I am back from the 2017 NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show in Anaheim, California–and for those of you in Indiana, you had better weather this past weekend than we did, believe it or not!! That coupled with cancelled flights that put me back in Indy VERY late last night made for quite an adventure. But I digress. NAMM is such a great opportunity to, among other things, get an exclusive sneak peek at new products coming out this year. I am particularly excited about one: the new Powell Sonare piccolo.
The new Sonare piccolo is totally revamped for 2017. In previous years, it was a grenadilla wood instrument with ergonomic, square-shaped keys, which was very visually striking and good for players with larger hands. The new Sonare, however, is another answer to the needs of students who require a high-quality instrument with the stability that grenadilla wood does not provide. As I have written about before, composite or grenaditte instruments have filled that need, and continue to do so. A composite instrument is a plastic material with wood shavings mixed in. In contrast, the Sonare construction is resin-infused wood, so there is a higher concentration of wood versus mostly resin. What this means for the player is a sound that is even closer to the resonance and rich tone of a true grenadilla wood instrument, with the stability of plastic. This also means that it will be higher in price than a composite instrument, while still at a lower price point than grenadilla.
The best news? We’ll be carrying them here at the IFS! These instruments will be available in the next couple of months, for rent-to-own or purchase! Stay tuned here or on Facebook for the official announcement when they arrive!