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YAMAHA

Yamaha YVS-120 Alto Venova Casual Wind Instrument

    • Based on 896 reviews
Condition: New
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$139.00 Why this price?

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Availability: Only 6 left in stock, order soon!
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Arrives Jan 3 – Jan 7
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Style: YVS-120


Features

  • Easy fingering similar to a recorder
  • Rich and expressive tone that sounds like a saxophone
  • Key of F with a fully chromatic two octave range
  • Made from lightweight and durable ABS plastic
  • Uses an alto saxophone mouthpiece and reed

Description

The Yamaha Venova is a totally new type of wind instrument that blends the simplicity of a recorder with the sound of a Saxophone. The YVS-120 Alto Venova uses a traditional Alto saxophone mouthpiece and reed, but with simple open-hole fingerings similar to what you'd find on a student recorder. Durable and lightweight, The Venova is easy to take with you to the beach, the Park, on vacation, or wherever you want to make music.

Color: white,black,silver


Brand: YAMAHA


Instrument Key: F


Material: Plastic


Style: YVS-120


Item Weight: 4.18 pounds


Product Dimensions: 23.23 x 3.78 x 2.17 inches


Item model number: YVS-120


Date First Available: October 21, 2019


Body Material: Plastic


Color Name: white,black,silver


Material Type: Plastic


Instrument Key: F


Size: Alto


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Jan 3 – Jan 7

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

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Similar Products

Top Amazon Reviews

    • A serious wind instrument for $80!
Style: YVS-100
I'm impressed. This thing is the real deal as long as you know what you're buying. Just a few things to realize before you order. I played saxophone for decades. This is not a beginner instrument! While I was able to pick it up and play some songs in C right away without even looking at fingering charts and make some good sound out of the thing, I can tell that it will take some work to make really beautiful music out of this thing. Playing sharps and flats is difficult and definitely requires some on the fly embouchure adjustment to get those half steps in tune. And really you only have 2 octaves to play with. Many easy sheet music you find online will drop down to a low B or something, in which case you need to get creative and jump an octave or something. Also, the included synthetic reed requires a really hard blow and makes the Venova sound and feel like a cheap clarinet. I took the advice of others and ordered some Rico 2 clarinet reeds. Huge difference. With the clarinet reeds, it really sounds like a soprano sax. Beautiful warm tone both low and high notes, and much finer tone control become quickly apparent when switching to the natural reed. I doubt I'll be trying the synthetic reed again. I haven't played anything for nearly a decade and haven't owned a sax for at least as long. What I like about this over a sax is how durable, light weight, and easy it is to use and care for. It really is a very casual instrument, but one that can produce incredible sound in the right hands. The Venova has allowed me to easily fit music back into my life again without breaking the bank or being bothered by setup and breakdown time, maintenance, etc. Just pop open the case and play. Would I recommend this as a beginner learning instrument for an adult or child? Maybe for an adult, but definitely not for a child. Better off with a clarinet or alto sax or something a little easier to make a sound out of. I gave my wife and my daughter a quick lesson and neither could make the Venova do anything other than honk like a goose. But for an intermediate sax or clarinet player, for less than the cost of a decent mouth piece the Venova offers a lot of fun and a new challenge in a quality portable package. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2021 by CollierCatMan
    • "Casual woodwind" is right, even if it sounds funny
Style: YVS-100
Yamaha is marketing this instrument exactly right. Seeing complaints from professional musicians saying it's not tuned well or isn't a serious instrument gave me pause until I realized that's exactly what I wanted: an instrument I can take to jam with friends and not worry about. Its chromatic scale, even the harder notes to produce like G#, is perfectly adequate and not as bad as I've experienced with more expensive, "nicer" reeds instruments. If you want a professional concert-worthy instrument, you'd be foolish to think an ABS plastic instrument is trying to pass as one. If you want something relatively inexpensive, durable, fun, and actually a nice sound, this is for you. Get 2.5 reeds to start with, as the resin reed is prone to squeaking until you get better breath control. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2021 by A
    • Interesting/moderately difficult/ but potential
Style: YVS-100
I admit I succumbed to FB advertising and became interested in this due to an ad in my newsfeed. I am a middle-aged, former clarinetist who still occasionally "noddles around" and also makes a poor attempt at playing the tin whistle. I am becoming more interested in jazz, and was looking for a smaller instrument to mess around with downstairs and annoy people at Christmas with holiday jazz standards. I read every review and watched every youtube video concerning this product (which are sparse). I have had the instrument for 3 days now and my initial impression is that this is a very interesting alternative to a recorder that produces a sound with some semblance to a soprano sax and on which it is fun to play jazz standards. Some have called this an "overpriced toy." Tin whistles are children's' "toys" that take years to master but sound beautiful when in the hands of an accomplished artist. Recorders are often (mistakenly) considered "children's toys" but have a long history as legitimate musical instruments. Hell, there is that dude on youtube who makes instruments from carrots and garden hoses that he records with. So what is the Venova? Well, its certainly not a "toy," but it is not a symphonic wind instrument either. The construction of the instrument seems solid and it is apparent that a lot of sound engineering went into making it. I think it has great potential for what it is marketed as --- a "casual" wind instrument--appropriate for jam sessions with friends, busking on the street, playing in church. That said, contrary to Yamaha's advertising, this is certainly NOT the musical equivalent of a Polaroid camera. Teh Venova is an instrument in its own right that while quirky, has the potential to sound great--but it is in no way a beginner's instrument. After 15 years of serious clarinet study and another 15 of "noddling," I can attest that the Venova is challenging. The embouchure is not as tight as a clarinet, but nowhere near as loose as most true saxophones. It is somewhere in between. The biggest difficultly is that the instrument is VERY sensitive to changes in embouchure. Once one finds the "sweet spot," one has to maintain it or you wind up sounding like a goose with its balls being squeezed or a ill snake charmer. When played properly, the instrument sounds like a cross between an oboe and a soprano sax. Again, once one finds the "sweet spot," the tone is very pleasant. The sensitivity to embouchure changes also means that the Venova can be played very expressively. That said, I am suffering through my fair share of inadvertent honks and squeaks. Lots of people ask if the instrument is chromatic. Nominally, yes; in practice, not really. Accidentals are played through a variety of odd "forked" fingerings that while playable, do not really lend themselves easily to running 16th notes. What about the tone? Well, again, the instrument is sensitive to embouchure changes. However, as others have reported, F#, G# & Bb are badly out of tune and require "lipping it" to play. To me, this is the biggest drawback to the instrument and something Yamaha needs to address if it expects this to be anything more than a one-off novelty item. Oh, and please ignore that vast majority of youtube videos using mic'd Venova's with the reverb turned up. It is not going to sound like that in your basement. Fingerings are a mix between a recorder/clarinet/sax. If you already play a woodwind, you will have a leg-up with the embouchure control, but will have to reprogram your brain on the fingerings, as they are just similar enough, that sometimes you hands go on autopilot. My only major complaints about fingerings are: 1) you have to "roll" C# and Eb, which is obviously a hassle if you need to return [there is a reason sax's and clarinets have all those side keys!];2 ) The fingering chart for some reason is inexplicably written upside down!--contrary to every other fingering chart I have ever seen; and 3) The manual gives a number of alternative fingerings, which can be confusing at first, but are actually helpful depending upon the piece you are playing. For instance mid-C is supposed to be played with just the thumb hole covered. However, it can also be played like a "C" on a clarinet, using the register key and fully covering the remainder. This alternative doesn't sound as "bright", but is essential if you are running up and down b-c-d-e. I note that the primary fingering for mid-D is the middle top hole, which if played with the primary C fingering results in a flub-flub-flub front/back rocking motion. Other thoughts: Please do yourself a favor and just through the stock plastic reed in the bin--it is unplayable, esp for anyone who is new to reed instruments. Price: Meh.....Is this thing worth $100? Depends on how you intend to use it, how much spare cash you have laying around, if you like experimenting with new things, and if you like the novelty factor. I am not SHOCKED at the $100 price tag, given that it does come with a nice case, cleaning cloth and a rudimentary mouthpiece, but I would have felt better paying $70-$80 for it. Have I gotten $100 in enjoyment from it?--Probably. Would I have gotten the same enjoyment from a J-sax or Xaphoon? Probably. All that being said, I have spent at least a good 1.5 hours the past three nights playing with this thing and having fun with it. I plan on getting a C fake book for Christmas tunes and taking this along on my holiday travels. Like any other instrument, this will require a lot of practice to sound decent, but I can definitely see myself playing on the main street with the rest of the college hispters by the college and making some extra dough this summer if I keep at it. In conclusion, my initial impressions are mixed. Its interesting, fun, portable, looks cool, and can be played with a little practice and patience. Are you going to be able to just pick it up with no musical background and start jamming with your hipster friends under a bridge with a picnic basket---No. Are you going to take the classical music scene by storm once you have mastered it? No. Is it a fun, interesting sounding instrument, that sorta sounds like a sax and can be used to noddle/jam with..absolutely. Can it be used with children as an alternative to a recorder and introduction to reed instruments? Absolutely, if one acknowledges its limitations. Overall, I am generally happy with the purchase. I will update my review if my opinion changes in the next few months. Edit 1: For shites and giggles I threw on a clarinet reed---very interesting change; more consistent tone (that could just be due to added thickness), but less spunky sound. Edit 2: sounding low C consistently is somewhat difficult, as the instrument wants to hop into the upper register--although that could just be me playing with too tight an embochure. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2018 by Cato
    • Not much of an instrument let alone for beginners.
Style: YVS-100
I have to say, although the price was very cheap this instrument is little more than a recorder with I half thought out design and a terrible plastic reed. It sounds nothing like a sax, I plugged the overtone hole and occasionally got a clarinet-esk sound from it. It is impossible to play in tune and the upper register will not play the proper notes at all. I get a proper B while holding the octave key and everything else raises an octave even higher and has a flutey sound. This would make this a nightmare for any beginner and make them believe they are incapable of learning and instrument. I would expect yamaha to price this lower still at a cost of about 15-20 dollars which would cover the case cost which seems to be sturdy. I'd be willing to pay less than $5 for the actual instrument as that's what I can buy their cheap recorders for and they sound immensely better. This was the worst purchase I've made by far to date. I don't recommend this at all. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2020 by Kris Ashcraft

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