Akai's EWI USB Wind Controller
One of the hardest things about learning a wind instrument (especially brass) is just learning how to create a decent sound.
Fingerings are easy. It’s the sound quality that betrays the amateur or beginner.
Well, imagine being able to play a wind instrument, such as a clarinet or flute or trumpet, without having to go through all the work of learning how to create a decent sound.
Enter Akai’s EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) USB Wind Controller.
I bought one of these a few weeks ago, and it’s been a blast!
Here’s how it works: your breath controls the volume… and you program the instrument to accept fingerings of the wind instrument of your choice. (I have mine set to the default EWI Standard, which is pretty much the same as saxophone fingerings.)
So… I’ve been practicing all my trumpet music while sounding like a clarinet… a flute… a saxophone… a muted jazz trumpet… even a sarrusophone… along with various synthesized sounds.
And that’s the great fun of this instrument. By learning one instrument, you have access to a world of sonic possibilities (like keyboard players have)… accept you have more of the expressive capabilities of a wind instrument, which creates a much more realistic sound.
With a keyboard, you hit a key… and that’s pretty much it. Not much else you can do. But with a wind controller, you can shape the note with your breath… even add some vibrato if you wish. The downside is, while you gain more expressive capability than a standard keyboard, you still don’t have quite the range of expression and subtle timbral changes that a real clarinet, for example, offers.
While the quality of the virtual instruments are better than most (they’re pretty darn good, actually), it’s still a less than perfect imitation of the real thing. The real power of this instrument is its versatility… and the ability to create much more expressive MIDI mockups of music intended for a live band or orchestra.
Despite its limitations (all instruments have them), I love playing my EWI and I can’t wait to play a gig with it!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent work. You have gained a new reader. I hope you can keep up the good work and I await more of the interesting posts.
Thanks, Sandy! Glad to know someone out there is paying attention.