Alberto Iglesias has been nominated for the Oscar for best soundtrack for his incredible score to 2011’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. This is the Spanish director’s third nomination following The Constant Gardner in 2005 and The Kite Runner in 2007.

The tense and brooding atmosphere of Iglesias’ work has been applauded both for how it compliments the film’s visuals and on their musical merit as a stunning collection of engrossing cues.

Online, listeners report it to be the perfect accompaniment to reading the original John le Carré novel, the inspiration behind the summer’s hit spy thriller and the preceding TV series of the same name.

Critics have been enamored by Iglesias’ reworking of classic suspense cinema tropes, freshened up with his own modern twists: you can hear the knife-edge pursuit music of the 1970s and the smoldering tension of film noir.

With his tactile usage of unnerving dissonance and breathless changes of pace, Iglesias has captured the dramatic and bleak essence of cold war espionage and intrigue in this claustrophobic and visceral score.

Alberto also provided the soundtrack to  The Skin I Live by Pedro Almodovar, which has also been nominated for Best Film Not In the English Language by BAFTA.

You can purchase the official piano solo book to the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy soundtrack at musicroom.com

Did you watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in the cinema? How did Alberto Iglesias’ score add to your experience?

Keyboard players and pianists now need only an iPad to play their favorite songs along to real band accompaniments.

As usual, technology is leading the way for hobby musicians who want to expand their playing experience with NoteStar: a brand new and free app that gives keyboardists the power to summon their own backing band at will.

Whilst the hobby guitarist can head off at will with their six-string in hand, the keyboard player is often more limited in their mobility, making casual jamming and band practice with others a chore. Now, with professionally recorded backing tracks and vocals synchronized to the hands-free sheet music on-screen, the band experience can instead be brought to the keyboards.

Another problem often faced by players who do manage to find transport over to practice, is the band politics and power dynamics of the jam room. From the struggle for supremacy between lead guitarists and singers, to unstoppable sax soloists and the bassist intent on pushing their own arrangement upon the ensemble, keyboardists either find themselves shunted to the margins looking for the quiet life or drafted into the role of group diplomat. Of course, if you take away the musicians, you take away the arguments, giving full control to the musician behind the keys, distraction free.

With playback options that include A-B looping, track muting, metronome toggle, adjustable tempo, and managable individual track levels and transposition control, the keyboard player can tailor the accompaniment to their needs and preferences. The app, as you’d expect, displays in both portrait and landscape orientations, and features resizable and scalable text and sheet music size for easy reading.

There are already 200 songs available to purchase through the app at £2.49 each. The catalogue features chart-topping hits and classic favorites, specially selected for keyboard players with 20 new tracks added each month.

NoteStar is available now for free on the Apple app store for all iPad owning keyboard players. Check out the demonstration video below:

Up Close & Personal (UCAP) with Chris Wibrew at Musicroom Portsmouth, Sat 3rd & Sun 4th Dec

Friend and colleague of Musicroom Portsmouth, Yamaha’s genial Chris Wibrew will once again be returning to the store in Dec (Sat 3rd & Sun 4th) to offer 1-2-1 demonstrations on all the latest Yamaha Digital Pianos and Keyboards.

This is a super opportunity for anyone considering purchasing a Yamaha keyboard instrument to have a unique and thoroughly enjoyable experience with Chris who will be demonstrating Yamaha’s finest all weekend.

For more information or if you would like a personal demonstration, please call us on 02392 863792 and we’ll book you into your own time slot on either Sat 3rd or Sun 4th Dec. Call early to avoid disappointment as spaces are limited.

There will be a £10 voucher prize to the first customer who visits the store during our weekend and tells us the obvious error within the photo above of Chris. A clue would be to look carefully at the instrument Chris is playing!?!

On this day in 1973, Elton John started an eight-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the singer’s seventh album and third US No.1. Recorded at the Château d’Hérouville, the album contains the Marilyn Monroe tribute, “Candle in the Wind”, as well as three successful singles: “Bennie and the Jets”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, and “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”.
Reginald Kenneth Dwight had arrived. America loved him, the world loved him.

Reginald was raised in Pinner, Middlesex in the council house of his maternal grandparents. His parents did not marry until he was six years old, when the family moved to a nearby semi-detached house. He was educated at Pinner Wood Junior School, Reddiford School, and Pinner County Grammar School until age 17, when he left just prior to his A Level examinations to pursue a career in the music industry. His father, who served as a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force, tried to steer him toward a more conventional career, such as banking.

That’s an interesting thought – Elton John working behind a desk in a high street bank, humming the tunes in his head that the world would never hear. That’s a very sad thought; I can’t imagine a world without the music of Elton John. No “Your Song”, “Daniel”, “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting”, “Rocket Man”, “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”, “Crocodile Rock”, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. I’ll be honest here, I don’t own one Elton John record, but I know his music so well, from the radio, TV, and, well… I grew up listening to Elton John.

I remember hearing “Your Song” for the very first time and like Dylan and Springsteen, you knew there was something special about that voice. Okay, Bob and Bruce never wore platform boots, ridiculous glasses or bright yellow satin pants, but maybe they should have!
Elton John is an entertainer, and a great musician.

I was lucky enough to meet him once in the middle of winter in 1982, in a very cold Helsinki, Finland. I was working there at the time, blagged some tickets to see him in concert, and through a friend was invited back to his hotel for drinks and dinner with Elton and his band. I was in my early 20s and I’d never met anyone so famous before. I was nervous, but I had no need to be. Elton was the perfect host and by chance I happened to sit opposite him during dinner. I had a great night. We talked for ages about his two passions: music and football. The only goof I made was when after the meal I offered Elton a cigarette. He said, “No thanks, I don’t smoke but I love fags,” to which I didn’t get the joke and proceeded to make a complete fool of myself.

Back to Elton. At the age of 15, with the help of his mother and stepfather, Reginald became a weekend pianist at a nearby pub, the Northwood Hills Hotel, playing Thursday to Sunday nights for £35 a week and tips. Known simply as “Reggie”, he played a range of popular standards, including songs by Jim Reeves and Ray Charles, as well as songs he had written himself.

In 1964, Dwight and his friends formed a band called Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was backing touring American soul and R&B musicians like The Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Billy Stewart, Doris Troy, and Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles. In 1966, the band became Long John Baldry’s supporting band.

Dwight answered an advertisement in the New Musical Express placed by Ray Williams, then the A&R manager for Liberty Records. At their first meeting, Williams gave Dwight a stack of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, who had answered the same ad. Dwight wrote music for the lyrics, and then mailed it to Taupin, beginning a partnership that still continues to this day. In 1967, what would become the first Elton John/Bernie Taupin song, “Scarecrow”, was recorded. When the two first met, six months later, Dwight was going by the name “Elton John” in homage to Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.

I’m so pleased Reggie didn’t take his father’s advice and get a day job, and I’m sure the 30+ million people who’ve bought Goodbye Yellow Brick Road would agree. They don’t make Elton Johns anymore; name me one other artist who writes his own music, can look good dressed as Donald Duck, wears oversized pink spectacles, and is still taken seriously. Which is such a shame as the world would be a much happier place if their were more Reggies.

Please come and join us for our extra-special Piano Event this coming Wednesday 26th October!

Guest presenter Rob Bailey will be showing the latest models and explaining why Yamaha remains a market leader after more than a century of manufacture.  Having been in the industry for over 20 years, Rob has an extensive knowledge of the complete range of Yamaha keyboards and digital pianos, and is able to demonstrate a wide variety of playing styles.

Our current range includes Yamaha Keyboards from just £99! and Yamaha Digital Pianos from just £499!

You might also like to take this opportunity to experience firsthand the much-revered Tyros4, with its newly improved sounds and features.

We are also running a pre-christmas sale, with hundreds of sheet music titles across all genres from just 50p!

For more information, or to confirm attendance, please call the Salisbury store on 01722 322278, contact us by e-mail on salisbury@musicroom.com or RSVP on facebook.

Don’t forget to speak to Rob or a member of musicroom Salisbury staff on the day, to receive your free gift!

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Yours truly,

Heather

Store Manager

Musicroom is the UK’s leading music retailer, with 18 stores nationwide and a thriving online shop servicing musicians around the world 24/7.

Our store in Stratford Upon Avon now has an outstanding opportunity in its piano department for an outstanding person. If you are passionate about music, can play the piano and love the buzz of retail, then we want to hear from you!

Competitive package and excellent career development opportunities available for the successful applicant.

Email your CV and covering letter to stratford@musicroom.com

YAMAHA at MUSICROOM PORTSMOUTH - Exciting news from Musicroom Portsmouth.

We have just had an amazing refit within our Digital Piano and Keyboard Department creating a striking and tantalising environment for you to view a wider selection of Yamaha instruments alongside other top brands including Roland, Korg and Casio.

Great prices, knowledgeable and helpful staff together with first class before and after sales service.

Come down to Musicroom Portsmouth and see and experience the improvements.

The Swanage Jazz Festival has swung into the seaside town for another year, showcasing some of the most respected jazz acts and up-and-coming artists.

Running from July 8th to 10th, the event saw one thousand tickets sold each day as lifelong jazz fans and people new to the music genre enjoyed a weekend of relaxing music and sunshine.

The festival began with an afternoon Jazz Cruise, featuring the Dave Brennan Jubilee Jazz band and the Great Western Jazz Co.

Marquee 1 featured an evening-long set by John Maddock’s Jazzmen with John Hallam, while other venues across the town saw acts including Ian Shaw, Terry Seabrook Milestones and the Andy Dickens Quintet.

Festivities opened on Saturday with a traditional brass band parade through Swanage with Dave Brennan’s Jubilee Jazz Band, while other highlights included Martin Litton’s Red Peppers and Brass Volcanoes, which was particularly well-reviewed.

As well as the marquees, pubs and clubs in Swanage hosted jazz evenings, including sets by Alton College Big Band.

Closing the weekend was an appearance by local acts like the Dorset Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Sussex Jazz Kings, while the Gilad Atzmon Orient House Ensemble also performed in a packed-out venue.

Headlining Marquee 1 and closing the festival was a tribute to jazz king Louis Armstrong by pianist Keith Nichols and his jazz quintet.

The three-day weekend is non-profit making and was set up by a group of jazz fans 22 years ago. Sponsorship comes from local businesses and the PRS Foundation for New Music, although much of it is funded by ticket sales.

Fred Lindop, the artistic director of the festival said that the collections taken during the parade go to children’s charities Julia’s House, Casa Alianza and Afrikids, of which £2,000 was raised at last year’s festival.

Two Yamaha Silent Cellos will travel with pop legend Elton John this year after his cellist band section selected the instruments.

The SVC110 instruments were chosen by Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, who will join the band for the tour, which will take in the UK, Europe, Asia, Canada and the US.

Elton is well-accustomed to the manufacturer and will also take his Yamaha piano on the tour with him, as well as his staple five-man band: drummer Nigel Olsson, percussionist John Mahon, bassist Bob Birch, guitarist Davey Johnstone and keyboard player Kim Bullard.

Once the first leg of the tour is over, Elton will have a one-month residency in Las Vegas before taking on a challenging second leg to Russia, Ukraine, Australia, New Zealand and back to Asia.

Speaking of the addition of the striking Yamaha cellos to the tour, Elton’s front of house sound engineer Matt Herr said: “Incorporating the Yamaha cellos into the mix has added a new dimension to what is a great rock ‘n’ roll band.

“Before we’ve done string parts from keyboards, so live strings bring something extra and has made me go back to basics with how I mix the show.”

The cello features a special chip that produces a rich tone, creating a virtual auditorium environment without any external processing equipment. They also quickly break down for easy transport.

Meanwhile, Georgian pianist Marina Nadiradze is preparing to perform a special fundraising concert with pianist Philip Jenkins in London later this month (July 26th).

They hope to raise funds for a baby girl being treated for Ewing’s Sarcoma at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Nadiradze will play a Yamaha piano supplied specially for the event, which comes after she performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 21 in C Major with the Milton Keynes City Orchestra on a specially commissioned Yamaha CFIIIS Concert Grand Piano.

Musicroom Salisbury is delighted to be hosting an in-store performance of  Six Pianos, composed by Steve Reich, on 28th May 2011. Sarah Collins and her friends will be here for much of the day working on the piece, with a full performance scheduled for 3.15pm.

Discover our Steve Reich sheet music selection

From Wikipedia:

Six Pianos is a minimalist piece for six pianos composed by Steve Reich. He later made an arrangement for six marimbas, called Six Marimbas.

The piece begins with three pianists playing different notes to the same 8-beat rhythmic pattern. Then two more pianists begin to play the same pattern shifted two beats out of phase. (Phasing is a prominent technique in most of Steve Reich’s work.) Different phase shifts of the same motifs fade in and out of the ever-changing musical texture for the duration of the piece.

Six Pianos has three sections, separated by relatively sudden changes of tonal center, though they all use the same seven pitch classes of the D major diatonic scale. The first section is in D major, with the tonality anchored in place by a persistent pattern of D and A in the bass. Then that pattern slowly fades out, leaving a B minor tonality which serves as a short transition to the second section in E Dorian. A sudden transition leads to the third section in B natural minor. Six Marimbas follows the same structure, but is transposed down by one semitone so that the piece opens in D flat major and concludes in B flat natural minor.

Yamaha

Clavinova Launch Event Featuring Chris Wibrew

Saturday May 21st 2011

• Banks Musicroom bringing you the brand new Yamaha CLP
• Classic grand piano experience with exciting digital piano technology
• In store demonstrations all day with Yamaha expert Chris Wibrew
  
• For more details please call 01904 658836

Following a successful world tour showcasing his recent album Nightbook, Ludovico Einaudi has been busy preparing a follow up record taking a fresh look at some of his classics.

His phenomenal CD sales and ability to sell out major concert halls worldwide are confirmation that Einaudi is one of classical music’s success stories of recent years.

Featuring a collection of old and some new recordings, The Essential Einaudi album is sure to be as popular as the composer’s other work.

“I have a lot of new material for the future that is there and I’m really happy that I took time and found the right concentration that is often so difficult to find,” he told Classic FM.

The Italian composer revealed that the new work takes a lot of influence from his past work and from the countries visited on his recent world tour.

“I discovered new material, a new part of music that I didn’t know before and obviously it is very delicate how you take this material because it is like restoring something that is very precious,” Einaudi explained to the news provider.

“The way you act and you interact with it is very important. You have to, in a way, preserve its integrity and its beauty and at the same time you have to interpret it in a new direction.”

After studying at the Conservatory in Milan, Einaudi spent several years composing in traditional forms. In the mid-1980s he began to search for a more personal expression in a series of works for dance and multimedia and later for piano.

His music is rooted in the classical tradition with the addition of elements derived from pop, rock, folk and contemporary art. His melodies tend to be evocative and have a high emotional impact.

With a rich heritage of traditional piano manufacturing dating back to the late 19th Century and a reputation as leaders in digital music and audio technology, Yamaha is uniquely qualified to develop the latest generation of pianos. 

Digital pianos, first introduced in the 1980s, use electronic waveform generation to emulate the sound of their acoustic counterparts. They never need tuning, can be used for silent practice on headphones and in many cases, can play other instrument sounds too. Plus many models are light and portable, making them ideal for professional musicians.

Yamaha were pioneers in the use of sampling to further enhance the accuracy of their digital piano sound. ‘Sampling’ is a technique where multiple recordings are made of a real piano and stored on memory chips. These recordings can then be played back by the keyboard. But the tone of a single piano note changes when you play it louder or more softly. Using intelligent software, and still more samples, Yamaha is able to reproduce this effect to generate a digital piano sound which is indistinguishable from it’s acoustic source. On some instruments, even the sampled sound of sympathetic string, damper and soundboard resonance is used to complete the illusion.

For purity of purpose in digital pianos, look no further than the Yamaha CLP Clavinovas. CLP models are chosen by many of the world’s leading music schools and conservatoires, yet with a wide selection of cabinet styles and finishes, including the new slim line variant they are equally suited to home use.

Digital electronics also present many more opportunities to the musician, especially in the home. Today’s CVP Clavinova range offers literally hundreds of different instrument sounds, including drums and many automatic accompaniments that make you sound and feel like you have a whole orchestra behind you.

There’s a price advantage too. The latest P-Series models pack amazingly realistic sounds into compact, portable packages, perfect for the gigging musician, home studio setups or simply the joy of playing piano.

By adding more features, sounds and backing styles, the DGX range of ‘Portable Grands’ combines piano functionality with workstation performance for home music producers.

Meanwhile the Arius range is a great introduction to Yamaha’s digital piano family and includes many of the features of our top models yet is affordable to beginners and students alike.

To view our full range, take a look at our website or call into your local store to try out the amazing sounds for yourself.

Are you finding yourself short of reasons to complain about the government this week?!

How about the fact that at the end of this month they are withdrawing the Arts Council support for the fantastic ‘Take It Away’ instrument finance scheme. No longer will you be able to take your instrument of choice home for just a 10% deposit, with the benefit of completely interest free repayments each month.

But don’t despair just yet. There is still time to buy that guitar you’ve been ogling, or the piano you always promised yourself. The scheme is available until the end of March on any instrument purchase between £120 and £2000*. You simply can’t lose: It’s quick and easy to apply, the instrument is yours to take away on the day, and you don’t pay a penny in interest.

Want to find out more about how you could take home a Fender Strat for less than £50 a month? Maybe a Yamaha PSR-E323 (the world’s best selling keyboard) - it’s yours for just £14.90 per month. Drop into the Portsmouth Musicroom store where the staff will be delighted to answer any questions and guide you through the process.

This scheme will only be available for the remainder of March. Don’t miss out!

*Subject to status. Terms and conditions apply. Ask instore for full details.

Sir George Shearing, the legendary jazz pianist and composer, sadly passed away aged 91.

The young George was born congenitally blind, the youngest of nine children, in 1919 Battersea. The only formal music education he ever received was four years training at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind. While his talent won him a number of university  scholarships, he was forced to turn them down in favour of a more financially productive pursuit – namely playing in the local pub for just a few pounds a week.

Through his performances, he met a jazz critic who helped George get his first airtime on BBC radio. However, George’s fortunes turned when he moved to America in 1947.

Within a couple of years he had established himself state-side with his famous ‘Shearing Sound’.

The Shearing sound — which had the harmonic complexity of bebop but eschewed bebop’s ferocious energy — was built on the unusual instrumentation of vibraphone, guitar, piano, bass and drums. To get the “full block sound” he wanted, George had the vibraphone double what his right hand played and the guitar double the left. That sound came to represent the essence of sophisticated hip for countless listeners worldwide who preferred their jazz on the gentle side.

After the overnight success of  ‘September in the Rain’ which was recorded by the George Shearing Quintet for MGM, George became one of America’s most popular performing and recording artists.

He went on to lead a full life with his wife, singer Ellie Geffert, and continued performing in to his 80s (including for three US Presidents!) and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC, a GRAMMY and was knighted in 2007 for ‘Services to Music’.

After a fall, George had been living in a nursing home, and his passing was due to heart failure. He leaves behind his devoted wife Ellie and a musical legacy.

George Shearing – Please Give Me Someone To Love
Uploaded by Delta_Mike. – Watch more music videos, in HD!

The most recent additions to our ‘Wall of Keys’ here at Musicroom Portsmouth are two flagship keyboards from Casio – the WK6500 and WK7500. These high spec instruments offer an unrivalled selection of features at this price point.

Up to 800 instrument voices and 250 accompaniment rhythms not enough? These keyboards offer the ability to edit a range of parameters and options to create your own custom sounds and rhythms. Want to record your compositions and performances? A built in 16 track sequencer with a range of editing tools gives complete flexibility to arrange complex pieces, before saving them straight to an SD card.

The WK6500 is exclusive to Musicroom stores, and currently retails at an incredible £299 – a saving of £100 on the RRP! Additional features include an arpeggiator, auto harmoniser and a full range of digital effects including delay, wah, flanger et al. No other keyboard can boast so many high end features at such a great price.

The WK7500 adds additional tones and rhythms, an upgraded audio system, and a set of real-time drawbar organ sliders – a feature never normally seen on sub-£1000 instruments. These give the fine and instant control over your organ tones that only sliders can provide. All this for only £449 – save £50 on the RRP!

Both these keyboards are available to hear, play and buy at the Musicroom Portsmouth store – drop in to see them for yourself!

Roland FP7FBK Digital Piano, Epic Exquisite Extraordinary Extastable Deal !!

Whilst stocks last, Portsmouth Musicroom are offering the awesome Roland FP7BK at an incredible £999, that’s a full £600 off it’s SRRP £1599

It’s so good that we made up a word !

Hurry before we sell out. Only 3 left.

http://www.roland.co.uk/products/productdetails.aspx?p=856

Disproving the theory that less is more, the Nord Electro 3 has been presented with a leading industry award during the recent NAMM 2011 show in California.

Packed full of exciting new features and gizmos, the versatile modelling keyboard has won a Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Award in the Best Musical Instrument Technology/Hardware category.

Voted for by members of various professional organizations and audio industry websites, the nominees for the awards are originally put forward by a panel of industry professionals.

Nord’s Electro 3 series features a modelled organ section, fantastic pianos, which are compatible with the Nord Piano Library and a selection of extremely versatile effects, a feature that allows the Electro 3 to use any samples from the Nord Sample Library.

“The demands from a performing keyboard player haven’t really changed all that much, good quality never goes out of style. We just want to offer you some of the best stuff we have, in an affordable and easy-to-use instrument. We hope that you will have as much fun owning and using the Electro 3, as we have had developing it,” Nord explains.

Musicians will find that they are able to get the Electro 3 in a 73-note or 61-note version, both of which feature the semi-weighted ‘waterfall’ keyboards.

The TEC Awards are a major awards scheme acknowledging the achievements of audio professionals. It aims to recognise the contribution made by individuals, companies and technical workers behind the sound of recordings, live performances, films, television, video games and other media.

Meanwhile, another winner in the TEC Awards was Solid State Logic which picked up two accolades in the Large Format Console Technology category and the Small Format Console Technology category.

Instrument manufacturer Casio has announced its range of new high-grade keyboards, the CTK-6000, CTK-7000 and WK-7500.

All three models feature Casio’s new AHL sound chip, which is said to bring a new level of sound quality to the manufacturer’s keyboards. The range also features Casio’s ‘box’ style piano keys, which make them ideal for players used to the piano.

The CTK-6000 Keyboard boasts 670 high-quality sounds which simulate genres from classical to dance. Meanwhile, the CTK-7000 and WK-7500 feature 800 voices, with 50 organ presets. Both these models also feature rotary effects and second and third harmonic percussion.

Added to this, a new rhythm and accompaniment section gives the user unparalleled access to hundreds of high quality and fully orchestrated backing styles, all of which include introductions, fill-ins, variations and endings, across a wide variety of genres, from rock through to Latin American.

The CTK-7000 and WK-7500 also offer an audio recording feature, so the musician can record from external sources thanks to the ‘Inst-In’ and ‘Mic-In’ terminals

A 16-track song sequencer, 32-channel mixer, tone editor and various digital effects allow for total flexibility and give players true creative power. Beginner players will also benefit from the logical panel layout and easy operation system, Casio says.

Andy Carvill, Casio EMI’s divisional manager, said the company has always had a focus on bringing innovation to the market, while still making its instruments accessible to beginners and seasoned pros alike.

“Casio were actually the first manufacturer to introduce the keyboard to the UK market,” he added.

“Since then, innovation and value have been at the forefront of the company’s product development, including highly technical but user-friendly instruments aimed squarely at the developing and devoted musician.”

Jamie Cullum, the British musician responsible for helping introduce young people to jazz music has revealed how the Korg Stage Vintage Piano (SV-1) has become a key instrument of his recently.

“The SV-1 is my primary practice keyboard,” said Cullum, “so it’s the first thing my tour manager puts in my dressing room in the morning – I walk in and it’s there. Another reason for having the SV-1 back stage is that I’ve been writing a lot while on the road. I’ll be back in the studio early next year to begin recording the material I’m currently composing. I’m using the SV-1 for over three hours a day, so I actually play it more than my stage piano.”

Jamie was also keen to praise the SV-1’s key weighting, as well as the weight of the instrument itself and its easy portability. On stage, the Wavedrum is the Korg instrument most frequently played by Cullum and it has also become an important studio tool of his. “I am very fond of getting loops and drum beats going to write over,” explained Jamie, “and quite often, I start with a Wavedrum loop and improvise to a click for five minutes. It’s so creative because it speaks to the way I work, which is to improvise. You can hit almost any part of it and get a sound.”

The Microsampler is another Korg product that has caught Cullum’s attention. “I’m loving the Microsampler – it’s just ripe with possibilities. It’s an incredible little instrument. There is so much you can do with it and it’s really intuitive. I’m just getting to grips with it and contemplating the possibility of sampling strings from my album and using them for gigs.”

Source: www.mi-pro.co.uk - Adam Savage, 8th December 2010

The Yamaha CFX concert grand piano continues to notch up international acclaim and success on the concert platform, most recently at the highly prestigious Pederewski Competition in Poland.

By the third stage of this important competition over 90% of competitors selected the CFX. This increased to 100% at the final stage as Yamaha Scholar Eduard Kunz was awarded first prize! This achievement marks a significant milestone for Yamaha in the UK as it is the first time that the CFX and a Yamaha scholar have come together at the highest level. Whilst at the Royal Northern College of Music, Eduard received financial assistance through the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe Scholarship programme.

The CFX selected by Eduard was the same instrument that recently triumphed in the Chopin Competition at the hands of winner Yulianna Avdeeva.

This year’s competition was particularly significant since it marked 150 years since the birth of Jan Ignacy Pederewski who, as well as being one of the world’s greatest pianists, served as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Polish Republic in 1919.

The event also provides valuable additional exposure for the CFX to the world’s top artists and academics. The jury at the Paderewski Competition is made up of some of the world’s most respected and accomplished concert pianists. It is chaired by Piotr Palezny and includes Japan’s Noriko Ogawa who has recently performed at Yamaha’s prestigious International Piano Series in Malvern.

Mike Ketley, commenting on this most recent CFX triumph, said, “The CFX is now really building up an exceptional reputation amongst the world’s elite artists and academics. We are particularly thrilled that we had two Yamaha successes at the Paderewski and congratulate Yamaha Scholarship winner Eduard Kunz on his fantastic achievement.”