-voiced to focus on the midrange. In addition, the Bass EQ knob has been replaced with a Treble knob, in acknowledgment of the fact that nylon-strings can often benefit from the greater clarity afforded by turning up the highs.

I’ve written about Atmosfeel before, and my previous experience with it in a steel-string guitar made me excited to hear how it would translate to the world of nylon. Sweetening the deal, the system I tested was installed in a Rodrigo y Gabriela signature-model NTX5 with special appointments designed for those two acoustic virtuosos, including a fingerboard that goes up to the 24th fret on the treble strings and a curvy cutaway that allows you to reach those ultra-high notes with ease.

Rodrigo y Gabriela signature-model NTX5 guitar. — *Rodrigo y Gabriela signature-model NTX5.*

My verdict? The nylon-string edition of the Atmosfeel system is even better than the steel-string version — more vibrant and more transparent. Whether you’re going through a combo amp, a set of PA speakers or a pair of headphones, it makes you sound like you’re playing a nylon-string acoustic guitar, only louder … which is the highest praise you could possibly give to a product like this.

Although the Atmosfeel-equipped NTX5 is clearly designed for live performance, I found that it’s also an ideal recording guitar. Working in a studio environment, you can get a better sense of how well-tuned the pickup system is to the instrument, and how clearly it conveys the separation between each of the guitar’s six strings, even when they combine to form a rich whole. The onboard controls provide a nice range of tonal options, but I quickly discovered that my personal sweet spot for recording was with the Master Volume and Treble EQ knobs both at 12 o’clock and the Mic Blend knob at about 2 o’clock, slightly emphasizing the signal of the mini-mic. (If you turn the latter knob all the way to the right, that mic is all you’ll hear; turn it the other way and you’ll get a combination of the piezos and the sheet transducer.)

The NTX5 is a supremely adaptable guitar, and Atmosfeel is a big part of the reason why. Nylon lovers, rejoice! There’s no longer any need to be envious of your steel-string brethren and their ability to easily transition from stage to studio with just one instrument. An NTX or NCX series guitar lets you do exactly the same, and makes you sound great while doing it.

Check out these related blogs:

Atmosfeel™: The Next Generation of Yamaha Acoustic Guitar Pickups

Introducing the NX Series

Introducing the New Generation of Yamaha Red Label Guitars

Click here for more information about Yamaha NCX5, NCX3, NTX5 and NTX3 nylon-string guitars.

Practicing Through the Roadblocks

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on September 15, 2020. Posted in Artists, Guitar Artists.

“Roadblocks are very common and very normal,” says Yamaha Artist Butch Walker. “We’ve all been there as guitar players, and songwriters especially, where it’s not easy to force any sort of inspiration. Sometimes it does take stepping away. I can go for months and months without touching an instrument, or writing anything, because it’s just not in you.”

When the clouds clear and the inspiration returns, Walker does all he can to harness the renewed creative energy. “I constantly have an acoustic guitar around so I can pick it up and start noodling on it,” he explains. “Usually I don’t go to any specific riff — I just start playing. The same goes for an electric. If I grab an electric guitar and get a really cool sound through an amp, a lot of times that will absolutely inspire me to come up with something really fun, and it can potentially be very good too.”

Walker first rose to prominence in the late ’90s with a breakout hit called “Freak of the Week,” performed by his band Marvelous 3. Since then, he has gone on to become a successful solo artist with a rabid touring fan base and is now a highly sought-after producer, engineer, and songwriter for top artists in a wide array of genres — indeed, Rolling Stone has called him “one of America’s best singer-songwriters.” With a career that has been marked by evolution, Walker has always sought to better himself at his craft, while staying open to the ebbs and flows of change.

Early Inspiration

A young Butch Walker playing guitar. — *A young Butch Walker.*

Walker attributes his first affinity for guitar to a time when, as an 8-year old, he asked his parents to take him to a KISS concert. The over-the-top performance and spectacle had a pronounced effect on the young Butch, who quickly decided to devote his life to playing rock and roll guitar. “The circus paled in comparison after that,” he jokes. “Guitar was my first love.”

After receiving guitar instruction from local teachers Chris Fowler and Jerry King, Butch began gigging locally in his native Cartersville, Georgia before eventually making his way to Los Angeles, where he would achieve his first major success.

Butch Walker in his early shredding days with gaudy clothing and large curly hair. — *Butch in his early shredding days.*

Becoming a Big Fish in a Big Pond

Soon after moving into the infamous Whitley Heights area of Hollywood, near the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) where he had enrolled, Butch discovered that he faced a lot of competition. “There was a kid on every street corner who could play guitar better with their nose than I could with my hands,” he remembers with a laugh. It was a time when musicians were coming from all over the world to LA.

He recalls one particular apartment building that was full of guitar players from GIT. With two floors of ten units surrounding a rectangular swimming pool, and amplifiers bellowing out into the night, “it sounded like a Guitar Center all the time” he says. “I would sit down with these guys and learn a few tricks and scales and chord structures that I still use to this day. That’s when I really stepped up my game as a guitarist, but I also started realizing that I needed to learn to write songs. I wanted my band to get noticed for having good songs.”

Within 10 months of hitting the LA scene — after a lot of hard work building up a sizeable grassroots following — Walker’s band was signed to a major label. “It catapulted us to a different world immediately, and we ended up working with Desmond Child, who co-wrote a lot of the big hits with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora,” Butch remembers. “That put me in songwriter boot camp real quick.” Over the coming years, Walker would continue to hone his playing, songwriting and producing skills, ultimately finding lasting success on all fronts.

Finding Inspiration

Even all these years later, Walker’s love of guitar has not diminished one bit. In particular, he enjoys pushing the boundaries of the instrument. “I like to keep a lot of guitars laying around, for what each one gives me sonically,” he says. “I keep some of them in different tunings and I like having capos around too, because I can get totally inspired by capoing way up high on the sixth fret. It forces you to think outside the box and also changes the timbre of the guitar in a pleasing way to me. I like tuning it down to an open tuning, too, where it sounds like a different instrument entirely. As a producer and engineer, I pay attention to things like that, where the guitar completely changes its voice.”

Coming Full Circle

These days, Butch does his practicing in a studio that reflects the minimalist essentials of his humble origins. “I first started recording on a four-track in my parents’ antique shop, which was in this wooden shack behind the house. It was all trial and error, but I was always good at learning in isolation. Now everything has come full circle: I’m back in the garage, so to speak, by having a studio that is a modified garage, and I do my best work that way. I tell people all the time, ‘You don’t need a two thousand dollar a day studio to inspire you, or to make a great-sounding record.’ In this day and age, we’re very lucky to have inexpensive tools that allow you to make a great record at home— a record that can be played anywhere and holds up to the ones made in a big, fancy recording studio. That’s exciting to me because I came up DIY, and so I like the fact that it can still be done that way.

“But,” he’s careful to add, “the thing you can’t leave out is putting in the ten thousand hours to learn the work.”

Man in t-shirt and jacket with an electric guitar slung over his shoulders. — *Butch Walker today.*

For more information, visit butchwalker.com

Check out our other I Have You blog posts:

Scott Mayo on building a strong foundation for a lifetime of good habits

Larry Mullen Jr. reflects on the beginnings of U2

Tina Guo discusses dedication to the craft

Jackie Miclau looks at the ways music brings people together

Business women holding an artistically conceptual light bulb with sparks surrounding it.

John and Paul and … Mac

Written by Shelly Peiken on September 14, 2020. Posted in Creativity.

Silhouette of two men playing guitar against a sunset sky.

More than half a century ago, John Lennon and Paul McCartney sat across from one another, knee to knee, guitars in hand, and wrote some of the greatest songs the world has ever known, without the benefit of any kind of modern technology. Would those songs have been any better if they were composed on computers and file-shared?

That’s a question a friend posed to me awhile ago, and it’s one I’ve been pondering for quite some time now.

There’s no doubt technology has made recording music easier and faster. With unlimited digital tracks available for vocal takes and comping, samples that allow us to access sounds we couldn’t have otherwise created ourselves and numerous DAW platforms that make it possible to collaborate with people anywhere in the world, we have more freedom and options than ever.

But does technology change the way we songwriters write, and if so, is it a help or a hindrance?

I remember a time when only three props needed to be present in order to write a song: a musical instrument (usually a guitar or a piano) and a pen and paper to write down the words. Today, of course, the instrument can be virtual (living inside our computer instead of a physical presence) and, for many, the pen and paper have been replaced by our computer, tablet or smartphone. In addition, there’s usually a beat looping from the get-go to give us a jump start, and a recording device standing by to capture any “happy accidents” that might occur.

Virtual instruments have their place, though I personally still prefer the tactile feel of a real piano or guitar. But the fixed rhythm of a beat can limit our tempo choice (or time signature) when we might have otherwise fallen more naturally into something quite different, and the mere presence of a recording device can make us self-conscious and rob us of spontaneity. (I suppose the trick is to tap record and try to forget it’s running.)

Which begs the question: Can technology remove the very imperfections that would otherwise humanize us? The answer is undoubtedly yes, given enough time and fanatical attention to detail. But is that a good thing?

“The Beatles were constantly in search of perfection,” wrote legendary Abbey Road engineer Geoff Emerick in his 2006 memoir Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles, “but they were looking for the perfect way to convey a feeling, not technical perfection. … If someone made a tiny mistake or sang something a little funny, it would generally be left in if it was felt it added to the character of the record. Sometimes we’d even accentuate the mistakes during mixing, just to underline the fact that the music was being made by fallible human beings.”

That said, not all technology is designed to “perfect” per se. Today’s digital tools have knocked down barriers for superstar artist/producer/songwriters like T-Pain, Diplo and Beck, whose altered sounds are their brand. They could not have created their aesthetic without modern gadgets and gear. And though there always has been (and probably always will be) an audience for coffee-house acoustic music (myself included), many enjoy the opposite end of the spectrum as well (myself included here too!).

In my view there’s a balance. These wonderful toys allow us to experiment, get playful, have fun with sound. All positives, as I see it … so long as we’re careful not to use them to remove the heartbeat, the feeling, or cause us to lose the plot.

We’ve come a long way from the uncomplicated song born from those three ingredients in a room. Technology has allowed us freedom to explore, to evolve, to discover the “off,” the odd, the distorted, the trippy, the unexpected. Even Paul McCartney has dabbled in electronica from time to time, under the pseudonym The Fireman. And let us not forget that John Lennon was a big fan of Yoko Ono’s experimental music and the force behind the “Revolution 9” sound collage that dominates side 4 of the double White Album. I Imagine (pun intended) that if he were still here, he’d be curious and happily experimenting with all of today’s toys right along with the rest of us.

Check out Shelly’s other postings.

overwhelmed mom sitting in front of laptop while two kids are running around the room behind her

6 Ways to Overcome Overwhelm

Written by Kathryn Drury Wagner on September 11, 2020. Posted in Self-Care.

“I’m just so overwhelmed.” Bet you’ve heard — or said — that lately. Life sometimes feels like bailing water from a leaky rowboat.

But lately, the waves have been coming higher and faster with remote teaching, changes in classroom protocols and general anxiety about the world at large. If your emotional life is a boat that’s been taking on water and threatening to capsize, there are several things to keep in mind. You’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed — in fact, it’s to be expected considering these circumstances — and there are things we can do to help ease the feeling.

What are the Signs of Overwhelm?

Emotional overwhelm can be caused by a variety of factors, including stress, grief, traumatic events or even a pileup of a lot of little things that sneak up on you all at once. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar to you?

Feeling shut down; you don’t want to deal with people you normally do want to connect with like your friends and family.
Having a hard time focusing on your job, or even basic stuff on your to-do list.
Losing your cool over things that wouldn’t have bothered you much before.
Feeling utterly exhausted all the time, even when you are technically getting enough sleep at night.
Changed patterns in eating or sleeping (too much, too little).

Overwhelm can cause physical problems like headaches, work-related woes like poor performance, and emotional changes. So, it must be addressed.

Overcome Overwhelm with a Key Phrase

When you say or think, “I can’t take this anymore,” it only reinforces negative thinking. Instead, try saying: “I can do this today.” That was the advice clinical psychologist Dr. Rheeda Walker gave to Mashable. She explains that focusing on short-term solutions helps diffuse the frustration we feel when we have a lack of control over longer-term solutions.

Overcome Overwhelm by Checking Your Expectations

How we think something should turn out greatly affects our perception of what is actually happening.

Neuroscientists label these expectations as “prior beliefs,” and research out of MIT has found it affects how we behave. Our brains start reverse engineering or leaping ahead, based on something we’ve experienced in the past. This can be efficient — you can open a can of tuna without remastering a can opener every time — but for more complex situations, we tend to make assumptions. Ever pictured yourself in a house you’d made a bid on, before the offer was even accepted? Or fantasized about a new teaching job, before the interview even took place?

The problem is that as reality unfolds, our expectations don’t always match the outcome, and this disconnect can cause feelings of stress and disappointment. Having expectations can rob us of the joy of the present.

The solution is to note when we are having expectations, and remember to live in the now, using mindfulness as a tool. Here’s a six-minute breathing practice for living mindfully.

Overcome Overwhelm by Looking at the Bigger Picture

One day is just one day and won’t matter much in 10 years. Some people find that keeping a five-year, one-line journal, where you jot down just a few thoughts per evening, can provide a sense of context as we move through life. It helps to reflect back, “Ah, last year I was so stressed out about X and Y…” and take comfort realizing that most things do in fact get resolved, no matter how sticky the situation is at the time.

Overcome Overwhelm with Self-Compassion

Sometimes we are our own worst critics, beating ourselves up if the rhythm section got lost or the clarinets were off pitch. Be compassionate with yourself.

This is especially important if, in addition to workplace stress, you are dealing with caregiving. That’s because working parents and people taking care of elderly relatives are particularly prone to feelings of overwhelm. Researcher Dr. Kristin Neff, co-founder of the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion, has a series of free guided meditations and exercises that teach self-compassion techniques.

Overcome Overwhelm with a Playlist

Spotify actually has an Underwhelming Playlist for Overwhelmed Individuals, consisting of white noise. But seriously, as a music educator, who knows the power of music better than you? Create a playlist of music that makes you feel calmer, or on the flip side, tunes that will rev you up to tussle with the world. Does that translate to soothing birdsongs, Kendrick Lamar or a Puccini aria? Only you can decide.

Overcome Overwhelm with Powerful Knowledge

According to business speaker and author Scott Mautz, uncertainty is naturally unsettling. “Neuroscience research teaches us that uncertainty registers in our brain much like an error does,” he explains in an article for Inc. An error is something we naturally want to fix or solve because it makes us uncomfortable.

Simply knowing that we aren’t wired for so much change and uncertainty all at once — such as teaching remotely, juggling new online learning platforms and crazy news cycles — it’s no wonder that we’re overwhelmed. But knowledge is power. Armed with this knowledge, try some restorative exercise like gardening, walking, bicycling or yoga — all of which are low-impact and soothing.

Lastly, remember that a few sessions with a mental health professional can help if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Check with your healthcare plan (telehealth is increasingly available) or teacher’s union for information on available mental healthcare benefits. There are also online options such as Betterhelp.com and Talkspace.com.

Always remember to take good care of yourself.

Going Electric

Written by Ken Dattmore on September 11, 2020. Posted in Strings Artists.

Acoustic string instruments are largely accredited to the 17th century designs of the Amati, Stradivari and Guarneri schools — a period known as the “Golden Age” of violin making. But the instruments didn’t stop evolving at that point. They changed — and continue to change — to meet the demands of players, composers and listeners. Today we live in a new golden age: that of electric string instruments.

Electric violins, violas, cellos and basses are not as new as you might think. There are electric violin designs that date back to the 1920s, though they didn’t gain widespread popularity until the 1970s, when the burgeoning jazz-fusion genre began to incorporate new sounds. The electric cello and electric upright bass were both invented in the 1930s; the electric viola in the 1950s. And all are commonly employed by musicians today, in musical genres of every stripe and variety.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why acoustic string instruments have evolved into their electric counterparts over the years, and why electric strings continue to grow in popularity.

1. Modern Ensembles

With the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s, the big bands that predominated popular music in the first half of the 20th century gave way to small ensembles centered around electric guitar and electric bass, along with drums. In the second half of the century, electric keyboards and synthesizers were added. Acoustic instruments like violin, viola, cello and bass simply couldn’t compete with the high volume of the other instruments being played. It was inevitable that these string instruments needed to evolve into electric versions, just as guitars and keyboards had done previously.

2. Modern Venues

For hundreds of years, performing venues have been evolving too — from the ballrooms of the 14th century to the great opera houses of the 18th and 19th century, all the way to the huge modern sports arenas that host major music performances today. This growing size was initially addressed by adding more players to meet the volume level necessary so that attendees could hear the music being performed: Quartets became chamber groups; chamber groups became large symphonic orchestras.

But acoustic string instruments needed to evolve over that time, too, and so metal strings were developed to produce more volume. But the force of metal strings was more than the older instrument designs could bear, and the increased pressure on the top of the instrument caused many of them to collapse. Necks were then made longer to reduce the pressure of the metal strings on the body, and makers redesigned the dimension of the bass bar — a long narrow piece of spruce inside the top, on the bass side. This not only increased the volume of the instrument, but also made it possible for players to perform the wider range of melodic passages being written by composers.

Still, as venue size increased to the point where it is today — with ensembles often performing to hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of attendees — metal strings and acoustic instrument redesigns were simply not enough. It was clear that electric versions of traditional acoustic string instruments had to be created.

3. Modern Styles

For centuries, orchestral instruments were restricted to the confines of baroque, classical, renaissance and modern orchestral styles of music composition. That changed in the 1970s when violinists started to take their cues from electric guitarists. Players put down their acoustic instruments and began to experiment with electric versions. While one important reason was to compete with the volume of other electric instruments in the group, another reason was that the sound of these new instruments could be processed through effects pedals, like an electric guitar. All of a sudden, a violin could not only sound like a violin, it could sound like an electric guitar. This opened a whole new world of sonic possibilities to string performers so that today, you’ll hear electric strings being used in every style of music.

4. Modern Technologies

The ever-accelerating advancement of new technologies has increased the ability of electric strings to keep up with newer styles of music. Better pickup systems, along with the arrival of solid-state technologies in the 1950s, gave the electric instruments of the era a clean, strong signal. But early electric string designs were mostly solid-body — more like electric guitars and not acoustic-sounding enough to satisfy many players and listeners. These instruments were also uncomfortably heavy, making it difficult for most performers to bear their weight over the course of a performance that might run several hours.

To overcome these limitations, electric string manufacturers sought out new materials such as fiberglass, carbon fiber and Lucite. These stronger and lighter materials brought instrument weights down considerably and allowed for the addition of resonation chambers that gave electric instruments sonic properties that were much closer to the original acoustic instruments. What’s more, the new finishes and colors that could be applied made these instruments more visually appealing — players could even add beads and crystals to the body to personalize the instrument, much like the original acoustic designs where the distinct flaming of the wood materials gave each player the ability to know exactly which instrument was theirs. Today’s LED technology even makes it possible for some electric string instruments to light up in different colors as they’re being played!

Another feature that appeals to many players is the ability to play electric string instruments silently through headphones. This is great for students who need to practice at home without disturbing family members or neighbors, as well as for touring professionals who have to do their practicing on a tour bus or in a hotel room. As one high-profile touring violinist has said, “When I practice, I practice the things I don’t play well. The last thing I want is someone walking past my hotel room and hearing me sound bad.”

5. Modern Economics

An important byproduct of technical development is its impact on price. As technology became more readily available, manufacturing techniques became more efficient. In turn, as the resulting electric string instruments became better-sounding and better-looking, the demand for them increased, which served to bring the cost down. Today, there is an electric string instrument for every budget. Schools can afford to incorporate electric ensembles into their traditional orchestral programs, and educators have been able to use the popularity of electric string instruments to recruit new students and retain them as they enjoy playing the popular music they listen to every day.

Young student plays electric violin with other young men.

New designs by modern instrument makers continue to give performers the tools they need to meet the demands of modern music and most importantly, we listeners. Modern orchestral string players are quickly realizing that, in addition to their acoustic instrument, they also need an electric version, for both performance and recording. For them, and for us, it’s like having the best of both worlds!

Check out these related blog articles:

SILENT™ and Electric String Instruments, Explained

How to Choose the Best Amplifier for Your Electric String Instrument

How to Silently Practice Your String Instrument at Home

How to Select an Electric Upright Bass

Electric Strings: The Power of Plugging In

Click here for more information about Yamaha electric string instruments.

Introducing the PSR-SX600 Arranger Workstation

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on September 9, 2020. Posted in Workstations.

Here at Yamaha, we’ve established a long legacy as a leading developer of arranger workstation technology, with products such as PSR-S Series keyboards and Genos. Now meet the latest member of that family: the PSR-SX600.

Both onstage and in the studio, the PSR-SX600 gives solo performers, songwriters and hobbyist musicians everything they need to craft fully arranged, highly polished songs, including a 61-key keyboard, automatic accompaniment, onboard DSP effects, built-in studio-quality recording and audiophile-quality stereo sound.

Hundreds of Styles let you assemble your ultimate backing band, and a Smart Chord function allows even those without keyboard proficiency to quickly sketch out fully orchestrated arrangement ideas with lush harmonies. Two assignable Live Control knobs allow for real-time adjustment of key aspects of the sound, and USB connectivity enables you to easily integrate the PSR-SX600 with other instruments and recording devices. There’s even a microphone input so you can sing along to your creations — through the onboard effects and EQ, of course — as well as a vocal cancel function for karaoke sing-alongs to pre-existing tracks.

Ready to learn more about the PSR-SX600? Check out these videos:

Click here to learn more about the Yamaha PSR-SX600.

Master Bus Processing

Written by Mike Levine on September 2, 2020. Posted in Recording.

The master bus, the mix bus, the 2-bus, the stereo bus and the stereo out are all different terms for the same thing: the left-right channel that’s the final destination in your DAW’s console when you’re mixing a multitrack project. All your tracks are routed to the master bus, summed to stereo and then bounced to disk from there.

Because the master bus is the only point where all the tracks are combined, it’s the place to insert plug-ins if you want to to add polish to the overall sound by applying global processing such as compression, EQ and saturation.

*Master bus processing is applied to all the tracks in your mix.*

A word of caution, however: This is not a panacea, and it won’t fix a poorly mixed song. If there are noticeable problems with your mix, you’re better off addressing them at the track level. That said, let’s take a closer look at how master bus processing works.

Who’s First?

As with standard track-based processing, the order in which you insert effects during master bus processing will have an impact on the sound. Most engineers tend to start with EQ or compression. Which of those should come first is a matter of deciding whether you want to compress the audio after it’s been EQed, or EQ it after it’s been compressed.

There’s no reason you can’t experiment with both options if you’re not sure. Many times the decision is song-dependent, and in many cases, the difference will be quite subtle. However, there is one rule of thumb: If you’re applying saturation as well, you’ll probably want to put that last in the chain.

This master bus effects chain consists of EQ, compression and tape saturation, in that order. — *A typical master bus effects chain: EQ, compression and saturation, in that order.*

All Things Being Equalized

Most of the equalization in a mix takes place on individual tracks. EQ on the master bus should generally be subtle and intended for outcomes like adding a little extra low-end thump, creating some more energy, making the mix brighter, or reducing muddiness.

Here are some suggestions for EQ adjustments you might try applying to the master bus:

– Add a little boost somewhere between 60 – 150Hz to accentuate the kick and bass.

– Reduce muddiness with a small cut in the 250 to 500Hz range.

– Add presence with a small boost between about 4kHz and 7kHz.

– Create a little air on top with a boost between 10kHz and 15kHz using a high-shelf filter.

– Get rid of unneeded subharmonic information with a high-pass (aka “low-cut”) filter to roll off frequencies below about 30Hz. Unless you’re mixing dance music, these ultra-low frequencies are probably unnecessary and not audible anyway, except on systems with large subwoofers.

That said, the rule of thumb here is: when in doubt, leave it out — or at least print a version of your mix without any master bus EQ. That will leave your mastering engineer the leeway they need to make those kinds of decisions.

Cubase allows you to tweak your mix’s EQ in many frequency ranges. — *The Cubase Frequency plug-in allows you to tweak many frequency ranges.*

Add Some Glue to Your Mix

Compression is probably the most common type of processing that’s applied to the master bus. Why would you need master compression when you’ve likely inserted it on most of your individual tracks? Probably the most crucial reason is to create what’s referred to as the “glue” effect. Compressing the whole mix through a single processor imparts a cohesiveness to the overall sound that can really make it sound polished and professional.

For glue-type compression, set the ratio pretty low — around 2:1 or 3:1. Use the threshold to control how much compression you’re getting. You probably want no more than about 2 to 5dB of gain reduction. Keep the attack parameter relatively slow, or you run the risk of squashing the parts of the mix that tend to come from the most important components, such as lead vocals and kick and snare drum. Fast attacks on master bus compressors can also have the unwanted effect of reducing the mix’s overall energy.

The nature of a compressor is that it’s constantly going on and off based on when the audio is exceeding and going below the threshold. The goal is to have its cycle of attenuation and release feel like it’s working in time with the music and not against it. You can control this with the release time, which governs how quickly the compressor lets go after attenuating a transient (signal peak). Either experiment with different release times to see what feels best or activate your compressor’s auto-release function if it has one. Auto-release will usually give you a usable setting.

All types of compressor plug-ins are used for master bus compression, but probably the most common are those based on VCA compressors — for example, Steinberg’s Vintage Compressor mkIII. These kinds of plug-ins can be used to not only compress but to add some analog-style “color” to your mix.

Steinberg Cubase includes an excellent built-in Compressor plug-in, which gives you plenty of control, including an auto-release function.

The Steinberg Compressor plug-in. — *Steinberg Compressor.*

In terms of when it should be applied, many engineers feel that if you’re going to use master bus compression, you should add it early on in the mix process so that all of your subsequent mixing decisions will be made in context of the compression. In other words, you’ll take its effect into account as you’re setting levels and compressing individual tracks. If you wait to add the compressor until the end of the mix, it likely won’t be as integrated as it would have been if it was there from early on.

A Little Dirt

Another master bus effect that’s sometimes applied is saturation. A little bit of tape- or tube-like saturation coming from a plug-in like Steinberg Magneto can add analog-sounding warmth to a mix by softening the transients. It also adds a bit of its own natural compression. Subtlety is the key when it comes to master saturation. You’re just flavoring the mix, not crushing it — unless, of course, that’s what you want.

A tape saturation effect can warm up a mix. — *A tape saturation effect such as Steinberg Magneto can warm up a mix.*

If your saturation plug-in has a wet/dry (“mix”) control, try adding a little too much saturation — that is, to the point where it can be clearly heard — and then back off the mix knob to taste. This creates parallel saturation, which can sometimes sound better than just adding it at 100%.

Pushing the Levels

Home recordists often put limiters on the master bus to make a mix louder. This is a practice I don’t recommend because it may not leave any room for your mastering engineer to apply their own limiting — something they can arguably do with much greater expertise than most of us mere mortals. What’s more, too much limiting will reduce your music’s dynamic range and can make it sound fatiguing.

Until you’ve gained a lot of mixing experience, you’re better off focusing on creating the best mix you can rather than worrying about its ultimate loudness. If you’re planning on mastering the project yourself, you can always process it with a limiter after you’ve finished your mix and are happy with it.

When it comes to master bus processing, less is usually more. Careful application is the name of the game if you want the best results.

Check out these related blog articles:

Why Compress?

Practical EQ Techniques

Distortion and Saturation

Check out our other Recording Basics postings.

Click here for more information about Steinberg Cubase and Cubase plug-ins.

Larry Mullen Jr. Reflects on the Beginnings of U2

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on September 1, 2020. Posted in Artists, Drum Artists.

“After practicing on my own for months, my father said to me, ‘You really need to be in a band.’”

U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. pauses for a moment, reflecting on the momentous day when his dad’s casual remark would serve to bring together four uniquely talented individuals … and launch the career of one of the most-loved bands of all time.

“‘Well, how would I do that?’ I asked him,” Mullen remembers. “‘Put a notice on the [school] notice board,’ [he said]. So I did, the next day. It simply said something like, ‘Musicians wanted to form band. Contact Larry Mullen.’”

Soon after, other students started asking him how his band was going. “I said, ‘Well, I’ve only got one guy, called Edge,’” Mullen recalls with a laugh. “He said he was a guitar player. I knew Adam [Clayton] owned a bass guitar. Nobody said that he could play it, but he still owned a bass and he looked like a rock star. I had a kit of drums made by a toy manufacturer.

“We met [the following] Wednesday at my house,” he remembers. “I’d asked my parents if I could borrow the kitchen. So we moved the table and chairs out. Adam arrived, Edge arrived, and then Bono arrived with a friend on the back of a motorcycle. We piled into the kitchen and the guitars came out. Everything was out of tune, and we just started to play. And at the end of it, we said, ‘You know, we should do this again.’”

U2 in the early days with Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, Bono, and the Edge. — *U2 in the early days. (L to R: Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, Bono, the Edge).*

And so a legendary band was born. Yet, according to Mullen, “It was really ordinary and not extraordinary in any way. On that first day in my kitchen, it was clear that we didn’t have much going for us, and that we were all kind of equally talentless. My sister [later] said, ‘I have never heard such a racket in my life!’ But what was extraordinary was the timing, because punk had just exploded. We knew that we weren’t going to be able to go out and be a covers band because we just weren’t good at it. So we worked on being our own band and learning from each other’s mistakes and ended up being influenced by each other’s [shortcomings]. For a lot of [musicians] it’s about figuring out how to stand on their own and be proficient. In our case it was, maybe skill will kill us. So let’s not get too skilled.”

An unconventional formula, to be sure, but one that unquestionably worked. And it all started as the result of a casual remark by a loving father to a determined son.

A young Larry Mullen Jr.

Larry Mullen Jr. today.

Check out these related blog posts:

Scott Mayo on building a strong foundation for a lifetime of good habits

Butch Walker talks about practicing through the roadblocks

Tina Guo discusses dedication to the craft

Jackie Miclau looks at the ways music brings people together

Pop/Rock Chord Voicings, Part 3

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on August 31, 2020. Posted in Keyboard How-to. 1 Comment on Pop/Rock Chord Voicings, Part 3

In Parts 1 and 2 of this three-part series, we covered numerous voicings and passing chord concepts for playing in pop and rock styles of music. In this installment, we’ll put those ideas together.

Getting in the Groove

You need more than good voicings to sound hip — you also need to impart a good feel to your music. Regardless of whether you’re playing solo or in a band, you want to come up with rhythmic patterns that match the feel of the music. Here are two audio clips of me playing on top of a C major chord (once slowly, and once at a moderate tempo with drums added), using some of the concepts we’ve discussed:

The first thing I want to draw your attention to is how I keep my right hand in basically the same position the whole time, until the octave melodic fill leading into the last bar. Based on the playing of keyboardists like Elton John, this style works well behind vocals, and gives the music energy without getting too busy, or getting in the way of the melody.

Notice the use of the Sus2 voicing on the second sixteenth of beat 2 in bar 1, and again on beat 4 of bar 2; I also use a Sus4 voicing in bar 2. Bar 3 has two different passing chords: first, a D minor at the end of the first beat, with a nice syncopation to resolve it on the second sixteenth of beat 2. The figure on beat 4 of that same bar ends on an F triad, which again resolves into a Cadd2 on the next beat, using the same syncopated rhythm.

I also employ some small arpeggiations of the chord voicings, playing the notes of some chords individually to break up the chords with a touch of melody. Finally, leading into bar 5 I play a short melody in octaves, which is a common way (in rock music, anyway) to fill spaces between the singer’s phrases. My advice is to keep those simple and don’t overdo them, unless it’s your time to shine with a solo.

Roll On

Rather than always playing your chord voicings as a block, try rolling the notes, which means rapidly sweeping through a given voicing. This is different from an arpeggio, in that you keep holding each note, so you are quickly adding the next notes until you are sustaining the full voicing. Here are a few ways to do that:

The wavy line to the left of the chord voicing is how a rolled or quickly arpeggiated chord is notated, and the arrow indicates the direction of the roll. (The figure in bars 2, 4 and 6 is what you actually play when you see the notation in bars 1, 3 and 5.) The version in bars 3 and 4 has you holding the top note for a split second before continuing the roll downward — this is a more melodic way to do a roll. The version in bars 5 and 6 is a roll upwards, which you could do for any of these previous examples as well. To make it more colorful I added the 2nd (D) to the chord voicing, playing both the middle C and D at the same time with my thumb and then continue the roll upwards. I suggest you practice these exercises slowly at first, learning to hold each note after it’s played until you are sustaining the full chord voicing; also try rolling the chord at different speeds.

Less is More

For slower songs, or in situations where you want to leave more space, you can add a little fill by playing either a single octave note, an octave-based simple melody, or a small arpeggiation, as shown below:

The first idea (bar 1) is the simplest, but it can be very effective. I suggest you not choose the root of the chord or the current melody note for your octave, as it might either be boring or get in the way of the vocal. The second idea is a simple countermelody, which will hopefully work with the vocal. The third idea is a small downward arpeggiation — again, try choosing some colorful notes. The final example is a two-handed quick arpeggiation. For this, I chose two triads: a 2nd inversion C major played with the left hand, followed by a root position G major in the right hand, which creates the 5th, major 7th and 9th of the C major seventh chord.

To give you a little inspiration, here are the same right-hand figures played over different, and changing harmony in the left hand:

Chimes and ripples with changing harmony in the left hand.

Now we’re getting some real sophistication in our playing, while keeping our ideas clear and not overplaying. Bar 2 uses the sus2 voicing over the 3rd in the bass that we learned in Part 2 of this series. For bar 3, I kept the same right-hand voicing and moved the bass to a B-flat to get a very cool-sounding chord that has nice color tones (the major 7th [D] and the 6th [G], also called the 13th). I keep following the same kind of voice-leading downwards to create the last voicing for the A minor 9th.

Putting It All Together

OK, time to use everything we’ve discussed. The performance below is more advanced than the examples I’ve given you up to this point. I suggest you listen to it a number of times, following along with the music to get a sense of how it goes before trying to read and play it yourself:

The example has a gospel flavor to it, and is played in 6/8 time. This time signature has a feeling of two beats per bar, but each beat is made up of three subdivisions rather than two.

An analysis of the transcription reveals that bars 1 – 11 are using the lower chord voicing, followed by the simple octave fills and small arpeggio ideas discussed earlier. Bar 4 has a descending fill that implies using a G passing chord between two inversions of the A minor. I then repeated that downward concept again on the A minor in bar 12.

Bar 14 uses an F 6th arpeggio to set up an Fadd2 voicing (in fourths), and the next bar has a cool, jazzy chord which builds up some energy with a climbing octave melody phrase. This spills over into bar 17, where a series of descending passing chord figures are played between inversions of the C chord. A quick G with B in the bass passing chord sets up the A minor nicely, with the downward passing chord phrases mimicked again for continuity.

Bars 21 and 22 use a C triad over the F bass for color, with the idea repeated an octave higher the second time around for variety. For the Bb dominant chord, the energy is ramped up again with rhythmically repeated octaves between the two hands, moving into a melodic line back to the C major.

Bars 25 through 28 go back to working the passing chord concepts again, with a moving melody added across bar 29, using the C triad over F and then a 4th-based voicing that looks like a Csus4 triad (or is it Fsus2?) to lead into that colorful Bb dominant chord again. Two downward-rolled arpeggio figures calm the energy down as the wrap-up approaches; these also serve to set up the final V to I resolution, although the V chord is a suspended 4th.

Whew! That’s a lot of analysis, but it demonstrates how all the concepts we’ve presented in this three-part series can be used. Plenty for you to digest and work on!

All audio played on a Yamaha P-515.

Check out our other Well-Rounded Keyboardist postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha keyboard instruments.

Import Notation Files into Dorico

Written by Dr. Dave Gerhart on August 31, 2020. Posted in Teaching Tips.

I am continuing my quest to learn and use the Dorico notation program.

A few months ago, I wrote the Quick Start Guide to Dorico to help educators (and me) learn the program. Just like practicing scales, learning a new notation program requires regular, daily practice. I watched the videos for beginners and completed the “Getting Started with Note input in Dorico” project. I finally fell like I understand the basics of Dorico.

Before 2010, educators primarily used two notation programs to create scores, worksheets and parts for the musical classroom — Finale and Sibelius. As a college student, I started using Finale in 1992 when I purchased my first computer. I used this program to complete theory assignments, write arrangements and create worksheets. I spent hours reading the manual to learn the ins and outs of Finale, and I quickly became very proficient. I fondly remember working with my percussion professor to digitize his scores for the steel drum orchestra. We both learned a lot about arranging and notation programs.

Through my collegiate years and then as an educator, I have created numerous percussion ensemble, chamber, orchestral and steel drum scores.

The next step in my Dorico learning process is to move my old notation files to Dorico. There are two ways to export files:

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
MusicXML (Music Extensible Markup Language)

Evaluating the Formats

Before I describe each of the formats, I want to recommend that when you complete a notation project, make sure to create a backup in BOTH MusicXML and MIDI formats. This is a difficult lesson I learned with my old files that I am now converting into MusicXML. The advantage of MusicXML and MIDI are that they are both open formats that can be opened by more than 250 programs. While all of the data may not translate in the conversion, it is much easier to fix minor discrepancies than to re-input the entire score. Plus, by adding these files to the completed file folder, you will be able to open that file in the future.

MIDI: MIDI is an open standard that connects electronic instruments and computers in order to facilitate playing, editing and recording. In the Discover Dorico YouTube video, host John Barron, Dorico’s product specialist, says MIDI information includes:

Note Lengths as MIDI “Ticks”
Note Velocities
Controller Data

All of this information is related to sound. MIDI information does not include tempo markings, articulations, dynamic markings and other notation or graphic information.

MusicXML: MusicXML is an open file format that represents the graphical information in a file saved by a notation program. According to Barron in the same Discover Dorico video, MusicXML includes information like:

Dynamic Markings
Note Lengths
Lines and Other Text Markings
Stem Direction
Beaming
Instrument Information
Keys and Clefs

Making a Decision

Before you make a decision about which format to use, I highly recommend that you watch the MusicXML import YouTube Video. Barron presents the advantages and disadvantages of each file format and shows how to edit the settings in Dorico to make sure you get the correct information into the imported file. He also shows examples of different types of scores and how to make edits to the file.

After watching the video, I decided to convert my old files into MusicXML before importing them into Dorico. I prefer MusicXML because it maintains all of the graphic information from my old files. Once you have imported the MusicXML files into Dorico, you will need to scan the file and do some editing.

If you have any questions or are looking for more information about Dorico, please email me at educators@yamaha.com.

Additional Resources

Importing MusicXML Files
MusicXML Import | Discover Dorico Monthly Video Session
Dorico Quick Reference Card
Dorico YouTube channel
Dorico Facebook Community
Yamaha Music Educators Community

Amp and Guitar Modeling 101

Written by Mike Levine on August 28, 2020. Posted in Amps.

Why use one guitar when you can have several? For that matter, why use just one amp and speaker cabinet, when you can have easy access to dozens of them?

The simple answer is: There’s no need to limit yourself to just one. Thanks to digital modeling technology, guitarists and bassists can access a wide range of virtual instruments, amps and speaker cabinets, both in the studio and onstage.

Digital modeling has come a long way since its introduction in the 1990s, thanks in large part to massive increases in computer power and processor speed. In this article, we’ll focus on two modern products — Yamaha THR-II Series desktop amplifiers and SILENT Guitars™. But before we do so, let’s talk about how modeling works.

Amp Modeling

Digital modeling in general works by replicating (i.e., emulating) an object with the use of computer algorithms — sets of software instructions created to perform a particular task. In a model of an electronic device like an amplifier, these algorithms are designed to recreate the behavior and interactions of each individual circuit and component within the amp. What’s more, guitar amp modeling plug-ins such as Line 6 Helix Native^® usually offer a user interface that provides emulations of the original amp’s knobs and switches, making the simulation even more realistic.

Part of the challenge in creating amp models is replicating the sometimes irregular behavior of components like tubes and transformers, which create the warmth and distortion that makes these devices so popular. Some amp modeling products also incorporate algorithms that emulate the sonic responses of various speaker cabinets.

One of the big advantages of amp modeling versus using a real amp is that you can monitor over headphones without making any noise. If you have an apartment-based home studio, for example, it allows you to practice and/or record guitar parts 24/7 without bothering your neighbors.

Instrument Modeling

Musical instruments can also be modeled. Electronic instruments such as synthesizers are modeled by digitally replicating their circuitry through a process similar to modeling amplifiers. But the process of modeling an acoustic instrument, such as guitar, is significantly different.

One approach is to recreate the tonality and behavior of the instrument by sampling every note it’s capable of producing at a variety of different volume levels, and, if necessary, applying all the different possible articulations as well. A more complex method called physical modeling requires mapping out the physics of the way the instrument produces sound and then creating algorithms that replicate each process.

THR-II Series Desktop Amps

Yamaha THR-II Series desktop amps are small, highly portable practice amps that offer 15 guitar amp models, along with acoustic guitar and bass models, plus onboard digital effects. They can also act as a USB audio interface, so you can digitally record guitar parts into your DAW, with the amp, instrument and effects modeling applied. If you already have an audio interface, you can simply plug one or both of the THR-II quarter-inch line outputs into the interface’s line inputs.

Several small desktop amplifiers. — *Yamaha THR-II Series desktop amps.*

Here are a few audio clips, recorded with an electric guitar being played through a THR30II. The first example uses the amp’s Clean Boutique model on the rhythm part, with a little added onboard reverb:

This next clip features some lead guitar through the Lead Boutique model, again with a little added reverb:

And this one employs the Modern High Gain model for a heavily distorted sound:

SILENT Guitar

There are several different types of Yamaha SILENT Guitars, but what they all have in common is that they make virtually no noise acoustically, are easily portable and offer a wide range of tones. The SLG200S, which has steel strings, works well in tandem with THR-II amps.

SILENT Guitars offer two different types of sound production, and you can opt to either switch between them or blend them together. One is with the use of a piezo-electric pickup, which is a standard way to electrify an acoustic stringed instrument. The other is called Yamaha SRT (Studio Response Technology) — a unique system that digitally models the sound of an acoustic guitar being captured through high-quality studio microphones. This extremely realistic emulation not only replicates the characteristics of the microphone, but the physical resonance of a guitar as well.

The SLG200S has particularly versatile sonics. If you plug the pickup signal into a clean amp, mixer or interface directly, it sounds like an acoustic guitar, particularly if you blend the SRT signal with it. But it can also sound like an electric guitar if you turn the blend all the way to the P.U. (pickup) setting and plug it into an amp, such as a THR-II model, that’s designed to create a variety of distorted and overdriven sounds.

The next three audio clips allow you to hear the sound of the SLG200S played through a THR30II amp. In this first example, the THR30II is on its Clean setting, so the SLG200S sounds like an electric-acoustic guitar:

In this next clip, the amp is set to Clean Classic, which makes the SLG200S sound like a clean electric guitar:

Finally, here’s a duet with the SLG200S playing both parts; the lead part uses the THR30II Lead Boutique setting, while the rhythm part uses the Lead Classic setting:

As you can see, whether it’s used to create virtual amps, speaker cabinets or even guitars, digital modeling can open up a huge range of tonal options that you couldn’t achieve without a warehouse full of gear. Well worth checking out!

Related blog articles:

Spotlight on THR-II

The SILENT Guitar Speaks

Four Reasons I Travel With My Yamaha SILENT Guitar™

Utilizing Modeling Technology

Layering Guitar with Studio Response Technology

Click here for more information about Line 6 Helix Native.

Click here for more information about Yamaha THR-II Series desktop amps.

Click here for more information about Yamaha SILENT Guitars.

man talking on the phone while sitting in front of laptop

Stay Connected During Online Instruction

Written by Kathryn Drury Wagner on August 27, 2020. Posted in Self-Care.

To paraphrase English poet John Donne, no man or woman is an island. He wrote that we are all “a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”

But teaching in a virtual class setting can sometimes feel like being marooned on a desert island. Sure, there’s interaction via videoconferencing, yet some days, it can get lonely — as if there’s an ocean between you, your students and your colleagues. Hello? Is anyone out there?

The good news is that you don’t need to send a message in a bottle to forge strong relationships. Let’s look at some ways to feel connected as a music educator, even if you are teaching via your own private “island.”

Feel More Connected with Your Colleagues

Virtual Coffee Chats: We’ve all heard of the buddy system. Research suggests that friendships, especially during times of anxiety, actually allow us to reframe negative events as challenges instead of disasters. So it’s important to keep building relationships with your fellow faculty. Schedule time to bond over a virtual coffee or virtual lunch, and make sure the discussion isn’t only about work topics — invest your time and effort to keep in touch with people on a deeper level. It’s good for your career development and your stress levels.

Convene to Enjoy a Virtual Program: Perhaps in the past, you savored local performances with your music department colleagues. If attending a performance as a group isn’t feasible right now, you can still “gather” to enjoy a virtual show. For example, try a Tanglewood night. It does Wednesday evening video streams with artists like the Danish String Quartet, Silkroad Ensemble, Lucas and Arthur Jussen, and Paul Lewis, recorded at beautiful concert venues all over the world. Last spring, Yamaha kicked off YamahaLiveFromHome, presenting concerts and music tutorials.

Host a Game Night: If you used to hang out with coworkers for happy hour, pivot to a virtual game night and test out online group activities like Drawasaurus. Bonus points: Prior to the event, email links for cocktail, mocktail and appetizer recipes, so everyone can be sipping and nibbling similar libations and snacks, adding to the sense of camaraderie.

Go Old School: Yes, you can still pick up the phone! Don’t forget the power of a kind call or a thoughtful voicemail. And if someone has done you a solid, drop a handwritten thank-you note instead of automatically turning to email. A study in the Journal of Happiness found that writing notes of gratitude increased participants’ feelings of life satisfaction and reduced depression. So not only are you spreading good vibes with your thank you, you’ll feel happier yourself simply by busting out that stationery you have been meaning to use.

Feel More Connected with Your Students

Mix it Up: Scientists tell us that music boosts creativity, and stretching your students’ creative thinking skills improves their cognition and enhances their learning. So in addition to your music lesson plans, throw in a few unexpected twists. Try a game of charades or turn off your microphone and have them guess what you’re saying by reading your lips. Play a quick scavenger hunt by giving students a list of three items and have them race around their houses to find them, before returning for the online learning.

Creativity can also allow for effective ways of conveying assignments or instructor communications as well. For example, John Thomas, a first/second grade teacher, turned his reading assignment into a roller coaster ride.

Plan One-on-One Communications: It can be frustrating for some students to feel “seen” in virtual learning environments like Zoom, so if you are teaching a group, be sure to schedule time for one-on-one communications.

Establish set virtual office hours, where you can touch base with students. Do they need help tuning their instruments? Feedback on a solo? Do they want to stop by just to say hi? This is also a good time to gauge emotional and social needs. Do they require any additional resources or support?

Depending on district policies, music educators may also be able to use texts or cell phone messages as a way to ping students to stay in touch. Or drop students a postcard in the mail, telling them they are doing a good job learning a new instrument, mastering a challenging piece of music or just that they are a pleasure to have in class. Young kids love getting mail, but even older students will be surprised and pleased by this personal greeting.

Feel More Connected the Natural World

Ideally, you’ll be able to take a short break or two between videoconference classes and staff meetings at some point during your day. (See more about The Power of a Stress-Relieving Routine.) But for times when you can’t get out for a stress-relieving walk, reconnect with nature by having a plant near your work station. Viewing greenery in micro-breaks as little as 40 seconds can restore the brain’s ability for sustained attention, reports a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

If fauna is more up your alley than flora, take a few minutes and pop into the webcams at explore.org, which has live video feeds of animal habitats from all over the world. It’s refreshing to suddenly be eye-level with an eagle’s nest or underwater in a tropical reef. Deep breaths … you’re ready to return to the school’s online learning platform, refreshed.

Feel More Connected with Your Purpose

Music and music education are more important than ever because they promote invention, problem-solving and imagination. Music weaves us together at a time when we’re all getting a blunt reminder on how interdependent humans are, and how being distant from each other is really challenging. So, make time to reconnect with why you pursued a teaching career in the first place. This might be by writing in a journal, listing three things each day that went well with your students. Or perhaps turn to an inspirational read, such as Mark Nepo’s “The One Life We’re Given.”

But have faith that what you’d doing is meaningful. As cellist Yo-Yo Ma recently told the Washington Post, music is like touch, and during the pandemic, so much of our ability to touch other humans has been taken away from us. “You can’t touch, you can’t hug, you can’t shake hands,” he said.

“But what music does, its sound moves air molecules,” he continued. “So when air floats across your skin and touches the hairs of your skin, that’s touch. That’s the closest thing to someone actually touching you. … That’s what music can do.”

Here’s What You Need to Know About Celestes

Written by Troy C. Wollwage on August 26, 2020. Posted in Percussion.

Celestes are instruments with a bell-like tone and a trace of mystery about them. However, both a celeste (sometimes called a celesta) and keyboard glockenspiel use the same mechanism as any grand piano. This means that anyone who plays piano will be able to play either of these instruments too.

Whether you’re planning on purchasing a celeste for your school, performance hall, church or other institutional location, here are some key aspects to guide you through the decision-making process.

Know Your Needs

Every institution is different in terms of size and makeup, and each will have instrument needs that differ. These factors include model, size and how many instruments are required. For example, a piano teaching studio might be a small space that’s carpeted, cluttered with bookshelves, desks and chairs, while a university performance hall might seat hundreds or even thousands of concertgoers, and a church venue may be an irregularly-shaped room filled with pews and glass windows. Whatever the configuration, the celeste you choose will ultimately need to meet a wide variety of demands, so before making your purchase, ask yourself the following questions:

– Who will use the instrument? Beginners, advanced players, concert artists, international guests on tour?

– How often will the instrument be played? In the occasional concert, or for 18 hours per day of student practice?

– How will the instrument be used? Lessons for graduate students? Live performance? Church services? Recordings?

– Will the instrument stay in a fixed location or will it be moved often?

– In what size room will the instrument primarily be used? A concert performance hall with a seating capacity of 3,000 may need two celestes: one for rehearsal and one for performance.

Know the Instrument

Yes, it’s a percussion instrument with a keyboard and a unique reverberant sound quality. But here are seven things about the celeste you may not know:

1. Celeste Soundbar Basics

Celeste soundbars are lined up in rows, same as they are in a metallophone. However, a celeste produces a gentler sound than a metallophone, with more reverberation, for a clear and beautiful sound.

The shorter a soundbar, the higher its pitch. This means, as you go up in pitch, the soundbars become shorter. Depending on the particular model, Yamaha celestes have a range of 53 keys (40C to 92E) or 56 keys (40C to 95G).

Soundbar thickness also varies. The soundbars on a celeste are approximately 2 – 2.5 mm thick, compared to metallophone soundbars that are around 7.8 – 9 mm thick.

2. The Holes in the Soundbars Are There for a Reason

The holes in celeste soundbars are used to keep them in place. A hole is drilled at a particular position in each soundbar called the nodal point, where the minimum amount of fundamental and the maximum amount of harmonics is heard. (There are two nodes on every soundbar, one on each end.) The soundbar is then placed on top of a felt pad and screwed in place. However, if a bar is fixed too tightly, the sound will not reverberate.

3. Celestes Employ Some Unusual Materials

Celeste soundbars are made of high-carbon steel. The wooden parts of celeste hammers are made from birch, and the tips are made from felt. The surface of the felt hardens after some time due to striking the hard soundbars, which tends to deaden the sound. Just as with tuning a piano, the pins must be replaced, and the hammers sanded to bring the instrument back to its proper, springy feel.

Piano hammer shank (left) and celeste hammer shank (right). — *Piano (left) and celeste (right) hammer shank.*

4. Celeste Hammer Shanks Differ from Those in Grand Pianos

While the shanks of hammers in a grand piano are vertically thick and very hard, the shanks of celeste hammers are vertically thin, but horizontally thick — similar in shape to the soft mallets used for mallet keyboard instruments like vibraphone or marimba.

5. Celeste Pedaling Is Important Too

To maximize reverberation and bring out the metallic and gentle timbre of the celeste, a player needs to make skillful use of its damper and/or soft pedals, which are similar in functionality to those in pianos.

6. Celeste Maintenance Is Similar to That of a Piano

Just like a piano, any celeste will require periodic maintenance, though a new celeste out of the box should not need any preparation before it is used. A celeste should be tuned regularly and regulated as needed by a piano tuner. This is especially true if the instrument is moved a lot.

7. A Celeste Can Be Heard More Clearly from the Rear of the Room

A celeste is unique in its ability to be heard from far away. Interestingly, this phenomenon, coupled with the natural reverberation in a room, means that those sitting at the rear of a concert hall can hear the celeste better than those sitting in the front row.

Yamaha Celeste Structure and Key Features

Merely striking a soundbar does very little — the sound will be very quiet and won’t reverberate much if at all. That’s why celestes require wooden resonator boxes sitting above the soundbars. In most celestes, these boxes are graduated on four levels, with the bass range resonator boxes on the top level, the midrange resonator boxes on the lower right, and the treble resonator boxes in the center and lower left (looking from the rear). However, in Yamaha celestes, the resonance boxes are arranged in a single level, which allows for a more compact and lightweight body. Despite their compact size, the same resonant capacity is maintained, allowing the instrument to produce a rich sound.

In addition, the soundbars in Yamaha celestes are struck from below, not above, allowing for the use of a piano action mechanism. This enables the player to put feeling into their performance. Other celeste designs make it difficult to vary the intensity of one’s playing since those instruments don’t make any noise unless the keys are pressed strongly.

All Yamaha celeste models offer a uniform feel for free control of dynamics, along with a compact, lightweight design that is easy to transport. Here are some other key features of Yamaha celestes — all of which will be important to institutional buyers:

– Piano action with full-length keys

– Metal plates and resonator

– Piano-standard keyboard height and a narrow key slip

– Key surfaces of Ivorite and unstained ebony

– A music rest positioned to allow clear, line-of-sight visibility

– Double-wheel locking casters

– A protective cover

Because celestes last a very long time (well over 10 years), investing in the wrong model or brand can have lasting consequences. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider the current and future needs of your institution before making a purchase. Ensure that you budget sufficient funds for both the initial purchase and future maintenance. It is always wise to consult with all stakeholders at your institution. This includes anyone who has a fiduciary role, as well as those who have a say in how the instrument is used. If you take the time to do your homework, your students, faculty and audiences will appreciate the positive effects of your decision!

Click here for more information about Yamaha celestes.

When Your Violin Needs a Luthier Visit

Written by Ken Dattmore on August 20, 2020. Posted in Acoustic Strings.

If you play and own an orchestral string instrument such as a violin, viola, cello or upright bass, you may find that the feel and sound can change on an almost day-to-day basis. Why should this be the case? The answer is that the spruce and maple woods in your instrument are hygroscopic materials, meaning that they absorb moisture from the atmosphere around them. We should never forget that the natural materials that make up a string instrument came from the living organisms that we humans call trees.

Those trees take nutrients from the soil, sunlight and water, and they breathe in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen — the opposite of what we do. One day a tree is felled and becomes the instrument you play … but rest assured that its life didn’t end when it was cut down, because a string instrument continues to live and react to its surroundings. And these changes mean you’ll need to have your instrument serviced regularly by a trained technician known as a luthier.

What Is a Luthier?

A luthier is a highly trained professional who specializes in the craftsmanship and maintenance of a string instrument. These folks spend years studying wood and instrument construction, and while your instrument may live up to your expectations, the luthier is constantly searching for ways to make it sound better and more comfortable for the player who uses it.

A luthier works on restoring an antique violin in a workshop.

How Often Do You Need to Visit a Luthier?

How often you need to bring your instrument to a luthier depends on many factors, including how often you play it and how drastic seasonal change is where you live. In general, it’s a good idea to have a luthier service your instrument at least once a year. Upon inspection, the luthier will look for the following:

– General condition and integrity of the instrument. Are there any open seams or wood cracks? These things are inevitable in the life of every string instrument and are not the fault of the player, but if they occur, an immediate service is necessary. Closing a seam is usually a simple matter where the luthier applies droplets of hide glue and clamps the seam overnight to ensure that it’s properly closed. Cracks, on the other hand, present more of an issue. Often the luthier will need to remove the full top of the instrument to install “cleats” inside to hold the sealed crack in place and complete the repair.

– Bridge inspection. Is the instrument’s bridge healthy and well-positioned without any warping? Are string clearances correct? If not, the bridge may require some adjustment or even replacing.

– Fingerboard inspection. Is the fingerboard smooth and well-shaped? Over long periods of time, the movement of hands and strings will lead to wearing that a luthier can remedy by reshaping and restoring the contour of the fingerboard. This will help with both intonation and position shifting, making the instrument more comfortable and responsive.

– Peg condition. Pegs are a moving component of the instrument, and over time and constant use, the peg holes can become oval-shaped from the tension of the strings. This can cause slipping or sticking, which will lead to intonation problems. The luthier will determine when they need to be redressed — a process where a reamer is used to restore the peg holes to a circular shape. A compound is then applied to the shafts of the pegs and they are reset into the peg box for a smooth and reliable tuning action.

– Strings. Strings are the source of the sounds you create and therefore the life of the instrument. They wear out far more often than most players notice. An average player should change strings about once a year. If you’re an advanced player, you’ll need to change them even more often to ensure they keep providing the proper sound that the instrument was built to create. A luthier will help you decide how often to change strings based on your style of playing.

Instrument maker repairing old violin in studio.

– Sound post inspection. Inside of your instrument is a spruce dowel called a sound post. The Spanish name for this piece is “alma,” which translates in English to “soul” … and it very much is just that. The sound post helps to transmit the vibration of the string across the top and back of the instrument. Its positioning in relation to the bridge is crucial and the luthier will check to make sure that it is well shaped to the inside top and back and in the correct spot inside of the instrument.

A string instrument is a beautiful work of art crafted from natural wood materials, but it is also a complex machine that requires care and maintenance over its lifetime. A skilled luthier can keep these instruments healthy and sounding great, and in the right hands, they can last a lifetime … or even centuries!

Check out these related blog articles:

Winter Weather Care for Woodwind and String Instruments

Five Things You May Not Know About String Instruments

What’s That Weird Sound?

Click here for more information about Yamaha string instruments.

Introducing the SR-C20A Compact Sound Bar

Written by Ted Goslin on August 19, 2020. Posted in Audio Gear Guides.

Have you ever turned on your television and wished that the exciting onscreen action was matched by equally explosive sound? With the thickness of TVs dwindling with every new generation, that leaves precious little room for built-in speakers — and the ones being used are getting smaller and smaller, with tinnier and tinnier sound. One possible solution is to add a separate audio system, but the problem is that some of those systems require more space than many people have in their homes, with a litany of speakers taking up space both in front of and behind you.

Add a sound bar, however, and you no longer need a lot of space for great audio. But with so many options on the market, paired with whatever limitations you might have in your home, finding the right one can be a daunting task.

Enter the SR-C20A. It’s the first compact sound bar from Yamaha, designed to fit any space without sacrificing sound or specs, with a focus on audio quality and connectivity. Let’s take a closer look at its features and capabilities.

Room-Filling Sound

Small remote control. — *SR-C20A remote.*

The SR-C20A comes with a built-in subwoofer and dual passive radiators. A passive radiator increases the low frequency response (that is, the bass) of a speaker system substantially. This is a rare combination in compact sound bars and enables the system to reproduce the rumble of your favorite action scenes, as well as the bass in music tracks. Looking for even more low end? Just press the BASS EXT (Bass Extension) button on the remote control.

There are also four sound modes that allow you to customize your audio experience even further: Stereo, Standard, Movie and Game. Each highlights different audio attributes, depending on what you’re listening to. With Game mode, for example, you can hear and feel the full range of sound, from the powerful blast of an explosion to the quiet footsteps of an enemy sneaking up from behind.

But that’s not all! When placed directly under a TV screen, the SR-C20A creates a virtual sound field using Dolby^® Audio virtual surround sound technology to reproduce left, center, right and rear sound effects. This lets you hear the kind of subtle audio detail you’d normally only experience in a movie theater.

The SR-C20A speaker mounted on living room wall.

Another way the SR-C20A delivers detail is with its implementation of Yamaha Clear Voice technology, which provides enhanced dialogue clarity. This is especially useful during action-heavy scenes or critical moments that involve a wide range of sounds, so you never have to raise the volume to hear a pivotal plot twist.

Versatility Plus

Thanks to its compact size (just 23 inches long and 2.5 inches high), the SR-C20A can easily fit in tight spaces like gamer stations, bedrooms, offices, playrooms and dorms. It can also discreetly sit in front of any screen or a computer monitor without obstructing the action.

Mounting an SR-C20A on a wall is easy, too, thanks to the two keyholes on the rear of the sound bar. This can free up space on an entertainment cabinet and can simplify the number of cables behind the cabinet by allowing you to run an HDMI^® cable in the wall.

The back of the SR-C20A speaker showing the keyholes for wall mounting.

Speaking of HDMI, the SR-C20A also includes an ARC (Audio Return Channel) function, which allows both audio and video to be sent over a single HDMI cable. In addition, the SR-C20A provides optical and aux options for connections to multiple sources, all accessible via the remote control, which can also be used to power your TV on or off, adjust volume, and more.

There’s Bluetooth^® too, for streaming audio such as music and podcasts — just pair the SR-C20A with any Bluetooth-compatible device. (You can even connect and switch between two different devices!)

Looking for even more wireless functionality to further simplify the user experience? Check out the SR-C20A’s dedicated Sound Bar Remote app. Not only can it turn the sound bar on or off from your smartphone or tablet, it can switch content and change sound modes, as well as activate Clear Voice and Bass Extension functions.

Screen shot Sound Bar Remote app. — *Sound Bar Remote app.*

With so many features packed into this compact sound bar, your choice may be a simple one. But don’t take our word for it — check out the SR-C20A for yourself!

Related blog articles:

How to Shop for a Sound Bar

How to Hide the Wires in Your Home Theater

How to Get Great Sound When Watching Sports on TV

How to Use Alexa with a Yamaha Sound Bar

How to Connect Nintendo Switch to Your TV, Sound Bar or AV Receiver

Click here to learn more about the SR-C20A sound bar.

Click here for information about the SR-B20A sound bar — a larger alternative with two subwoofers and added features.

A Strong Foundation, A Lifetime of Good Habits

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on August 18, 2020. Posted in Artists, Winds Artists.

Music can be one of the most powerful ways of bringing people together. For many musicians, this realization often comes with their experiences in school band. Here’s how Grammy^®-nominated producer, singer, composer and woodwind player extraordinaire Scott Mayo got his start, and how the lessons he learned in his early days not only helped shape his career, but led to an unshakeable belief in the power of music.

Early Days

“I started when I was eight years old,” recalls Mayo, who’s worked with legendary artists such as Earth Wind & Fire, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder, Sergio Mendes, Luther Vandross, Cee-Lo Green, Ice Cube, Michael Bolton and Jennifer Hudson, as well as playing with the American Idol™ house band.

“Every morning they would start school with announcements,” he continues, “and one day they said, ‘If you’re in fourth grade and up, you can try out for band — just come to the band room after class.’ Right away, I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do that,’ even though I don’t really know why there was an ‘Oh, I want to do that’ in me! There was this sort of call on my life to become a musician.”

Deciding on the Right Instrument

Scott returned home and excitedly told his mother the news. Her response was to ask him what instrument he wanted to play. “I said, ‘I want to play drums.’ She said, ‘Too loud. Pick something else.’” His second and third choices — trumpet and guitar — were met with the same reaction. With a laugh, he remembers his mother saying, “Why do you keep picking the loud instruments?”

The alternative she suggested — clarinet — was based on practicality: Both of Scott’s brothers had played the instrument, and there was already a clarinet in the house. “I would come home from school and I would put my clarinet together and play along as best I could with the commercials or the cartoons I was watching,” he says. “That was sort of the thing that just amused me.” A few years later, Mayo added saxophone and flute to his repertoire (“I just loved playing instruments”), and there was no looking back.

“It’s funny,” Mayo says today with a sense of irony, “because all of the instruments that my mother rejected are actually my favorite instruments. I love drums, I love guitar and I love trumpet.”

High School Influences

By the time he got to high school, Scott was playing in wind ensemble, concert band, jazz ensemble and marching band … along with being a varsity athlete. “It really was challenging and some things suffered at times,” he recalls. “I just found a way I could stay up late practicing my instrument. I needed to dedicate the time because I had a really demanding high school teacher who saw the seeds of me becoming a professional. There was a point where I had to make a decision as to what I was going to do. And I did make that decision [to devote myself to music instead of athletics], and happily.”

Scott Mayo, age 12.

Scott in marching band.

“I had really wonderful friends that were supportive and encouraging,” he says. “There was one flute player in my high school that was particularly good. She was a really advanced flute player and she would help me because she was better than I was. We would play duets together; quite often we had saxophone quartets and quintets. Somebody would bring in some music and we would sight read it and play it together and then we’d switch instruments and play somebody else’s part. It was a really life-changing experience to have a community of musicians where I felt safe to not be so good all the time.”

Support from Family Too

When Mayo made the decision to take up saxophone, he remembers his father going out and getting him a sax “like the next day.” A couple of years later, Scott wanted to learn to play flute too. Again, he recalls, his father’s reaction was “‘Okay, no problem.’ He just went out and bought me a flute.”

But there was a string attached — a very good one. “When I was 13 years old, [my father] said, ‘So, you’re serious about this music thing?’ I said, ‘Yes sir, I am.’ He said, ‘All right. It’s time to listen to some real music,’ and he played [me some] Miles Davis. I said, ‘What is this?’ and he said, ‘It’s jazz. It’s real music.’”

“He also started taking me to these jam sessions on Sunday nights [even though I was] way too young to be able to get in — he’d tell them, ‘This is my son. He’s a saxophone player.’ I would always take my horn [even though] I knew nothing about jazz, especially improvisation. I would keep my horn in its case and just listen to these incredible musicians, many of whom were famous [even though] I didn’t know it at the time. Eventually I would learn melodies. I learned this one Charlie Parker [tune] — just the melody; I couldn’t play the solo. I went there one week and asked the musicians if I could play it. They were like, ‘Yeah!’ I played the melody and they acted like it was the best thing that ever happened to them in their entire life.”

Lessons Learned

“I’m grateful for my high school experience because it literally prepared me for what I’m doing right now,” says Mayo. “A lot of the habits that I have as an adult started in high school band. [For example], I couldn’t show up late for rehearsal; that was unacceptable. So consequently I learned that you don’t show up late for a session, or a gig.”

Scott Mayo playing the flute. — *Scott Mayo today.*

Those experiences also helped shape a life-affirming philosophy about the power of music. “Playing in band taught me that you have to find a way to work with people that are different, whether you like them or don’t like them,” he reflects. “You have a piece of music in front of you and you have to find a way to make it sound good. At that point the differences disappear. [If we] can nurture more young musicians then perhaps we can see the world changed because then we can start to show people how well we work together in spite of our differences, that we can create beautiful melodies and harmony and make people cry together because we work together.”

“That is the bottom line,” he says. “No matter what the differences are, make beautiful music.”

For more information, visit scottmayomusic.com

Check out these related blog posts:

Larry Mullen Jr. reflects on the beginnings of U2

Butch Walker talks about practicing through the roadblocks

Tina Guo discusses dedication to the craft

Jackie Miclau looks at the ways music brings people together

Handwritten note by John Chowining on Yamaha MODX.

Discovering Digital FM: John Chowning Remembers

Written by Jerry Kovarsky on August 17, 2020. Posted in Synthesizers. 5 Comments on Discovering Digital FM: John Chowning Remembers

There have been only a few major turning points in the history of synthesis. After the seminal work of Bob Moog and his analog modular designs in the 1960s, it can be argued that instrument development travelled a mostly incremental path for more than two decades. New features were continually being added, but for the most part the synthesizers of the era continued to utilize subtractive analog technology. All that changed with the release of the Yamaha DX7 in 1983 — truly a watershed moment.

Almost everything about the DX7 was new. It sported green, orange and pink membrane switches and provided a tiny LED screen for editing, along with what looked like a series of hieroglyphics along the top of its front panel — things labeled “algorithms.” Its 61-key keyboard was both velocity- and touch-sensitive (radical for the times) and offered 16-note polyphony (even more radical for the times). But most importantly, it sounded like no other synthesizer anyone had heard before.

That’s because it used a completely new type of synthesis technology, called digital FM (short for “Frequency Modulation”) — courtesy of an adventurous professor at Stanford University in California and a team of forward-thinking engineers at Yamaha Corporation in Hamamatsu, Japan.

The story behind the development of digital FM is fascinating, and it starts with a most unlikely source: an experimental music composer who was neither an engineer, mathematician or computer programmer. Instead, he was an artist who was chasing his muse when he stumbled across a sonic phenomenon that forever changed synthesis.

His name? Dr. John Chowning.

From Percussion to Synthesis

Chowning is a percussionist who graduated from Ohio’s Wittenberg University in 1959, and then went to Paris for two years to study with the famed composer Nadia Boulanger. It was during his time in Paris that he was first exposed to experimental music, including early works using electronics to create what was called “music for loudspeakers.” Inspired by those influences, he returned to the U.S. and received his Doctorate in 1966 from Stanford University.

Stanford University has long been a fertile place of research in all of the sciences, but it was Chowning who initiated their forays into the fledgling use of computers to make music, although his primary interest at the time was in sound spatialization: the ability to move a sound source in a three-dimensional field, and the way the human ear distinguishes those movements.

But after reading a seminal article written by computer synthesis pioneer Max Mathews, Chowning took a course in computer programming and then made a trip to visit Mathews at Bell Labs in New Jersey. “Max made a statement in his article that really grabbed my attention,” Chowning recalls. “He wrote: ‘There are no theoretical limitations to the performance of the computer as a source of musical sounds, in contrast to the performance of ordinary instruments. At present, the range of computer music is limited principally by cost and by our knowledge of psychoacoustics. These limits are rapidly receding.’”

Chowning returned to California with a box of punch cards Mathews had given him, containing instructions for a synthesis computer program called MUSIC IV. He found a place to play them at Stanford’s newly established Artificial Intelligence laboratory, where researchers gathered to see what they could get computers to do.

A Discovery of the Ear

The convergence of Chowning’s interest in spatialization and Mathew’s search for new sounds led to a focus on one particular sonic aspect: Vibrato.

“I was searching for sounds that had some internal dynamism,” Chowning explains, “because for localization one has to have sounds that are dynamic in order to perceive their distance. The direct signal and the reverberant signal have to have some phase differences in order for us to perceive that there are in fact two different signals. Vibrato is one of the ways that one can do that.”

One evening in the autumn of 1967, Chowning was using the mainframe computer in the Stanford AI laboratory to model the sound of two sine wave oscillators in a simple modulation configuration, one altering the pitch of the other to produce vibrato. Curious as to what would occur if he increased the rate and/or depth beyond what was possible with the human touch on an acoustic instrument, he issued instructions to the computer to try some basic multiples, doubling and tripling some of the numbers. And that’s when a curious thing happened: At the point when the rate of the vibrato increased to where it could no longer be perceived as a cyclical change, the sound changed from simple pitch fluctuation into a timbral change — a change in tonality. What’s more, as the rate and depth increased further, he heard more and more timbral complexity. This was indeed the birth of digital FM.

As Chowning is fond of pointing out these days, this was a discovery of the ear, not the work of testing math equations or applying scientific principles. It was only after hearing this phenomenon that he took his experiments to an undergraduate math student to try to better understand what was going on. They researched the existing FM science as it related to radio transmission, where the rates are in Megahertz (millions of cycles per second), and found that the equations verified what he had discovered even when using rates in the audible ranges of hundreds or thousands of cycles per second. This was pivotal, because it proved that Chowning’s “ear discovery” was not just subjective — it was supported by objective science.

Over the next few years, Chowning continued to explore this technique, codifying how various frequency relationships and depths of modulation between two oscillators would result in specific timbral characteristics. Using the FM technique, he modeled brass tones, woodwinds, percussive objects and much more, developing a massive library of information.

The Search for a Development Partner Begins

Stanford University, to whom Chowning had assigned his patents, began looking for companies to license this fledgling technology in the early 1970s. At the time, organ manufacturers seemed the most likely partner, but since none of the U.S.-based ones were skilled in digital technology — at least not yet— they all passed on it.

Widening their search, it was brought to their attention that while Yamaha was best-known in America for their pianos, the company had a long heritage as a builder of organs, and were, in fact, the largest manufacturer of musical instruments in the world. So Stanford reached out to Yamaha, who sent a young engineer named Kazukiyo Ishimura to meet with Chowning. “I gave [him] some examples and showed some code — with a brief explanation — and in ten or so minutes he understood exactly what I was doing,” recalls Chowning.

The decision by Yamaha to license Chowning’s invention was not an easy one, given that the company was going to have to invest huge amounts of money in order to develop the large-scale chips needed to move the technology from a mainframe computer to a portable keyboard. But then-president Genichi Kawakami was firmly behind the idea, saying, “If we can make the best musical instruments in the world, then no matter how difficult it is, no matter how much money it costs, we’ll do it.”

And so the future of synthesis was forever altered, from the subtractive analog systems then widely in use to the all-digital ones employed by today’s synths.

Commercial Development Begins

For more than ten years, a large team of Yamaha engineers further researched and developed the technology. Chowning would visit with them many times, sharing his accumulated knowledge and helping to debug systems and develop sounds. He was, however, limited to working with breadboard designs hooked up to a computer, and was not involved in the specific design or interface of any given model. He often tells the story of how the first time he saw a DX7 was at a restaurant when the keyboard player called him over to see a new instrument he had acquired, sitting on top of his piano. Chowning didn’t know the model, but he knew the sound he heard coming from it: his FM discovery.

Yamaha had actually developed a number of prototype instruments as they refined FM technology. The first one to be commercially released (in 1981, seven years after they obtained the license from Stanford) was an Electone organ called the F70. This was followed quickly by the GS1, a large performance keyboard using dual 4-operator FM.

John Chowning working with the GS-1 external programmer. — *John Chowning working with the GS1 external programmer.*

The sounds of the GS1 were preset, but the user could load new sounds in via magnetic foil strips (!). A slightly scaled-down model, the GS2, was also introduced in an effort to provide better portability. However, these early models were quite expensive, and so they were adopted mostly by top professional players and recording studios.

*The introductory ad for the GS1 and GS2 (and FM synthesis!).*

In 1982, Yamaha released the smaller and more affordable CE20, still a preset synth. Surprisingly for the times, all these keyboards were velocity-sensitive, and the CE20 added some simple controls for sound manipulation, although those edits could not be saved. But the stage was set for what would prove to be the most popular synthesizer of all time: the DX7.

A New Standard Arrives

Despite its cryptic name and oddly colored membrane switches, despite its tiny editing screen and the hieroglyphics that adorned its front panel — indeed, despite the fact that it used terminology and concepts completely unfamiliar to even the most sophisticated synth gurus — the DX7 was an instant success. More importantly, its distinctive complex transients and clangorous tonalities would directly influence the sound of the music of the 1980s and beyond — all the way to the present day, in fact.

But there were a lot of things that had to be perfected to get to that point. As Chowning is quick to point out, many of those developments were the work of the Yamaha engineers. “The DX7 used my underlying principles and research, and I certainly worked with their engineers over the years,” he says, “but they put in over seven years, and the work of nearly a hundred engineers to produce the instrument.”

One of the major innovations that Yamaha contributed was the concept of feedback, where the output of an oscillator (called an “operator” in the jargon of digital FM) is routed back into its input (or the input of another operator modulating it) to produce additional, and different, sideband frequencies. Feedback created more harmonic complexity, without having to add more operators. “It was a simple but very effective way to get what [the Yamaha engineers] felt was missing from FM, which was an ‘edge’ to cut through,” says Chowning. As with analog synthesizers, subtle oscillator detuning could be used to produce warmth and give the sound extra body.

The design of the original 32 algorithms, which are configurations of operators in various modulator / carrier relationships (“modulator” operators, as their name implies, alter the signal being generated by “carrier” operators), was also very much Yamaha’s work, extending the simpler structures Chowning had experimented with. Ditto for the addition of velocity control over the sound being produced — one of the most important expressive aspects of the DX7 that Chowning felt made the product successful.

Perhaps most importantly, Yamaha decided to give the user the ability to program their own digital FM sounds (as opposed to simply providing presets), even though it was a huge undertaking, and a much-contested decision within the organization. Because of the advent of MIDI at around the same time as the release of the DX7, the instrument was also one of the first to provide support and documentation for MIDI System Exclusive messages, which allowed the development and use of computer-based sound editors. This was huge, because it allowed musicians and sound designers to more easily create and sell alternate sounds for the DX7 — something that had never been possible before with other synthesizers.

Digital FM Today

The success of the DX7 spawned many subsequent digital FM synthesizers. Some of them incorporated only incremental changes (such as rack-mounting or availability on a computer card), while others represented large leaps forward, such as the implementation of advanced 8-operator FM-X technology in today’s Yamaha MONTAGE M and MODX synthesizers.

An 88-key Yamaha synthesizer. — *Yamaha MONTAGE M.*

Nearly forty years after its first commercial introduction, digital FM is thriving, and Dr. Chowning looks on with pride and admiration at the work that Yamaha has done to bring his discovery to fruition and advance it. “What they have done with FM-X in the MONTAGE is just astonishing to me,” he says. “It’s moved so far beyond my original work for sure.” Every synthesist in the world — indeed, every musician who’s ever incorporated synthesizers into their music — owes John Chowning a debt of gratitude. His life’s work has quite literally changed the world.

*John Chowning and the Yamaha synth team at NAMM 2019. From left to right: Blake Angelos, Phil Clendeninn, John Chowning, Maureen Chowning, Don Lewis, Nate Tschetter.*

Check out these related articles on yamahasynth.com:

Behind the Synth: John Chowning Conversation

Holly Herndon Interviews Yamaha Legend Dr. John Chowning

Winter NAMM 2019: Interview with Don Lewis and Dr. John Chowning

Intro to FM Synthesis

Exploring the DX7

Yamaha DX7 – The Synthesizer that Defined the 80s

Dave Bristow on the First DX7 Presets

MONTAGE Article Roundup

Manny’s FM-Xplorations (Programming FM-X on the MONTAGE)

Click here to view the NAMM oral interview with John Chowning.

Click here for more information about Yamaha MONTAGE M.

Click here for more information about Yamaha MODX.

Lab Controllers Offer Flexibility and Convenience

Written by Lori Frazer on August 14, 2020. Posted in Teaching Tips.

Music students work well in groups — they encourage each other, learn from each other and play in ensembles.

However, teaching group piano/keyboard lessons can present several challenges. When an entire class plays together, it can be very loud, which is distracting for both teacher and students. Communicating effectively with students can also be challenging because students are unable to hear instructions. Even though students in a class typically start at the same level, they move at different paces, so teaching one lesson that works for the entire class can be difficult.

Using a lab controller can help deal with these issues.

What is a Lab Controller?

Lab controllers are a network of headsets and microphones that allow teachers and students to communicate musically, as well as in conversation. A lab controller can be used as though each student is isolated in his or her own practice room or, with the touch of a button, playing together as a group. The control unit and app are very flexible and provide instructors with many different and exciting ways to teach and keep students engaged while learning.

Lab controllers, such as the Yamaha MLC200, can connect digital pianos, as well as hybrid pianos, portable keyboards and digital drums. In theory, if an instrument has a headphone jack, it can be connected to a lab controller.

Using a lab controller can allow other classrooms to be situated nearby with no sound interference coming from the music room. Lab controllers can be used in small or large classrooms. The basic lab controller package has equipment for eight students and one teacher instrument to be connected. With the digital MLC200, additional students can be added one at a time, up to a maximum of 96 students — but students would be better served in smaller classes like two 48-person or three 32-person labs.

Additional components such as computers and devices can be integrated into the lab system that allow students to hear other types of lessons through their headsets. This can be helpful when an instructor wants to show students YouTube or other video clips, or have the class participate in listening activities.

Lab controllers allow teachers to work one-on-one with students, pair students to work together or create customized groups for learning and ensemble play. Students can practice with students at their same level, or more advanced students can mentor other students. Instructors can also use music from their audio library for educational listening and play-along activities.

One-on-One Instruction

In many schools, students at different levels are in the same piano class. Trying to reach the needs of each student can be difficult without the use of the lab controller, which has a one-on-one feature that allows individual instruction within a class.

In one-on-one mode, the student and teacher can only hear each other’s voice and instrument. Instructors can demonstrate concepts, work out problem areas and play accompaniments with the student.

This one-on-one ability is also ideal for exams and quizzes. If instructors want to see the student’s hands, they can use the wireless headphones, which are included with the MLC200, and freely move around the classroom and not be tethered to their instrument. Each student station has a lab controller box with a “call” button, which allows students to get the instructor’s attention at any time during class.

Grouping Feature

With a lab controller, instructors can also communicate with more than one student at a time. Instructors find it convenient to speak to and work with students who are at the same level even if they are not seated together. This is a great way to have students learn a new piece of music together with one student playing the right hand while the other plays the left. After they accomplish their parts, have them switch. This is a excellent way for students to learn the music, as many students do not have instruments at home to practice on. This is also an excellent configuration for playing duets.

On the MLC200, instructors simply press “grouping” and select which students they want to group together. The different student groupings will be saved in the app for later use.

The grouping feature is an ideal way for students to work together. Students can speak to each other and hear each other’s instruments. They can be seated in different places in the classroom and easily work together.

Playing ensemble-style is a wonderful way to help students work with timing and dynamics while listening to others. They can learn musicianship by selecting complementary sounds on their instruments and blending with each other. Encouraging students to try different sounds each time they play the song will motivate them to want to play the music again and again.

Other Features

There are commercially prepared multiple-part ensembles available for piano/keyboard that are great motivators as well. When students play together, they become better sight readers as they learn to move forward in the music even if they make mistakes. Many of the commercially prepared ensembles have background tracks for students to play along with. These background tracks can be played from the lab controller app so students hear them through their headphones. This is another way to get students to count and play dynamically.

Use digital drums with a lab controller to help beginning drummers create a steady beat. Playing along with background tracks will also help percussionists build coordination and confidence.

Classroom Management

For daily classroom housekeeping, the lab controller app can be used to take attendance manually or by having students press the “call” button to check in when they arrive. These attendance sheets can be exported into other formats for later reference.

Classroom templates can be set up in the app, including student names and photos, for easy name recall at the beginning of the term. If students sit in different places, it’s easy to move the student icons to match the class layout in the app. Notes from each class can also be taken to help the instructor keep track of class activities.

Instructors can also mute all student instruments and communication to make important announcements.

With a lab controller, classroom management is much easier. From attendance and note-taking to sound management and student engagement, a lab controller offers convenience and flexibility so instructors can focus on their main objective — helping their students become better musicians.

Resources

For more information, visit these sites:

Yamaha MLC200 lab controller information and videos
“Using the Yamaha MLC-200 Lab Controller in the Classroom” blog post
Yamaha LC4 lab controller (an analog lab controller)

Here are some commercially prepared keyboard ensembles lesson plans:

6 Keys to Creating a Game Plan for Your Ensemble

Written by Paul Winterhalter on August 14, 2020. Posted in Teaching Tips.

I approach teaching like a coach would their sports team. As music educators, we must always remind ourselves that music is an activity — it is an ACTIVE pastime for students.

It’s our job to make sure we inspire and equip our students with the right tools to learn and succeed. How do we do this? By having a game plan.

In this article, I will dive into some tactical approaches to creating a positive and healthy game plan, one that will make your ensemble competition ready. I will also highlight some key factors that may help you lead a successful percussion program for whatever your goals may be.

1. Student-Led Activity

What does this concept mean? I suggest that you set up a culture where your students feel in control of their destiny with direction from you. Simply put, your students must believe that they have control, but in reality, you are steering them toward success. You set the pace, and your students fall in line.

Students must see that their actions have a direct correlation to their learning, and that the time they put in contributes to the outcome of their season. When your students self-assess and inspire each other, your percussion ensemble will be a well-oiled machine. I will refer to this well-oiled machine interchangeably as your “system” or “program.”

On paper, it may sound simple to have a student-led ensemble. However, getting to this point is not easy. Creating and successfully implementing your own system will take patience, understanding and a whole lot of time.

The first and most important step in creating your system is communication. For students to thrive and buy-in to this concept, they must be empowered through responsibility, accountability and a culture in which they feel they can communicate openly.

Enable your students to control the ensemble by holding them accountable. The way you start to hold them accountable is to have open and clear expectations and guidelines for how you run your program. Below are some ideas to pave the way to a student-led program:

Set the etiquette for how you rehearse and be consistent. When you have consistency, you subconsciously train your students that “this is how we get things done.” You’ll be amazed by the results, especially when you show them their growth by working within the etiquette.
Set small, achievable goals. Setting bite-sized goals allow for small victories. Pinpointing these wins and using these moments as steppingstones to larger goals give students confidence, which leads to buy-in to what you are teaching.
Teach students that on time is late, 10 minutes early is on time. This lesson is important because so many things will fix themselves if you and your students show up on time. Stress this advice from Zen Buddhism: “How you do anything, is how you do everything.”
Be 90% positive and 10% critical. Students are far more critical of themselves than you think. Harping on the negative and breaking them down does more damage than you know. Find a positive way to encourage the change you wish to see.
Never show your frustration. Your students look to you as the example. Be a positive role model and remember that you are the adult. Your system is only as strong as its leader, and you need to think clearly about how you react in every situation.

2. Use Technology to Your Advantage

Most students are tech savvy, so instead of dissuading the use of smart phones and tablets, encourage and implement technology in your teaching. There are some great online resources available for free, which could enable a whole new level of self-learning and self-inspiration for students.

For example, there are many online resources for percussion-specific content, such as:

Percussive Arts Society
The Grid Book Series
Flo Marching offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at top programs around the country
Vic Firth Learn the Music
Vic Firth / Zildjian Education

Another aspect of utilizing technology are the self-assessment and self-learning tools that students can use. Playback apps or accessories like the Yamaha Electronic Acoustic Drums 10 (EAD10) and Yamaha Rec’n’Share are invaluable because they offer the ability to play along to tracks and slow or speed up the tempo.

Playing along to a metronome is certainly important for all percussion students, but this method can become tiresome. A fun and interactive approach to playing at specific tempos is with Jog FM, which lets you search songs by BPM and curate playlists for specific tempos.

3. Educator as Coach

As music educators, we should really think of ourselves as coaches. Our job is to inspire student success through encouragement, and teaching accountability is a huge element to any system of success. Think about how a golf coach teaches a student about a proper swing. The coach would never begin with what the student did wrong. Instead, the coach asks things like: “What did you feel in that last shot?” or “Did you notice your head pull up on that drive?”

The instruction is driven more by students answering questions like these and exploring their own thoughts. It is less about the coach harping on how the ball was hit into the street. We all know that the ball was hit poorly, there’s no reason to make it worse by dwelling on it. A part of the accountability is setting up the expectation and letting students know what is acceptable and what is not.

Any great basketball coach will tell you that good shooters keep shooting. Even when they are in a slump, good shooters will always take the shot. In the same vein, good drummers keep drumming! As a music educator and coach, you need to create excitement with your students and ensembles. Inspire them by introducing them to new concepts and allowing them to play with better players. Your students will never want to put their sticks down! This will create leaders within the ensemble, and your student leaders will hold their fellow “teammates” accountable.

Whether you are the sole instructor for a single school or in charge of an entire district, these elements still hold true. Strive to inspire the students to want to learn, and they will take their own playing to the next level.

4. Create Consistency

I went to high school with two men who were drafted into the NFL. I asked them, “What sets professionals apart from beginners?” Their answer might surprise you, but it boiled down to having a consistent schedule. Some of the best athletes I know — marathon runners, weightlifters, football players, world champion percussionists — have a consistent schedule and live by it. Consistency provides athletes and students something they can depend on. Without sticking to a schedule, my friends probably would not have made it to the NFL.

As the leader of your music program, you can create this consistency and set up your students for success. Have the band’s day-to-day schedule of rehearsals planned out at least a month in advance. Here is an over-simplified example of a weekly, after-school schedule:

Monday: music, 2-5 p.m.
Wednesday: learn drill, 2-5 p.m.
Friday: play and move / ensemble the last hour, 6-9 p.m.

Notice that the WHAT-you-work-on part of the schedule will change as your season progresses. This is another aspect of the schedule that you as the leader need to manage. Prioritization of rehearsal is a skill all on its own — here are some tactics you can use:

Allow sub-sections time to play together.
Break down music into chunks and create exercises that you play religiously.
Create a warmup package that is exciting and consistent. You will play it all season, so you should enjoy listening to it!
Prioritize rehearsal time with the entire ensemble. Without a cohesive ensemble, sub sectional time means nothing.

On a macro level, just rehearsing on the same days of the week puts consistency in your students’ schedules and lives. This, of course, is dependent on scheduling gym time in collaboration with other coaches and sometimes school administrators.

Here are a few articles about schedules and teamwork that are on the Yamaha Music Educator Suite:

5. Future Proofing for Success

We’ve all been in situations where we have been asked to do something, only to be told to stop and do something totally different. It’s frustrating, right? If we ask our students to play a piece to the best of their ability, we serve them best by allowing them to play the piece in the same way, repeatedly, over a long period of time. A change throws a wrench in that process.

If students were allowed to perform the same piece of music from January to April, they would have a very good chance of perfecting the piece 10 times out of 10. What would happen if the music was changed in March and students only had two months to master it instead of four? The odds of having success in the piece go down. Now, imagine if the music was changed a week before the final show. The odds of perfecting the piece would be dramatically less.

Designers, directors and creatives are often inclined to take on a bit more than their ensemble can handle. This is OK. You want to push your students and move them outside of their comfort zones. But you must realize that this comes at a price. Not only are students taking on different musical pieces, but they will ultimately have to perform them in front of an audience. The pressures of playing to a live audience must be considered when selecting the difficulty of a piece. You must always think of the ensemble’s needs first before jumping into something that could be detrimental to the well-being of your students.

Some music educators write for and teach the group. Others just write the music. But there is a baseline that everyone should agree on — the musical intent must be clear immediately. The demand or “beef” of the music can be enhanced later.

Those who write and teach should think about other ways of creating demand. Difficulty and demand can be found in the simplest of forms.

For example, take these rhythms:

Most percussion students could play these rhythms. But for argument’s sake, can you find the technical demand? Consider the sticking of the last two groupings — are your students producing a true rhythm? Or does it sound choppy? Are they stopping the stick after the accent to play the tap notes softer? If the drums will also be marching, you need to figure out where they are geographically on the performance floor. This additional factor will create yet another level of demand to consider.

As educators, you must find the teachable moments and show that demand comes in more ways than one. Musicality presents a litany of demands that students will begin to see. Don’t forget dynamics! Adding nuance to your writing will create a maturity to your ensemble’s performance without them even knowing it.

6. Invest in You

Time and energy can quickly become the two largest dividends music educators pay into their ensembles. This becomes especially apparent when you realize that music is often an after-school activity in many school districts. After a normal school day, teachers spend more time to further their students’ success — and this is no small thing. If you are leading one of these after-school programs, you must recognize this commitment and give yourself time to recover mentally and physically.

Check out these blog posts about self-care and healthy mental health strategies:

The Power of a Stress-Relieving Routine
Positive Mental Health Strategies
Avoid Burnout
9 Strategies to Combat Burnout

If you feel overwhelmed, assess your schedule and reprioritize your day-to-day tasks so you can focus on your most important to-do’s. In my experience, educators tend to focus on the objectives they didn’t get to, instead of all the tasks they accomplished. Be sure to acknowledge all the great lessons that you did get to, and give yourself credit.

There are numerous resources to help you effectively schedule and prioritize your time and manage your day-to-day tasks and goals. Doing so might also help arrange goals and boost your effectiveness when you get back to teaching your students.

Here are that I have used:

What’s All the Buzz About Mindfulness: Being mindful can create clarity and help you maintain focus on the big picture. The daily grind of teaching can take a toll, so it’s important to remove yourself from the grind from time to time and stay true to your goals.
Dropbox / Google Drive: These simple tools can help disseminate music to your students or even act as a digital warehouse to organize your music, clean up your desktop and help you with de-cluttering.
Passion Planner: This planner is a great way to get your thoughts and ideas on paper. The website also has a curated blog with great articles for everything from goal setting to creating better habits.
Mile IQ: This one is a bit out of scope for this list, but it’s helpful for educators who are contract workers, which many creatives and writers tend to be. This site helps you tracking mileage to gigs and offers help with certain tax situations.

Financial investments are another element music educators and instructors must consider. Investing in proper instruments will lead to future success of any program, but funding is finite or simply non-existent in many schools.

Here are some funding articles that you might find helpful:

I hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any additional ideas about teaching percussion, please email educators@yamaha.com.

I would like to thank everyone I interviewed for this article. I gathered so much information and insight from friends, colleagues and mentors across several platforms. There are so many talented people in this world, and I consider myself lucky to know so many of you!

Music Equals Hope

Written by Yamaha Corporation of America on August 14, 2020. Posted in Brand, Winds Artists.

In late June, 2020, long-time Yamaha Artist Ryan Anthony — one of America’s premier trumpet players — lost his eight-year battle with cancer. But his legacy lives on, through the beautiful music he created, the inspiration he gave countless others, and the millions of dollars he raised for cancer research.

Anthony had a way of bringing together beautiful souls, perhaps most notably through a program he founded called CancerBlows, which staged benefit concerts and facilitated CD recordings featuring over 30 of the world’s best trumpet artists, including the principal trumpets of several of America’s top orchestras, as well as many luminaries from the jazz, pop and rock worlds.

From his earliest age, Ryan Anthony was destined for a life of music. He was born into a musical family; his father, Roy, was a band director and his mother, Ruby, was a cellist and piano teacher in the San Diego area where they lived. At age 16, Ryan won his first major music competition and began developing a career as a soloist while simultaneously playing in several well-known chamber ensembles. As a much sought-after orchestral trumpeter, he performed as guest principal trumpet in many top orchestras, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, with whom he signed on full-time in 2004, assuming the principal chair in 2008.

Giving Back

At the same time, Ryan Anthony became an in-demand educator who conducted master classes all over the world, as well as teaching trumpet at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the North Carolina School of the Arts. More recently, he served as a full-time professor of practice in trumpet and chair of Brass and Woodwinds at Southern Methodist University. Because his opinion was so highly valued, Yamaha often invited Ryan to try the latest trumpet prototypes. His input in the development of Chicago Artist Model trumpets was particularly significant, and he played a large role in the success of those instruments.

In 2012, Ryan was diagnosed as suffering from a blood cancer with no known cure. This would set into motion the next phase of his life — combining his world-class musicianship with a newfound skill as an extraordinary fundraiser for cancer research. Resolving to not only battle the disease but to use it as a means to give back to others, he created the Ryan Anthony Foundation in 2014, and, under its umbrella, produced a series of benefit concerts called CancerBlows, which raised over two million dollars for cancer research. Perhaps even more importantly, his very public fight — often posting from his hospital room during chemotherapy treatments and procedures — raised awareness and inspired countless others to live their lives to the fullest. His message, as exemplified by his life’s work, was a simple one: Music equals hope.

“We have a responsibility to use our gift and passion for the trumpet [and music] to make a difference,” Anthony once said. “To play a role in changing lives around us. To change the landscape of the immediate world around us. To give hope to others through music. To be a musical voice for those who don’t have the option. And to reach the souls of others in need.”

“Ryan Anthony was an extraordinary person and musician,” says Bob Malone, Director of Ateliers, Yamaha Artist Relations Group, Yamaha Corporation of America. “His performances were renowned and included a sound that was as beautiful as any coming from the world’s most famous singers. But it was how he delivered that sound, and how he connected with his audiences in a way that made each feel like he was playing for them alone, that made him so special. It was the same with his friendships and professional relationships. His commitment to both was absolute and that is why the last years of his life were so impactful.”

Watch this video of Ryan Anthony performing at a CancerBlows concert in 2015.

Click here for more information about CancerBlows and the Ryan Anthony Foundation.

The Power of a Stress-Relieving Routine

Written by Kathryn Drury Wagner on August 13, 2020. Posted in Self-Care.

Flexibility. Focus. Creativity. And so many things to keep moving. Let’s face it: Music educators are consummate jugglers.

There’s so much to plan, from teaching and organizing try-outs, to running rehearsals and overseeing performances and competitions. There are administrators to support, students to mentor and, sometimes, parents to placate. COVID-19 and the challenges of teaching remotely have thrown additional layers of stress and chaos into the mix.

It’s only natural that you’d be feeling overwhelmed. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, one in three American adults is currently feeling either depressed or anxious, which is why it’s vital to create a schedule with pockets of time carved out for self-care. That’s where stress-relieving routines come in. These routines anchor the day and bring a sense of ease.

People who have a stress-relieving routine in place tend to make more efficient use of their time, make better food choices, sleep better and enjoy better overall health. In times of uncertainty, having a routine makes us feel grounded and less stressed.

Morning Routine: Setting Intention

Start the day off gently with some stretches, a mug of coffee or tea, and at least 16 ounces of water. Most of us are dehydrated first thing in the morning, which can be mistaken for fatigue.

Next, make time for at least a few minutes of meditation. According to the Mayo Clinic, even a short session will carry lasting benefits throughout the rest of the day. The type of meditation — focusing on the breath, saying an affirmation or a moving meditation like yoga or tai chi — isn’t as important as taking the time to focus and center. Regular meditators are better able to manage stress and deal with information overload. And meditation boosts creativity and imagination.

In addition to its physical benefits, exercise is also good for the brain, aiding cognition and reducing depression and anxiety, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Whether to exercise in the morning or evening is largely a matter of personal preference, and most experts seem to agree that the key question comes down to: What time of day are you most likely to stick with?

However, working out early in the day may have a slight advantage. A recent study from the International Journal of Obesity reports that people who knocked out their workouts early in the day lost more weight than people who exercised later in the day, even when both groups were doing the exact same regimens. This may be due to the fact that starting the day on a healthy note leads to healthier choices throughout the rest of the day.

One last stress tip for the morning: Finish a hot shower with a blast of cold water. According to some research, a brief cold shower may have anti-depressive effects and may reduce cortisol, the stress hormone.

Midday Routine: Pause to Refresh

Sure, you’re in the zone now, and it can be hard to stop for a break. But remember that taking a brief midday reset for self-care will make you a calmer, more patient teacher the rest of the day, better able to come up with creative solutions when your students come to you with their needs. So, resist the urge to work straight through the lunch period by setting an alarm on your phone to nudge you toward a healthy meal and a physical break.

Refuel with foods that are high in antioxidants, such as beans, berries, walnuts, vegetables and spices like turmeric and ginger. That’s because, according to Harvard Medical School, foods rich in antioxidants may lower anxiety.

Instead of a soda, boost your mood and avoid jittery stress with a short walk. Getting a little vitamin D exposure via outdoor exercise improves mental wellbeing, according to researchers from the Loyola Chicago University School of Nursing, and improves overall quality of life.

Afternoon Routine: Assess and Reset

By 3 p.m., your energy is naturally lagging, and tasks can feel insurmountable. Stress grows. The solution? Move things off the mental load and onto a list (a digital one like ToDoist or on paper, whatever your preference).

Assess what tasks can realistically get done for the day, prioritize what is most impactful and move everything else onto your future list. Writing down goals, to-do’s and ideas at the end of the school day helps you to avoid stewing about them at 11 p.m.

If you’re caffeine sensitive, beware the late-afternoon coffee break — caffeine can stick around in your system for up to seven hours, making it hard to get to sleep. For a non-caffeine energy boost, place a few drops of mood-enhancing essential oils in a diffuser. Try grapefruit, lemon, bergamot or myrrh.

Evening Routine: Reclaiming Identity

At the end of the work day, power down electronics, physically move away from your workspace, even change out of work clothes into after-hours attire. All of these cues help your body and mind transition out of career time into relaxing time.

As you segue into the home or family sphere, be mindful. Even if you have been working from home near your loved ones, you still may need to take time to reconnect with them. If you have children, spend a few minutes building a tower, working on a puzzle or reading a story before launching straight into the evening. If it’s you and a partner, perhaps you can savor a glass of wine or chat for a few minutes to have that transition and reconnection, which may help reduce friction later.

For dinner, stress-reducing meal choices include complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice or quinoa, and vegetables. According to UCLA’s Center for East-West Medicine, these foods coax the brain to produce serotonin and stabilize blood pressure, both of which reduce feelings of stress. For dessert? The center recommends dark chocolate, which boosts cognition and mood, and lowers anxiety.

For balance and focus, spend a few nights a week nurturing the other facets of your identity — you are, after all, more than a music educator. Maybe you’ll go for a long run, paint, attend a virtual panel discussion or savor learning to play a new instrument as a hobby.

Bedtime Routine: Wind Down

To thrive physically and mentally, adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. A consistent pre-sleep routine, such as reading or sipping a favorite herbal tea, signals your brain that it’s time to start thinking about switching into resting mode.

Enjoying a 15-minute Epsom salt bath may increase production of the hormone serotonin, which is associated with relaxation and happiness. If you want to really up the ante, add a few drops of lavender essential oil.

By the time you slip into bed, your body will be completely relaxed and primed for an excellent night of restorative rest. And you’ll be ready to take on another day of teaching, come what may.

Top 10 Vinyl Albums for Audiophiles

Written by Jeff Dorgay on August 13, 2020. Posted in Vinyl.

Any audiophile will tell you that serious listening requires serious equipment. This includes a source, such as a turntable, plus an amplifier, preamplifier and speakers. Maybe you’ve purchased a shiny new Yamaha A-S3200 integrated amp and are ready to enjoy it to its fullest. If you aren’t already a vinyl enthusiast, that input on the rear panel marked “phono” may have you wondering what the fuss is all about. Here’s a list — in no particular order — of 10 must-have LPs that really show what the vinyl format is capable of, in a wide range of musical genres, from classical to electronica.

1. Symphony No.5 – Mahler

If you are new to classical music, this is a great place to start. Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 is forceful and engaging. It begins with a funeral march, but by the second movement, it is in full swing and each of the four movements almost feel like pieces unto themselves. Bear in mind that this is not casual background music — whenever you think it’s OK to relax, Mahler blasts you with a barrage of trumpets, or some massive kettle drums; much like a good thriller movie, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, right to the very end. While there are over 2,800 versions of Mahler’s Fifth on vinyl, I really like the Audite pressing with Rafael Kubelik conducting. It’s produced from the original analog tapes in the Bavarian Radio Archives, and so it has a natural feel (especially when it comes to stringed instruments) that some versions sourced from digital do not possess.

2. Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd

Before you let out a groan, remember: This album was in the Billboard 200 for 950 weeks. Crazy. Whether the Floyd’s music is a guilty or non-guilty pleasure for you, there’s no denying that the sonics of this record are impeccable. There are numerous pressings available — some that will set you back four figures — but the copy you buy on Amazon or at your local record store will still impress. From the thumping heartbeat on the opening track “Breathe” to the maddening alarm clocks in “Time” to the well-known “Money,” this album will give your audio system a real workout.

3. Kind of Blue – Miles Davis

For many jazz lovers, this is the ultimate jazz record, performed by one of the genre’s top icons. Though Davis has an extensive catalog, this is usually the disc that gets pulled out when his name is mentioned. The sheer dynamics in his horn playing will set you back in your chair, and the vast sonic landscape painted is engulfing. Most of Davis’ music falls in the bop/hard bop category, but try his much later Bitches Brew if you dare. It was (and remains) a very progressive and unstructured performance that is diametrically opposed to KOB.

4. A Capella – Todd Rundgren

Unless you are a major TR fan, you probably only remember him for his two biggest hits: “Hello It’s Me” and “Bang on the Drum All Day.” But Todd Rundgren has had an interesting and experimental career. In 1985, he performed this group of songs literally a capella — vocals only, singing all 16 parts himself. Rundgren has said that this was one of “the easiest and most difficult” records he’s ever made. The more resolving your system, the easier it will be to pick out all of the individual harmonies.

5. Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway

While this album is easier to come by as a high-resolution download these days, you should be able to find a great copy in a used record store for under ten bucks. The voices of these two R&B idols blend seamlessly, and the arrangements and recording quality are first-rate. This record will either impress (if you’re a first-time listener) or bring back great memories.

6. Superfly – Curtis Mayfield

Thirty-seven minutes and five seconds will never go by as fast as they do when listening to this. Every track on the Superfly album is so intensely focused, you’ll want to take a quick gasp of fresh air when you get up to flip it over for side two. The second track, “Pusherman,” defines the “ping-pong” stereo effect the ’70s made famous, and those bongos jump right out of the speakers at you.

7. Zoolook – Jean Michel Jarre

You should have this record in your collection if for no other reason than that it’s so far off the beaten path. Jarre is well known for creating sound environments that encompass you with trance-like melodies and beats, with healthy doses of synthesizers mixed in. This album goes even further, with ethereal electronic bits that are almost hallucinogenic in their delivery. A great one to listen to on the couch with the lights down low.

8. Sea Change – Beck

When we hear the name “Beck,” many of us think of the slacker anthem “Loser,” yet on so many levels, this musical genius has always given us so much more. This 2002 album marks a distinct change in Beck’s output, moving to more of a semi-acoustic, singer/songwriter vibe. However, the recording is so deep (both sonically and texturally), nearly any attempt at pigeonholing it falls short.

9. Blackstar – David Bowie

David Bowie’s last record is one of his best. Full of his trademark dark imagery, the songs show off one of rock’s biggest talents burning brightest, just before he would be leaving us. Like the other selections on this list, it also sounds so much more involving on vinyl. The more you listen to Blackstar, the more it pulls you into its narrative; it’s a record you can almost find yourself swimming in.

10. Ella and Louis – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

Despite its sonic limitations (it was, after all, recorded in 1956), this is one of the happiest, dreamiest albums I own. Ella Fitzgerald’s vocal range is stunning, with an unmatched purity of tone, and the contrast between her smooth voice and Armstrong’s gravelly harmonies makes for a fantastic listening experience. Standout tracks include “Isn’t This A Lovely Day?” “Cheek to Cheek,” and “April in Paris,” all of which bring you back to a simpler time — something we can always use a bit of.

Lists are always tough, and I have to confess that these are not necessarily my top 10 favorite LPs of all time (we can argue about that another day!). But for all of the musical diversity represented here, every album on this list has one thing in common: stellar sound quality. For us audiophiles, isn’t that what it’s all about?

Check out these related blog posts:

Here’s What You Need to Know About Vinyl

Appreciating Vinyl Records … and the Best Way to Enjoy Them

Five Reasons Vinyl Is Making a Comeback

Jeff Coffin Video Series, Part 1: Shopping for Vinyl

Jeff Coffin Video Series, Part 2: Caring for Vinyl

How to Clean Vinyl Records

Spotlight on Vinyl Subscription Services

Ultra Hi-Fi, Part 1: The Difference a Tonearm Makes

How to Connect a Turntable to an AV Receiver

Dialing in the Perfect Two-Channel Experience

Click here for more information about Yamaha integrated stereo amplifiers.

Click here for more information about Yamaha turntables.

Two Yamaha TransAcoustic guitars resting on a leather couch.

Flip the Switch

Written by Robbie Calvo on August 12, 2020. Posted in Acoustic Guitars.

I took the above photographs at my studio and Hawaiian coffee farm, showing my friend and model, Colleen Boland, with a TransAcoustic LL-TA (left) and CSF-TA (right).

One of the best years of my life was spent in Hollywood, California, attending the Guitar Institute of Technology (G.I.T.) — a program offered by The Musicians Institute, a world-renowned vocational music school with a curriculum specifically designed for contemporary musicians.

G.I.T. employed advanced learning techniques such as visualization. We were also instructed to isolate problem areas and study small chunks of information in order to maximize practice time and accelerate the assimilation of course materials. These techniques were specifically designed to strengthen both the left and right sides of the brain — each of which plays a different role in our thinking and responses.

The left side of our brain deals with the analytical aspects of life. For musicians, this includes music theory, reading music, forming chord and scale shapes, and all the technical aspects of music.

The right side of our brain handles the creative aspects. For musicians, this involves the use of chords and scales for activities such as songwriting, improvisation and live performance.

In this posting, I’ll explore how we can tap into both sides of the brain for exponential technical growth and creative performance potential.

Making the Transition

If you’re a musician, you can think of the two sides as operating this way:

Left brain: Practice time, music theory, motor skills and muscle memory. This is where the heavy lifting is done.

Right brain: Creative pursuits, improvisation and performance. This is where we tap into the left brain’s hard work on a subconscious level, allowing us to trust our abilities.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could flip the switch between the two at will, in order to get the best results from both realms?

Turns out that we can. Here are some ideas to help you make that transition any time you want.

Separate the Functions, Set Your Intention

Begin by separating the analytical and creative functions by identifying which is which during your practice routines. Here’s an example of a practice routine that sets the intention for each function:

Left-Brain Analytical

Set your intention for practice time (for example, 30 minutes).
Devote 15 minutes of focused attention to learning a new chord progression. Visualize the shapes of the chords. Name the notes, the intervals and harmonized scale position within each.
Stand up, take a break, and clear your mind.
Devote 15 minutes of focused attention to learning a new scale shape. Visualize the shape. Name the tones, study the intervals and contours of the shape.
Stand up, take a break, and clear your mind.

Important detail: Remove any study material from view. (Referring to charts and diagrams will keep you in the left-brain analytical.)

Right-Brain Creative

Devote 15 minutes to creating chord progressions with the new chords. Change the tempo, feel and style. Move the notes around in the chords. Have fun with it!
Stand up, take a break, and clear your mind.
Devote 15 minutes to improvisation using your new scale shape. Allow yourself to make mistakes and flow through them if and when they occur.
Stand up, stretch, and conclude your practice routine.

Trust that this focused practice time is enough to achieve lasting results. Remember, unfocused practice time can actually be detrimental to your progress!

Other Ways to Remove the Analytical Mind and Promote Creative Freedom

Close Your Eyes

Removing one of your senses will heighten your other senses, so close your eyes when improvising and trust your ears and the vibrations under your fingers. Jamming in the dark is also an excellent way to flip over to the creative side of your mind.

Trust

Understand that all the study and analytical work you’ve done thus far was achieved with the left-brain conscious mind. But all that wonderful knowledge exists on the creative side too, so all the abilities you’ve worked hard for are available to you when you improvise. Trust, and the notes will appear!

Visualize

Without your instrument, visualize yourself playing perfectly, hitting all the right notes and phrasing them flawlessly. Don’t analyze what you’re doing; just see your best self in your minds-eye. Positive reinforcement of self-image is extremely powerful and will help you unleash your inner rock star.

Listen to the Small Voice

The inner dialogue that we all have running through our minds on a daily basis can destroy a performance. That “small voice” has no place on stage with you. If you hear that nagging critical voice chattering away, shut it down immediately and let your mind be neutral. We don’t need a coach on the sidelines when we are in a creative flow!

Knowledge is Freedom

The more you learn and understand about music, the more freedom you’ll have. In particular, having the skills to analyze progressions quickly will allow you more time to create melodies while performing or recording. For example, let’s assume the two-bar chord progression below is the underpinning for a solo:

I: E7 I A Dma7 :I (x4)

I know from looking at this progression (without even hearing it) that it’s in the key of A, with a tonal center of the E7 chord. This means I can use the A major scale resolving to tones of E7 (E Mixolydian Mode) to create my solo lines. I can also use E7 arpeggios, double-stops and a variety of other scale choices.

Creative Amnesia

When I cross over to right-brain performance mode, I rarely remember the performance — it’s like I’m not really there. I’ve literally watched my video performances and seen myself transition from right-brain to left-brain in order to talk to the camera again. Sometimes I’m in right-brain for the lesson dialogue as well as the performances. It’s as if I’m streaming the information and just acting as the conduit.

Search for Inspirational Sounds

I’m sure we’ve all had those gigs or experiences where our sound was so good that our playing was effortless and inspired. I can’t stress enough the importance of great tone and finding your own voice through your guitar and the equipment you use. If any part of your signal chain is a distraction or delivers sub-standard results, remove or replace it. Having your mind focus on anything other than performance will lock you into the analytical mindset … and that’s not a good thing.

The TransAcoustic range of Yamaha acoustic guitars feature two kinds of onboard reverb as well as chorus … even when they’re not plugged in! (Click here to find out how this magic happens.) I’ve watched guitarists get lost in those tones — so immersed in the sound that their playing gets ratcheted up a notch. As I observe those moments, it’s pretty clear to me that they are almost exclusively under the influence of right-brain creative elements. Those built-in effects are so inspiring, you just want to keep playing!

The Video

For this video, I wanted to create a demo that features two very different Yamaha TransAcoustic guitars: the LL-TA and the CSF-TA. They were both miked (no DI signal was used, even though both guitars have built-in piezo pickups) and double-tracked to capture a natural, full-sounding representation of their acoustic properties as well as the ambient effects emanating from their sound holes.

I used the LL-TA to play the warm rhythm tones you hear in the video, employing a good-quality tube microphone to capture a small amount of the guitar’s onboard room reverb and chorus effects. The CSF-TA was used for the lead lines; I recorded it with the same tube mic to capture a small amount of the guitar’s hall reverb and then added a touch of delay in my DAW during mixing.

The Guitars

The CSF-TA (on the left) is a small parlor-size guitar that features a mahogany back and sides, a solid spruce top, a rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and those wonderful onboard effects.

The LL-TA (on the right) has a large Western body style and features a solid rosewood back and sides, an acoustic resonance-treated (A.R.E.) Engelmann spruce top, ebony fingerboard and bridge … and, again, those great onboard effects.

The Wrap-Up

You have control over the full realm of creative expression. Work hard and practice with intention … and know that the efforts you make are stored in both your conscious and subconscious mind for use at a later date. How you use that information is up to you.

When it’s time to practice, set your intention for focused study. When it’s time to perform, jam or improvise, set your intention for the perfect performance. Eliminate the small voice of doubt and don’t analyze your playing. Just dial in your tones and trust your creative mind to unleash the powers within.

Photographs courtesy of the author.

Check out Robbie’s other postings.

Click here for more information about Yamaha TransAcoustic guitars.

Woman in business attire with many hats stacked on top of her head.

Wearing Many Hats

Written by Shelly Peiken on August 10, 2020. Posted in Creativity.

If you’ve been in the music business for awhile, I’m sure you’ve noticed a trend: The songwriter is no longer just a songwriter. (By “just,” I don’t mean to diminish the pure breed variety. Anyone who can just write a great song is a role model in my book.)

There was a time when a songwriter’s job was to imagine a concept, express it in words, marry the words to music and then hire someone to demo their creation. If a record label thought it was a good fit for one of their artists, they would enlist the services of an impartial third-party producer to bring it to fruition.

But today, labels are looking for the one-stop-shop — a person who wears many hats. They’re looking for someone who can program, produce and engineer in addition to writing a hit song … plus be a fun hang. Fedora, Baseball, Cowboy. They expect a fully realized demo that, with a stellar mix, can serve as the final record.

So, what’s a technically challenged traditional songwriter (i.e., someone like me) supposed to do?

Well, I’ve thought a lot about that.

You see, even though it was often a thrill to have my song in the hands of a world-renowned producer, I have to admit that the final result was sometimes disappointing. On the other hand, if I’m in the driver’s seat — in other words, if I produce my own record —then I have control of my artistic vision and determine (to a large degree, anyway) how my song will ultimately be presented. That’s a lot of incentive right there.

I’ll be honest: I’ve resisted going down that road because it seems so overwhelming. But recently I decided to do some online delving — dip my toe in and see how the water felt. Guess what? It wasn’t as deep and dark as I thought. For example, just a few months ago the words “audio interface” had no meaning to me — it might just as well have been an expression from a foreign language. But then I learned from articles like What Is An Audio Interface? and Essential Gear for Your Home Studio (both posted right here on the Yamaha blog) that it’s simply the box that lets you connect mics and instruments to your computer. Why was I afraid of that?

Steinberg UR22C Recording Pack — *The UR22C Recording Pack.*

Then I began checking out the options that were available and found that some companies, like Steinberg, even have all-in-one packages (for example, the UR22C Recording Pack) that include a mic and headphones in addition to a bunch of software for recording and manipulating sound so I wouldn’t have to mix and match gear. Yeah, there’d be a learning curve and I’ve always been the kind of person who gets flustered by instructions and manuals. But I’ve learned a lot from getting acquainted with my smart phone — mainly, that sometimes it’s best to just jump in and poke around a bit to get the lay of the land before reading the fine print. When I work from intuition instead of written materials, I tend to get the hang of things (even techie things) a lot faster than I give myself credit for.

The bottom line is that, with so many recording products designed for all levels, even someone as technically challenged as me can get started experimenting with creating beats, engineering tracks and producing my own demos right here at home. Before long, I’ll be able to demonstrate how a piece of music might sound in 6/8 rather that 4/4, or in a different key, or with strings. And what I’ve discovered is that expanding one’s palette and hat rack gives us creative freedom, as well as choice and power!

When I wrote my first song, I never expected to hear it on the radio. But then one day I did. Soon we’ll all be out there again, singing, performing, co-writing, clapping. Until then, I’ll be broadening my musical horizons one hat at a time.

Check out Shelly’s other postings.

What Is a Fractional Size Violin?

Written by Ken Dattmore on August 6, 2020. Posted in Acoustic Strings. 1 Comment on What Is a Fractional Size Violin?

Put 50 violin makers in a room and ask them the proper dimensions of a violin. You’ll likely get 51 different answers.

From the very beginning, violin makers have debated the appropriate size of the instrument. While the four strings have remained tuned to the same pitch, the vehicle that delivers their sound has varied greatly in design over the centuries. After all, players don’t come in just one size, so why should instruments only come in one size? Instrument makers therefore set out to build string instruments that not only fit the players’ physical dimensions but could still deliver the good sound and proper pitch that was necessary.

Today, there are essentially seven different sizes that are recognized as standards:

1. 4/4 full size (a 14″ body)

2. 3/4 size (a 13″ body)

3. 1/2 size (a 12″ body)

4. 1/4 size (an 11″ body)

5. 1/8 size (a 10″ body)

6. 1/16 size (a 9″ body)

7. 1/32 size (an 8″ body)

Fractional size violins are recognized in educational programs where children start learning the instrument at very young ages. As they grow, the next sized instrument is available for them to step into. Yamaha YVN Model 3 student violins, for example, are available in 1/2, 3/4 and 4/4 sizes.

Three Yamaha student violins. — *Yamaha YVN Model 3 student violins.*

In the Suzuki Method of string education, a 1/10 sized instrument exists in-between the 1/16 and 1/8 sizes to accommodate a child who may be a little bigger or starts learning at an older age. Some violin makers have also created 7/8 sized instruments that are just slightly smaller than full-size. These are designed for players who are petite and may struggle with a full-sized instrument because their hands are small. Yamaha has created an online Student Violin Finder that can help you make the best selection.

The process of measuring the player to the correct sized violin is simple though crucial. The player places the instrument under their chin and reaches out over the scroll of the instrument. If their hand can comfortably wrap around the scroll of the instrument without overstretching, then it is the correct size. To help dealers and educators further determine proper instrument sizing, Yamaha has made a device called the “Fit Stick,” which allows a player to be measured without an instrument in their hands. The Fit Stick is simply placed under the chin; when the arm is extended out, the spot where the tips of the fingers land determines the proper instrument size needed. Contact Yamaha to get one free of charge.

A ruler showing the size of different violins.

So whether you are short or tall, three years old or 30, there is a violin that is sized right for you!

Photographs courtesy of the author.

Check out these related blog posts:

Five Things You May Not Know About String Instruments

Reimagining the Way Student Violins Are Made

How to Prepare Your Child for School Orchestra

Click here for more information about Yamaha YVN Model 3 student violins.

Click here for more information about Yamaha acoustic stringed instruments.

A guitar waveform that has been clipped.

Distortion and Saturation

Written by Mike Levine on August 5, 2020. Posted in Recording. 3 Comments on Distortion and Saturation

In the audio world, the word “distortion” has more than one meaning. There’s unwanted distortion, also known as hard clipping, which occurs when you inadvertantly overload the input to a digital device (either hardware- or software-based). The resulting sound is quite unpleasant. Then there’s creative distortion, which you intentionally apply to an audio signal. Examples include a distorted guitar, a gritty vocal track or a mix tinged with light saturation to soften it around the edges.

In this posting, we’ll focus on the creative aspects, but for context, first a brief word about unwanted distortion.

The Perils of Hard Clipping

If you turn the input or output levels of a track up too much in your DAW, the result is clipping. This is a phenomenon that occurs in digital audio when you push a signal higher than 0dBFS (decibels full scale), which is an absolute maximum that’s represented by 0 on the level meter in your DAW’s mixer.

*0dBFS is as high as you can go before clipping occurs.*

Once the level reaches 0dBFS, it’s as if it’s hitting an immovable ceiling. Instead of continuing to go up, it just flattens out against that ceiling. The tops of the waves get clipped off, which is why it’s referred to as clipping.

*A guitar waveform (above) that has been clipped (below).*

Soft Clipping Is A Totally Different Story

It’s a different story with analog hardware. Here, you can push the level above 0dBu (dBu is the scale typically used by analog meters) without creating hard clipping. Levels above 0dBu do overdrive the circuit. But, when used in moderation, the result is likely to be a pleasant distortion known as saturation or soft clipping, which adds overtones, harmonics and a gentle degree of compression to the original audio.

The type of circuitry in the analog gear will determine the nature of the saturation. Tubes, tapes, transformers and transistors each distort differently when you overdrive them. For example, here’s an audio clip that demonstrates the sound of tube saturation/distortion on guitar:

Unless you own outboard analog gear, you’re likely to get your distortion from analog-modeled plug-ins in your DAW. These closely emulate the sounds of tube, tape and transistor devices. Most DAWs, such as Steinberg Cubase, come with a range of distortion plug-ins, offering a variety of different sonic flavors.

Overdrive, Saturation and Tape Saturation

So far, I’ve used the term “distortion” in a generic sense, though it’s also used more specifically to describe heavy, fuzzed-out distortion like you get from a high-gain guitar amp or fuzz box. But there are lots of other kinds of distortion too, including overdrive, saturation and tape saturation.

The common definition of “overdrive” is that it’s a less extreme form of distortion that sounds more crunchy than fuzzy. This next audio clip demonstrates the sound of a rhythm guitar played first with overdrive, then with distortion:

The word “saturation” usually refers to the distortion you get from overdriving tube, tape or transformer-based devices (or from plug-ins emulating them, such as Cubase DaTube). It can vary from subtle to heavy, depending on how you set it.

In the analog days, engineers discovered that if you recorded drums at levels above 0dBu, it softened the rough edges, and added a bit of distortion and sustain, all in a complimentary way. This effect, referred to as tape saturation, could be used on all sorts of sources, both instrumental and vocal. It’s typically applied to “warm up” digital audio, which lacks the subtle imperfections of analog tape and therefore can sound a little too sterile to some listeners.

Today, of course, tape saturation can be emulated by many plug-ins, including Steinberg Magneto and Quadrafuzz v2. In this audio clip of a drum track, you can clearly hear the tape saturation created by Quadrafuzz v2 (set to “Tape”) when it comes in about halfway through:

Crush Those Bits

Another type of distortion, which is purely digital, is called bit crushing. It works primarily by reducing the bit-depth (that is, the resolution) of an audio signal by a user-specified amount, causing a loss of fidelity and making the source sound gritty and more “lo-fi.” In this next audio clip, you’ll hear two measures of clean drums, followed by the same drum track effected by the Cubase bitcrusher plug-in, with the intensity increasing (and the audio fidelity commensurately deteriorating) every two measures:

*The Cubase bitcrusher settings used at the end of the above audio clip.*

How to Apply Distortion

You typically add distortion, overdrive and saturation as serial effects in your DAW — that is, through the insert section of the mixer.

You can also bring them in as parallel effects, on an auxiliary track (an FX Channel in Cubase). Parallel processing entails applying the effect to a copy of the signal, either on another track or through an aux bus. You then heavily process the copy and then add it into the mix alongside the unprocessed sound, adjusting the relative levels of the two until you get the combination you want.

*The Cubase DaTube plug-in, used as an insert (left) and in parallel (right).*

If your distortion, overdrive or saturation plug-in has a mix control, you can achieve parallel processing by setting it below 100% (usually significantly so), which has the effect of blending the unprocessed and processed signals together.

Distorting Guitars

Electric guitars are one of the most frequently distorted instruments. You can create distortion on a guitar track in several different ways:

1. Plug a distortion pedal into an amp and mic it
2. Overdrive an amp using its internal circuitry and mic it
3. Record through an amp-modeling or distortion device
4. Record a direct signal into your DAW and use plug-ins to add the distortion afterwards

Amp modeling plug-ins such as Steinberg VST Amp Rack or Amp Simulator (both included with most versions of Cubase) give you a range of amp types, speaker cabinet emulations and — in the case of VST Amp Rack, even some effects pedals — that you can mix and match to create the tone you’re looking for.

Be careful when you dial in extreme sounds, however, because they can create unwanted hiss and buzz, which is particularly noticeable when the guitar isn’t playing. Adding distortion can also accentuate some of the string noises that accompany the sound of a guitar, particularly finger squeaks.

Extreme distortion will also reduce the attack of an instrument part. If you’re applying it to a rhythm guitar or other rhythm instrument, those tracks could lose some definition (which will have a negative impact on the overall mix as well) if you are too heavy-handed in your application of it. Distortion can also add muddiness in the lows and lower midrange, which you might need to reduce with an equalizer.

Distorting Other Instruments

Beyond guitars, many other instruments sound good with some distortion, overdrive or saturation. A little bit of tape saturation on bass guitar, for example, can really help round out the sound. Similarly, distortion can be quite effective in adding grit to otherwise smooth electric piano sounds. Here’s an audio clip of an electric piano, first clean and then with distortion and cabinet emulation applied by VST Amp Rack:

You can also improve the sound of drum tracks with distortion. If you’re able to apply it the individual drums, subtly distorting the snare can often give your drum parts some additional energy. Or you might distort the kick, snare and toms, and leave the cymbals alone.

In EDM and hip-hop, you’re more likely to be working with stereo drum parts, such as loops or the output of a MIDI drum instrument. In those situations, you’ll be applying distortion to the entire drum part, rather than only to individual tracks — which can be quite effective too, if less subtle.

Distorting Vocals

Anything from a little saturation to heavy distortion can change the texture of a vocal track, giving it more of an edge and/or a ’50s vibe (an era when many sensitive tube microphones were in common use — mics that could easily distort if the singer got too close or sang too loudly); this is often used in rock mixes. Saturation can also be used on a vocal to give it a little more impact without it sounding “distorted” per se. In this audio clip, you’ll hear a two-measure vocal part repeat; the second time around, a mix of distortion and tube and tape saturation are added using the Quadrafuzz v2 plug-in:

*The vocal setting used for the above audio clip.*

Producers sometimes even apply light tape saturation across the full mix by way of the master bus to warm up the digital audio without making it sound overtly distorted.

No Limits

These are the standard ways to use distortion and saturation, but as with everything in recording, they are only guidelines. Feel free to experiment with the settings and plug-ins you use. You never know — you might come up with a fresh new sound!

Check out our other Recording Basics postings.

Click here for more information about Steinberg Cubase and Cubase plug-ins.

HDMI^® 2.1: What It Means for Gear and Gamers

Written by Ted Goslin on August 3, 2020. Posted in Gaming.

Any lover of video games knows the thrill of unboxing a new game. But imagine the sense of disappointment that would follow if you were trying to enjoy your new game on a system not equipped to handle the latest advances in visual effects and surround sound technology. Whether that means you need a new audio system or that your TV lacks the required graphic capabilities to keep up with high-res rapidly refreshing content, it’s enough to bring out the sad face emoji in any text message.

In an era where technological advances are coming at us faster than Usain Bolt crossing a finish line, it can seem hopeless to keep up at times. That’s where HDMI 2.1 comes in. It’s the latest technology for improving the video speed and quality of your favorite movies, TV shows and video games, along with the dynamic support needed to effectively capture and convey future content.

Are you ready for HDMI 2.1? Here are the ways this exciting new technology will impact your home theater and gaming experience.

The Five Basic Elements of Video

Before we start talking about HDMI 2.1, let’s go over the five basic elements of video:

1. Resolution. This describes the number of horizontal lines in the video signal, from top to bottom. 8K video is made up of 4,320 lines stacked on top of each other, with each line 7,680 pixels wide, making the aspect ratio 7,680 x 4,320 pixels, or 16:9. (The reason it’s called “8K” is because 7,680 rounds up to 8,000, or 8K). 8K offers 16 times more pixels than 1080p full HD resolution.

2. Frame Rate. Notated as frames per second (fps), frame rate is the speed at which video is captured and displayed. The faster the frame rate, the more images are displayed every second, and different frame rates provide different viewing experiences. 24 fps is the most commonly used frame rate for movies because it creates a cinematic look. Most major studios have the ability to shoot at higher frame rates but stick with 24 fps because that’s the quality most viewers are used to. However, newer video games will be supporting 60 and 120 fps modes. HDMI 2.1 provides solutions to issues like the “soap opera” effect (i.e., motion blur) that occur at these higher frame rates.

3. Color Depth. Also known as bit depth, this represents the number of bits used for each color component of a single pixel. When referring to a single pixel, it can be defined as bits per pixel (bpp). The higher the bpp, the more color variations are captured.

4. Color Space. This is an abstract mathematical model that describes the range of onscreen colors as numbers. As technology has advanced, wider ranges of colors are able to be displayed, and color space standards have evolved to support these capabilities. Color space types over the years have included Rec. 601 for SDTV, Rec. 709 for HDTV and Rec. 2020 for UHDTV, which is the latest standard.

5. Brightness Range. This is a core attribute that makes HDR (High Dynamic Range) video come alive. It is the range that allows video to be displayed with brighter whites and deeper blacks, as well as more variations of brightness in between.

Why HDMI?

HDMI has come a long way since its inception in 2002 as the replacement for component cables. It was originally meant to serve as a single all-in-one cable to carry both audio and video digital signals, as opposed to component cables, which split the audio and video signal over multiple cables and/or connectors.

The technology was first introduced as HDMI 1.0 and had a maximum bandwidth of 4.95 Gbps (short for Gigabits per second). Its bandwidth originally supported 1080p at 60Hz, along with 8-channel high-resolution audio at 192 kHz/24-bit resolution. Each succeeding update provided increased bandwidth and enhanced features, such as support for DVD audio (version 1.1), sRGB color support (version 1.2), a lip-syncing algorithm (version 1.3) and support for 2K and 4K resolution video, though at lower frame rates. HDMI 2.0 added support for 4K at 60 fps.

Bandwidth comparison of HDMi 1.4, 2.0 and 2.1. — *Each new version of HDMI has increased the amount of bandwidth.*

New HDMI 2.1 Features

In addition to more bandwidth, HDMI 2.1 offers several features designed to accommodate emerging audio and video technology in the future. These include Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel) and Dynamic HDR support.

Lots of acronyms, to be sure … but also lots of great advancements. Let’s take a look at each in turn.

– Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). Of particular interest to gamers and game developers, VRR is a new spin on the concept of refresh rate — it has the ability to vary the frame rate to match the output of the graphics processor (GPU) through the HDMI chain to the supporting monitor. The “variable” part of VRR refers to the way that graphics processors require different periods to render each frame.

VRR does three things to enable more fluid and detailed gameplay:

1. Reduces or eliminates lag.

2. Reduces or eliminates judder — jittery images caused by upscaling from the film’s original 24 fps to the 60fps required by a 60Hz television and above.

3. Reduces or eliminates frame tearing, which occurs when the frame rate exceeds your monitor or television’s refresh rate.

– Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Another important enhancement for gaming, this feature tells the display (or AVR) to turn off all of its video processing so that the delay (latency) to display gaming video is minimized. Most video processing features are used for things like adjusting picture settings, upscaling video resolution, or adjusting for interlaced or progressive scan display. Since the game video output is known, these video processing features can be shut off, thus eliminating that processing time. ALLM is sometimes referred to as game mode, though it was previously a manual process. It works by letting a game console send a signal to the display to automatically switch to ALLM. This mode may not be ideal for other types of viewing, however, since some processing features on a TV may stop working in order to reduce latency. That’s why, when the gaming console is shut off, the TV will revert to regular viewing mode.

TV settings menu showing ALLM. — *ALLM can be enabled through most TV settings menus.*

– Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC). This feature is already available in many AV receivers, including most current Yamaha models. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, ARC allows audio to be sent from your TV to your AV receiver or sound bar through the same HDMI cable that sends the signal from your AV receiver/sound bar to the TV. The latest version, called eARC, provides increased bandwidth and speed. This allows you to send up to 32 channels of high-quality audio to a sound bar or AV receiver, including eight-channel, 24-bit/192kHz high-resolution uncompressed data streams, enabling content from movies that have Dolby Atmos^® or DTS:X™-encoded audio. Learn more about the benefits of eARC here.

Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) diagram.

– Dynamic HDR Support. Formats such as HDR10+ are also supported to ensure that every moment of a video is displayed at its ideal values for depth, detail, brightness, contrast and wider color gamuts.

SDR, Static HDR and Dynamic HDR comparison. — *HDR has progressed through the years to its current version.*

When You’ll Need It

TV manufacturers are just starting to incorporate HDMI 2.1 connectivity in their latest models. But the real need for 2.1 will come when content arrives that requires the features described above. The next generation of gaming consoles, such as the Microsoft Xbox^™ Series X, will support HDMI 2.1 gaming features like ALLM and VRR to display what the game designer originally intended. It’s likely that some AV receivers will soon provide HDMI 2.1 support too — stay tuned to this space.

Since the biggest benefit of HDMI 2.1 is in relationship to the latest features on gaming consoles and 8K content that are not yet available, it’s not a critical thing to have right this minute … but because it’s backwards compatible with current tech, it wouldn’t hurt to get a jump on things so that when you do need it, you already have it.

One last tip: When you decide to shop for an HDMI 2.1 cable, be sure to verify the cable’s capabilities before you buy, and opt for the shortest cable length required (ideally, under 10 feet). Cable length can have an impact on signal quality because it takes slightly longer for a signal to travel down its full length.

The Adopted Trademarks HDMI, High-Definition Multimedia Interface, and the HDMI Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc.

All images courtesy of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc.

Check out these related blog articles:

What’s the Difference Between 4K Ultra HD, 8K UHD and HDR10+?

How to Recreate the Movie Theater Experience at Home

How to Connect Nintendo Switch™ to Your TV, Sound Bar or AV Receiver

Gaming in Dolby Atmos: An Interview with Josh Osiris

The History of AV Receivers

Click here for more information about Yamaha AV receivers.

How to Choose the Right Bass Strings

Written by Michael Gelfand on July 31, 2020. Posted in Guitars How-to. 3 Comments on How to Choose the Right Bass Strings

No matter how great your bass may be, it’s only a slab of wood if it doesn’t have strings. Throw strings on it, though, and it suddenly springs to life.

The vibrations your hands create when they touch those strings resonate through the entire bass — the body, neck, tuners, nut, fret wire, bridge, pickups and other electronics — helping to create a unique audio signal for your amp to reproduce. So the strings you choose matter a great deal.

Just like basses, strings come in many different varieties. From a layman’s perspective, string construction isn’t a popular topic at parties — it’s just a wire, after all, wrapped in another wire or some other material. But ask any string manufacturer, or any discerning player, and you’ll hear passionate explanations about how the material choices and construction approaches dramatically affect the way a given string sounds and feels under your fingers. And to be fair, they’re right.

Here’s what you need to know to choose the right strings for you.

Winding

The type of winding is probably the most important string decision you can make because it will have the most impact on the sound of the bass you play and how you play it (i.e., fingerstyle, slap, with a pick, etc.). “Winding” refers to the material wrapped around the string’s core. It’s the surface that your fingers touch, and the surface that comes in contact with your frets and/or fretboard. Bass strings are available in four types of windings: flatwound, tapewound, roundwound and half round.

– Flatwounds were essentially the only game in town for bass strings until the 1960s, so they are synonymous with the classic round, mellow bass sound common to jazz and vintage rock. Their flat windings feel smooth on your fingertips, are easy on your frets, and don’t eat up the fingerboard the way other types of strings can.

– Tapewound strings are even silkier to the touch than flatwounds thanks to a nylon layer wrapped around the steel core. They tend to be dark-sounding — on some basses, even bordering on dull and thumpy — and deliver a tonality that’s more akin to what you might expect to hear from an upright bass.

– Roundwounds are the most popular winding type in use today. These strings are typically wrapped in stainless steel or nickel, and are renowned for their piano-like brightness and sizzle. They’re also the harshest on your fingertips, frets and fretboard, but if you’re into rock or funk, they deliver a hallmark sound that’s hard to beat. Yamaha basses are shipped with roundwound strings.

– Half rounds are essentially roundwounds that are ground to a somewhat flattened surface, which results in less string noise while also prolonging the life expectancy of your frets. Halfs aren’t as bright-sounding as roundwounds, but they are brighter than flatwounds and tapewounds.

Personally, I love the warmth of a bass strung with flatwounds played through a neck-position pickup, but I am equally in love with the sizzle of roundwounds when using a bridge-position pickup. If you’re not sure what’s right for you, think about a player whose sound you’d like to most closely emulate, then find out what strings they use. And consider taperwound strings for any of these winding types — they’re manufactured so that the windings taper toward the bridge end of the string (just in front of the ball end that attaches the string to the bridge) to enable the metal core to make direct contact with the bridge saddle. (If you decide to use taperwounds, make sure you confirm that the scale length for the string set you purchase matches the scale length of your bass.)

Wrap Material

While the type of wrap is the most important factor when it comes to strings, the wrap material also provides unique characteristics that color the resulting tone, affect how the strings feel, and contribute to how long they’ll last.

There are a number of different wrap materials commonly used in bass strings:

– Stainless steel is the brightest-sounding material available, and it lasts the longest.

– Nickel-plated steel is bright-sounding as well, but it isn’t as harsh on the hands and frets. Yamaha basses are shipped with nickel-plated strings.

– Copper-plated steel is very bright and commonly used on acoustic electric basses.

– Pure nickel is duller sounding (it’s the least magnetic material), with more of a vintage tone.

In addition, manufacturers sometimes apply protective coatings to help strings resist corrosion and give them longer life. Just be aware that the type of coating used can also color the sound of the strings.

String Gauge

This is a number that refers to the diameter, or thickness, of each string. A set of strings is identified by the gauge of the lowest string in the set. Yamaha basses, for example, are shipped with .45 gauge strings; the top string in their four-string models is .105 gauge, while the top string in five-string models is .130 gauge.

Comparatively speaking, heavy gauge strings sound meatier — less slinky — than lighter gauge ones; they make a good match for aggressive players who really attack their instruments. However, the heavier the gauge, the more tension the string will require to be tuned to pitch … and the more tension you add to a string, the harder it becomes to press down on a fret, so you’ll need good finger strength. In addition, thicker strings require wider slots in nuts and bridge saddles, and also create more tension on the truss rod(s) in your bass’ neck, so if you’re currently playing light or medium gauge strings and want to move to heavier gauge ones, you’ll likely need to have your bass set up (truss rod and intonation adjusted, action raised or lowered) by a qualified pro or things will quickly get out of whack.

Lighter gauge strings are much more pliant under your fingers, can be more easily bent, and deliver more snap and percussive funkiness, albeit with less fundamental bassiness. You can compensate to some degree by turning up the low tone control on your amp, but it still won’t sound the same as if you were using heavier-gauge strings.

Core Shape

A string’s core wire is usually made from steel, and it comes in essentially two different shapes: hex and round:

– A hex core, as its name implies, is hexagonal, which gives the string windings something to grab onto. But because the hex core’s six-sided shape has flat surfaces rather than being round, that means the windings don’t constantly touch the core all the way around, which results in a brighter tone.

– Round core strings — which many players associate with a vintage tone — maintain constant contact with the core, helping to create a darker and more fundamental sound with less tension required, translating into a string that’s slightly easier to play.

There’s a lot to consider here, I know. Longtime players typically find a brand of strings from a specific manufacturer that works for them and stick with it for years — sometimes even decades. In fact, some bassists will play the same set of strings on their bass for that long! (See Jamerson, James.) But don’t be deterred if you’re relatively new to the bass. The more you play and try out different strings, the sooner you’ll figure out what you like and what you don’t like. Oh, and one last tip: Always remember to buy strings that match the scale length of your bass (as measured from nut to saddle). This may seem inherently obvious, but trust me, the first time you slip up and go to put the wrong ones on, you won’t be a happy camper!

Click here for more information about Yamaha basses.

Larry Williams’ Juggling Act

Written by Elizabeth Anderson Lopez on July 31, 2020. Posted in Educator Profiles.

If hornist Larry Williams were a superhero, he might be called The Juggler.

Williams’ music career spans decades and includes his current status as a performer, instructor, collaborator and administrator — and that’s just a few of his roles.

“I didn’t know I was a juggler until I started juggling,” he says. “Right after graduation, I was the principal horn with New World Symphony for two seasons. During my second year, I fell in love with teaching. I loved both equally. Being balanced between performing and teaching was true happiness for me.”

As with any good superhero, Williams has a fascinating origin story. He started playing the trumpet in his elementary school band. “I was the last chair, but I didn’t care — I just wanted to sit with my friend,” Williams recalls. “In middle school band, I was the last chair again. … Then the teacher asked for volunteers to play the French horn. I was dismayed when my friend raised his hand.”

Realizing that his sole reason for being in the band was going to move across the room, Williams raised his hand too. “My teacher, Olivia Gutoff, was skeptical based on how bad I was on the trumpet,” he says. “My friend played two notes, and she told him he was in. With me, she said to come after school, which I did. I started to play, and it felt right. She must have thought, ‘Holy crap, he’s a horn player!’”

The French horn was a lot easier to play than the trumpet for young Williams. “Olivia was a horn expert, which I didn’t know at the time,” he says. “She wanted me to take private lessons with her.”

Though he originally declined, Williams took up Gutoff on her years-old offer to work with him during high school when he decided to major in music for college. “I learned so much from her that I earned a scholarship to Penn State [University],” he says. “I later transferred to Peabody [Institute at Johns Hopkins University] and eventually started my career.”

The Multitasker

Williams’ career has flourished despite — or because of — his constant juggling. “I’m used to having four to seven jobs,” Williams says. “I like to have one or two main jobs with a lot of part-time jobs.”

One of those main jobs, teaching, has entered a new phase. In the spring of 2020, Williams was appointed associate director of the DMV Music Academy, whose mission is to expose, engage, inspire and guide musicians of all levels in the D.C., Maryland and Virgina area along their individual paths toward mastery. The academy started out as a summer percussion workshop led by Donnie Johns in Hyattsville, Maryland, and featured faculty from the National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, U.S. Navy Band, and The Cadets and Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps. The organization has grown steadily in the past two years, and Williams was invited to join the leadership team to help guide the academy as it expands its programming and its reach.

And — cue juggling pins — Williams concurrently launched the DMV Horn Academy/Larry Williams Horn Studio. “The Horn Academy will feature in-person and online lessons, horn and brass chamber ensembles, a masterclass series, and workshops throughout the year,” Williams says. “I’m really excited that DMV Horn Academy will now be one of my home bases. I’ll be able to teach horn players regionally while doing masterclasses around the country.”

The Coach

Williams has taught French horn as a private instructor as well as in an academic environment. “I enjoy learning how people learn,” Williams says. “If you watch and listen, they teach you how they best process information. Ask them questions and understand their point of view. Don’t say, ‘This is how you do it.’”

Because each student learns differently, Williams sets out to know them as people. “I start every session by asking them how they are as people,” he says. “I need to get a sense of where they are mentally. We’re here to play the horn, but it’s more important to know how they are.”

Williams uses some similarities between music and sports, including being in “the zone.” “Part of what I teach is a form of meditation when we are playing,” he says. “It’s getting students into a mental state where they are deeply concentrated. When you’re in that zone, you’re working on a deeper level of consciousness.”

One of the ways that Williams achieves that focus is by going back to his quest for balance. “In the zone state, you’re firing both sides of your brain,” he says. “The physical includes your breathing and tongue placement. Then there’s the emotional, artistic part. When you get them both in balance, it’s like a seesaw. The point isn’t that it’s level. You have to stay in that small space where you’re monitoring and controlling it. I focus on the basic principles of playing the horn, but then I put that aside and ask my students how they’re feeling. Then I go back to technique. This back and forth gets them in the zone.”

As a teacher Williams often encounters a specific challenge with the zone. “I try to get students out of their own heads,” he says. “Younger students often worry if they’re playing correctly. I tell them to focus on serving the music. Make it about the audience, the composer, about anything but yourself. You can teach someone to play the French horn really well, but if they don’t focus, all that will go out the window when they perform.”

He practices what he preaches. “My brain works the same way whether I’m performing or teaching,” he says.

The Administrator

After teaching at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute for more than 20 years, Williams was ready for a new challenge. In 2016, he was awarded a fellowship in the Johns Hopkins University Provost’s Office where he worked on university-wide initiatives.

The change to the administrative side of academia included some growing pains. “It was very weird,” Williams says. “I had to wear a suit every day. There were no students; it was all administrators.”

With persistence, Williams figured out that the rules of the road are the same. “We have things we want to accomplish, so we come together to figure out how to achieve them,” he says. “I was like a student again.”

During the second year of his renewed fellowship, Williams learned about an opening for assistant vice provost for faculty affairs. “I still wanted to challenge myself,” he says. “Even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in administration full time, I wanted to explore it.”

Williams also took several business courses from Johns Hopkins and earned an Executive Certificate in Business Communication. Williams says those courses focused on “the soft skills everyone needs, such as how to communicate with different generations. I was the only musician in these classes.”

And Williams will definitely make use of those skills as he flexes his leadership, communication and administration muscles with the DMV Horn Academy.

The Collaborator

Williams still finds joy in performing with others and as a solo artist. “I lean toward playing with others,” he says. “Playing music in real time with other people connects us to each other without using words. That’s an amazing feeling.”

Even when it’s just him, “I try to collaborate with the audience,” he says. “From a young age, I was taught the point of music was to bring people together.”

He encourages students to operate the same way. “I want students to play for others, not just for themselves.”

Williams collaborates with more than just musicians. In 2008, he founded the American Studio Orchestra (ASO), which he calls a multimedia orchestra that includes musicians, filmmakers, dancers and other creative minds. “I began having conversations with friends from different artistic backgrounds about what they do, why they do it and what they want to do,” Williams says. “I was really inspired to learn that they were asking the same questions that I was. Everybody was happy but seeking to do more.”

Larry Williams and the Lyric Brass Quintet — Lyric Brass Quintet

Another collaboration resulted in the Lyric Brass Quintet, which was formed in 1998. “It started as a group of friends who wanted to play and perform but didn’t want to tour,” Williams shares. “We still play every week and have managed to stay together through multiple changes. We don’t realize what an old married couple we all are until someone who doesn’t play with us comments on it.”

From juggling for so long, Williams has learned the importance of connecting his varied activities. For example, the Lyric Brass Quintet is the brass section for ASO, and the quintet helps with the arrangements.

These days Williams’ main focus is the DMV Horn Academy with a complement of side projects, all while combining life as a teacher and perpetual learner. “I’ve come full circle in a lot of ways,” he says. “It’s been an interesting ride so far, and I look forward to the future.”

And to think that it all started as a happenstance. “If my buddy hadn’t raised his hand that day, I wouldn’t have the career I have today,” Williams recalls. “I’m not one who says you have to know what you want to do right away. I just fell into my calling.”

Just as any good superhero would.

Larry Williams At A Glance

Education

Bachelor of Music in Horn Performance, Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University
Graduate Performance Diploma, Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University

Current positions

DMV Horn Academy – Larry Williams Studio
Yamaha Performing Artist and Clinician
Principal Horn, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra
Principal Horn, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra
Artistic Director and Solo Horn, American Studio Orchestra
Horn, Lyric Brass Quintet
Artist Faculty, Peabody Institute, Johns Hopkins University

Previous positions

Assistant Vice Provost, Johns Hopkins University
Chair, Brass and Winds Department, Peabody Preparatory
Director, Adult and Continuing Education Program, Peabody Institute
Professor of Horn, Florida International University
Fellow, New World Symphony

Solo Recordings

“Paradigms” (2001)
“Black Forest” (2006)

SupportED 2020v5n2 cover with Larry Williams This article originally appeared in the 2020N2 issue of Yamaha SupportED. To see more back issues, find out about Yamaha resources for music educators, or sign up to be notified when the next issue is available, click here.

Case Study: Music Thrives at a STEAM Magnet School in Florida

Written by Savy Leiser on July 31, 2020. Posted in Case Studies.

Art and science work in harmony at Sanders Memorial Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes, Florida. Each student has an assigned Apple device to pursue knowledge of STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and math.

Kindergartners through 5th graders use their devices not only to learn coding, robotics and aviation but also to create music.

Sanders Memorial, a STEAM magnet that opened in 2015, has incorporated technology into the study of melody, rhythm and music theory. For the past four years, students have also performed in a tech-based instrumental ensemble called iPad Band.

“STEAM, to us, means not only doing the science, technology, engineering and math but … seeing that art is in all of those subjects as well,” says Ryan McCorkle, a co-teacher for the music program.

Tech and Theory

Adding technology to music education is a natural step as professional music becomes more entwined with the world of computers. “Music … on the radio is mostly technology-based,” McCorkle says, explaining that synthesizers and mixers have become more common than woodwind instruments in contemporary commercial music.

By using Apple’s GarageBand program, teachers break down the elements of music for their students. Scale patterns, form and improvisation are all taught through GarageBand, says James Coyne, co-teacher.

Loops help students identify the melody of a song. “We teach them that a melody is based on the sounds they’re familiar with,” McCorkle says.

At the beginning of 2020, 2nd graders learned improvisation using a pentatonic scale in GarageBand. “Breaking apart a song they can hear on the radio, [students learn] how it’s structured,” McCorkle says.

Students in 3rd through 5th grade are also working on creating cell phone ringtones and voting on their favorites. “The winning ringtone becomes our cell phone ringtone for the year,” McCorkle says.

Connecting Music to Math and Reading

Through the comprehensive STEAM education at Sanders, students learn how different subjects intersect. “When they’re learning about solar systems, they might do certain things in music and art class that relate to the solar system,” says principal Jason Petry. “It’s intertwined and embedded in everything we do.”

Consequently, music classes aren’t only creative; they’re mathematical as well. “We remind [students] all the time that music is a lot of math,” McCorkle says.

Counting is an important part of rhythm; similarly, sound waves, frequencies, pitch and other scientific concepts are important for a full understanding of music. “We cover sound waves, and we do an experiment with frequencies,” Coyne says.

In the sound-wave activity, 5th graders set plates on a speaker, adding different colors of sand to the plates to observe the reaction of the sand at different frequencies. “They learn about hertz; they visually see it with the sand, and they’re getting the science of it,” Coyne says.

This experiment gives students a visual representation of pitch. “The kids tell us when they see a pitch, and we point out where the nodes are and increase the frequency,” McCorkle says.

Computer-generated music making can also tie into English and reading. In music class, older students use recording software to create an audiobook. “We do a project where students read a … 1st-grade level text and record that,” Coyne says. “They add in sound effects for page turns and background music.”

Those audiobooks then go to kindergarten and 1st-grade students to use in buddy reading exercises. “Some of their peers hear a book they’ve created, and it helps with phonics and comprehension,” Coyne says.

From Instruments to iPads

In 2016, Sanders debuted an extracurricular instrumental music ensemble, but instead of playing traditional brass and woodwind instruments, students performed on electronic tablets. This ensemble, known as iPad Band, comprises about 30 students in 4th and 5th grades.

While Sanders has a choir and an Orff ensemble, schools in Pasco County, Florida, traditionally don’t begin learning concert band instruments until middle school, McCorkle says.

Making music on a portable electronic device allows for accessibility to all students. “The chance of having an instrument at home is rare,” but every family has a cell phone, McCorkle says. “There’s an app they can [download] and create music. The link between technology and music is having the ability to create at any time in their own way.”

During iPad Band rehearsals, which take place one hour before school, students use GarageBand and Yamaha synthesizer apps to create covers of pop songs. “We begin teaching them how to read chord charts with lyrics,” Coyne says. “They start to learn some of the mixing sides when we mix the group together.”

iPad Band has performed at school concerts, sometimes on its own and sometimes as a backup band for the choir. The band has even collaborated outside of the music department. “One of our concerts featured our iPad Band performing, our chorus performing, and our art department did live art,” Coyne says. “We did ‘99 Red Balloons’ [by Nena], and the art students painted [pictures of red balloons] live.”

Musicians of Tomorrow

iPad Band and music technology coursework have inspired students to continue with music in middle school and beyond. “We see students from the iPad Band continue into middle school, and they’ve joined the band program,” Coyne says.

McCorkle recalls one student who became interested in music production. “[He asked] us every day if we [were] going to use GarageBand,” McCorkle says. “He wants to be a music producer.”

Because Sanders is a magnet school, it feeds into about 13 middle schools. Petry has received positive feedback from administrators at many of those schools about the use of technology in students’ development.

“What I hear from middle school principals is that students are prepared in being independent, accountable, creative and collaborative with each other,” Petry says.

Though music is an auditory phenomenon, the use of technology has helped students engage with it visually as well. “For kids who are visual learners, they can see right then what they’ve done and how it lines up,” Coyne says. “The kids who you thought were going to struggle with the comprehension of it, they’re the ones who are like, ‘Let’s do it again! I want to keep going!’”

For Petry, a STEAM approach to music relates to his core mission of keeping students engaged and giving them opportunities to learn. “There are kids who never really liked music, but now they’re making jingles or doing iPad Band,” he says.

In the end, learning math, science, art and music together lead to a more well-rounded student. “Music isn’t just about music,” McCorkle says. “It’s about making you a better person.”

Dealing with Difficult Band Parents

Written by Sarah Lindenfeld Hall on July 31, 2020. Posted in Teaching Tips. 1 Comment on Dealing with Difficult Band Parents

Michael Stone has experienced interpersonal conflicts from both sides of the podium.

Now band director at Bourbon County High School in Paris, Kentucky, Stone remembers when he was a teen and his own mother regularly argued with his music teacher over topics as simple as the timing of meals during band trips.

“My mom and my band director did not always see eye to eye,” Stone says. “She was usually one of those upset parents. I learned a lot watching my band director deal with my mom.”

Band directors work daily with students as well as with parents. Sometimes that level of togetherness can spark disagreements — between parents and directors and among parents themselves — that require finely tuned conflict-resolution skills.

Here’s what band directors should keep in mind when dealing with difficult conversations and relationships with caregivers.

Listen and Reflect

Listen before getting directly involved in a situation, says Tim Trost, director of bands at Ayala High School in Chino Hills, California. “Let them air their grievances,” Trost says. “Stay calm. Don’t get emotional. And don’t fire back because that will escalate the situation more.”

No matter what, bite your tongue. “Sometimes you just want to blow up and go off,” Trost says. “But you can’t. As a teacher, you have to remain calm and professional.”

Once you know all sides of the story, you’ll be in a better place to come up with a solution that both parties can agree to, Trost says.

While feeling defensive is human nature when your policies are questioned, self-reflection is vital, says Kathy McIntosh, director of bands and music department head at Troy (Ohio) City Schools. When she was a young band director, McIntosh spent a lot of time reflecting on whether various questioned policies were fair.

Now, three decades into her career, she’s fielded concerns about everything from chair placement and grading policies to drum major auditions. McIntosh recommends reaching out to trusted parents, mentors and professional groups to vet decisions that are causing concerns.

“Even if parents don’t like my policies, if they know that I’ve at least listened to what they’ve said and taken their thoughts into consideration, even if I don’t agree with them, at least they know they’ve been heard,” McIntosh says.

Hold a Meeting

Stone needed to handle several dust-ups with parents during one regional competition. Two parents didn’t like the mess students left. Another was angry she couldn’t sign out her daughter early. And other adults were drinking alcohol, violating school rules. During a different contest, parents were upset with each other after students were roughhousing.

After both cases, Stone held a meeting to hear the concerns and lay down the law.

Before meetings like these, Stone writes a script to cover all points. And once the meeting starts, he takes control. “I walk in and don’t let anybody else say anything at all,” he says.

Stone treads carefully between being bossy and informative. “Even when I’m trying to be in that authoritative role, I still treat people with respect,” he says.

Regular meetings with booster groups and their executive boards can also be used to head off concerns before tempers flare up. “Sometimes, if there’s an issue that needs to be brought up, we’ll bring it to the executive board, and we’ll discuss it and come up with a solution,” Trost says.

Let Time Heal Some Wounds

Sometimes parents may not see the big picture — until later. Once after a subpar performance, Stone, then an assistant band director, listed the missteps to the students. All seemed fine as they headed back to the band room, but one parent pulled Stone and the head band director aside to complain about Stone’s critique.

Stone let him say his piece, but the parent was still angry when he left the office and didn’t volunteer for some time afterward. Eventually, he changed his tune. “Once he started seeing the growth in the performance quality throughout the season, he came back to me, and he said, ‘I understand what you were saying now,’” Stone says.

Find Your Allies

Some band parents will always have your back. “It’s really important to make sure that you have a handful of band parents who are 100 percent on your side about everything,” Stone says.

The booster president for Stone’s band regularly resolves parental concerns before they ever reach him. The complaints have ranged from conflicts between students to how Stone addressed a musician.

In other cases, band directors should seek guidance from school administrators, especially if they are young teachers who are getting pushback from much older parents. “The administration probably has a little bit of a pulse on the community and what’s going on,” McIntosh says.

Consider Compassion

Parents are the glue that keeps a marching band operating. “Without the parents’ support, we couldn’t do all the things we do here at Ayala High School,” Trost says.

Conflicts, misunderstandings and differences of opinion can happen for a variety of reasons. But often, says Stone, parents are simply passionate about their children and the music program. That’s why Stone’s mom, years ago, became so vocal about his band experience.

Those memories help temper his reactions when working with his students’ parents. “I have to realize that [band parents] just care,” Stone says. “And when I look at it that way, all these parents are like my mom. They just care.”

Pick the Right Drumsticks and Mallets

Written by Frank DiMaria on July 31, 2020. Posted in Percussion.

A percussionist’s gig bag brims with sticks, mallets, brushes, keys, heads and tape. When choosing the implements to include in their arsenal, drummers have important factors to consider.

Wood, Metal or Synthetic?

The most important factor is a drumstick’s composition, says Dennis DeLucia, percussion instructor and member of the Drum Corps International, Percussive Arts Society and World Drum Corps halls of fame.

Players have a variety of options like wood, metal or synthetic compounds. Because drums are a collection of metallic and skin surfaces, the implements used to strike those surfaces must be unbiased in their tactile feedback, says Tommy Igoe, drummer, educator and author.

Wooden sticks, long a favorite of most players, provide the neutral tactile feedback that drummers seek. By far the most popular wood choice is hickory, which allows the drumhead to respond at all dynamic levels, Igoe says.

Some drumstick manufacturers market and sell metal sticks. Igoe is not a fan. “Just cross them off your list,” he says. “Never use metal on a drum set or any drum.”

One school of thought suggests that metal sticks will improve a player’s strength, but that idea is a travesty, Igoe says. DeLucia agrees, saying he never considers them.

Although most players avoid metal sticks, there are some interesting wood stick made with a metal tip. “I’ve seen my students use this type of stick to go quickly from a snare drum to a cymbal and/or triangle in some multiple percussion and contemporary band literature,” says Sherry Rubins, senior lecturer and coordinator of the percussion program at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Synthetic drumsticks last forever but are horrible to play with, Igoe says, because they do not offer a player the tactile feedback of a wooden stick.

Some sticks are fashioned out of wood, then chemically treated with a liquid plastic. This process renders a more durable stick but adds weight. “Most people, if they use them at all, use them as a warmup stick,” DeLucia says.

When band directors have a choice of wooden or nylon beads, they should explore the nylon-tip model. “If I were a high school band director, I’d buy nylon-tip drumsticks because they last longer than wooden-tip drumsticks,” Igoe says.

For Quick Changes

Drummers playing in wind and percussion ensembles need to fill their gig bags with a variety of sticks and mallets, Rubins says. Some literature requires percussionists to switch from one stick to another quickly during a performance, so sticks that perform double duty are invaluable. “There are some sticks that are a marimba mallet on one end [with] a round, wooden end on the other,” Rubins says.

No player should be without a good set of concert sticks and an implement with both a soft end and a beaded end. Players also need an implement for toms and one for intricate parts on the bass drum.

Variety is not limited to indoor ensembles. Marching snare drummers should also have a number of implements in their stick bags. They should carry two sets of marching sticks as well as a set of brushes. Some marchers like to carry a set of concert sticks, which are typically shorter and thinner than marching sticks, DeLucia says.

The Right Tool for Each Player

Drumsticks are typically categorized by a letter and a number, such as 7A or 5B, to indicate weight and diameter. Historically, “A” models were drum set sticks, “B” were concert sticks, and “S” were for street, or marching, use.

“While that nomenclature still exists with some manufacturers, there are also many variations and ‘artist models.’ You must read the description of the stick, so you can choose a pair that matches the style, student and instrument,” DeLucia says.

A common problem is when students use sticks that are too large for the context in which they’re performing, Igoe says. For middle schoolers and students with smaller hands, Igoe recommends a 7A stick, which is 15.5 inches long and has a diameter of .540 inches.

DeLucia agrees. Students ages 9 to 11 should use sticks that are short enough and light enough for them to handle. Players in the same drumline can vary in the size of their sticks. “You need to find a stick that works best for each individual player.”

Igoe encourages band directors to listen intently to the sound of the drums in an ensemble. If they’re not getting the sound they want, the students are using sticks that are too large, he adds.

“I want those band directors to feel empowered to recommend that 7A or 5A stick,” Igoe says. “They’ll notice a more pleasing sound immediately rather than what can be an ugly sound coming off the instrument when the implements are too large.”

Larry Williams Encourages Representation

Written by Elizabeth Anderson Lopez on July 31, 2020. Posted in DEI.

“The world of musicians is small,” says Larry Williams, a French horn performer and teacher.

“The orchestra world is even smaller, and [for] those who play the French horn, [it] is even smaller. When it comes to Black French horn players, I know every one of us.”

Williams is half kidding but is very aware of his status — and his power. “I’m used to being the only person of color in an orchestra or sometimes one of two or three,” he says. “I came to the industry knowing that would be the case.”

Williams is involved in two projects to help change the orchestral landscape. He is the principal horn player for the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra (since 2009), where he also serves on its board of directors, and the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra (since 2004).

Black Pearl is “a shared experience of being Black and Latinx orchestra players,” Williams says. “Over the years we’ve networked and created opportunities for each other. It strives for diversity and inclusion in classical music.”

Williams appreciates other minority artists who came before him. “I understand if it wasn’t for some serious road pavers, I wouldn’t be allowed to play the French horn,” he adds. “I focus on how I can impact the next generation of horn players and create opportunities. I’ve figured out how to be authentic and be a change agent. I’m in a position now to try to open doors where I can.”

The Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, part of the Detroit-based Sphinx Organization, also wants to boost diversity in orchestras. Williams explains that the orchestra is made up of top professionals around the country, all Black or Latinx, who perform one weekend a year to support the young Black and Latinx string soloists competing at the Sphinx Competition. The professionals also teach master classes, deliver lectures as well as promote pieces by Black and Latinx composers. “It’s a very rewarding experience,” he says.

Practical Tips for Traveling with Students

Written by Christopher Ferrell on July 31, 2020. Posted in Teaching Tips.

One of the most rewarding parts of participating in school music programs is the opportunity to travel. Whether for an invited performance or competition or as a spectator, the memories will last a lifetime.

Just like taking a trip with family or friends, many elements need to be considered in planning and execution. Knowing your students, school, district and community is vital to ensure the best experiences for everyone involved.

The Value of Traveling

Traveling provides enrichment for students in authentic performance practice as well as in real world cultural connections. Although today’s digital environment allows valuable virtual experiences, there simply is no substitute for just being there.

Travel can also improve recruitment and retention of students as well as reinforce the music program’s visibility in your school and community. Experiences for students are tangible and can be a rallying point for community

Where Should You Go?

In choosing destinations for student travel, be sure to consider the cost/benefit ratio in your decision. For adjudicated events, be sure that the feedback and quality of experience for the students are top priorities.

Prepare students and parents in advance for the level of expectations and talk about the meaning and benefits of healthy competition. If attending a parade, concert presentation or other exhibition event, consider location, audience and the visibility of your ensemble along with cost for students.

Often, pairing the main event with recreational or sight-seeing opportunities can increase participation and add chances for students to bond and form lifelong friendships.

Making informed and careful choices regarding your destination and itinerary can significantly reduce obstacles and enhance the quality of experiences for directors and students.

The Planning Stages

After choosing a destination, create a timeline. Depending on the location, size of group and type of activity (major televised parades, for instance), you may need to plan for up to a year or more. Establish milestones in your planning to ensure that funding goals are met, communication with students and parents is frequent and clear, and all required forms and information are gathered.

Consider using a reputable tour company that has experience in student travel. Its staff can provide invaluable services and advice during the planning and travel.

Be sure to explore options for trip insurance. Note any deadlines regarding deposits and cancellations and clearly communicate those with your students and families.

Decide if the trip is optional or mandatory for students. Performances and competitions usually require a minimum distribution of parts or instruments. In the case of marching band, you may require every member.

Funding

If your program has a booster club, ask the group to help raise funds for student travel. Often, it has more freedom for collecting money than school system channels.

If funding is routed through the school system, be sure to know all the rules and regulations regarding fundraising before getting too far along in the process.

Consider provisions for students who are unable to contribute financially. The benefits of their participation are worthwhile to pursue.

Types of fundraisers vary dramatically but finding one or two that work best for your program and community would be better than constant solicitations. These could include business sponsorships, car shows, “taste of ” food events, silent auctions and many others.

When raising funds, be specific in your purpose. Telling the community why you are raising money and giving them a specific target will encourage more people to participate or donate.

With proper planning and careful consideration, student and professional travel can be an invaluable part of the complete music program experience. Now get out there and have fun!