Here it is! The undisputed list of the most popular
Yamaha Premium Styles,
ever! Looking over the list, it's easy to see that these Styles are as diverse as the wonderful musicians that are using them. Genres on this list range from classic
Blues,
Rock, and
Pop, to
50's era Ballroom,
Swing music from overseas, and even
Reggae! It just goes to show how powerful
Yamaha Premium Styles can be when loaded into the instruments of the people who enjoy them.
Without further ado, we present the most popular
Yamaha Premium Styles of
ALL TIME!
US Smooth Ballad
Smooth is definitely the perfect word to describe this style. Whether you use it to play jazz or pop, what you'll get is a laid back sound with sparse, tasteful drumming, bass and guitar over which you're free to play your own solos.
French Swing
Django Rheinhardt created a unique form of swing that was distinctive not only in instrumentation (prominently featuring guitar and violin, with no drummer) but also in the type of harmonies and melodies used in the songs. Rheinhardt's music is the inspiration for this style, featuring great violin and guitar figures, and the addition of some light drumming. Featured voices include jazz accordion, violin, clarinet, and vibraphone.
50's Quickstep
Transport yourself back to ballroom dancing of the 1950s with this up tempo quickstep style. The "Quickstep" referenced in the name of this new style is a ballroom dance similar to the foxtrot - very fast and characterized by quick movements and runs. As such, this style is ideal as an accompaniment for ballroom dancing. Since the quickstep is usually danced to big band or swing music, though, this style, which puts Yamaha's background vocal sounds to great use and features a spirited backing from strings and guitar, is beautifully arranged for anyone looking to play some energetic jazz.
50's Twist
With the youthful rebellion of exciting, raucous music and the dance to go along with it, the twist sums up perfectly the feel of early rock and roll. You can easily create the same feel easily with this style, which puts doo wop backing vocals at the forefront of the accompaniment. For a more piano heavy take on the twist, try the 60s Twist style.
The Blues
The quintessential and best selling Blues Style of all time at Yamaha Musicsoft! The rhythm boasts dual guitars and some organ stabs in addition to the groovy shuffle and pentatonic bass line. One Touch settings include clean and dirty lead guitars, a warm organ, and bluesy harmonica!
Detroit Ballad
Some of the biggest ballads of the 60s came out of Detroit and Motown records. Detroit put a distinctive soulful pop spin on ballads in songs like "My Girl", and "I Second That Emotion" that you can hear in this style. Using lots of backing vocals alongside prominent drums and horns, the Motown sound is unique but sounds great accompanying a wide variety of ballads.
Reggae Jam
You really can't talk about Reggae music without talking about Bob Marley. The Wailers,(a band featuring Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer) successfully made the transition through Ska and Rocksteady music before becoming one of the most quintessential Reggae groups of all time. The Reggae Jam Premium Style is inspired by one of Bob Marley and the Wailers biggest hits: "Jamming", though it is extremely versatile in the Reggae genre. This Style features electric piano, warm organ, and vintage guitar sounds so you can jam along!
50's Big Band
A more relaxed yet precocious style of Big Band music had taken shape in the 1950's. Pioneered by band leaders such as Count Basie, 50's era swing produced amazing musicians like Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, and too many others to name. This Style has a gentle, matter-of-fact swing quality that makes it really unique. Clarinet voices are featured prominently in addition to a breathtakingly authentic Big Band brass section, and the world famous Yamaha piano sound.
Soft Piano Beat
The softer side of rock is no less versatile. Here we have a light, airy Style that lends itself easily to ballads, but it suits any mid-tempo piano rock tune with a few taps of the tempo button. Though this Style is based on Katie Melua's "The Closest Thing To Crazy", I quickly played through some of my favorite ballads including "Everything I Do(I Do It For You)" and "Unchained Melody", just to have fun trying some familiar songs with a new Style. Soft Piano Beat builds consistently through each variation, with One Touch Settings that match the added layers of complexity with subtle intensity. Featured voices include the world famous Yamaha Grand Piano, soothing flutes, and a warm string section
Status Rock
It's a burning hot blues rock style with some unexpected bells and whistles! Status Rock was inspired by the 1977 Classic Rock hit "Rockin' All Over The World" by Status Quo(Though written and originally recorded by John Fogerty). The driving blues rock vibe of this Style gives it a real fist-pumping quality, which is complimented by the subtle vocal harmonies that enter the second variation. My favorite variation is the fourth, where the entire Style transforms to give us dramatic synchronized hits that create a high energy moment, while leaving space for little bluesy licks. The One Touch Voice Settings could not be more perfectly paired! You get two scorching lead guitars, a rock organ, and a golden saxophone!
Disco Celebration
The disco music of the 70s is all about big speakers, big shoes, and living the high life: at heart, disco is all about celebration. And with unmistakable treble heavy disco guitar style, along with funky bass and horn lines make this style perfect for celebrating anything at all.
Acappella Swing
A capella music appears most often these days in the form of barbershop and vocal jazz. The a capella swing sound has been taken up recently by groups like Take 6 and the Manhattan Transfer, and this style is a perfect accompaniment to use in creating your own a capella tracks. Using only human voices for harmony and finger snaps for percussion, this style recreates the sound of a barbershop quartet with amazing realism and expressiveness. Add your own voice to create new "a capella" songs!
Yamaha Premium Styles are available exclusively from
Yamaha MusicSoft and
Internet Direct Connection. If you didn't find something that suits your needs on this list,
check out the entire catalog!
~Drew
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