Flexible EWI fingerings

ByBret Pimentel

With traditional woodwind instruments, the fingers work together to change the effective length of the instrument’s body tube by opening and closing toneholes. Woodwind fingerings at their most basic use the fingers in sequence. For example, a certain note might be produced with an “open” fingering (all toneholes open). When the “first” finger (the one closest to the mouthpiece) closes a hole, the pitch drops, perhaps by a whole step. Adding the next farther finger drops the pitch again, and so on toward the bell end of the instrument.

“Forked” fingerings, in which a lower tonehole is closed while one above it is open, often produce somewhat inferior results—notes that are mismatched in timbre and/or intonation. (Some modern woodwinds use special mechanisms to correct for this, such as the F resonance mechanism on a high-quality oboe.)

An electronic woodwind-style instrument, such as the Akai EWI series, uses a fingering system that is designed to be similar to a traditional woodwind, so that a traditional woodwind player can easily adapt to it. But this is an arbitrary choice. Since the instrument’s tone production system uses electronic circuitry and software, rather than a vibrating air column, the fingering system don’t necessarily have to use the fingers in sequence, and forked fingerings don’t have any inherent problems. The fingerings can be invented completely from scratch, with no acoustical limitations.

EWI fingerings are designed to draw upon the best of both worlds—the familiarity of traditional woodwind fingerings, and the flexibility of a non-acoustical fingering system.

Note that the current-model EWI4000s, using version 2.4 of the operating system, includes several fingering modes. The mode I am considering here is the “EWI” mode, as the “flute,” “oboe,” and “saxophone” modes sacrifice some flexibility for the sake of increased familiarity to traditional woodwind players. You might consider this article to be subtitled, “Why you should be using the ‘EWI’ fingering mode.”

The current manual (“revision D”) shows a mere 17 fingerings in its EWI mode fingering chart (11 chromatic pitches, with B-flat through D having fingerings in two octaves, and B-flat having one additional alternate fingering). But many, many more are possible.

We can consider the individual EWI keys as having individual functions, rather than being inherently interdependent. For example, pressing none of the keys produces a C-sharp:

C-sharp

Adding any key will alter the C-sharp pitch by a given amount:

key pitch change
(in semitones)		 exceptions
LH 1 -2
LH bis -1 If both LH 1 and LH 2 are pressed, LH bis has no effect
LH 2 -2 If LH 1 is not pressed, LH2 produces -1 (this makes LH middle finger C possible)
LH 3 -2
LH pinky 1 +1
LH pinky 2 -1
RH side +1 No effect when used in combination with LH pinky 1
RH 1 -2 If LH 3 is not pressed, RH1 produces -1 (this makes 1 + 1 B-flat possible)
RH 2 -1
RH 3 -2
RH pinky 1 +1
RH pinky 2 -1
RH pinky 3 -2

If I press LH 1, LH 2, and LH 3, the pitch is lowered from C-sharp by a total of 6 semitones, producing the G fingering familiar to saxophonists, oboists, flutists, and clarinetists.

But that is only one possible combination. I could also produce a G with, for example, LH 1, LH 2, and RH 3. Or LH 3, LH pinky 2, RH 1, and RH pinky 2. These fingerings would be extremely unlikely to work on a traditional woodwind, but with the EWI the possibilities are wide open. As long as the total pitch change adds up to -6 (and accounting for any of the listed exceptions), you get a G.

Standard G fingering.(LH 1 + LH 2 + LH 3) = (-2 + -2 + -2) = -6 = G One alternative G fingering.(LH 1 + LH 2 + RH 3) = (-2 + -2 + -2) = -6 = G Another alternative G.(LH 3 + LH pinky 2 + RH 1 + RH pinky 2) = (-2 + -1 + -2 + -1) = -6 = G

These examples are illustrative but likely have few real-world applications. For a more practical example, consider trills, which among traditional woodwind players are a subject of endless discussion and books upon books of awkward, complicated fingerings. An ideal trill fingering involves moving only one finger, preferably one that can be moved in a rapid, controlled, non-awkward way.

Take a look at the following musical example (one that oboists will recognize).

This passage would be a nightmare to play using only Akai’s 17 listed fingerings, but is easily manageable if you take a moment to work out some alternatives.

Assuming that you are using the “side” B-flat fingering in the first measure, the most obvious A-flat to B-flat trill is to hold the B-flat fingering and trill will LH 3. However, if you prefer, LH 2 will work equally well, as will RH 3 or RH pinky 3. (LH 1 will not work, because of the LH 2 exception; that would produce an A-flat to B-natural tremolo.)

Awkward A-flat to B-flat trills using Akai’s published fingerings. (Alternate the blue and red keys.) A much better trill fingering.

The next problematic trill is F to G-flat in the last measure of line 2. I suggest holding the F fingering and trilling with RH pinky 1. (LH pinky 1 is also serviceable, but I find RH easier because RH 3 is free.)

F to G-flat trill

For the G-flat to A-flat trill in the same measure, I would hold the G-flat trill fingering (standard F, plus RH pinky 1) and trill with RH 1. (Again, there are more possibilities. In many cases the standard A-flat fingering trilling RH 1 would make sense.)

G-flat to A-flat trill

Try that whole measure—the fingerings are unfamiliar at first, but they lie very comfortably under the fingers and make for effortless trills.

Here’s what it sounds like:

Take a little time to experiment with your EWI’s fingerings, and see what you come up with!

Similar Posts

  • Play reeds that fit

    ByBret Pimentel
    Photo, °Florian

    During a rare visit to a music store this week, I overheard a very young clarinetist asking a salesperson to help him locate some unusually stiff reeds. The salesperson was as surprised as was I that the young man was interested in such an extreme equipment choice—but apparently for different reasons.

    “You must be very talented to have moved up to such stiff reeds already,” the salesperson told the beaming prodigy. “How impressive!”

    To me, this is a little like congratulating someone on moving up to a larger hat size. “Oh, it’s nothing, really. I started out in a 7¼, but I worked really hard and now I’m ready for the 7½. But the real greats all wear at least an 8, so that’s where I want to end up.” Bigger isn’t better—you should wear whatever fits your head.

    A clarinet or saxophone reed should be an appropriate fit to the mouthpiece. There are a number of factors that determine what strength of reed is right for a mouthpiece, but, in general terms, most mouthpieces with wider tip openings require softer reeds to get good response, and most mouthpieces with narrower openings need a stiffer reed for stability and dynamic range.

    While each player is of course different, I think sometimes the factor of the individual embouchure is actually over-emphasized. The embouchure doesn’t and shouldn’t need unusual muscular strength to do its job—it requires delicacy and control. If you’re biting and straining against a too-stiff reed, you’re sacrificing both, and both you and your audience are suffering for it. For most mouthpieces, there is a narrow range of reed strengths that is about right, no matter how “strong” you are (or think you are).

    There’s no such thing as “moving up” to a stiffer reed, just “moving” to a different strength to suit a new mouthpiece or to correct an error in your previous reed choice.

  • Oboe reedmaking resources

    ByBret Pimentel
    One of mine.
    One of mine.

    There’s no way around it—if you’re going to be a serious oboist, you have to learn to make your own reeds. Even fine handmade reeds purchased from an excellent reedmaker can’t compete with reeds made to your own personal specifications, suited to your highly individual combination of embouchure, instrument, playing style, and performance situation. A reed is in a constant state of change, from initial scraping until eventual retirement, and needs the daily ministrations of a skilled reedmaker to keep it playing at its best.

    Woodwind doublers who take up the oboe as a secondary instrument will need to learn at least basic reed adjustment techniques in order to have reeds they can count on in professional situations. But if you’re going to learn the mysteries of fine-tuning “finished” reeds, you’re most of the way toward learning the whole process—consider at least learning to tie blanks from cane that you purchase already gouged and shaped. Starting from tube cane gives you even more control over the finished product, but requires the use of gouging and shaping equipment ($1200+, all told).

    There’s no real substitute for learning reedmaking at the feet of a skilled oboe teacher, but here are some of my hand-picked favorite guides and tutorials online. These can serve as a good introduction for a beginner, and more experienced reedmakers may like to cull a few new ideas from the wide variety of opinions and approaches represented here. Read More “Oboe reedmaking resources”

  • Why do I need to use alternate fingerings?

    ByBret Pimentel

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

    Woodwind instruments including the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone all have more than one fingering for some notes. Why is that, and do you need to learn them all? Instead, could you just learn the one main fingering for every note and get really good at using it?

    Here are some things to think about:

    • There’s not always one “main” fingering. For example, the clarinet has its “pinky finger” notes that have left-hand or right-hand options, and you need to know both equally well to play above the beginner level. The flute has “1 and 1” and “thumb” fingerings for B-flat that are both common and standard. The oboe has two or three standard fingerings for F. The bassoon’s thumb and pinky options for F-sharp and A-flat and the saxophone’s “side” and “bis” B-flats are also arguably equally important.
    • Using an alternate fingering can sometimes help avoid awkward movements. One example is flip-flopping (one finger lifting up while another presses down) with F to F-sharp on saxophone or in the clarinet’s middle register. Another is sliding (moving a finger from one key to another) like going from D on the oboe to F with the right-hand F key. Sometimes these awkward movements are unavoidable, but good woodwind players avoid them whenever possible.
    • Alternate fingerings don’t always sound or respond the same. Some do, such as the clarinet’s pinky finger notes, because the pinky keys open and close the same holes. But some alternate fingerings might be a little louder or softer, sharper or flatter, more or less resistant, or brighter or darker in tone. Excellent woodwind players use these differences in artistic ways.

    So alternate fingerings are important and useful. But do you need all of them?

    There can be a lot of alternate fingerings. Advanced bassoonists sometimes refer to a book of fingerings that is over 300 pages long! (There are books for other instruments, too.) Sometimes there can be dozens of fingerings for a single note.

    If you’re currently learning an instrument and using a method book (individual or band method) that has a fingering chart, you could check to see which notes have more than one fingering. It might be a worthwhile challenge to learn all those fingerings, and see if the book gives any hints about when to use which ones.

    If you’re a more advanced student, the music you’re working on might present challenges when fingering patterns get awkward. Take on the challenge of researching lesser-known alternate fingerings that might help. (Sometimes a fingering has both advantages and disadvantages that you have to weigh carefully.) Start collecting useful fingering charts, or compile your own.

    If you have my sights set on playing professionally, then you will need to know lots of alternate fingerings, have good resources to consult when you need more options, and know exactly how each fingering sounds, responds, and tunes on your instrument.

    Good luck!

  • |

    Woodwind Doubler Census results, part 6: benefits

    ByBret Pimentel

    In this installment, we look at why woodwind doublers do what they do.

    Q. What is the greatest benefit of being a woodwind doubler?

    Here’s my own breakdown of the most common types of answers. Many answers fit into more than one category.

    • More gigs: Unsurprisingly, this was a factor for over half of the respondents. However, many if not most indicated some non-monetary motivation:
    • Variety
    • Fun/satisfaction
    • Artistic expression: A number of respondents mentioned the ability to access a variety of tone colors as a motivating factor.
    • Cross-training: Several respondents indicated that playing one instrument improves their skills at another.
    • Challenge

    Here is the complete list of responses, with only very minor editing, in random order.
    Read More “Woodwind Doubler Census results, part 6: benefits”

  • Tonguing and language sounds

    ByBret Pimentel

    Be wary of pedagogical approaches to woodwind articulation that depend on analogies to speech sounds.

    The most common, at least in the English-speaking world, is the idea that tonguing is like saying “too” or “doo.” And certainly there are significant mechanical similarities, especially with “too.” “Doo” doesn’t work as well because it is a voiced consonant, produced essentially the same way as “too” but with vibration of the vocal cords, an undesirable effect for woodwind playing (except for some extended techniques).

    Some teachers recommend something like “too” for crisper articulations and “doo” for gentler ones. If you compare carefully your whispered (unvoiced) “t” and “d” sounds, you may find that they are not, in fact, completely identical. My “t” gives a bit more explosive sound, because I release the entire tongue, and my “d” is softer because I tend to release only the tip of the tongue, keeping the back in contact with my molars. But this difference doesn’t apply to good woodwind playing technique, in which the back of the tongue must be kept independent from the tip in order to manipulate voicing.

    “Loo” is another one that gets mentioned sometimes for gentler articulations. This one also doesn’t work well if taken literally because (1) the “l” sound is voiced and (2) it leaks air around the sides of the tongue. (You can approximate an unvoiced version by whispering “lll…,” but that sound isn’t typically used in English.) A woodwind book I read recently recommends some additional oddities like “droo” or “thoo.” “Droo” doesn’t work well because it has a sequence of two consonant tongue positions, one of which is voiced. “Thoo” (presumably the unvoiced version) leaks air near the tip of the tongue.

    Another point worth making is that consonant sounds in English aren’t necessarily the same as consonants in other languages, so even if we select some workable English consonant sounds, it’s not a given that those are the ideal choices. (Plenty of study has already been done on this topic.)

    And that’s just the consonants. Assuming they are used as a shorthand for describing articulations, with an understanding that they do not precisely represent articulation technique, vowel sounds can still cause confusion. Consider the “oo” in “too.” Vowel sounds are loosely analogous to woodwind voicings, so it is best to match the vowels to the instrument. Is “oo” the right voicing to evoke?

    For low-voiced instruments, an “oh”- or “ah”-like vowel sound is a better match. (“Oh” is still problematic because English speakers pronounce it as a diphthong, two vowel sounds in sequence—this will cause unstable pitch and tone when applied to a woodwind instrument. To avoid this, we must borrow an “o” sound from another language.) For the clarinet, “ee” is the closest match. For saxophones, the vowel sound needs to be somewhere in between, perhaps near the schwa (ə) sound like the “a” in “about.”

    Language sounds can be used only as a very limited analogy for woodwind articulation technique—use them with care.

  • Using electronic harmonization with woodwinds

    ByBret Pimentel

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

    In a recent recital I performed my own arrangement of Ravel’s Boléro for multiple woodwinds soloist using electronics, with piano and snare drum. I used electronics to try to approximate some of Ravel’s harmonies (and timbres), and used what in my mind are three different techniques, which I’ll try to outline here.

    In performance, I used the BOSS GT-1000CORE guitar multi-effects unit to do most of the heavy lifting. I did find that it had difficulty tracking my flute playing (though, surprisingly, it did better with piccolo), so I used an Electro-Harmonix Pitch Fork + to assist with that instrument in particular. I also used a BOSS SY-200 to try to create some non-woodwind tone colors. There are plenty of other equipment options that can achieve similar effects, but you’re on your own to read the manuals.

    All of this was done with a microphone rather than pickups, which was less complicated for quick instrument switches, but did make it difficult to get relatively isolated woodwind sounds into the electronics, which ultimately caused problems with the audibility of some of the electronic sounds.

    The warts-and-all live performance is available on my YouTube channel, but I’ll provide some clearer, isolated examples here. For rehearsal numbers in the orchestral score, I’m referring to the Durand Edition on IMSLP.

    Technique 1: parallel intervals

    At rehearsal mark 8 in the score, horn and celeste play the A theme in octaves, with two piccolos playing in parallel a perfect fifth and a major tenth above the celeste’s highest octave, perhaps in imitation of a pipe organ’s mixture stop.

    To achieve this harmony with electronics, I played the upper piccolo part “live,” and routed the piccolo’s sound into the GT-1000CORE where I split it into two separate signal paths. One got transposed down using a digital pitch shifter to create the second piccolo part. The other got transposed down to the melody pitch and split into octaves, then routed through the SY-200 to turn the sound into something vaguely celeste-like.

    Since the intervals are strictly parallel, this is a pretty straightforward use of pitch shifting: whatever note I play on the piccolo gets transposed to the specified intervals.

    Technique 2: smart harmonization

    At rehearsal mark 16, a thickly-orchestrated ensemble of woodwinds, brass, and strings plays the A theme in harmony. I opted to play this portion on soprano saxophone, thickened and harmonized with a synthesized string section.

    Since the harmony in this section is largely diatonic, I used the GT-1000CORE’s smart harmonizer. I added voices a diatonic fourth and diatonic sixth below in the key of G (like a first-inversion triad), which tracks with the notes in the first part of the theme. But there’s a moment in the first part that uses F-natural instead of F-sharp, and the second part of the melody uses F-naturals exclusively, so I used the unit’s footswitches to change to the key of C major as needed. I routed all of this through the SY-200 to change the three soprano saxophones into a string section sound, with the “live” soprano remaining audible in the room.

    For the key switching, I set one footswitch as a “momentary” switch, so it changes the key just while I’m pressing it, and another as a “toggle” switch, so I can press and release it and the key remains changed. This gives me some helpful options for live performance.

    Technique 3: smart harmonization with custom scales

    The smart harmonizer works well out of the box as long as you want to use notes of a major scale (or mode thereof), but at rehearsal mark 15 Ravel’s harmonization is more complicated than that. Luckily, the GT-1000CORE supports smart harmonization with custom “scales.” What this really means is that I can tell the unit that any time I play a certain pitch, it should add one or more pitches that I can specify arbitrarily. I can add whatever pitches I like to each note of the chromatic scale.

    I chose to play this section on clarinet, using the electronics to turn it into a 3-part clarinet section. During the first phrase, the melody pitches are harmonized in a consistent way: every time there’s a melody concert B-flat it’s harmonized with a G and an E, every time there’s a melody C it’s harmonized with an A and an F, every time there’s a melody E it’s harmonized with a C and a G, and so forth. I can just tell the effects unit which harmony notes to add to each melody note.

    But things change in the first half of the second phrase: melody B-flat is now harmonized with G and D, and C is now harmonized with A and E. To accommodate this I have to create a second custom “scale,” and use a footswitch to activate it at the right time. To finish the second phrase requires a third scale, engaged with another footswitch.

    Because of the flexibility of the custom scale system, I can recreate harmonies that use a variety of intervals. With a little analysis I can figure out where the scale changes need to be (basically anywhere a given melody pitch is harmonized in a new way).

    Additional thoughts

    There are some limitations to using pitch shifters and harmonizers, depending on your equipment. Each virtual pitch shifter and harmonizer in the GT-1000CORE can only add two voices, though by (virtually) splitting the audio signal into multiple paths and passing each through its own shifter/harmonizer I can build thicker chords.

    When trying to reproduce specific harmonies written by a composer, there may be some decisions to make to balance accuracy with practicality. Serendipitously, most of Ravel’s harmony translated fairly easily to the effects unit’s capabilities. But there were a few spots where I decided that certain chord voicings were close enough, and that I didn’t need to complicate things with one more custom scale plus the corresponding onstage footwork.

    As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m more interested in electronic effects that give my woodwinds new capabilities, like polyphony, than in just adding some distortion or echo (though those are also fun). Enjoy!

24 Comments

  1. Thanks for what I hope is turning into a series on wind controllers. I don’t know anyone who as one, which makes it hard to learn what they will do. Do you have any thoughts on the simpler (and less expensive) USB models by Akai and Yamaha. By the way, which patch did you use for the audio clip?

    Reply

    1. Hi JK,

      Definitely keep an eye open for more wind controller stuff here in the future. You might also check out some related links and visit the websites and blogs of some other wind controller players.

      I don’t have anything more than a passing acquaintance with the Akai USB or the Yamaha WX series. My understanding is that the Akai USB has essentially the same capabilities as the Akai 4000s, except that is has to be plugged into a computer and has fewer octave rollers. I don’t know that the Yamaha is any simpler than the Akai, but it is actually more expensive because it requires an external sound module (sold separately).

      For the audio clip, I used the “Phazar” patch (#58) from the Patchman sound bank.

      Thanks for your comment!

      Reply

  2. Great article! I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I have been using the sax fingerings on EWI, mostly because of G#. On sax, the right hand fingers close the G# key even when you keep you have G# pressed, so when I play in sharp keys, I have a tendency to keep my left pinky on the G# key. The sax mode on EWI lets me get away with this, and behaves like a sax, whereas the EWI mode does not.

    Maybe I’ll take a shot at EWI mode again, though. Like you say, the increased flexibility might make the transition worth it. Thanks for the insights.

    @JK – The Akai EWI-USB is indeed similar to the EWI4000s except with 2 less octaves, no built in sound module and connects to a computer via USB, so you don’t need a MIDI interface. It’s ideal if you want to use your computer as your sole sound source.

    Reply

    1. Right—this is the trade-off of the EWI fingerings versus the flute/oboe/saxophone fingerings. The EWI fingerings are powerful but don’t tolerate much laziness.

      For me, there’s enough of a learning curve with the breath control, the octave rollers, etc. that the flute/oboe/saxophone fingering modes don’t smooth the transition to a significant extent. Might as well learn the EWI fingerings while I’m getting to know the instrument.

      The saxophone mode, at least, seems to be the most faithful to “real” saxophone fingerings (you only really lose some palm keys, the side F-sharp, and the low B-flat). The flute and oboe modes are farther from real woodwind fingerings, and could really only become more accurate with hardware modifications.

      Thanks for the confirmation/clarification about the EWI-USB.

      Reply

  3. Bret: Thanks for all your notes. Really appreciated.

    The sound file seems to be outdated and cannot be found. Can you update it, please? I would like to hear it.

    Also, since the EWI fingering is just programmed in (so, there is no need for an specific route to follow since there is not real tubing to be enlarged or shorted to change the pitch, as in any “real” wind instrument…) do you think that it could be possible to program the EWI to form even some other alternative fingering schedule/chart?

    (Going back to the “real” wind instrument that I mentioned before: I think that I should have used “analog” wind instrument instead, since the EWI – at least IMHO – it is a very “real” instrument indeed)

    Reply

  4. I didn’t have any previous woodwind experience before I got an EWI. What I found fastest was to memorize the C maj scale starting with all fingers down, then internalize the +/- halfstep/wholestep “extra” keys. I sometimes run into parts that I have to refinger (trills, as you point out, sometimes), but for 95% of the things I play, this one set of fingers works fine.

    Nice web site, just stumbled across it.

    Reply

  5. I am flautist and started out using the flute fingering but quickly gave up and switched to the EWI fingering a) because I kept on tripping myself up with D (you can’t lift the index finger of your left hand on the EWI and still get a D) and b) because of the way, as Bret says in this article, that you can use the little fingers of both your hands to make difficult transitions easier, for instance playing a C♯ with RH side key to give a D at the top of the octave without having to play over the break.
    Great article. Thanks Bret.

    Reply

  6. I played clarinet originally and started with the EWI fingering from scratch.

    As outlined in this article, there is an abundance of alternate fingerings, either leaving keys open or use of various forks + the side keys.

    I started to write a ‘chart’ for all of them but gave up – it bordered at writing a thesis…

    I found depending on the actual key you are playing in (or the lick) there are some optimal fingerings or rather fingering sequences available – only patience and experimentation (and a good memory) will get you there, but it’s worth it.

    To be able to play e.g. 4 bars of 16th at 180 jumping seamlessly from B to Eb to D then to F# will impress listeners… (as long as it sounds good)…

    PS I have to admit (this is really embarassing) I also ‘cheat’ sometimes: playing a fast lick with e.g. B or Db chords in it I simply leave the left pinky on K6 and ‘play’ C or D ‘scales’ instead, or slaving thru Ab minor I leave pinky on K5 and ‘play’ in A minor … you still need to know what you are doing and when to let go for blue notes/any extra chromatics required… but the EWI does the semitone up or down over a whole range brilliantly.

    Imho whoever designed this fingering system is a genius.

    Reply

  7. Hello and thank you for your article. I’ve had an EWI for a month and I thought I would stick to the saxophone fingering since I would be able to reuse that knowledge later on a real saxophone.
    However, after trying the real thing, I think I’ll stick to the EWI. In that perspective it would be foolish not to take advantage of the EWI fingering. It’s more permissive but in the end, what counts is whether you do good music, not how easily it was obtained. Finally I’m more a “relative” player than an “absolute” one, so notes modifiers is a good way to approach it for me.

    Reply

  8. Hi,
    just to let you know this article (and actually a lot more of them) will be a lifesaver for me, 5 years after it was written.
    I didn’t find the way the keys worked anywere else, and I need this much more than any diagram filled with 200 fingerings ^^

    I’ll be starting EWI in a few days after wanting to play it for a few years(sadly I didn’t have the money etc as a teenager back then) since I discovered artists like Masato Honda or Brecker. Ideally I’ll get to saxophone (but as a college student I’m not allowed to play such a loud instrument and I’d just bother everyone) but you really convinced me to use EWI fingering (I was actually wondering for a while on which one to pick), in hindsight it looks like forthmentionned musicians use the EWI fingering even though they played saxophone when EWI was still lyricon :p (Then again Honda is a monster with 4 different woodwinds and good with others each with different fingerings)

    So really thanks for this.

    Reply

  9. Not completely relevant, but I just got a Kentron MIDI USB HOST that allows me to play the EWI USB through my Alesis QSR without a computer.

    Reply

    1. This seems to be what I have been looking for to connect my EWI-USB directly to my Roland MIDI synth. How did it work for you? And does the Kenton adapter appropriately power the EWI? Thanks!

      Reply

  10. I AM UNABLE TO LOCATE THE 9 PAGES OF FINGERING CHART DIAGRAM FOR THE AKI EWI 4000 HORN CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME

    Reply

  11. Finding this article was for me like a blind man regaining sight! I’m new to the Akai-USB EWI, and only intermediate on woodwinds in general, so your explanation of adding/subtracting tones from C# was very enlightening to me; as you say, make whatever fingerings work for you! Thank you.

    On a side note, I’m looking for a way to plug my Akai EWI-USB into my 1980s Roland MIDI synth. Not only do I need some sort of USB-B male (or USB-A female) to MIDI male cable, but I also need to power the EWI. Do you know of any such adapter out there? Thank you again. (And yes I will check out the Kentron MIDI USB HOST that someone mentioned.)

    Reply

  12. Where in gods name can I find a complete fingering chart for EWI mode? Seems like the manual omits so so many options.

    Reply

    2. Since the EWI allows (from B to D#) 16 ‘tones’ in one ‘go’ and humans got 10 fingers, the resulting number of fingering possibilities can’t be unlimited , but of course it would be a hell of a lot of permutations. Most of those would result in ‘unfriendly’ and / or dud fingerings, but quite a few are very useful.

      Here is a chart which may add a few fingerings to the ‘repertoire’: (by M.G. Bauer):

      http://mjbauer.biz/REMI%20Bauer%20EWI%20Fingering%20Chart.pdf

      Reply

      1. hey that looks great! i’m a little confused by the app though. Looking at C#, I don’t see the “open” fingering (IE no keys pressed should be C#). It’s also unclear from the shading of keys which indicate pressed and which don’t.

        I’ve since been OK on the fingering front, but think this is a great app. I think you should add a key to it to help folks understand.

  14. Thanks for the great article. It has really helped me with learning to play EWI as a first instrument.

    I happened upon one more interesting key behavior that may interest you. You list LH 1 as having an effect of -2 semitones. What I find in EWI Standard fingering mode is that if LH 2 is pressed then LH 1 has the effect of -3 semitones.

    I don’t know how much musical value this has, although I can say that the Beatles song “Hard Day’s Night” has a recurring 3 semitone interval that can be done with one finger using LH 1.

    Ed

    Reply

    1. Hi Ed, if you take a closer look I think you’ll see that the behavior you describe is accounted for in my model (note the “exceptions” for LH2). Pressing LH2 alone has an effect of -1 semitone. Adding LH1 drops the pitch another 2 semitones, plus cancels the LH2 exception, for a total of -4 semitones. That’s a difference of -3 semitones between the two notes.

      Reply

  15. Dear Sir
    I am an amateur musician. My instruments are the clarinet and saxophones. I woul like to digitize them for time reasons.
    I have seen his lessons on the internet: very interesting.
    Is it possible to first set the buttons on the AE-10 or AE-30 so that in addition to the
    sax I can practice clarinet fingering? Or is better AKAI EWI SOLO?
    Thanks a lot for your answer and I extend my congratulations and my best regards.

    Armando Bersani

    Reply

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