Venova vs Saxophone | Can a Plastic Tube Sound Good?

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  • čas přidán 9. 12. 2019
  • #bettersax #saxophone #yamaha
    Jay Metcalf compares the Yamaha Venova versus a Yanagisawa S991.
    Yamaha Venova - geni.us/FYE4
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Komentáře • 2,1K

  • @Microsoftman
    @Microsoftman Před 4 lety +1735

    “And if I wanna sound bad, I’ll just get my clarinet out” as a clarinet and sax player I feel this.

    • @Chryoss
      @Chryoss Před 4 lety +52

      I don't get this one... Is it a joke telling clarinet are inferior to saxophone (in that case I would be totally offended as a bass clarinet player, I'd call the police ! ;) ), or is it because a good clarinet sound is harder to achieve than a good saxophone sound ?

    • @jackieg6754
      @jackieg6754 Před 4 lety +25

      @@Chryoss bass clarinet gang. But I also play bari sax so..

    • @vibratingaught3656
      @vibratingaught3656 Před 4 lety +10

      Same) but now i’ve got venova too and you know... clarinet now become much better compared to my venova skills

    • @squiddyjamzzz
      @squiddyjamzzz Před 4 lety +5

      I play both too. Im glad someone else caught that lol

    • @squiddyjamzzz
      @squiddyjamzzz Před 4 lety +26

      @@Chryoss I was guessing he said that because clarinet is harder to maintain a clear tone. Im a clarinetist. Im also hoping he wasn't taking a shot at the clarinet.. everybody always trynna hate on the saxophones Mother

  • @kitt080863
    @kitt080863 Před 4 lety +1112

    I can't imagine someone hiking with a real sax but I could see chilling at the beach or bonfire with this

    • @ARVash
      @ARVash Před 4 lety +70

      yeah I think there's a lot of room for it as a part of casual use. Porta-sax

    • @YardenBarden
      @YardenBarden Před 4 lety +3

      Nice 🤯

    • @SBVCP
      @SBVCP Před 4 lety +14

      its 200 to sound like that tho, I prefer to take a kalimba or harmonica

    • @ARVash
      @ARVash Před 4 lety +7

      @@SBVCP maybe if you only play the saxophone

    • @spitgorge2021
      @spitgorge2021 Před 4 lety +1

      marching

  • @Zekrom3150
    @Zekrom3150 Před 4 lety +426

    5:58 "If I wanna sound bad, I just need to pull my clarinet out"
    all the clarinets in the world: *ooft*

    • @samuelwarshaw9480
      @samuelwarshaw9480 Před 4 lety +5

      Jeremy Lin is clarinet the viola of the woodwinds?

    • @allisonmacias634
      @allisonmacias634 Před 4 lety

      Jeremy Lin sadness._.

    • @lltheguy8387
      @lltheguy8387 Před 4 lety +30

      I think he just meant that he sucks at clarinet (or at least that's what I'll be telling myself...)

    • @LinneRinne
      @LinneRinne Před 4 lety +6

      @@lltheguy8387 He refered to himself sucking at clarinet + pulling correct notes in tone in clarinet being a pain if you aren't really a constant player, since he is clearly more of a Saxophonist most of the time

    • @BariSaxGod25
      @BariSaxGod25 Před 4 lety

      PTSD from Rockin’ In Rhythm has entered the chat.

  • @nealewhite2651
    @nealewhite2651 Před 4 lety +181

    I bought one of these and discovered your findings were accurate. After two weeks of frustrating practice, the Venova began to become a friend. Being light and portable is a bonus.

  • @Walasqueegee
    @Walasqueegee Před 4 lety +1564

    "Can a plastic tube sound good?"
    Boomwhackers: Allow us to introduce ourselves

    • @okey7261
      @okey7261 Před 4 lety +5

      lel

    • @burgballs5780
      @burgballs5780 Před 4 lety +12

      mannn, i remember boomwhackers

    • @sophiac7578
      @sophiac7578 Před 4 lety +7

      Walasqueegee I own a pair and lets just say that my home revisits elementary school often

    • @jamesle7180
      @jamesle7180 Před 4 lety +2

      This needs more clout then it has

    • @heysmg2325
      @heysmg2325 Před 4 lety

      Hehe

  • @tristenpride5268
    @tristenpride5268 Před 4 lety +500

    The Venova sounds like Elmo talking in scales

  • @doglover12345andfr
    @doglover12345andfr Před 3 lety +117

    Part of me really digs the Venova, it’s a great novelty.

    •  Před 3 lety +7

      And it's cheap! I bought a used one for like $50

  • @neuron_star
    @neuron_star Před 4 lety +41

    I bought a sop venova to prepare myself for learning wind instruments. I’ve been playing violin for 10 years and took a recorder class along the way and the thing looked fun, so I was pretty excited. I was glad that I did, even though the venova is pretty much a toy for wind players it gave me a good and simple introduction to playing a wind instrument and taking care of reeds. Sometime after I began playing oboe since the band teacher at school said that I’d have to learn the alto or tenor sax before learning the soprano and I can say that if it wasn’t for my venova, I wouldn’t have had any clue as to what I was doing. I didn’t even know what the word “embouchure” was or how to develop one before. It was nice to have something to work off of, especially because oboe isn’t easy. I brought my venova to music camp and had a lot of fun with an actual sax player and a clarinet player just messing around with it. Later on my brother started playing saxophone and then the alto venova came out so I’m trying to get one XD Anyways, 10/10 recommend it’s pretty great for some casual fun, once I remember playing a dumb sound on it in the park and a goose nearby answered lol. Good for beginners and recorder players looking for something spicy
    Ps it’s resin, not plastic

  • @reidskull5018
    @reidskull5018 Před 4 lety +412

    The real soprano definitely has a fuller and deeper sound.

    • @passionatemelon6627
      @passionatemelon6627 Před 4 lety +10

      The venova is only 100 dollars

    • @ryansmock2717
      @ryansmock2717 Před 4 lety +8

      At a $5000 price tag, I sure hope it does.
      My $300 soprano sounds hundreds of times better than that, too.
      Don't buy these glorified plastic tubes

    • @TopherMoss
      @TopherMoss Před 4 lety

      @@ryansmock2717 what sax do you have?

    • @ryansmock2717
      @ryansmock2717 Před 4 lety

      @@TopherMoss I have an Alto, Soprano, and Sopranino.

    • @ryansmock2717
      @ryansmock2717 Před 4 lety +4

      @@TopherMoss My Soprano is a Lazarro and is one of the cheapest Sopranos you can get on Amazon. I bought a Yamaha 4c mouthpiece and Vandoren reeds for it, as well as a nice ligature. It does take a lot of work to get certain notes in tune, but it sounds fine. At a $240 price though, don't even consider these sacrilegious tubes

  • @dliessmgg
    @dliessmgg Před 4 lety +761

    "Nobody's gonna write Venova concertos"
    sounds like a challenge

    • @pestoriusj
      @pestoriusj Před 4 lety +52

      I reckon if anyone writes a Venova concerto, they'll be Japanese

    • @adlan_kacak
      @adlan_kacak Před 4 lety +6

      beethoven be like " the challenge i have accepted!"

    • @suzibikerbabe8073
      @suzibikerbabe8073 Před 4 lety +2

      Listen to the All Plasic Band playing Bolero, here on youtube.

    • @davida.musicdavideammendol4702
      @davida.musicdavideammendol4702 Před 3 lety +6

      yes, there are venova concertos and they're japanese

    • @ankokunokayoubi
      @ankokunokayoubi Před 2 lety +3

      You would end up doing Mario game soundtrack

  • @MarceloSilva-lh9mh
    @MarceloSilva-lh9mh Před 4 lety +19

    When I was a kid my dad used to do this "trick" where he placed some tracing paper over a plastic comb and used a mixture of his voice and breath to "play" it. The noise generated by the tracing paper vibrating on the comb's teeth made it "almost" sound like a harmonica (but not quite). That answers your question of what this instrument (Venova) sounds like. Still, I bought one and don't regret it. I can't afford a saxophone right now... and I'm using this to practice saxophone embouchure AND recorder fingering. LOL.

  • @rogercloud8861
    @rogercloud8861 Před 3 lety +22

    Oh, and I really liked that rendition of "Fry me like a goon."

  • @ericmyrs
    @ericmyrs Před 4 lety +308

    I would say that this might be useful in a mass education setting. It's hard to break, and sounds better than a recorder. Though it's not as cheap.

    • @DellaStreet123
      @DellaStreet123 Před 4 lety +10

      I think the Venova's intonation issues make it even more useless for group playing than for just playing for yourself. Recorders have similar intonation issues -- this, plus the high pitch of the soprano recorder (one octave above other soprano woodwinds) is what makes a group of 30 schoolchildren playing recorders so insufferable. The Venova plays like an ordinary soprano instrument, which might be gentler on the ears, but it's also richer in overtones. Frankly, I wouldn't want to be in a room with a class of schoolchildren playing Venovas. The Venova looks like a great woodwind instrument for younger children or older children whose parents cannot afford a clarinet. Semi-keyed, requires no cross-fingering for accidentals, lightweight and sturdy. But it only looks that way, it's very hard to play accidentals on it, in fact, even the manufacturer admits it. The leaflet takes it takes skill to play the accidentals. But beginners need an instrument that is responsive throughout the chromatic scale, everything that "requires skill" requires an experienced player who is able to bend notes into tune. A keyed woodwind instrument by and otherwise reputable company sounds to good to be true, and my suspicion was confirmed.

    • @pestoriusj
      @pestoriusj Před 4 lety +9

      I actually really like the sound of the recorder (when not played by dozens of schoolchildren

    • @DellaStreet123
      @DellaStreet123 Před 4 lety +6

      @@pestoriusj I'm a recorder player myself. I have several recorders I absolutely love. But the intonation issues exist. Due to the way the sound is produced (fipple vs. reed) the intonation issues are not as detectable as with a "reedocorder" like the Venova. Voicing is also an issue, some recorders are much better voiced than others. And, last but not least, the set-up. If you setting up a recorder ensemble, not everybody can play the soprano. The majority must play low recorders, basset and lower. Then you need a line of tenors, and only the best players on soprano and alto.

    • @1911dawg
      @1911dawg Před 2 lety +2

      If you actually here the recorder playing, it’s quite beautiful. But your giving it to a bunch of elementary kids, so it sounds terrible. So I think, the more we change what we teach in music class, the more instruments we ruin.

  • @terryd2634
    @terryd2634 Před 4 lety +803

    Sounds like a kazoo on bad steroids.

  • @jakemoof
    @jakemoof Před 4 lety +14

    The difference is so stark I actually laughed aloud when it transitioned back to the plastic pipe

  • @MarcieBee
    @MarcieBee Před 3 lety +16

    As a trombone player of 7 years, I find the venova to be a good intro to reed instruments and treble clef, for not too high of a price.

  • @kpoudavoff
    @kpoudavoff Před 4 lety +396

    This thing sounds like muted and thinned soprano sax to me

    • @mchachom8134
      @mchachom8134 Před 4 lety +6

      Yes that's true also it doesn't sound like a real soprano saxophone

    • @sperom88
      @sperom88 Před 4 lety +1

      phonomono78s 78 rpm records Actually it sounds like a very (unnecessarily) expensive tube to me.

    • @DillonRing
      @DillonRing Před 4 lety

      Lol kirill

  • @meatsupplies5282
    @meatsupplies5282 Před 4 lety +97

    Everytime u pause when u play the venova, it looks like ur rethinking all of ur life decisions that led to this point

  • @xxmountaindewxx7893
    @xxmountaindewxx7893 Před 3 lety +16

    I really love my venova, its really nice to just take it with you on a hike. It sounds pretty decent to me aswell. Of course it wont sound like a 1000 dollar sax but for the price its awesome

    • @TranquiloCamilo
      @TranquiloCamilo Před měsícem

      It also doesn’t sound like a 50 dollar sax. Sound more like a pvc sax

  • @plexoruselpuerco7193
    @plexoruselpuerco7193 Před 4 lety +6

    finally, a sax comparison video where i actually can notice the difference

  • @T.H.W.O.T.H
    @T.H.W.O.T.H Před 4 lety +2327

    Sounds like a duck that's had a rather patchy musical education.

    • @bettersax
      @bettersax  Před 4 lety +59

      😂😂😂

    • @isnow8278
      @isnow8278 Před 4 lety +25

      That's rather humorous. Yeah it is. I almost lost my f***n monocle

    • @janbevelsborg
      @janbevelsborg Před 4 lety +9

      That’s it! Sounds like a duck. And when you play it you wear a duckface :).
      I played this thing as well. It does help when you can play recorder as well. The fingering has variations. But it’s still a dead duck.

    • @wakurjunior1924
      @wakurjunior1924 Před 4 lety +9

      In my opinion I think the actual instrument is better but the venola has a unique sound and honestly it sounds like something in a Pixar movie or something

    • @aadhityasenthilkumar8138
      @aadhityasenthilkumar8138 Před 4 lety +5

      AKA an oboe

  • @tuxsax
    @tuxsax Před 4 lety +147

    "I play the saxophone! If I wanted to sound bad, I would just get my clarinet out.."
    That was harsh but funny!

    • @xtarssgi5922
      @xtarssgi5922 Před 4 lety +9

      As a clarinetist that hurt me...

    • @chrisoakland8036
      @chrisoakland8036 Před 4 lety +10

      he's saying he's not a clarinet player, not that clarinets sound bad

    • @DellaStreet123
      @DellaStreet123 Před 4 lety +2

      @@xtarssgi5922 I frowned, too -- clarinets aren't regularly put down. If clarinets sounded bad by default, why did great composers like Mozart write so much music for the clarinet? If a clarinet is tough on the ear, it's either a shoddy instrument, or the player is at fault. I guess in his case, it's the latter.

    • @ThomasSantosCanal1
      @ThomasSantosCanal1 Před 2 lety

      The way i understood is that he is the one bad at playing clarinet

  • @PitsTasteGood
    @PitsTasteGood Před 3 lety +5

    I started on clarinet. It was very tricky for me. But I was told that if I completed three years of clarinet study, I would be allowed to play a saxophone. I was eventually able to rent a sax from my school so I can solidify my dedication.
    But I personally wouldn't suggest a recorder. Yes there are professional recorders out there, but no, most of the classmates that I went to school with had nothing to do with music. They all started on recorders.
    So, with this in mind, it might be a better choice to start with something that requires half the skill needed to play a woodwind instrument. And when I was a kid, renting a clarinet cost around six hundred bucks. So for the most part, this is a steal if you're just trying to get someone warmed up to the concept of embouchure.
    I ordered one and I intend on treating it Like A Penny Whistle with a reed.
    If used properly, this could be a versatile instrument for someone who records using samples.

  • @scottbailey7626
    @scottbailey7626 Před rokem +6

    Nice video, but, as a Venova owner and player, you can tune it. Do it by moving the position of the mouth piece on the neck. Love that all my piano sheet music is mainly in the key of C, as this means that I can play it on my Venova. #Yammaha did a great job, first new wind instriment in decades.....

  • @twowheelsonly1
    @twowheelsonly1 Před 4 lety +72

    Venova, for when you want your saxophone to sound like it has a cold.

  • @jordancyphers
    @jordancyphers Před 4 lety +49

    I was playing my Yanagisawa just the other day and thought, "Man, I wish this thing sounded a little more like a plastic tube." Well, here ya go.

    • @marydunn163
      @marydunn163 Před 4 lety +1

      Jordan, me, too! 😂😂😂😂

  • @philbarone4603
    @philbarone4603 Před 2 lety +7

    I’ve been in the mouthpiece and sax business for about forty years and made mouthpieces from seven different materials and when I made the dimensions the same they played identical to each other, even wood. Did the same thing with necks. Bird played a plastic horn and it sounded the same as any other sax. It’s too bad that it doesn’t play in tune but it’s not because it’s plastic. Feel free to dialogue with me.

  • @alchemedes
    @alchemedes Před 4 lety +212

    The venova sounds like the love child of a sax and kazoo...🤦🏽‍♀️

    • @onesyphorus
      @onesyphorus Před 4 lety +19

      I can't even begin to explain how accurate this statement is...

    • @luisAponteSax
      @luisAponteSax Před 4 lety

      Liked por venova than that soprano damn yes

    • @scottpandich3972
      @scottpandich3972 Před 4 lety +1

      I could see that definitely for the alto version.

    • @bigboy-mn9en
      @bigboy-mn9en Před 3 lety

      Yesh

    • @jacktsaibr
      @jacktsaibr Před 3 lety +4

      Damn that was the best description I've ever read

  • @apinakapinastorba
    @apinakapinastorba Před 4 lety +1002

    It kinda sounds like a man trying to sound like a saxophone.

    • @bettersax
      @bettersax  Před 4 lety +16

      😂😂

    • @UlIxes1
      @UlIxes1 Před 4 lety

      Joseph Pujol ?!?

    • @miarpheolliro3100
      @miarpheolliro3100 Před 4 lety

      Exactly what's on my mind😅😅😅

    • @CTSpeed413
      @CTSpeed413 Před 4 lety

      ... And now for something completely different!!!
      czcams.com/video/DjAUtsWYxE4/video.html
      One more ting.
      I’ve never heard any man or machine properly imitate the sound of a saxophone.
      Maybe I’m biased, but I doubt it.

    • @n3v3rg01ngback
      @n3v3rg01ngback Před 4 lety +1

      apinakapinastorba Adam Lavine?

  • @ne0romantic
    @ne0romantic Před 4 lety +15

    From an acoustics standpoint the Venova is kind of facinating. There was a time when the saxophone was new, remember. The clarinet only has strong odd number partials because the end is closed. The flute has all the partials because both ends are open; the mouthpiece is a flow control, not a pressure control. The saxophone changes the resonator to a cone which fills in the partials and you get to hear what a clarinet would sound like if it had a complete overtone series. The other way to do this would be if you could somehow have a tube with a reed and two open ends... which would be some kind of ... 3 ended tube, and Yamaha did it... it should sound like a saxophone? right? Now practically... this does not seem to be best execution of the idea... but I'm sure it's actually pretty hard to do and in some years people may figure out how to make it work better; who knows?

  • @azice01
    @azice01 Před 4 lety +66

    A brass version of Venova would be interesting.

  • @rillloudmother
    @rillloudmother Před 4 lety +5

    as a guitar player who has been tempted by these things, thank you! one perpetually out of tune instrument is enough for me...

  • @SwissRiven
    @SwissRiven Před 4 lety +35

    6:00 thanks for that joke!!! Made my day!

  • @finemo122
    @finemo122 Před 4 lety +43

    I work at my local music store, my co-workers and I had a challenge to see who could sell one. 2 1/2 years later I finally sold it to someone that wanted a travel saxophone.
    We all think it sounds like a weird sax-kazoo.

    • @ivanbliminse5350
      @ivanbliminse5350 Před 2 lety +5

      It hits a weird market. For people like me who haven't touched a woodwind in years but wants a fun trinket for when I am bored at home.

  • @andesneko
    @andesneko Před 4 lety +18

    Imagine recorder players when the first plastic recorders came out :D

  • @coyjin
    @coyjin Před rokem +3

    It sounds like what it is, a Reeded Recorder. It's got all the hollow sound and pitch problems of the recorder and the distinct vibratory tone of reed instruments. I like the way that Yamaha sells it as a introductory or casual instrument. affordable accessible and dare I say fun. I recently picked up the recorder from my childhood and found that I like the challenge and reward of stumbling through simple tunes. while trying to find which exact recorder I had on their website I stumbled across this beauty and I was instantly intrigued. I grew up in a musical family so we all learned piano and a second instrument, my brothers being the alto sax and I always loved its tone. so this might be something that I buy.

  • @gosneygosney
    @gosneygosney Před 4 lety +176

    Sounds like a plastic tube, not sure when I would ever want to use it.

    • @theoverunderthinker
      @theoverunderthinker Před 4 lety +10

      traveling and wanted to keep you embouchure up without carry around a full size horn?

    • @theoverunderthinker
      @theoverunderthinker Před 4 lety +4

      I posted before I got to the end...... whoops! :)

    • @sameman6884
      @sameman6884 Před 4 lety +7

      It's a lot cheaper

    • @wyatthampton684
      @wyatthampton684 Před 4 lety +5

      Maybe because it is a plastic tube.

    • @CaveXD
      @CaveXD Před 4 lety +1

      sounds like a sax with a sock in it

  • @matthewmeador9565
    @matthewmeador9565 Před 4 lety +75

    I’d have to say that both have their qualities, the soprano gives you the great tone and resonance, but the venova almost has a dreamy, airy sound that kinda puts a smooth overtone on it; but the intonation is the biggest problem, and it doesn’t compare at all to a soprano sax

    • @certifiedpossum8655
      @certifiedpossum8655 Před 4 lety +2

      If you want that dreamy sound, an EWI would be a much better choice with much more flexibility

  • @anthonypierre2094
    @anthonypierre2094 Před 4 lety +26

    Hey Jay, thanks a lot for reviewing this instrument. I saw it and was wondering what a pro player would think of it. You answered most of my questions in terms of sound and easy of play. Would love to see you review an electronic sax. Roland has a full AE series of electronic saxophones

  • @sunnowo
    @sunnowo Před 4 lety +4

    I gotta say, I really enjoyed the microtonal rendition of jingle bells on the Venova

  • @asianz5960
    @asianz5960 Před 4 lety +58

    Man that venova sounds like a really upgraded kazoo.

    • @asianz5960
      @asianz5960 Před 4 lety

      @Daeighve Geoughnns just go further beyond.

    • @nard1000
      @nard1000 Před 4 lety

      Well said, he does like a kazoo. I have heard better on this instrument, but I think he showed the difficulty of having a sax background and trying to translate it to this casual instrument.

  • @XavierJordanMusic
    @XavierJordanMusic Před 4 lety +56

    The real sax blows it out the water. That plastic Yamaha sounds like you’re playing under water

  • @thehangeryhippo1674
    @thehangeryhippo1674 Před 2 lety +1

    Loving the content. Loved the video

  • @onesyphorus
    @onesyphorus Před 4 lety +10

    _"and if I just wanna sound bad, I'll just get my clarinet out"_
    This is too relatable as a T Sacophonist 😂👌

  • @aydencox1859
    @aydencox1859 Před 4 lety +561

    Sounds like a recorder that’s pretending to be a saxophone

    • @verenaheuss
      @verenaheuss Před 4 lety +16

      No.... dont bring back memories of recorders.....no, NO *NO*

    • @zacharynelson8558
      @zacharynelson8558 Před 4 lety +15

      Ummmm... I think that was kinda the whole idea of the instrument

    • @NatashaEstrada
      @NatashaEstrada Před 4 lety +11

      If you tape a clarinet mouthpiece to a recorder you get basically the same thing.

    • @DellaStreet123
      @DellaStreet123 Před 4 lety +6

      @@NatashaEstrada Then you'd have a chalumeau, the clarinet's ancestor. It was Jacob Denner who invented the register key and thereby the first clarinet.Still without key work and needing cross-fingering for accidentals. Gradually, keys were added to improve intonation and temperament, and after the sixth key was added, the clarinet was considered a fully chromatic instrument. However, since both the recorder and the chalumeau have a conical bore, any type of recorder body with a clarinet mouthpiece overblows like a clarinet. The Venova is somehow twisted to overblow into the octave, like a saxophone. Clever idea, but the Venova has horrible intonation issues.

    • @DieFlabbergast
      @DieFlabbergast Před 4 lety

      Would they do that? :)

  • @jacobleavey7335
    @jacobleavey7335 Před 4 lety +149

    "it's grown on me" stockholm syndrome be like

  • @Gyklarin
    @Gyklarin Před 4 lety +24

    I think it has a funny sound. And I'd love to hear some really good musicians play those in a group of - say - six persons.
    It would sound hilarious

  • @kingslaphappy1533
    @kingslaphappy1533 Před 2 lety +1

    That was a very cool review…now i can really hear the differance, thanks.

  • @GabrielVelasco
    @GabrielVelasco Před 4 lety +5

    Ha! I was sitting here listening to his criticisms and enjoying my Venova...with my ukuleles (each size of course), didgeridoo, and cajon literally within arms reach. :-) He totally called me on it.

    • @HrvojeBan
      @HrvojeBan Před 4 lety +1

      I don't have a didgeridoo in my room, but I have a uke, cajon and a Venova (and a dozen other instruments), haha...

  • @joshedwardsOTR
    @joshedwardsOTR Před 4 lety +221

    It sounds like someone took a party blower and added some keys to it.

  • @mikkikas6821
    @mikkikas6821 Před 4 lety +2

    Definitely the real thing. Has a richer and fuller, warm tone.🤗

  • @juansgalt
    @juansgalt Před 3 lety +1

    Thanks man, fair review, still kind of love it.

  • @danielseleguim
    @danielseleguim Před 4 lety +6

    I have the soprano one but honestly I barely use it (for the same reasons listed on the video).
    But I think it’s a great strategy from Yamaha; young kids showing interest on saxophone are hard to find but they still play the recorder, which has a very similar fingering to the Venova. I think Yamaha is essentially investing on future players as kids will be using a fingering system they are familiar with at the same time they incorporate single reed “dynamics” into their playing, thus paving the road to the saxophone at a later age.
    It’s still a cheap instrument and investment for a much more expensive purchase later. Genius move!

  • @jem-jams
    @jem-jams Před 4 lety +44

    The Venova sounds like the bastard child of a cheap Soprano sax and a kazoo.

  • @urmomspeen7061
    @urmomspeen7061 Před 4 lety +60

    Isn’t this just a recorder with a reed?

    • @jasonjayalap
      @jasonjayalap Před 4 lety +5

      The body? Recorders are reverse conical.

    • @neuron_star
      @neuron_star Před 4 lety +6

      Yeah pretty much 😅 It’s really fun to play tho

    • @bigboy-mn9en
      @bigboy-mn9en Před 3 lety

      Probably

    • @yvesfrancoisritmo
      @yvesfrancoisritmo Před 3 lety

      Sounds like one of these bamboo reed instruments on Jamican mento 78's ... but it still sounds even less like a sax.

    • @DarrinJackson76
      @DarrinJackson76 Před 21 dnem

      Kinda - But how cool is that! Recorders are fun to play with too.

  • @xaleslusser7313
    @xaleslusser7313 Před 4 lety

    I really wanted to have hope for the Venova Alto--which is why I watched this video...but--I found myself looking forward to you playing your alto SO much every time you went back to the Venova. Let me say: this solidified my choice in *not* wanting to buy a Venova, as a Saxophonist. Even for fun. Thanks for the great video.

  • @maguffle
    @maguffle Před 4 lety +5

    Great, honest review. I play sax (not professionally or anything like that) and I got one just to play around with....and that's all it's good for. However, if they make the changes you suggest (especially the left pinky keys) it'll be a lot more fun to play.

  • @jeffpf38
    @jeffpf38 Před 4 lety +3

    Totally agree with your review, Jay! I'm really not very crazy about this instrument, and I'm really scratching my head as to what Yamaha was thinking when they came up with this. Thanks for the video!

  • @Must_not_say_that
    @Must_not_say_that Před 4 lety +1

    Excellent review, thank you.

  • @jazzrat2000
    @jazzrat2000 Před 4 lety +1

    Thank you so much! You have made my day. I only play in F.

  • @Timelesshero1711
    @Timelesshero1711 Před 4 lety +6

    Good Lord. If even Jay can't play it always in tune then nobody can. It's amazing that in the videos comparing chinese saxes with expensive ones; sometimes Jay can make them sound very similar, especially when closing your eyes. but this time, every time the sax popped out it was like sweet anodyne to ease the pain from the venova's sound.

  • @imelpomene
    @imelpomene Před 4 lety +5

    This video certainly confirmed my suspicion that the venova has tuning issues (after watching lots of demos on CZcams). Being a violin player, I just can’t get past this issue.

  • @despoinakoliodimou7920

    Thank you so much
    You helped me to hear and understand the sound difference

  • @idletimerap
    @idletimerap Před 2 lety

    I am in love. To be super clear I'm a collector of kitsch instruments. My casio Melody-80 just arrived in the mail today. This is a stupid instrument but it's innovative. It answered a question nobody asked and I love it. During the 80s there was so much innovation in instruments with companies trying to find a market for the new hot thing and so few of them withstood the test of time. But I find the Yamaha DG-20 delightful and I wasn't there for that release. But I'm here for this and I will definitely be buying one

  • @BISHOPBUCK
    @BISHOPBUCK Před 4 lety +10

    "...if I want to sound bad, I'll just get my clarinet out." Hilarious!

  • @rodolfodiazrusconi2965
    @rodolfodiazrusconi2965 Před 4 lety +7

    I have a venova and I like it.
    The sound is not like real sax but it is not so bad.
    It sounds quite loud but less than a sax.
    I using stock mouthpiece and Gonzales 2 1/2 reed.
    For me the best thing is that it is portable and lightweight and allows me to take it on my bike and play in a park or with my friends
    The fingering is like a recorder.
    The problem is the F# G# A# notes, I have to use vocing to be in tune, with the other notes I don't have problems to be in tune
    .
    You can use effects than use in a sax like vibrato glissando Growl Bending .
    Jay I hope one day to play like you. I have their courses and they are so GREAT!!!

  • @ThroatAcapellist
    @ThroatAcapellist Před 3 lety +2

    First time hearing about this instrument, just got mine today and love it so far, I got it for exact reason at end. But I'm trying to get my kids interested in music so I got a wacky one and wanna learn to prove they can to.

  • @Gabry2138
    @Gabry2138 Před 4 lety

    Great review, Thank you!

  • @lucassstache8069
    @lucassstache8069 Před 4 lety +32

    It sounds like one of those toy cat pianos and a plastic trombone mixed together

  • @ShadowUnanimous
    @ShadowUnanimous Před 4 lety +14

    Venova sounds like a soprano and clarinet fused into each other and transformed into an instrument with less keys. The Alto version just sounds like a congested oboe/bassoon.

    • @DellaStreet123
      @DellaStreet123 Před 4 lety +1

      I didn't realize Yamaha came out with an alto version until now. Interesting, it's in F, like the alto recorder. Confirms my suspicion that they target recorder players. The instrument has an insert for the F-hole sou you can play it like a Baroque recorder, and now they have it in F. I think of all "reedocorders", the only one that works is the Kunath clarineau with 3 keys. It has intonation issues because it is lacking a key work befitting a true clarinet, but the better your embouchure, the better you are able to correct those. On the downside, the 3-eyed clarineau is expensive if you buy it as a transitory instrument.

  • @ARVash
    @ARVash Před 4 lety

    Thats some mighty good kazoo playing you're doing there

  • @StevenNelson69
    @StevenNelson69 Před 4 lety +1

    Sounds like it's the woodwind version of a "beater guitar" that's the inexpensive and easily replacable one that you take to the beach or camping when you want to play music but don't want your expensive instruments to get ruined by weather or rough handling.

  • @damoncombs4959
    @damoncombs4959 Před 4 lety +5

    Sounds like a blend of muted trumpet and a saxophone combined🎷

  • @markmetzler9108
    @markmetzler9108 Před 4 lety +6

    You could use it to record a musical sound track bit for "Toy Story". Has a corny kind of sound to it. I actually find it a bit of a fun sound.

  • @170672juan
    @170672juan Před 3 dny

    Thanks for ur Honesty!

  • @badrudinlazim1400
    @badrudinlazim1400 Před 4 lety +13

    The Venova sounds 'plasticky'(of course) in the sense that it lacks the timbre associated with a real brass saxophone. This is akin to playing a violin made of plywood , as opposed to a real violin made of spruce and maple.

  • @teeztoyz
    @teeztoyz Před 4 lety +74

    It sounds like how it looks - plastic

  • @tomswift6198
    @tomswift6198 Před 4 lety +19

    Sounds like an expensive kazoo, without the kazoo's wacky charm.

  • @daviddoyle1017
    @daviddoyle1017 Před 4 lety

    Great channel. Makes me want to get back into the Sax. Would love to hear your views and the notes you play the Jsax Nuvo.

  • @pablodardarga3258
    @pablodardarga3258 Před 3 lety

    Tremendamente bien explicado!!! Genio total!!!

  • @dem4xed
    @dem4xed Před 4 lety +15

    I think the soprano is okay, but the alto one is just hilarious 😂.

  • @lylecrawford2794
    @lylecrawford2794 Před 4 lety +4

    The first thing I thought of is portability while travelling, but in that case I think I would use the Jazzlab mouthpiece silencer for emboucher work, and maybe a wooden flute for fun.

    • @bettersax
      @bettersax  Před 4 lety +1

      the silencer is anything but silent. I'd rather play this and at least be able to change notes....

    • @lylecrawford2794
      @lylecrawford2794 Před 4 lety +1

      @@bettersax It is an exaggeration to say one could use the mouthpiece silencer in a library as shown in one of their videos, that's true, but my wife tells me she can't hear in at all when I'm in my "practice closet."
      The concert G, A flat, A, and B flat that I can make with the silencer so far doesn't exactly make for great music or fingering technique either.

    • @lylecrawford2794
      @lylecrawford2794 Před 4 lety

      @@bettersax Sorry Jay, I somehow missed the part where you said that you could probably play it in a hotel room without disturbing people.

  • @aninaholbek
    @aninaholbek Před 4 lety +188

    Back in the good old days: guy brings his guitar, and girls flock around him.
    Nowadays: guy brings his Venova... and will probably stay single forever.

    • @lubos4639
      @lubos4639 Před 4 lety +7

      You are a kind of cruel but deadly right - this Venova is one of the things in the world that make being sorry for them and their existence... nobody really can like it...

    • @hessamhajiaghazadeh400
      @hessamhajiaghazadeh400 Před 4 lety

      Ha ha haaaaaa🤣

    • @raymundogarciapena6751
      @raymundogarciapena6751 Před 4 lety +1

      Ouch !!!

    • @ihatemyself2208
      @ihatemyself2208 Před 4 lety

      But.... You yourself single. Guess the sax women don't get the sex if you know wot i mean

    • @aninaholbek
      @aninaholbek Před 4 lety +4

      @@ihatemyself2208 I'm married to an accordion player. xD xD And you're right, everything is very boring in that department, with two social distancing instruments under the same roof ;)

  • @marijnkuijlman
    @marijnkuijlman Před 2 lety

    4:45 HAHAHAHAHA! When he jumped back to the Venova the piece that he was playing just shifted up half a step! XD

  • @sameman6884
    @sameman6884 Před 4 lety +74

    "Can a plastic tube sound good?"
    Isn't that just a clarinet?
    Jokes aside, it sounds like a saxophone that has a kazoo for a mouthpiece.
    I would like to see a elementary school band with recorders, pbones, and venovas though, that'd be fun

    • @GriffenfacePlays
      @GriffenfacePlays Před 4 lety +4

      SameMan6 somehow I feel like it’s the exact inverse. A kazoo with a saxophone mouthpiece...

    • @KharamelSueno
      @KharamelSueno Před 4 lety +1

      Dear God no!!!! What we don't want is a bunch of struggling venovas in Elem. school that can't hit the proper notes T_T.... we have violin for that....

    • @GriffenfacePlays
      @GriffenfacePlays Před 4 lety

      Tyler M lmaooo

    • @Yachiruchua
      @Yachiruchua Před 4 lety

      GriffenfacePlays I’m personally offended ugh

  • @wugiz4784
    @wugiz4784 Před 4 lety +30

    It sounds like you're playing with the mouthpiece by it self.

  • @leoalves7981
    @leoalves7981 Před rokem +1

    You are a genius, congratulations for your channel 👍

  • @mambripapuabiak6379
    @mambripapuabiak6379 Před 4 lety

    Amazing thank you for your video

  • @SethKotta
    @SethKotta Před 4 lety +7

    Sounds like a good idea that went off half-cocked.
    I really wish it sounded better. Having a plastic alternative just to lower the price barrier is always a good thing in my eyes, but I felt like this could have stood another round of design improvements.

  • @chuckbussell2400
    @chuckbussell2400 Před 4 lety +3

    11:00 minutes in and he finally gets it!!!! This thing was never designed to be a "real instrument".

  • @whitenoiseblackvoid148
    @whitenoiseblackvoid148 Před 3 lety +1

    Great video, very helpful. Would you like to review Xaphoon? I got one for my birthsday and it's very hard to stay in tune. I though that it's all reed instruments thing and the problem is with my technique , but I borrowed a tenor sax month ago and I find this MUUUCH easier to stay in tune. I think that review of pocket sax can be very helpful for begginers who think it's good idea to try it before trying a real sax. I think starting with this can be very discouraging. Best regards!

  • @tc5425
    @tc5425 Před rokem +1

    You are harlious. You're very talented. You gave some good tips.

    • @tc5425
      @tc5425 Před rokem

      How can you make a melcodica sound like a sax?

  • @yeeturmcbeetur8197
    @yeeturmcbeetur8197 Před 4 lety +3

    I think it being so small and short lessens it’s ability to bring out bass and get rid of the reed squeak if that makes sense (coming from a trombone player.)

  • @antonygonzalez1672
    @antonygonzalez1672 Před 4 lety +5

    4:59 if you guys don’t laugh at this transition you’re dead

  • @jacksonwaldon
    @jacksonwaldon Před 2 lety

    Both are equally good. I can definitely see the Venova being used in modern jazz songs

  • @sparkshot289
    @sparkshot289 Před 2 lety

    Speaking of which, I’d absolutely love the idea of Jay getting his clarinet out to do a video. Maybe a video on the art of doubling with someone like, say Zac Zinger?

  • @arthurgomes2350
    @arthurgomes2350 Před 4 lety +6

    5:56 🔥🔥🔥

  • @ALAPINO
    @ALAPINO Před 4 lety +10

    Another thought: this is for the guy who buys an ABS plastic Ukulele as a serious instrument.

  • @gyrrakavian
    @gyrrakavian Před 4 lety +2

    It's really hard to make plastic sound good, but this comes closer than others.

  • @williamstarkey9032
    @williamstarkey9032 Před 3 lety

    I recently purchased a Venova YVS -100 . . I got rid of the synthetic Reed . . And I am using an alto reed because I couldn't find soprano reeds at the local music store . . And the alto Reed works fine . . I haven't played an alto sax in 38 years . . But picking up the sax is on my bucket list . . I can't afford another alto right now . . The Venova is a challenge . .it is helping me get my chops back .
    I had a stroke 8 years ago . . And I do have some paralysis to the left side of my mouth , but I am going to keep at it. . Until I can get another alto . . But thanks for your honest review. . But the Venova is priced for me at the moment . . Thank you