Welcome to KeyAction Fall 2000: Page 9

Lifelong Musical Dream Becomes Reality with Follow Lights

Schmitt Music Keyboard Manager Winnie Bean assists customers John and Barbara Ebert. John Ebert was amazed by the performance options of the Clavinova CVP600.

When John Ebert was a boy, he discovered his ability to sing any song after hearing it played only once. His vocal talents won him a scholarship to Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, WI. But, his hopes of a career in music were limited because he couldn’t read music or play the piano.

Now, at age 54, John plays his Yamaha Clavinova CVP600 digital piano with a new lease on life. He and his wife Barbara visited Schmitt Music in Eau Claire, WI, to pick up some sheet music. Keyboard Manager Winnie Bean found John at the showroom’s Clavinova digital piano display and asked if he played. After telling her he’d give his right arm to play, and hearing her reply, “You just learned,” John, a successful car salesperson, chuckled. “I love a good sales pitch.”

Bean told him to follow the lights above the keys on the Clavinova digital piano, and play the keys as the lights lit up. “It was a song I knew but I couldn’t finish it because I was moved to tears,” John admits. “I am incredibly gratified that I found this instrument; it put me in touch with music again. If this had happened 30 years ago, my whole life would be different.”

“It's overwhelming to see the joy and excitement on John's face when he's playing and to watch his shoulders gradually lose their tension,” says Barbara. “I now find myself fighting with him for time at the keyboard!”

Ten years ago, Yamaha Electronic Keyboard Marketing Manager Craig Knudsen invented the recently trademarked Follow Lights® feature when he was a specialist. “Sometimes the established, successful features are overlooked during a sales demonstration,” says Knudsen. “But Follow Lights seems to stand the test of time. A hardened salesperson may not realize just how powerful Follow Lights can be for someone who has never taken piano lessons. It can make all the difference in the world.”

“If you knew the enjoyment John has making music, it would warm your heart,” says Bean. “People like John Ebert are why I’m in this business.”

John, who often plays with the headphones on until the wee hours of the morning, concludes, “Winnie is the consummate salesperson…she just enjoys it. She’s focused on demonstrating the benefits the product brings to the customer. I was hooked, and walked out with my first Yamaha!”

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