Jacqueline "Amazing Grace" (symphonic style)

• Arranger: Chiaki Inagaki 稲垣千章
• Score: Stagea Popular Vol.66 World Songs 1 (7-6), Yamaha Grade 6

Yamaha Course Calendar 2014

The Year 2013 and 2014 Yamaha Course Calendar are here, please download it to your phone for easy reference.

 

 

Yamaha Music School Open House 2013_Part 2

As promised, these videos below were taken from the open house yesterday and hope you enjoy them.

Yamaha Music School Open House 2013_Part 1

For those of you who had missed my earlier post, these videos were taken at the Yamaha Open House this afternoon.

Thank you to all my students, you have done a GREAT job despite your busy working and studying schedule. Cheers to all you guys and have a nice weekend.

They are more videos coming and please drop-by another day. C ya ;-)

Students Electone Performance 2013

Come! Join us for the Yamaha Music School open house this weekend. Let our students entertain you with their favourite songs and prepare to be ROCKED! ;-)

• Date: 16 Nov 2013.
• Time: 3:30pm.
• Venue: Plaza Singapura, level 6.

Details of the Electone performers:

• Ee Jia: Can You Feel The Love Tonight (Student of Dennis Ng)
• Alvita: My Bonnie (Student of Dennis Ng)
• Jacqueline: Lion King Medley (Student of Dennis Ng)
• Yi Xian: Ayura (Student of Dennis Ng)
• Crystabelle: Angels' Voice (Student of Michelle Chow)
• Carine: Song to be confirmed (Student of Tan Hong Kwang)

Can't make it? Never mind, we have another session @ 2pm on the same day by students of Michelle Chow and Samuel. Kindly find the details of the performers below:

• Yuan Heng: Toy Symphony
• Hui Zi: Kick Off
• Ryanfranco: Song to be confirmed
• Lekhalawan: Alavamar Overture and Camptown Race
• Fu Qiang: High Ho and March of the Zombies

Bring your family and friends. See you soon!

Marilyn "True Blue"

• True Blue is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on 30 June 1986.
• Oops! spotted a slip on 0:52.
• Your expression was good generally, but your accompaniment needs attention coz you were unable to control the triple well.

• Madonna on her music video.

Xin Yee "Gavotte"

• One suggestion for you Xin Yee. You're sitting too close to the Electone, you can play more comfortably if you are sitting slightly further away from the instrument.

Ryan "Sing"

• "Sing" is a popular song created for the Sesame Street.
• Well done, Ryan! You have improved tremendously.

Harsha "今天你要嫁给我"

• Harsha has been learning with me since Dec 2012 and this video was taken during her weekly lesson on 30 August 2013.
• Well Played and I like the changing of Tone colour in the middle from Saxophone to Strings, but I am a little concern regarding your "Dropping Wrist" issue, please kick this bad habit ;-)

Ryan "Annie Laurie"

• After many weeks of struggle and Ryan managed finally, keep up the good attitude and well done.
• I would like to wish you all the best in your coming Electone Exam next week.

Electone Concert by YUKI WADA

A special music event for young children. Come! Join us, sing and dance along with Ms Yuki Wada. Bring your friends and admission is FREE!

Tickets available at all YAMAHA stores on a first-come first-served basis.

• Date: 15 Sep 2013.
• Time: 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm.
• Venue: Concorde Hotel, Concorde 2, Level 3. 

Piano vs Electone part 2

Here is another post taken from Kiasu Parents, contributed by Audacity:

Topic is kinda old. But posting to share some info with parents who are still curious about what on earth an Electone is.

Firstly, there is no such instrument as an Electone. That is Yamaha's product line. What it is, is a modern-age Electronic organ. It is an amalgamation of the pipe organ (from medieval Europe), the theatre organ, and the early modern tone wheel jazz organ. Any Electone will have all these sounds nowadays. It will also have hundreds of other sounds. An Electone, i.e. electronic organ, is not a synthesizer, not a keyboard, not an arranger etc. The course for those are different. The style of playing and even control for these are also different. More on this later.

Now, the question of learning piano or organ. Back in the 80s, there were lots more students learning the organ, not only at Yamaha, but places like Elka and Kawai. There were also loads theories of which is better, which is more beneficial etc etc. Not going to comment on these. So as not to insult the different types of pianists too, I'm not going to say which areas pianists are better than organists at, or vice versa. I'll just list down what are the things an Electone student at Yamaha can expect to benefit from:

1) Musical co-ordination. Which is actually the very first, and most straightforward benefit. Once you get it, you wouldn't lose it. Just like a bicycle.

2) Style. Style NOT as it being classy. But musical styles. I wish to emphasize that it is a complete misconception that the Electone course is only about pops. We play a lot of different types of music, easily more than any other instrument. Be it classical, retro, gospel, folk, rock, pop, jazz, latin, fusion etc. In the higher grades, a student is expected to be familiar with a myriad of styles, just to pass the examination. For eg, a student is given a simple score, and must play it in the style stipulated by the examiner.

3) What's the benefit of (2) i.e. style? Most obvious is arrangement of music. Any commercial music production you hear, on CDs etc, is arranged. With a solid knowledge of how different music types should sound like, an Electone student will be most ideal for arrangement work. (Arranging songs is part of the exams, btw)

4) Articulation, which refers to understanding how different instruments sound like, should sound like, and how they are played. It's NEVER just about selecting a sound, and pressing the key to voice it. It's about the little nuances that gives the sound the character of the instrument it is mimicking. Again, very useful for studio, arrangement work. Why? Because plenty of times, those orchestra backgrounds, wind solos etc are produced in these places by a keyboard. (Which is not an Electone, but easy to cross over to)

5) Improvisation. Which is the ability to vary on a song. Heavily used in Jazz and at least in some degree in other songs. One might ask, what if my kid hates Jazz? Well, "impro" forces the musician to think on the spot. To really know one's basics and theories, and apply them outrageously. IMO, there are few better methods to train up anyone's creativity and boldness.

6) Crossover. Those keyboards you see on stages are not organs or Electones. They are synths, arrangers, stage pianos etc. Electone players have a disadvantage here because the style of playing in many bands are closer to that of the pianist. (Organists take over the bass part, and even the drums if necessary. We boss over too many things! ). However, familiarity with electronic sound production and especially different styles of instruments and sound will compensate heavily for this.

Now for more practical infos:

A) Yamaha's system is not ABRSM. It is this...truly queer system that goes backwards from 13 to 3 or 10 to 3 or something. Grade 5-3 are the higher grades. During then, it is split into two courses, the new one being Fundamentals of Music. FOM trains on theory, singing, accompaniment, and believe it or not, you have to play on the piano. So Electone students do learn to play on the piano ultimately.

B) The entry level Electone is around 2.9K. The standard is around 10K. The exam model is 15K. So arguably, it is more pricey to learn. Not so however, when you consider the price of grand pianos, or higher end upright pianos, which easily go beyond 15K.

C) There are other electronic organ models. But to use another brand while learning from Yamaha, is going to be very, very awkward. You see one main problem with the Electone is that it is very reliant on programming. To get the really awesome drums and sounds, you need hours of programming. Most players thus use readily made programmes sold from Japan. You guess it too. These programmes can only be used on the Electone.

D) Reference to (D), you COULD just sit down, press a preset, and perform. But you have to be very, very good.

E) For myself, one of the best thing about the Electone is simply that it needs minimal maintenance. Remember you do need to heat a piano 24 hours. And tune it regularly.

F) Of MAJOR concern, the Electone grade is recognized by MOE for employment. Check: http://www.moe.gov.sg/careers/teach/car ... level-dip/

G) Of another concern, it should also be good enough for the Music Elective Programme, since MEP states ABRSM or equivalent. Yamaha is an established exam board.

But all the above aside, I think the crux should be what the child prefers. Music is something very affective. I think no matter how much the benefits attract you, you will never master it if you don't love it. The choice between piano or organ or any instrument has to be one of real love. Disregard this and it will truly be a waste of money over many years.

Ramya "Greatest Love of All"

• A hit song popularized by Whitney Houston (1963 - 2012) in the 80s.
• Being Ramya's first video recording, she was a little nervous but managed to deliver.
• A few tips for improvement include Articulation, Phrasing, Fingering and Expression for your consideration.

Goh Yi Xian "To Love Again"

• This is one of the difficult grade 9 piece as you can see that there are many movements on the left hand's part.
• And Yi Xian finally managed after several weeks of struggle.

OMG! Distinction with all 'A's!

Congratulation to Isaiah Kwik! What a pleasant surprise when I collected the March 2013 Electone Exam result yesterday. Well done and cheers!!!

You know what, Isaiah? SURPRISE come with PRESSURE! Hehehe...

Sukirth "Marching Robots"

• After many weeks of struggling and finally you made it. Keep up the good work and let do it again for your next song.

Goh Jun Hui "Can't Smile Without You"

• This Song was recorded by two artists in the 70s, they are The Carpenters and Barry Manilow.
• The last two pages were really tough and I'm very please you have mastered it finally. Keep up the GOOD JOB!

Alvita "Somewhere Out There"

• Drum Sequence and Registration Data done by Alvita and me.
• Do you like this song and enjoy Alvita's performance?

Ee Jia "I Believe 02"

• I have rebalanced the registration data and recorded this song again.
• The Oboe on the original data was way too loud and the Guitar on the left hand was too soft too. After balancing, the left hand's part can be heard clearly now.

Swathi "Sayonara"

• JSFC Book 2

Yi Xian "Doreamon"

• Nicely played but on a closer look, some wrong fingering could be spotted. For example, @ 1:01, I will recommend you to try fingering "12354".

Ee Jia "I Believe"

• A Lovely ballad from the Korean drama "My Sassy Girl" (2001).

• This is one of the scene that I love to watch and hope you love it too. Cheers!!!  ;-)

Xin Yee "A Trapeze"

• Let welcome Xin Yee and this is her first video.
• Well Played and I enjoy your song very much, but remember to curve your fingers slightly if possible.
• Do you like her performance? Please feel free to post your comment below.

Yi Xian "New York City Nights"

• Confidently played with expression and I like the Chorus section where the right hand played on the UK and LK alternately.
• There was a slip on the double notes @ 1:44 ;-(
• Hope you enjoy this dance track and CHEERS!

Prince "Don't Be Cruel"

• Portable KB Course, Book 1.
• There was a slip toward the ending section. On the whole, a great performance.

Xue Zhe "Gavotte"

• Yamaha JSFC Book 2.
• Xue Zhe will be taking the Yamaha Grade 12 Exam this coming June and this is one of his exam song.
• How do you like his performance? Rate it ;-)

Vallen "It Begins Raining"

• This is Vallen first video taken during lesson on 4 March 2013.
• Well played and please do it again ;-)
• Do you enjoy his performance? You may post your comment below.

Jacqueline "You Raise Me Up"

This video was taken during lesson on 29 Jan 2013.

Ren Kai "One Direction One Thing"

• This is Ren Kai own arrangement of grade 8 level. Do you like it?

• This is the original version from One Direction.