Let’s play Venova™ !
12
Contents
Introduction ................................................................13
Before You Play............................................................14
Setting the Reed and Ligature ....................................................14
Let’s Try Playing ...........................................................15
Tips on Making Sound ...............................................................16
Close the Tone Holes and Play Some Notes...............................17
Getting a Balanced Sound ..........................................................18
Controlling Tone ...........................................................19
Inside of Your Mouth .................................................................19
Tonguing....................................................................................19
Troubleshooting............................................................20
Fingering Chart ............................................................92
Sample Songs ..............................................................94
When The Saints Go Marching In...............................................94
Amazing Grace ...........................................................................98
Supplement: Fingering Chart in Concert Pitch
(notes match a piano)................................................... 102
Let’s play Venova™ !
This guidebook provides important tips on how to hold and play Yamaha
Alto Venova™, as well as details on controlling the pitch and timbre. Master
the basics and enjoy playing!
* Refer to the “Owner’s Manual” (separate booklet) for information regarding
the care and handling of the instrument.
• The Venova™ is a branched pipe wind instrument manufactured and sold by the
Yamaha Corporation. Venova™ and are trademarks or registered
trademarks of the Yamaha Corporation.
• The illustrations as shown in this manual are for instructional purposes only, and
may appear somewhat different from those on your instrument.
Let’s play Venova™ ! 13
Introduction
The Alto Venova is a transposing instrument.
With a transposing instrument, the notes you play sound different than the
notes that are written in the score. Many wind instruments work this way,
including saxophones, clarinets and trumpets. This makes it very easy to
switch from one instrument to another in the same family, because even
though the sound is different, the fingerings are all the same.
The Alto Venova works the same way. If you already know the fingerings
for the Venova, you can use those same fingerings on the Alto Venova.
In this book, the fingering charts and sample songs have already been
transposed to F for the Alto Venova. However, remember that if you play
the Alto Venova with other instruments or with background music, it is a
transposing instrument in F, so the music you play also needs to be trans-
posed to F.
If you would prefer to learn the non-transposed fingerings for the way the
notes actually sound, we have provided a concert pitch fingering chart in
the supplement at the end of this manual.
Enjoy your new Alto Venova!
qqqqqqq
qq
q
qqqqqqqqqq
Instrument/scale
Alto Venova in F
Venova in C
Notes written in the score Actual pitch of the notes
C D E F G F G A
Bb
C
C D E F G C D E F G
Let’s play Venova™ !
14
Before You Play
Setting the Reed and Ligature
Slide the mouthpiece onto the body’s neck, turning from side to side. After
attaching the mouthpiece, set the reed and ligature onto the mouthpiece.
Slide the ligature onto the mouthpiece from its tapered end.
Position the reed so that the edge of the mouthpiece is slightly visible
over the reed tip. Tighten the two screws on the ligature to secure the
reed in place.
* The reed tip is delicate so please take care not to damage it with the liga-
ture, etc.
* If you are using a reed made from cane rather than the resin reed sup-
plied with the instrument, moisten the end of the reed in your mouth (or
water) before playing.
* Position the ligature so that the tuning fork logo is centered in the lig-
ature’s open space.
* Tighten the ligature screws just enough to keep the reed from mov-
ing. Take care not to over-tighten.
Mouthpiece
Ligature Reed
1
2
Reed
Ligature
screws
Ligature Yamaha
logo
Let’s play Venova™ ! 15
Let’s Try Playing
Hold the instrument as shown in the illustration below, keeping your
back straight, shoulders loose, and chin pulled in.
Position the mouthpiece in your mouth with your upper front teeth rest-
ing about 1cm from the tip of the mouthpiece. Cover your lower teeth
with your lower lip to keep your teeth from coming into direct contact
with the reed.
Take a deep breath, and blow into the instrument.
1
First, hold the instru-
ment without covering
any of the holes.
2
Upper front teeth
Lower lipLower teeth
Tongue
3
Let’s Try Playing
Let’s play Venova™ !
16
Tips on Making Sound
Holding the Instrument
Holding the instrument the wrong way (wrong angle or poor posture) can
result in poor tone or difficult fingering. Always be aware of proper playing
form when playing the instrument.
Mouth Shape (Embouchure*)
With the reed resting on your lower lip, seal your mouth around the
mouthpiece to keep air from leaking out of the corners of your mouth
when blowing.
Blowing the Instrument
Compared to a recorder, the Venova requires more breath to play. Use a
lot of air and blow firmly into the instrument.
* Refer to the illustration on page 15 for proper instrument angle when
holding.
* The shape of your mouth when playing the instrument is called the
“embouchure.” The embouchure is very important when playing wind
instruments. Proper positioning of lips, tongue, teeth, etc., creates an
optimum embouchure, which lets you control the pitch and timbre of the
instrument.
1
1
2
• Do not bite hard on the reed or mouth-
piece.
• If you are experiencing difficulty get-
ting sound from the instrument, refer
to the chart on page 18 and check the
mouthpiece position.
3
Let’s play Venova™ ! 17
Let’s Try Playing
Close the Tone Holes and Play Some Notes
• Use the ball of your finger (not the tip) to cover the hole.
• Use your fingers in a relaxed, stress-free form.
Since lower pitches are hard to produce without good embouchure and suffi-
cient airflow, let’s try playing a “G”.
Close the tone holes properly to achieve beautiful and stable tone, and good
pitch.
Fingerings for other pitches are provided from page 92.
Finger Position
* The illustration below shows all tone holes being covered.
Octave Key
The octave key is used for playing
notes above a high “D”. It is not used
for playing any other notes so take
care not to press the octave key by
mistake.
Put your right thumb under the thumb
hook to hold the instrument securely.
Fingering a “G”
Let’s Try Playing
Let’s play Venova™ !
18
Getting a Balanced Sound
If you are experiencing difficulty getting sound from your instrument, it
might be a good time to review your embouchure.
Mouth shape and teeth alignment vary widely among individuals so take
time finding an embouchure that works best for you. Refer to the chart
below and try varying the position of your teeth, the angle that you hold the
instrument, etc., to find a well-balanced tone.
Cause
Breath: Too much
Mouthpiece position: Shallow
+
Poor embouchure
(Biting the mouthpiece to hard)
Cause
Breath: Too much
Mouthpiece position: Deep
+
Poor embouchure
(Mouth is loose, open)
Cause
Breath: Too little
Mouthpiece position: Shallow
+
Poor embouchure
(Biting the mouthpiece too hard)
Cause
Breath: Too little
Mouthpiece position: Deep
+
Poor embouchure
(Mouth is loose, open)
No sound
comes out
or squeaks
Dark tone
No sound
comes out
or squeaks
Squeaks
Bright tone
No sound
comes out
Forte
(= loud sound)
Piano
(= soft sound)
Well-
balanced
tone
Amount of
breath
Amount of
breath
Mouthpiece
position
Mouthpiece
position
Shallow Deep
Too much air
(= loud sound)
Too little air
(= soft sound)
Let’s play Venova™ ! 19
Controlling Tone
Inside of Your Mouth
When blowing into the instrument, the inside of your mouth should be
shaped as if you were pronouncing “OH.”
Tonguing
Tonguing is a technique for dividing a tone by interrupting the air flow with
your tongue.
It is done by touching the end of the reed with the end of your tongue and
releasing.
Tips on creating tone
The Venova is compatible with alto saxophone mouthpieces and reeds, so
once you are able to produce individual notes smoothly using the supplied
mouthpiece (equivalent of Yamaha 4C alto sax mouthpiece) you might want
to experiment with different reed/mouthpiece* combinations to change the way
the instrument blows and produce different tones (brighter, mellower, clearer).
* The instrument comes with a soft reed making it easier to play for
beginners however, higher pitches may be more difficult to articu-
late.
Once you can blow sufficient amount of air into the instrument, you
might want to move to a stiffer reed to play higher pitches more
smoothly.
* Stiffer reeds tend to play slightly sharp in pitch. If so, refer to the
“About Tuning” section in the owner’s manual and adjust the mouth-
piece position.
* Some alto saxophone mouthpieces made by other manufacturers
may fit poorly or produce poor pitch making them unsuitable for use
with the alto Venova. Always consult with your Yamaha dealer
before purchasing.
Let’s play Venova™ !
20
Troubleshooting
Condition Cause Solution
No sound. The reed is not properly
positioned on the mouth-
piece.
Refer to page 14 and prop-
erly position the reed.
Not enough air to make the
reed vibrate.
Increase the amount of air you
blow into the instrument.
Biting too hard on the
mouthpiece (too much
lower lip pressure on the
reed).
Reduce the amount of pressure
your lower lip is applying to the
reed.
Mouth is too loose (lower lip
is not sufficiently support-
ing the reed).
Close your mouth tighter around
the reed (not to the extent that
the sound squeaks) to firmly sup-
port the reed with your lower lip.
Low-pitch
sounds are
hard to make.
The upper front teeth are
not resting firmly on the
mouthpiece.
Use your left thumb to firmly sup-
port the instrument so that the
mouthpiece is in firm contact with
the upper teeth.
Low-pitch
sounds shake
and waver.
Lower lip is covering too
much of your lower teeth.
Reduce the amount of lip cover-
ing your teeth.
Makes a
squeaking
sound.
Mouthpiece is positioned
too deep in the mouth.
Refer to the “Getting a Balanced
Sound” section on page 18 and
review your embouchure.
Biting too hard on the
mouthpiece.
Refer to the “Getting a Balanced
Sound” section on page 18 and
review your embouchure.
Holding the instrument at
the wrong angle.
Refer to the “Tips on Making
Sound” section on page 16 and
review the angle you hold the
instrument.
Not adequately covering
the tone holes.
Refer to the “Close the Tone
Holes and Play Some Notes”
section on page 17 and firmly
cover the tone holes.
2
Let’s play Venova™ ! 21
Troubleshooting
* The reason the pitch is off is possibly due to a poor embouchure. Refer to the “Getting a Bal-
anced Sound” section on page 18 to find a solution that improves your pitch.
Water noise
can be heard
while playing.
Moisture has accumulated
in the body, mouthpiece, or
reed.
Remove moisture from inside of
the body with the supplied clean-
ing swab and also remove mois-
ture from inside of mouthpiece
and reed with a soft cloth.
Overall pitch is
high.*
Biting too hard on the
mouthpiece.
Don’t bite too hard on the mouth-
piece.
Mouthpiece is positioned
too shallow in the mouth.
Position the mouthpiece deeper
into your mouth.
Upper front teeth are not
firmly resting on the mouth-
piece.
Make sure your upper front teeth
are placed firmly on the mouth-
piece.
Overall pitch is
low.*
Mouth is too loose or open
(the lower lip is not suffi-
ciently supporting the reed).
Close your mouth tighter around
the reed (not to the extent that
the sound squeaks) to firmly sup-
port the reed with your lower lip.
Condition Cause Solution
The end section of this guide provides fingering charts (from page 92)
and some sample songs (from page 94). You can find more information
for the Venova, such as playing tips and performance videos, on the web
site listed below.
Yamaha’s special Venova Site:
https://www.yamaha.com/venova/
92
Fingering Chart
Grifftabelle
Tableau des doigtés
Gráfico de digitado
Tabela de digitação
Таблица аппликатуры
##b
German System
The Alto Venova is used only with the German finger-
ing system.
* Semitones such as F#, G#, Bb tend to easily play
sharp, and are hard to resonate. Use fingering, air-
flow, and embouchure control to adjust intonation.
Deutsche Griffweise
Das Alto Venova wird nur mit der Deutschen Griff-
weise gespielt.
* Halbtöne wie F#, G#, Bb klingen häufig grell und
sind schwer zu intonieren. Passen Sie die Intona-
tion durch Kontrolle von Fingersatz, Luftstrom und
Ansatz an.
Système allemand
L'AltoVenova n'est utilisé qu'avec le système de
doigté allemand.
* Les demi-tons tels que le fa dièse, le sol dièse et le
si bémol ont tendance à devenir facilement stri-
dents et résonnent difficilement. Pour ajuster l'into-
nation, contrôlez le doigté, le jet d'air et
l'embouchoir.
4
3
21
8
7
6
5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
/ Fingering Chart / Grifftabelle / Tableau des doigtés / Gráfico de
93
Sistema alemán
El Alto Venova solo se utiliza con el sistema de digi-
tado alemán.
* Los semitonos como F#, G# y Bb suelen tocarse
sostenidos y difícilmente tienen resonancia. Ponga
los dedos en su posición, sople aire y utilice el con-
trol de la embocadura para ajustar la entonación.
Sistema germânico
O Alto Venova é usado somente com o sistema de
dedilhado germânico.
* Semitons como Fá sustenido, Sol sustenido e Si
bemol tendem a ser reproduzidos mais agudos e são
difíceis de produzir. Use o dedilhado, o fluxo de ar e o
controle de embocadura para ajustar a entonação.
Немецкая система
Alto Venova используется только с немецкой сис-
темой аппликатуры.
* Полутона, такие как F#, G#, Bb, как правило,
звучат резко и резонируют плохо. Скорректи-
ровать звучание можно с помощью аппликату-
ры, амбушюра и контроля потока воздуха.
*
# # b
독일식
Alto Venova는 독일식 운지법만을 사용해 연주합니
다.
*
F#, G#, Bb 등의 반음을 날카롭게 연주하기 용이하
지만 공명시키기 어렵습니다. 운지와 공기 흐름, 암
부슈어 제어를 사용하여 음조를 조절하십시오.
•
•
Close
•
Geschlossen
•
Fermée
•
Cerrado
•
Fechado
•
Закрыто
•
•
닫기
•
•
Cover 3/4 (keys are not closed)
•
3/4 abgedeckt
(die Klappen sind nicht geschlossen)
•
Couverture aux 3/4
(les clés ne sont pas bouchées)
•
Cubierto 3/4 (las llaves no están cerradas)
•
Tapar 3/4 (as teclas não são fechadas)
•
Закрыто на три четверти
(клапаны должны быть открыты)
•
•
3/4 덮기 (키는 닫혀 있지 않음)
digitado / Tabela de digitação / Таблица аппликатуры / /
운지법
altovenova_started_02.fm Page 93 Friday, October 8, 2021 1:17 PM
94
Sample Songs
Beispiel-Songs
Morceaux échantillons
Canciones de ejemplo
Músicas de amostra
Образцы композиций
When The Saints Go Marching In
Difficulty: Low
This song only requires fingering with the
left hand so make sure you provide good
support with your right thumb to keep the
instrument from moving about.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Schwierigkeit: Gering
Für diesen Song benötigen Sie nur die Fin-
ger der linken Hand. Dabei sollten Sie das
Instrument mit dem rechten Daumen gut
stützen, um zu verhindern, dass es sich
unkontrolliert bewegt.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Difficulté: faible
Ce morceau ne nécessite qu’un doigté à la
main gauche : vous pouvez par consé-
quent tenir l’instrument de la main droite
afin d’éviter qu’il ne bouge.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Dificultad: Baja
Para tocar esta canción solo es necesario
el digitado con la mano izquierda, de
manera que deberá asegurar un soporte
adecuado con el pulgar derecho para evi-
tar que el instrumento se mueva constan-
temente.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Dificuldade: Baixa
Esta canção exige dedilhado apenas com
a mão esquerda, portanto, dê uma susten-
tação firme com o polegar direito para
impedir que o instrumento se mova.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Сложность: низкая
При исполнении этой композиции при-
меняется аппликатура лишь для левой
руки, поэтому как следует поддержи-
вайте инструмент большим пальцем
правой руки и не давайте ему шатать-
ся.
When The Saints
Go Marching In
성자의 행진 (When The Saints
Go Marching In)
난도: 낮음
이 곡은 왼손으로만 운지하므로 악기가 움
직이지 않도록 오른손 엄지로 잘 받쳐주십
시오.
/ Sample Songs / Beispiel-Songs / Morceaux échantillons / Canciones
95
When The Saints Go Marching In
American folk song
de ejemplo / Músicas de amostra / Образцы композиций / /
샘플 곡
96
When The Saints Go Marching In
Difficulty: High
The low “C” is difficult to sound. Make sure
your fingering, embouchure, and airflow
balanced well.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Schwierigkeit: Hoch
Das tiefe „C“ ist schwierig zu intonieren.
Achten Sie darauf, dass Fingersatz,
Ansatz und Luftstrom gut ausgewogen
sind.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Difficulté: élevée
Le do grave est difficile à obtenir. Veillez à
bien équilibrer le doigté, l’embouchoir et le
jet d’air.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Dificultad: Alta
El Do alto es difícil de tocar. Compruebe
que el digitado, la embocadura y el aire
están bien equilibrados.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Dificuldade: Alta
O “C” (dó) grave é difícil de produzir. Equi-
libre bem o dedilhado, a embocadura e o
fluxo de ar.
When The Saints Go Marching In
Сложность: высокая
Нижнее до сложно извлечь. Хорошо
сбалансируйте аппликатуру, амбушюр
и воздушный поток.
When The Saints
Go Marching In
성자의 행진 (When The Saints
Go Marching In)
난도: 높음
낮은 “C”는 소리를 내기가 어렵습니다. 운
지와 암부슈어, 공기 흐름이 균형을 잘 이
룰 수 있게 하십시오.
/ Sample Songs / Beispiel-Songs / Morceaux échantillons / Canciones
97
When The Saints Go Marching In
American folk song
de ejemplo / Músicas de amostra / Образцы композиций / / 샘플 곡
98
Amazing Grace
Difficulty: Low
The “E” requires use of the octave key (or
thumbing) so pay close attention to your
fingering to get a good, solid tone.
Amazing Grace
Schwierigkeit: Gering
Für das „E“ benötigen Sie die Oktavklappe
(per Daumendruck), achten Sie also gut
auf Ihren Fingersatz, um einen reinen, sta-
bilen Ton zu erzeugen.
Amazing Grace
Difficulté: faible
Le mi nécessite l’utilisation de la clé
d’octave : le doigté est donc essentiel pour
que le son obtenu soit plein et de bonne
qualité.
Amazing Grace
Dificultad: Baja
Para la nota Mi es necesario utilizar la
llave de octava (o el golpe de pulgar), de
manera que preste especial atención al
digitado para conseguir un tono bueno y
sólido.
Amazing Grace
Dificuldade: Baixa
O “E” (mi) requer o uso da chave de oitava
(“thumbing”), então preste atenção ao seu
dedilhado para obter um tom sólido.
Amazing Grace
Сложность: низкая
Для исполнения ми нужно использо-
вать октавный клапан (или действо-
вать большим пальцем), поэтому
уделите большое внимание аппликату-
ре, чтобы получить хороший, чистый
тон.
Amazing Grace
어메이징 그레이스
(Amazing Grace)
난도: 낮음
“E”는 옥타브 키(또는 엄지)를 사용해야
하므로 안정적인 소리가 나도록 운지에 주
의를 기울이십시오.
/ Sample Songs / Beispiel-Songs / Morceaux échantillons / Canciones
99
Amazing Grace
Traditional
de ejemplo / Músicas de amostra / Образцы композиций / / 샘플 곡
100
Amazing Grace
Difficulty: High
It is important that all the tone holes are
properly covered in order to get a good
resonant tone on the low notes. Make sure
the tone holes are completely covered with
the ball of your finger (not the tip).
Amazing Grace
Schwierigkeit: Hoch
Es ist wichtig, dass alle Tonlöcher richtig
abgedeckt sind, um im tiefen Tonbereich
einen guten, klangvollen Ton zu erzeugen.
Achten Sie darauf, dass Sie die Tonlöcher
vollständig mit den Fingerkuppen abdek-
ken (nicht mit den Fingerspitzen).
Amazing Grace
Difficulté: élevée
Il est important que toutes les cheminées
soient correctement couvertes pour que le
son des notes basses résonne correcte-
ment. Veillez à couvrir complètement les
cheminées avec la pulpe du doigt (et non
avec l’extrémité).
Amazing Grace
Dificultad: Alta
Es importante que todos los agujeros tona-
les se cubran correctamente para conse-
guir un buen tono resonante en las notas
bajas. Asegúrese de que los agujeros tona-
les queden cubiertos completamente con la
yema de los dedos (no con la punta).
Amazing Grace
Dificuldade: Alta
É importante que todos os orifícios de tom
sejam tapados adequadamente a fim de
obter um tom ressonante nas notas gra-
ves. Certifique-se de que os orifícios de
tom estejam completamente tapados com
a polpa do seu dedo (não a ponta).
Amazing Grace
Сложность: высокая
Для хорошего резонирующего тона в
низких нотах важно правильно закры-
вать все тональные отверстия. Убеди-
тесь, что тональные отверстия
полностью закрыты подушечкой (не
кончиком) пальца.
Amazing Grace
어메이징 그레이스
(Amazing Grace)
난도: 높음
낮은 음에서 좋은 공명음을 내기 위해서는
모든 톤 홀을 적절히 덮어야 합니다. 손가
락 (끝이 아니라) 지문 부분으로 톤 홀을
완전히 막으십시오.
/ Sample Songs / Beispiel-Songs / Morceaux échantillons / Canciones
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dans d''autres langues
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