The flavor may stay the same, but the Percussion Idea Exchange (PIE) is improving every year. Each May, Yamaha invites six different percussion artists to Grand Rapids, Michigan, seeking their input on new prototypes of equipment. Feedback from six active percussionists, with collective experience from marching to concert percussion, gave Yamaha designers and marketing staff valuable insight into what's happening out in the real world.

This year, Yamaha artists Dennis DeLucia, David Samuels, Jim Petercsak, Lamar Burkhalter, Rich Holly, and Rebecca Kite gathered for three days of equipment testing and discussion.

The PIE atmosphere was lively, involving healthy debate within the group over what Yamaha should build, and how. One surprise was the wealth of ideas from artists working outside their typical arena. Steve Anizvino, product manager for concert percussion, points out that one of the best recommendations on marching percussion equipment came from non-marching artist Rich Holly, assistant dean of Northern Illinois University's School of Music. "Rich liked the sound of several different tenor drums and suggested combining them into one instrument. His fresh, musical perspective inspired us to listen differently and we ended up discovering the best tonal combination."

Holly comments that he and his fellow artists also contributed to Yamaha's marketing ideas. "With one prototype, we pointed out that Yamaha already has something on the market that does the same thing. Instead, we suggested a new product that could serve several different needs at the same time."

Marimba soloist Rebecca Kite says the marketing aspect is crucial. "I can tell Yamaha from experience what advantages their products have that would make a performer buy them. It helps them to look at the instruments from a player's standpoint, as well as a manufacturer's." Kite also learned more about how the product development process works. "Typically our contact is over the phone," she says. "PIE gave artists the chance to see the Yamaha staff in action, working hard as a team."

The sessions also overlapped a dealer activity in Grand Rapids, part of an ongoing Yamaha dealer training program called Dealer Development Services. This highly acclaimed program is offered free of charge to Yamaha Band and Orchestral dealers to help them in strategic areas of running a business, such as sales and product training, merchandising, and marketing. The session held concurrently with the PIE was a special sales mastery course aimed specifically at percussion dealers. "The timing was perfect," says Kite. "The percussion artists had ample opportunities to meet dealers one on one, and provide input to people who sell the equipment."

Reflecting on the PIE atmosphere, Joel Tetzlaff, Yamaha's product specialist for marching percussion, says the sessions were lively and often involved healthy debates. "It was kind of like a racquetball court at times," he laughs. "The artists debated within the group over what we should build, and how. They didn't always agree-and that's when it got fun." He points out that with so many individuals there isn't always perfect agreement, but that's not the point. "It's an idea exchange," he stresses. "That's where we're different. We don't just tell our artists what they should have. We ask what they need, and listen to their answers."

Photos at right: * Percussion artist Rebecca Kite demonstrates three marimas and discusses sound and feature differences with dealers at the Yamaha training facility in Grand Rapids, MI. * PIE participants take notes on what they hear during "blindfold" listening test of outdoor percussion instruments. * Joel Tetzlaff, John Wittmann, and Steve Anzivino with the YCJ prototype/design team members.

On the other hand, Dennis DeLucia, a Yamaha educational consultant and marching percussion clinician, says he was more amazed at how often the artists agreed, despite diverse professional backgrounds. "It was fascinating to hear concert artists like Dave Samuels and Rebecca Kite concurring with me on the best-sounding marching tenor drum," he says.

To which Kite adds, "I don't know much about marching percussion, but I do know what sounds good. Moreover, I can give good input on marimbas, which are an essential component of both marching band and drum corps."

From Grand Rapids, the American staff traveled to Japan to present the artists' ideas to Yamaha Corporation of Japan. Tadashi Hori, in charge of percussion exporting and marketing for North America, says their annual input gives Japanese designers a feel for the preferences of players in other countries. "For us, the YCA staff function almost like a research center in the US," says Hori. "The feedback from Yamaha's world markets is essential in our
decisions on which models will be developed or updated." Hori emphasizes that in many cases, the artists' experience helps the designers cross the bridge between their own ideas and what is really practical.

The timing of the Japan trip this year was especially significant, immediately following the PIE sessions. "We brought a huge list of ideas with us as a result of the artist input, which we were then able to discuss and prioritize with the YCJ staff," says Anzivino. "With the tenor drums, for example, we were able to bring the Japanese designers very specific ideas of what the artists thought should be done to improve the instrument. The US is the largest market for marching percussion equipment, so they really do value-and utilize-our input."

"Sometimes it's even something as simple as a screw which faces downward, as opposed to sitting on top of a mallet instrument frame or piece of hardware," comments Tetzlaff. "If it faces down, it's going to fall out if it comes unscrewed. If it's on top of the instrument, it will tend to stay put. In this case, the artists' feedback helps the designers tremendously."

Given that this year's PIE had a useful cyclical element, future plans are to continue along the same lines: Yamaha artists exchange ideas at the PIE sessions, and these ideas are then taken straight to YCJ to give the designers clear guidelines on what should happen over the next few years. It's an extremely neat-and efficient-circle.