Yamaha Keyboard / Digital Piano News

Yamaha Tyros4 Keyboard Free Performance DVD – Edited by James Woodcock [VIDEO]

James Woodcock — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:04:17 +0000

In the last few months of 2011, I had the pleasure of working with the Yamaha Club in association with Yamaha UK to produce a free DVD. The DVD which is only available from select UK Yamaha dealers is currently either very low in stock or has even completely run out due to demand in [...]

Ending Music Featured in The Shamutanti Hills – Original Track By James Woodcock [Shop]

James Woodcock — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:06:46 +0000

The iPhone & iPod Touch game Steve Jackson’s Sorcery – The Shamutanti Hills featured music I composed and now you can purchase the ‘Ending’ music from this page. You can hear a preview of the track in the video below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8XfJydQkcQ Warning: This music is for personal use...

Lovely Loco Music Original Composition by James Woodcock [Shop]

James Woodcock — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:46:02 +0000

Featured in the Train Simulator 2012 podcast, the music I created for the end sequence is now available to purchase. A video previewing the track can be played below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkvPJS79A-A Warning: This music is for personal use only and must not be re-sold or used within any media format without...

I Interview Hosts of Nicola & Roger’s Annual Student Christmas Concert [VIDEO]

James Woodcock — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:00:34 +0000

Yesterday evening at the Richard Herrod Leisure Centre in Nottingham, Nicola Ross and Roger Hagarty hosted the Annual Student Christmas Concert – giving Nicola’s students a chance to perform in front of an audience, while also raising money for Avalon Guinea Pig Rescue. In this video, I interview Roger Hagarty...

James Sargeant at the Bonington Theatre – Yamaha Tyros4 Keyboard Played as an Organ

James Woodcock — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:20:38 +0000

Yesterday evening, James Sargeant (courtesy of Roger’s Music – Nottingham) entertained a large group of Yamaha keyboard enthusiasts at the Bonington Theatre in Arnold by playing the Tyros4 keyboard (the current Yamaha flagship model). Over roughly 7 years, you can imagine the amount of demonstrations I have...

New ‘Tips From The Top’ Tutorial DVD Released – Produced by James Woodcock

James Woodcock — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:49:38 +0000

Released today for sale is my latest tutorial DVD I have produced for the Yamaha Club with Glyn Madden. Tips from the Top – Volume 1 is a first edition in a new series of DVDs I am creating with the Yamaha Club and Glyn Madden – covering Yamaha keyboards and digital pianos: Yamaha artist [...]

Meeting with Yamaha Corporation of Japan – Future Development of Keyboards

James Woodcock — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 10:47:37 +0000

In July 2011, Glyn Madden (Editor of the Yamaha Club Magazine) welcomed a contingent of designers from Yamaha’s Japanese team to their home, which included Mr. Eiji Murata (Assistant Manager of EKB Product Development Department) and Ms. Kyoko Ohno. I was also invited to this fact finding meeting due to my years of...

Yamaha Club Announces Upcoming Tutorial DVDs – Presented by Glyn Madden & Produced by James Woodcock

James Woodcock — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:44:06 +0000

Glyn Madden, Editor of the Yamaha Club Magazine has announced that we are both working on a new series of tutorial DVDs for owners of Yamaha keyboards and CVP Clavinova digital pianos. Titled ‘Tips from the Top’, the new DVDs will be released this year hosted by Glyn Madden and produced by myself. In...

Glyn Madden of the Yamaha Club Magazine Says Farewell to my Yamaha Keyboard Website

James Woodcock — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:51:31 +0000

Glyn Madden, Editor of the Yamaha Club Magazine has been kind enough to write a few words regarding the recent closure of my own independent Yamaha keyboard and digital piano enthusiast website. James is a difficult act to follow because his honesty and integrity will be hard to match – and it’s these qualities,...

Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner – Fully Closed, Yet Not Quite!

James Woodcock — Sat, 14 May 2011 13:35:26 +0000

Within the next 24 hours, YPKO will be closed permanently, however you will be pleased to know that I have salvaged all of the podcasts, many of the articles and reviews written by myself and transplanted them right here on my personal website. Shortly, all Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner related domain addresses will...

I Announce Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner Closure – Six Years Comes to an End

James Woodcock — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:59:18 +0000

After over six years in existence, the website I own and administrated – today sees the announcement of its eventual closure that will be completed in May 2011. This was an incredibly difficult decision as this Yamaha keyboard and digital piano enthusiast website has been a very big part of my life and has evolved...

The Yamaha WX11 Digital Wind Instrument – A Breath of Fresh Air [VIDEO]

James Woodcock — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 15:05:17 +0000

My local Yamaha music dealer who specialises in keyboards, digital pianos and classic organs asked me to record and edit a short video today of him playing the Yamaha WX11 digital wind instrument. When this device was first released, it was the era of FM quality voices – notorious for their pretty basic...

Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror Music – Keyboard Fun with the Credits

James Woodcock — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:52:57 +0000

I believe it is fair to say I am a huge Broken Sword fan, a title that sits proudly among the point and click adventure gaming genre. Captivated by the delights of George and Nico as they were both hurtled into a world of mystery and suspense – there is one part of the game [...]

Yamaha Clavinova CVP-509 Promotional DVD I Produced Now Available

James Woodcock — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:36:48 +0000

Late last year, Yamaha UK requested that the Yamaha Club and I produce a DVD presenting their latest flagship digital piano, the Clavinova CVP-509. The DVD included with the August / September 2010 of the Yamaha Club Magazine and other recent publications details the many wonderful features and musical qualities of this...

Lemmings Game Music Live Performance on the Yamaha Tyros3 Keyboard by James Woodcock

James Woodcock — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:27:53 +0000

Nearly a year ago, I played the Simon the Sorcerer theme on the Yamaha Tyros3 keyboard. Recently I taught myself another piece of gaming music nostalgia, this time from the classic puzzle game Lemmings. Using a bank of registration memory settings that I created, a Premium Style accompaniment, multipads, a range of voices...

My Yamaha Club Tutorial DVD Selection Trailer for Yamaha keyboard and Digital Piano Owners

James Woodcock — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:45:38 +0000

The Yamaha Club in association with Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner (owned by James Woodcock) have released three tutorial DVD offerings so far, providing you with all the essential information you will need if you are going to get the very best from your Yamaha instrument. The tutorials are relevant to a wide range of...

I Release My Third Yamaha Club Keyboard/Digital Piano Tutorial DVD

James Woodcock — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:43:59 +0000

After months of hard work, the third Yamaha Club Tutorial DVD presented by Glyn Madden has recently been made available for sale on their website, which was edited by myself. Using multiple cameras, over 100GB of assets and 16 hours of video footage it wasn’t the easiest project I have ever taken on, in fact [...]

YPKO Podcast #10 – New Yamaha Instruments October 2009 with James Sargeant

James Woodcock — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:03:39 +0000

The Yamaha UK Product and Promotions Manager James Sargeant has joined me in the latest Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner audio show to discuss the latest instruments announced including the PSR-S710, PSR-S910 and the Clavinova CVP-500 Series. We discuss the impressive sounds, vast array of styles, the latest technology and...

I Play the Simon the Sorcerer Theme Live on Yamaha Tyros3

James Woodcock — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:01:15 +0000

In 2007, I received permission from Simon Woodroffe allowing me to enhance the music to be used on the fabulous ScummVM program. I fancied playing a ‘live’ version for you though, so here I am in High Definition playing the main theme from Simon the Sorcerer using the Yamaha flagship keyboard, the Tyros 3. I...

The Inspiration Behind ‘Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner’ Video – I Explain My Enthusiasm for Yamaha Keyboards

James Woodcock — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:02:14 +0000

I am the owner and Editor of ‘Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner‘ and today I decided to record myself through the webcam and built in microphone on my computer, creating a little live video with no fancy editing, just explaining why I began this independent Yamaha keyboard and digital piano website. I hope you...

My Yamaha Club & Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner (YPKO) Online Magazine Article

James Woodcock — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:02:02 +0000

My Yamaha Keyboard and Digital Piano enthusiast website celebrated its 4th Anniversary just before the New Year and in that time, boasts over 8500 members, 157,000 community posts and 14,000,000 hits. I have a lot to celebrate as my website increases in popularity, while also enjoying co-operation with the Yamaha Club and...

Yamaha Club Magazine Mention – Yamaha Tyros3 DVD I Produced Receives Great Reviews

James Woodcock — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:17:20 +0000

When I was asked to produce a Yamaha Tyros3 promotional DVD, I was excited and a little daunted by the prospect for a few reasons. This was my first venture into promoting anything through the use of video, it was to be my first widescreen DVD (previous ones were in 4:3 format) and I had [...]

Yamaha Club Magazine – My Yamaha Club and YPKO Online Article

James Woodcock — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:12:22 +0000

Not forgetting I also run a successful Yamaha keyboard and digital piano enthusiast website, Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner and Glyn Madden’s the Yamaha Club feature vast resources for enthusiasts. In the latest issue of this bi-monthly magazine, I inform members of the new Yamaha Club website that I am building...

My Yamaha PSR-S500 Keyboard Introduction

James Woodcock — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:30:10 +0000

The Yamaha Club have released a fully featured free sample, which just happens to include my introduction to the PSR-S500 keyboard: “I’ve played the Tyros2 for about a year and have to admit that, initially, I was not wildly excited at the prospect of spending some considerable time with a ‘baby’...

YPKO Podcast #9 – Peter Baartmans Interview, Tony Ross CD and New IDC Styles

James Woodcock — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:01:09 +0000

In the latest YPKO Podcast, Peter Baartmans joins me to talk about his role as a worldwide demonstrator for Yamaha keyboards and digital pianos. Peter is well known on the Yamaha circuit due to his many events and presentations that have been featured on the Internet through the official Yamaha website and of course the...

When I Am Not Gaming, I Am Creating…

James Woodcock — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:02:10 +0000

Yamaha Club Weekend trailer advertising their next event in 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUT3FbaPVjA Related Posts Yamaha Club Magazine – My Yamaha Club and YPKO Online Article Not forgetting I also run a successful Yamaha keyboard and digital piano enthusiast website, Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner and Glyn...

YPKO Podcast #8 – Yamaha Regi-Stick Plus Interview

James Woodcock — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 10:57:29 +0000

In our latest podcast (audio show), I interview James Sargeant, who is the Product Specialist from Yamaha UK. Discussing primarily the new Regi-Stick Plus, James talks us through the features of this latest software offering from Yamaha. The new Regi-Stick is designed for the Yamaha Tyros 2 allowing owners to expand their...

YPKO Podcast #7 – PSR-S900 and CVP-400 Series Demos

James Woodcock — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 10:54:10 +0000

The Yamaha UK Marketing Manager of the Electronic Keyboard Division, joins me on the phone to discuss primarily the new Yamaha Clavinova CVP-400 digital piano range, PSR-S series keyboards and the Modus H01. This podcast also features sound demonstrations from the PSR-S900 and Clavinova CVP-405! This edition features the...

YPKO Podcast #6 – MusicPad Pro Interview with Bernard Perry

James Woodcock — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 13:39:35 +0000

In June 2007, I interviewed Bernard Perry where he announces the new way of storing your sheet music digitally, which makes it far simpler locating your favourite pieces you like to perform. This may be used for any instrument, but as I also run a Yamaha keyboard and digital piano enthusiast website with nearly 7500 [...]

My Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner Re-Launched

James Woodcock — Fri, 25 May 2007 07:01:26 +0000

After quite a few months of hard work and sleepless nights, my Yamaha Personal Keyboard Owner website has re-launched with a brand new design and extra features. Although gaming has always been a great pastime and pleasure, I also have a great fondness of keyboard playing and have done for quite a few years now. [...]