Most people have a sense of how musical instruments work. Even non-musicians know that banging on a drum makes it boom, and blowing into the mouthpiece of a saxophone makes it bellow. People can see the stick strikes the drumhead. They can see the keywork on the horn moves, when the keys are pressed. It is all very intuitive. But an electronic instrument like the EWI5000 is not so intuitive. The EWI has no moving parts, and its tone generating facilities are buried deep within the device. That the official manuals published by Akai Professional are difficult to understand does not help, either.
This book is for the musicians who are interested in electronic wind instruments in general and the EWI5000 in particular. It explains the functions of the EWI’s various sensors, synthesiser components, audio effects, and external connections. It gives a visual map of the EWI’s maze-like menus, and shows how to configure the hardware parameters. And it describes the similarities and the differences between the EWI and the traditional wind instruments. But this book is not meant to replace the official Akai publications. It is also not a tips-and-tricks book that teaches you how to make fancy balloon animals out of the EWI, and it is not an instruction book that teaches you music theory fundamentals. It is focused on the technical information about the EWI, the sort of information not found in the official manuals, the sort of information you can use to decide whether the EWI is right for you if you have not already purchased one, the sort of information you can use to explore the numerous musical possibilities if you did purchase one. My target audience is amateur musicians interested in electronic wind instruments.
I discuss the similarities and differences between traditional wind instruments and electronic wind instruments in the Introduction chapter. I also give an overview of the electronic wind instrument brands.
Next, I provide the technical details about the instrument in the chapter EWI5000. There, I describe the sensors, the synthesiser components, the audio effects, the MIDI basics, the MIDI controller functions, the hardware configuration options, the menu structures, the external hardware connections, and the maintenance tips.
In the Playing chapter, I provide detailed fingering charts for the full range of each instrument the EWI supports: the flute, the saxophone, the oboe, and the trumpet. Then, I explain playing and experimentation techniques for the EWI.
And in the Add-Ons chapter, I give a brief introduction to various hardware and software that you can use with the EWI. These include external audio equipment, external synthesisers, live loopers, and digital audio workstations (DAWs).