Information AboutEwi |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT EWI | |
| akai synthesizers | |
| electronic music instruments | |
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The EWI (an . The current model, EWI 4000S, combines the two parts into one, placing the synthesizer in the lower section of the controller. It uses the Boehm Fingering System and is designed to be similar in action to a Soprano Saxophone , although players familiar with the clarinet should have no problem adjusting to the fingering. Like a soprano sax, it is straight, and is held in front of the body with a neck strap. The major manufacturers of wind controllers are Akai and Yamaha . Available models include the AKAI-EWI3020, AKAI-EWI4000s, Yamaha WX-5, Yamaha WX-11, and Yamaha WX-7. There is also a controller intended to be played by Brass instrumentalists called an EVI (for '''E'''lectric '''V'''alve '''I'''nstrument). The Akai EWI4000S has a special EVI mode that allows brass players to play the EWI. There are also homemade and experimental EWIs with different designs. The wind controller part of the EWI has a Mouthpiece with sensors for air pressure ( Volume control) and lip pressure ( Vibrato ). The EWI Keys do not move, but work through Conductivity , sensing the positioning of the fingers by electrical current; this allows for very fast playing. The Octave is determined by a set of rollers operated by the left thumb. The wind controller is used to control a synthesizer. Some EWIs have to be attached to a specific synth module, and some have direct output to the MIDI interface. It is also possible to connect the EWI to a Digital Work Station (soundboard) to produce an even larger variety of sounds. Though it is usually associated with Jazz/rock Fusion and, more recently, with New Age Music , the EWI is a musically versatile instrument. The air pressure sensor allows for great Dynamic range, especially in combination with an Analog Synthesizer . Tonal Range is also great, usually extending to 8 octaves. PERFORMERS Skilled EWI players include '' and movies including '' Finding Nemo '', '' Ocean's Eleven '' and '' Ocean's Twelve ''. Another semi-famous EWI player is regular flautist for The Polyphonic Spree Audrey Easley; the instrument can be heard on such songs as "A Long Day Continues/We Sound Amazed" on the band's 2004 album Together We're Heavy and more extensively in their 2007 album The Fragile Army . Since the late 1980s the EWI has been well known to fans of the Japanese Fusion (J-Fusion) band T-SQUARE as a lead instrument. All three of the band's Saxophonists double on EWI. T-SQUARE has included 2 or 3 new compositions for EWI on each of their albums. Before recent times, the EWI was particularly foreign to the U.S. population, mainly seen in Japan. But slowly (and surely!) the EWI is becoming increasingly popular in the United States and is becoming more introduced. The EWI has also been heard on select jazz radio stations as of late! Even ethnic musicians, like catalan Xufu {Link without Title} , are playing intensively the infinite possibilities of last EWI 4000S, beyond the limits of traditional sounds. VIDEOS
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