Scott,
Question...on DJMouse's performance at 5:25 he uses the SA2 violin. Do I always have to have all that note sliding going on?
A lot of time I would just want NONE of that.
Smooth bowing with no jazzy stuff.
???
Thanks,

Definitly one of the best Live demos of T4 to date. Can anyone honestly say there is a better sounding Arranger KB on the market today?....I don't IMO.

I never had a Yamaha product. My current arranger is a Korg PA2x-pro and I had a Roland G-70 before that. I was never really tempted by the previous Tyros versions, but I played a Tyros 4 for almost two hours in a music store a few weeks ago and.......totally fell in love. I mailed my usual store, got a great offer and ordered one. Delivery is expected within a week from now, maybe this weekend.

My only concern is the 61 keys as opposed to the 76 I had the last 6 years. But hey, it doesn't seem to hinder Peter Baartmans or Martin Harris, so who am I to complain? Anyway, I am really looking forward to getting my Ty4!!!

Lee, no worries. You can simply select from several other violin voice patches which don't include that effect.

Tom, as one coming from a lifelong background as a trad 88 note classical piano player, I can understand your concern, but when I transitioned from piano to arranger, I simply learned to approach 61 note arranger playing differently than piano. Because the left hand is typically dedicated to triggering chords confined within an octave and a half (C1-F#2) that leaves 3-1/2 octaves available for the right hand, which is only a 1/2 octave less than from middle C to the top of an 88 note piano. Consider that fact.

Tom, congratulations on your purchase of a Tyros 4. I'm confident you're going to really enjoy it a lot. I certainly am enjoying mine tremendously.

Just to add to Scott's reply, the note sliding depends on the playing technique...legato playing, with a 7th to 1 octave interval produces portamento Up/Down.

I'm tickled with the two new SA2 violins, the SA2 Jazz Violin and the SA2 Celtic Violin...beautifully done!

Ian

Scott, Ian,
OK I understand there are other violin voices ..BUT are they the quality of the SA2 one?
This would apply to the other SA2 voices too, If I don't want the SA2 articulations is there a way to turn it off or is there a equivelant voice that is the same quality without the automatic stuff happening?

Congratulations, Tom!

Like Scott, I am a piano player, and it wasn't too difficult to adjust to the 61 notes for arranger-type play. I just had to realize, that the arranger is not a piano...it has "piano sounds", but they are only a small portion of the hundreds of available sounds for the player to choose from.

I like what Scott said about available RH playing room..."3-1/2 octaves available for the right hand, which is only a 1/2 octave less than from middle C to the top of an 88 note piano."

Playing chords in the smaller available area, was another adjustment, but, again, not a big deal.

There are those who would have nothing less than a 76 note keyboard, but they will have to buy elsewhere, as Yamaha has pinned the 61-note only message to the mast of it's portable arranger flagship line, but, there are some excellent alternatives available, from other companies, to the person needing more than 5 Octaves.

I love the Tyros4, and the more I play it, the more impressed I am with the sound and features ...it's Yamaha's best arranger to date, in my opinion.

Again, congratulations on your new Tyros4.

Ian

Scott, Ian, thank you!

Both your analysis make a lot of sense, I have gotten used to more room for my left hand chords than I actually need and I rarely play without styles. I had a Technics KN6000 in the past and had no problem with the 61 keys on that.

The fact that you and so many others are so very enthousiastic about the T4 makes me confident I made the right choice. I like to play jazz standards, bossa's, orchestral pieces and some blues and rock. I think the acoustic and orchestral voices of the Tyros 4 are great for those music styles. I am also very curious on how the Freeplay styles work out. I hope to let you know my first impressions soon.

Peter Baartmans is one of the top 5 arranger demonstrators out there at the moment . The T4 sounds amazing even through a cam corder . If yamaha just put a decent sequencer onboard the instrument i would be tempted.

This was a truly great demo Tom and shows just how inspirational these instruments can be. I hear so many complaints about the expense of an arranger compared to a workstation but in the arramnger you can jam with literally session musicians on tap day or night from Jazz, to latin to funk rock and classical music and everything in between. Worth every penny in my book.