Venova is a new type of wind instrument that can be started with ease, yet produces an authentic sound. A fun new wind instrument that blends the simplicity of recorder with the sound of a saxophone. The Alto Venova makes it easy for anyone—even beginners—to make smooth voice. Easy to start Light and compact design for portability Washable with water and easy to clean Easy fingering similar to recorders Authentic sound Rich, expressive tone like saxophones and a full blowing sensation Spans a range of two octaves even with its simple structure YVS-120 (Alto Venova) Play your favorite tunes with the smooth voice of the Alto Venova. With a larger size than the YVS-100, the Alto Venova makes it even easier for beginners to make music Features With a "branched pipe" added to the cylindrical bore, the tone of a conical bore instrument (e.g., saxophone) is achieved in compact size. A meandering pipe is used to shrink the distance between tone holes for a simplified structure to minimize the use of keys. Easy fingering similar to recorders that is easy to play even for those who are new to wind instruments. The body made with ABS resin is durable and washable with water. With a Durable resin reed and synthetic pads (for key parts), cleaning is easy. The upper and lower sections of the body can be separated for easy cleaning.
Venova is a new type of wind instrument that can be started with ease, yet produces an authentic sound. A fun new wind instrument that blends the simplicity of recorder with the sound of a saxophone. The Alto Venova makes it easy for anyone—even beginners—to make smooth voice. Easy to start Light and compact design for portability Washable with water and easy to clean Easy fingering similar to recorders Authentic sound Rich, expressive tone like saxophones and a full blowing sensation Spans a range of two octaves even with its simple structure YVS-120 (Alto Venova) Play your favorite tunes with the smooth voice of the Alto Venova. With a larger size than the YVS-100, the Alto Venova makes it even easier for beginners to make music Features With a "branched pipe" added to the cylindrical bore, the tone of a conical bore instrument (e.g., saxophone) is achieved in compact size. A meandering pipe is used to shrink the distance between tone holes for a simplified structure to minimize the use of keys. Easy fingering similar to recorders that is easy to play even for those who are new to wind instruments. The body made with ABS resin is durable and washable with water. With a Durable resin reed and synthetic pads (for key parts), cleaning is easy. The upper and lower sections of the body can be separated for easy cleaning.
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The lowest price for Yamaha YVS-120 Alto Venova Wind Instrument right now is $384.50 at desertcart.com.au.
The all-time low was $179.00 on 27 Feb 2026 — today's price is 115% above the lowest ever. It has been notably cheaper before — worth setting a price alert.
Yamaha YVS-120 Alto Venova Wind Instrument
Venova is a new type of wind instrument that can be started with ease, yet produces an authentic sound. A fun new wind instrument that blends the simplicity of recorder with the sound of a saxophone. The Alto Venova makes it easy for anyone—even beginners—to make smooth voice. Easy to start Light and compact design for portability Washable with water and easy to clean Easy fingering similar to recorders Authentic sound Rich, expressive tone like saxophones and a full blowing sensation Spans a range of two octaves even with its simple structure YVS-120 (Alto Venova) Play your favorite tunes with the smooth voice of the Alto Venova. With a larger size than the YVS-100, the Alto Venova makes it even easier for beginners to make music Features With a "branched pipe" added to the cylindrical bore, the tone of a conical bore instrument (e.g., saxophone) is achieved in compact size. A meandering pipe is used to shrink the distance between tone holes for a simplified structure to minimize the use of keys. Easy fingering similar to recorders that is easy to play even for those who are new to wind instruments. The body made with ABS resin is durable and washable with water. With a Durable resin reed and synthetic pads (for key parts), cleaning is easy. The upper and lower sections of the body can be separated for easy cleaning.
Venova is a new type of wind instrument that can be started with ease, yet produces an authentic sound. A fun new wind instrument that blends the simplicity of recorder with the sound of a saxophone. The Alto Venova makes it easy for anyone—even beginners—to make smooth voice. Easy to start Light and compact design for portability Washable with water and easy to clean Easy fingering similar to recorders Authentic sound Rich, expressive tone like saxophones and a full blowing sensation Spans a range of two octaves even with its simple structure YVS-120 (Alto Venova) Play your favorite tunes with the smooth voice of the Alto Venova. With a larger size than the YVS-100, the Alto Venova makes it even easier for beginners to make music Features With a "branched pipe" added to the cylindrical bore, the tone of a conical bore instrument (e.g., saxophone) is achieved in compact size. A meandering pipe is used to shrink the distance between tone holes for a simplified structure to minimize the use of keys. Easy fingering similar to recorders that is easy to play even for those who are new to wind instruments. The body made with ABS resin is durable and washable with water. With a Durable resin reed and synthetic pads (for key parts), cleaning is easy. The upper and lower sections of the body can be separated for easy cleaning.
Prices last updated 15 Sept 2026.
Last updated at 15/09/2026 20:49:56
Yamaha YVS-120 Alto Venova Casual Wind Instrument
Delivery between 22–25 Sept $29
originally posted on musiciansfriend.com
First of all I am not a professional musician. If you are like me you will find that overall the Venova is great fun to play!! Don't be discouraged by the plastic reed it comes with. I could hardly get a note out but after purchasing regular Soprano Sax reeds I was able to begin enjoying the instrument. It took a little getting used to .... lots of squeaks and barks in the early going but after rebuilding and adjusting my embouchure those squeaks are now few and far between. There are no pads like a real sax so your finger pads must cover the tone holes completely (like a recorder) or the instrument will bark back at you. I find some intonation to be troublesome like the F and F# which I think are pretty far off. High upper register notes are also a bit of a problem ... MoreFirst of all I am not a professional musician. If you are like me you will find that overall the Venova is great fun to play!! Don't be discouraged by the plastic reed it comes with. I could hardly get a note out but after purchasing regular Soprano Sax reeds I was able to begin enjoying the instrument. It took a little getting used to .... lots of squeaks and barks in the early going but after rebuilding and adjusting my embouchure those squeaks are now few and far between. There are no pads like a real sax so your finger pads must cover the tone holes completely (like a recorder) or the instrument will bark back at you. I find some intonation to be troublesome like the F and F# which I think are pretty far off. High upper register notes are also a bit of a problem so I tend to avoid playing pieces that require those higher notes.
originally posted on ebay.com
I'm not a pro so unless you have a powerful embouchure it will take you a while to get used to the instrument. It took a little while but after a few months I'm beginning to get the hang of it. I'm having fun with my Venova after I replaced the plastic reed that came with it because I could hardly get a sound out of it. Again that's because of my current embouchure. Other than that I like it a lot.
originally posted on ebay.com
This is a little deceiving instrument, first of all it is very well constructed with high quality materials. Then comes the hard part it is not easy to play even when they say its fingerings are like a recorders it is an entirely different instrument however after practicing hard it starts to give you better and better sounds. Advice buy some fine reeds for soprano saxophone (2.5) and it will improve notably the quality of sound and make it easier on the player. It is highly portable, water resistant, sounds beautifully and is NOT EASY to play but with some practice is NOT HARD TO LEARN.
| Is Oversized | No |
| Instrument | MIXED INST |
| Composer/Series | CASUAL WIND INSTRUMENT |
| Production Status | 2 |
Yamaha YVS-120 Alto Venova Casual Wind Instrument
Delivery between 22–25 Sept $29
First of all I am not a professional musician. If you are like me you will find that overall the Venova is great fun to play!! Don't be discouraged by the plastic reed it comes with. I could hardly get a note out but after purchasing regular Soprano Sax reeds I was able to begin enjoying the instrument. It took a little getting used to .... lots of squeaks and barks in the early going but after rebuilding and adjusting my embouchure those squeaks are now few and far between. There are no pads like a real sax so your finger pads must cover the tone holes completely (like a recorder) or the instrument will bark back at you. I find some intonation to be troublesome like the F and F# which I think are pretty far off. High upper register notes are also a bit of a problem ... MoreFirst of all I am not a professional musician. If you are like me you will find that overall the Venova is great fun to play!! Don't be discouraged by the plastic reed it comes with. I could hardly get a note out but after purchasing regular Soprano Sax reeds I was able to begin enjoying the instrument. It took a little getting used to .... lots of squeaks and barks in the early going but after rebuilding and adjusting my embouchure those squeaks are now few and far between. There are no pads like a real sax so your finger pads must cover the tone holes completely (like a recorder) or the instrument will bark back at you. I find some intonation to be troublesome like the F and F# which I think are pretty far off. High upper register notes are also a bit of a problem so I tend to avoid playing pieces that require those higher notes.
I'm not a pro so unless you have a powerful embouchure it will take you a while to get used to the instrument. It took a little while but after a few months I'm beginning to get the hang of it. I'm having fun with my Venova after I replaced the plastic reed that came with it because I could hardly get a sound out of it. Again that's because of my current embouchure. Other than that I like it a lot.
This is a little deceiving instrument, first of all it is very well constructed with high quality materials. Then comes the hard part it is not easy to play even when they say its fingerings are like a recorders it is an entirely different instrument however after practicing hard it starts to give you better and better sounds. Advice buy some fine reeds for soprano saxophone (2.5) and it will improve notably the quality of sound and make it easier on the player. It is highly portable, water resistant, sounds beautifully and is NOT EASY to play but with some practice is NOT HARD TO LEARN.
The most important thing to understand about the Venova is that it is not meant to be a "serious" instrument. It's "casual" not only in the sense of being durable and portable, but also musically. It's described as having "recorder fingering", which it does, sort of. But some of the notes not on the C major scale are impossible to produce using recorder fingerings alone. Specifically, Bb, Ab, and Gb are about 80% embouchure and 20% fingering. That is, the recorder fingerings won't produce these notes. At best, they'll give you somewhat less than a quarter tone lower than the unflatted note. To produce the actual pitch you want you need to bend the rest of the way using embouchure. This is doable but challenging. On the whole, the pitch on the Venova is very ... MoreThe most important thing to understand about the Venova is that it is not meant to be a "serious" instrument. It's "casual" not only in the sense of being durable and portable, but also musically. It's described as having "recorder fingering", which it does, sort of. But some of the notes not on the C major scale are impossible to produce using recorder fingerings alone. Specifically, Bb, Ab, and Gb are about 80% embouchure and 20% fingering. That is, the recorder fingerings won't produce these notes. At best, they'll give you somewhat less than a quarter tone lower than the unflatted note. To produce the actual pitch you want you need to bend the rest of the way using embouchure. This is doable but challenging. On the whole, the pitch on the Venova is very unstable, requiring a lot of embouchure to play in tune, even the notes of the C major scale. This isn't entirely surprising given the short length of the instrument. A C soprano sax would be a challenge too. But the limited effect of the recorder cross-fingerings will be a disappointment to many, so be prepared for that. And be prepared to need a lot of embouchure tension to play the high notes in tune. High B and C are a challenge to produce at all, although I'm still experimenting with reeds. Low Db and Eb are keyed notes,so no problem with intonation there. Bottom line: It's a fun but casual instrument with some limitations. Don't expect a concert-quality instrument and you won't be disappointed. And expect to have to work with it for a while to play in tune. And you'll probably want to try some cane reeds as alternatives to the plastic reed supplied.
The plastic reed is too stiff and neither my alto sax or b flat clarinet reeds fit well enough to use it. This is certainly not for beginners. The sound I am able to produce sounds like when I was 12 and learning to play ( I'm 65 now). The hype on the reviews I believe are misleading. I could not produce anything close to the you tube review from Yamaha. A big disappointment, was hoping this would travel. It will probably sit in my closet. Not worth the money.
As someone who never really learned woodwind instruments, I wanted something to practice on, something I could take on a picnic or on a road trip, and something I could eventually use to record or play out once I got good enough.The instrument SOUNDS good. As has been mentioned elsewhere, though, if you want to play anything other than the key of C, several of the sharps and flats are noticeably off! This really limits its utility for me; as a beginner I don't see myself using my skills to overblow certain notes into the right pitch.I still think it is worthwhile for me, as the rest of it is great. It's really light, has a great little case, is way easier to play than a real saxophone. But be warned the intonation issue might drive you crazy
The Alto Venoba is more like an Alto Saxophone replica. With rich sound and something different, enjoyable wind instrument that offers mellow natural sound. It is very easy to learn and master. I would recommend from the student beginner level to a professional music level. Indeed has been a wonderful discovery of an instrument.
The Yamaha Venova is the coolest and latest instrument from Yamaha. It combines the simple fingering of a recorder, either German or Baroque, with the powerful rich sound of a Soprano sax. It comes complete with a mouthpiece, ligature, mouthpiece cap and synthetic reed. It also comes with a cleaning swab, which is used to clean the inside of the instrument. The case that the Venova comes in is well made. It comes with an adjustable strap which is used to carry it over your shoulder.Cleaning the instrument is simple. The mouthpiece and reed can be cleaned using a gauze pad. The inside of the instrument is cleaned with the included cleaning swab. The mouthpiece and instrument body are washable. If you plan to wash the Venova, I recommend washing it by hand in a ... MoreThe Yamaha Venova is the coolest and latest instrument from Yamaha. It combines the simple fingering of a recorder, either German or Baroque, with the powerful rich sound of a Soprano sax. It comes complete with a mouthpiece, ligature, mouthpiece cap and synthetic reed. It also comes with a cleaning swab, which is used to clean the inside of the instrument. The case that the Venova comes in is well made. It comes with an adjustable strap which is used to carry it over your shoulder.Cleaning the instrument is simple. The mouthpiece and reed can be cleaned using a gauze pad. The inside of the instrument is cleaned with the included cleaning swab. The mouthpiece and instrument body are washable. If you plan to wash the Venova, I recommend washing it by hand in a kitchen sink. Use cold water. After washing it this way, use the cleaning swab to remove any excess water from inside the instrument. Never, under any circumstances, run the Venova through a dishwasher.
Really not a bad sound at all. You do need to have a good sax embouchure to get a good sound, so if you are a beginner or lapsed sax player like me then you will have to work hard on developing this and it can sound unpleasant quite often.It seems a bit better at playing in tune than the soprano venova. It has a "half hole" key to facilitate the F# fingering which is really welcome as the soprano relies much more on changing embouchure to get this note. The half hole unfortunately makes the f# a bit woolly sounding. Might have been nicer to have a different system, perhaps a side key that opened up a full hole in the correct place. However, with an increase in air pressure the sound is acceptable.Ab and Bb which are a bit problematic on the soprano are played ... MoreReally not a bad sound at all. You do need to have a good sax embouchure to get a good sound, so if you are a beginner or lapsed sax player like me then you will have to work hard on developing this and it can sound unpleasant quite often.It seems a bit better at playing in tune than the soprano venova. It has a "half hole" key to facilitate the F# fingering which is really welcome as the soprano relies much more on changing embouchure to get this note. The half hole unfortunately makes the f# a bit woolly sounding. Might have been nicer to have a different system, perhaps a side key that opened up a full hole in the correct place. However, with an increase in air pressure the sound is acceptable.Ab and Bb which are a bit problematic on the soprano are played with cross fingering but sound well and are fairly in tune. All other sharps/flats are pretty good using the keys lower down.Getting a clear sound in the upper octave can be challenging, certainly harder than a sax, but possible with some work and embouchure adjustment.I'd recommend switching to a familiar alto mouthpiece and reed to make it easier to play. The mouthpiece and plastic reed it comes with are OK, but better to have something you are used to.All in all a good investment - not too expensive and light and portable. Just don't impose it on a listening public until you have got used to it!
The Venova is a funny little saxophone/recorder mix. It sounds pretty decent, although the intonation is a little spotty in some notes.However, the synthetic reed it comes with is bad. it is substantially harder to get a sound out of, compared to a normal reed. First I thought the instrument was bad, then I thought I was bad, but eventually came to the realization that it was probably the reed. Even making a sound with the mouthpiece was hard. Once I bought new reeds, it became so much easier to play.The mix between saxophone and recorder is interesting, and took a little bit of getting used to for me, as a saxophone player. There are no pads to cover the holes on the body of the instruments, like under the buttons of a saxophone. Your fingers need to cover the ... MoreThe Venova is a funny little saxophone/recorder mix. It sounds pretty decent, although the intonation is a little spotty in some notes.However, the synthetic reed it comes with is bad. it is substantially harder to get a sound out of, compared to a normal reed. First I thought the instrument was bad, then I thought I was bad, but eventually came to the realization that it was probably the reed. Even making a sound with the mouthpiece was hard. Once I bought new reeds, it became so much easier to play.The mix between saxophone and recorder is interesting, and took a little bit of getting used to for me, as a saxophone player. There are no pads to cover the holes on the body of the instruments, like under the buttons of a saxophone. Your fingers need to cover the hole entirely, or the note will not come out right. But if you have any experience with the recorder, it probably will not be a problem for you.I am pleasantly surprised with the sound of the instrument. While it is made of plastic, it still retains a good amount of saxophone sound, if that makes any sense. I'm not a professional though, so if you have a better ear for saxophone sounds, you may disagree. The intonation is a little messy in the higher notes, and also in the accidentals, like b flat. This can be fixed with adjustments to your embouchure and the force of air you blow.With all of this being said, I do enjoy the venova. While it's advertised as a 'casual wind instrument' I actually would not recommend it as a first instrument to learn. Similarly to the soprano saxophone, the embouchure makes a very big impact on your sound, making it harder to play in tune.
| Is Oversized | No |
| Instrument | MIXED INST |
| Composer/Series | CASUAL WIND INSTRUMENT |
| Production Status | 2 |
