Summer's well and truly here and it’s time for music to take to the big outdoors. Make the most of the warm weather and extra hours of daylight to enjoy the plethora of al fresco music concerts, festivals, parties and proms as our city streets and countryside come alive with music bringing people together.
There are music events to suit all tastes and musical styles - from giant overseas music and art fests such as Burning Man, to Glyndebourne’s quintessentially English celebration of opera alongside champagne picnics. Listening to music in the open air, whatever style it may be, is even better when shared.
This summer, instead of sitting back and letting the music wash over you, why not discover the joy of playing your own musical instrument outdoors? Enjoy impromptu concerts on the beach, jamming with friends around a campfire and dancing under the stars.
Playing outdoors brings a new dimension to your musicianship. For most of us, it initially takes us far outside our musical comfort zone - but you quickly discover something new and very rewarding. Playing alongside others helps develop your playing and means that you'll meet new people and make new friends too. All making for an unforgettable experience.
Not all instruments lend themselves to travelling or outdoor jamming - an acoustic piano clearly won't fit in your car's boot, whilst carrying your drum kit down to a beach will likely prove an uncomfortable experience for all concerned.
But that doesn't mean you should miss out. Here at Yamaha, we make a whole range of instruments ideal for travelling - and suitable for both beginner and veteran musicians. Here are a few ideas to slip into your suitcase or backpack this summer...
Whilst full size guitars are still very portable, sometimes it's handy to have something that will squeeze into those last few inches of bootspace and not be too unwieldy as you wander across fields or sand dunes looking for the perfect spot.
The APX T2 is our smallest electro-acoustic guitar; its shallow and compact body shape are matched with its smaller scale-length making it very easy to play and to carry. Its unplugged tone is excellent - giving far more projection than is warranted by its small size - but it also has a built-in pickup. Plug it into our equally-portable battery-powered THR5A amp for more volume and richly detailed reverb and chorus.
The THR5A amp uses high-quality speakers from our renowned HiFi range - so, with the aid of an aux cable, you can also use it to listen to your music collection after you've put the guitar down and just want to chill.
There's something completely captivating and engrossing about playing an acoustic guitar in a concert hall, church or cathedral. The natural reverb of the building accentuates every detail and perpetuates the warmth and richness of the sound - making it feel as if you're truly inside the music.
Step outdoors and that reverberation is gone - aside from occasional sonic reflections and echos from nearby walls, your guitar will sound completely dry. What if you could bring that indoor ambiance to the outdoor world?
Enter our TransAcoustic Guitar. Using the guitar's own tonewood body and without any speakers or external effects, TransAcoustic technology subtly adds detailed reverb and/or chorus to the natural sound of the guitar. It’s the most inspiring, engaging and astonishing acoustic guitar you’ve ever played.
Sitting somewhere between a recorder and a sax, we created Venova by undulating the shape and length of a soprano saxophone's body, casting it in tough ABS resin and adding recorder-style keys and fingering - keeping the reed mouthpiece from the saxophone.
The result is an instrument that's easy to maintain, extremely durable and hugely affordable compared to most saxophones. Thanks to its size and low weight, the Venova easily fits into a back pack - perfect for trips to the beach or camping adventures.
Because of its hybrid design, the Venova makes a great starting point to the world of woodwind instruments, allowing beginners to learn the basics of reed-playing and fingering, becoming the perfect springboard for upgrading to the clarinet and saxophone in the future.
Whether you're kicking up your heels at a folk festival or looking for the classical sound of strings, the violin may be the perfect instrument. Small and lightweight (even at full size), the violin can nonetheless create a powerful, rich tone - which has found a home in wide range of genres and styles, from classical to pop, Country to Folk, Jazz to Motown - in addition to playing a part in the vast majority of film and TV soundtracks.
The V3SKA is the first violin model in our range. Designed with beginners in mind, it offers a satisfying tone and while offering outstanding durability thanks to our legendary craftsmanship and build quality. The V3SKA comes as a full 'outfit' which includes a case, bow and rosin, so you have everything you need to play right away.
Musical instruments don't get much more portable than the descant recorder. Chances are you learned to play one in primary school - and whilst those lessons may not have been the most musically-enjoyable, the recorder is capable of lots of expression.
The YRS-402B is a recorder with a difference. Whilst our premium recorder models are crafted from wood, most school recorders are made using ABS resin - a plastic made almost entirely from oil. With so many recorders made every year, we wanted to reduce the amount of oil being used. Ecodear is a new material which uses plant-based substances and around 30% less oil than ABS resin. This means less CO2 being released into the atmosphere and a step forward in environmentally-friendly recorder making.
The change in material has resulted in a mellow, centred tone that is similar to that of wooden recorders, plus improved breath response and high-register control.
We know; normal drums are already portable - drummers are constantly putting all the cases and bags which contain their drums, hardware and breakables in the back of their cars, ferrying them to the next gig, unloading, unpacking, building up the kit and then repeating the whole process over and over.
What if you want something for the beach? Or to take camping? A drum kit is just too unwieldy - and chances are won't fit in the car along with your travelling companions and all your other gear.
Check out our DD-75. This is a compact drum machine with 8 velocity sensitive pads in one snare-stand-mountable machine. Played using regular drumsticks, it has built-in speakers, can run on batteries and offers a full range of different drum sounds as well a hand percussion mode when you want to put the sticks down.
It's the perfect kit for impromptu outdoor playing.
