A keytar is a keyboard or synthesizer hung around the neck and shoulders, similar to a guitar.
A keytar is a keyboard or synthesizer hung around the neck and shoulders, similar to a guitar.
| Dates | Model | Type | I/F | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| |Orphica [1] | acoustic piano | – | a portable miniature piano in horizontal harp form. | |
| 1963 | Weltmeister Basset [2] | electric bass piano using struck reed | – | an electric piano bass, similar to Hohner Bass or Rhodes PianoBass, used by dance bands in East Germany probably late 1960s. |
| 1966 | Joh Mustad Tubon [3] (in the UK: Livingston) [4] | electronic bass organ | – | tube-shaped monophonic electronic keyboard instrument with guitar strap. Used by Ralf Hütter of Kraftwerk on the album Kraftwerk (1970), [4] [5] Swedish and Finnish bands during the 1970s, including Lådan. [6] |
| 1977 | Hillwood Rockeyboard RB-1 [7] | synth piano with VCF & volume pedals [7] | – | influenced by Edgar Winter's style of hanging a keyboard from a neck. Used by Haruo Chikada (The Vibratones). |
| 1977 [8] | Powell Probe | controller | (CV/Gate) | Roger Powell's keytar by Royalex |
| 1979 | PMS Syntar [9] | synthesizer | (CV/Gate) | an earliest synthesizer keytar product, prior to the Moog Liberation in 1980 |
| 1980 | Davis Clavitar | controller | (CV/Gate) | used by George Duke, Herbie Hancock in 1980. |
| 1980 | Moog Liberation | synthesizer | CV/Gate | |
| 1980 | Royalex Probe | controller | (CV/Gate) | Jan Hammer's keytar by Royalex, ca. 1980. |
| 1982 | Dynacord Rhythm Stick (Jamma) [10] | percussion controller | MIDI & CV/Gate | used by Michael Jackson (1996-7), Billy Ocean, Sabrina Salerno (1988), Manu Katche, and Curt Cress. [11] |
| 1982 | Roland SH-101 [opt grip] | synthesizer | CV/Gate | control grip was optional. |
| 1982 | Sequential Circuits Remote Prophet | controller | SCB | controller for Prophet-5 synthesizer using proprietary serial interface. [12] Used by Geoffrey Downes of ASIA and Dave Stewart. |
| 1982 | Yamaha CS01 [no grip] | synthesizer with optional breath controller BC1 or BC2 | CV/Gate | used by Chick Corea in the early 1980s. |
| 1983 | Yamaha KX1 | controller | MIDI | used by Herbie Hancock in 1983, George Duke in 1983. |
| 1983 | Korg Poly-800 [no grip] | synthesizer | MIDI | |
| c. 1983 | Yamaha CS01II | synthesizer with optional breath controller BC1 or BC3 | CV/Gate | |
| c. 1984 | Korg Poly-800 MkII [no grip] | synthesizer | MIDI | |
| 1984 | Casio CZ-101 [no grip] | synthesizer | MIDI | a medium size keyboard with strap pins |
| 1984 | Korg RK-100 | controller | MIDI | |
| 1984 | Yamaha KX5 | controller | MIDI | a medium depth keyboard |
| 1985 | Lync LN1 (The Lync) | controller | MIDI | |
| 1985 | Roland AXIS | controller | MIDI | |
| 1985 | Yamaha DX100 [no grip] | synthesizer | MIDI | a mini keyboard with strap pins |
| 1986 | Casio AZ-1 | controller | MIDI | |
| 1986 | Siel DK70 [opt grip] | synthesizer | MIDI | control grip was optional |
| 1987 | Korg 707 [no grip] | synthesizer | MIDI | a synthesizer with strap pins |
| 1987 | Yamaha SHS-10 | electronic keyboard | MIDI | |
| c. 1987 | Tyco HotKeyz | toy keyboard | – | a toy keyboard |
| 1988 | Lync LN4 | controller | MIDI | also Jan Hammer signature model existed. |
| 1988 | Yamaha SHS-200 | electronic keyboard | MIDI | |
| 1989 | Tsumura JD21 [13] | percussion controller | MIDI | |
| 1990 | Lync LN1000 | controller | MIDI | |
| c. 1990 | Formanta Mini | synthesizer | (MIDI) | |
| 1991 | Junost 21 | synthesizer | (MIDI) | |
| c. 1992 [14] | Baldoni MIDI Accord [15] | accordion controller ? | MIDI | Strap-on keyboard controller in the keytar style, with the chromatic buttons on the left-hand, and piano keyboard on the right-hand. [16] [17] |
| 1993 | Roland AX-1 | controller | MIDI | |
| 1994 | Zendrum | percussion controller | (MIDI) | |
| 1995 | The Drumstick | percussion controller | (MIDI) | used by E. Dr. Smith [18] |
| c. 2000 | Suzuki MK-3600 YAMAHA YMK-80 | electronic keyboard | MIDI | a keyboard for marching band |
| 2000 | Lag LeKey | controller | (MIDI) | |
| 2001 | Roland AX-7 | controller | MIDI | |
| c. 2002 | Casio SA-75 | electronic keyboard | MIDI | a mini electronic keyboard with handsfree microphone and strap pins |
| c. 2007 | Zen Riffer Solo Axe | controller | (MIDI) | |
| 2008 | Behringer UMA25S [no grip] | controller | USB & MIDI | |
| 2009 | Roland AX-Synth | synthesizer | USB & MIDI | |
| 2009 | Stoneboard | controller | MIDI | |
| 2010 | Politrep [no grip] | controller | MIDI | |
| 2010 | Roland Lucina AX-09 | synthesizer | USB & MIDI | |
| 2010 | Mad Catz Rock Band 3 Wireless Pro Keyboard | controller & video game controller | MIDI & console specific | |
| 2012 | Alesis Vortex | controller | USB & MIDI | |
| 2014 | Alesis Vortex Wireless | controller | USB & MIDI | first keytar with wireless USB connection to a PC or laptop |
| 2014 | Korg RK-100S | synthesizer | USB & MIDI | used by Rick Astley in 2016 |
| 2017 | Yamaha Vocaloid Keyboard | synthesizer | USB, [19] Bluetooth LE [20] | To be released in "Winter 2017". [21] First wearable prototype in 2014; [21] limited rental available in 2015 [22] |
| 2018 | Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 | controller | USB & MIDI | |
| 2018 | Roland AX-Edge | synthesizer | USB, MIDI, Bluetooth LE | |
| 2019 | Behringer MS-101 | synthesizer | USB & MIDI | Clone of the original 1982 Roland SH-101 |
| 2019 | Yamaha Sonogenic SHS-500 | electronic keyboard | USB MIDI, Bluetooth LE | Built-in speaker |
| 2019 | Yamaha Sonogenic SHS-300 | electronic keyboard | USB MIDI, Bluetooth LE (Select countries) | Built-in speaker |
| 2018 | Yamaha Vocaloid VKB-100 | electronic keyboard | USB MIDI, Bluetooth LE | Built-in speaker |
| 2020 | Korg RK-100S 2 | synthesizer | USB & MIDI | Wooden body and new programs |
 |
An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is plugged into a power amplifier which drives a loudspeaker, creating the sound heard by the performer and listener.
MIDI is a technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and related audio devices for playing, editing, and recording music.
A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, such as synthesizers and digital piano, requiring a more general term for a person who plays them. In the 2010s, professional keyboardists in popular music often play a variety of different keyboard instruments, including piano, tonewheel organ, synthesizer, and clavinet. Some keyboardists may also play related instruments such as piano accordion, melodica, pedal keyboard, or keyboard-layout bass pedals.
A music workstation is an electronic musical instrument providing the facilities of:
ARP Instruments, Inc. was a Lexington, Massachusetts manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. It created a popular and commercially successful range of synthesizers throughout the 1970s before declaring bankruptcy in 1981. The company earned a reputation for producing excellent sounding, innovative instruments and was granted several patents for the technology it developed.
Keytar is a keyboard instrument similar to a synthesizer or MIDI controller that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is held.
A MIDI controller is any hardware or software that generates and transmits Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data to MIDI-enabled devices, typically to trigger sounds and control parameters of an electronic music performance. They most often use a musical keyboard to send data about the pitch of notes to play, although a MIDI controller may trigger lighting and other effects. A wind controller has a sensor that converts breath pressure to volume information and lip pressure to control pitch. Controllers for percussion and stringed instruments exist, as well as specialized and experimental devices. Some MIDI controllers are used in association with specific digital audio workstation software. The original MIDI specification has been extended to include a greater range of control features.
A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a piano-style musical keyboard. Sound modules have to be operated using an externally connected device, which is often a MIDI controller, of which the most common type is the musical keyboard. Another common way of controlling a sound module is through a sequencer, which is computer hardware or software designed to record and playback control information for sound-generating hardware. Connections between sound modules, controllers, and sequencers are generally made with MIDI, which is a standardized interface designed for this purpose.
Paris La Défense – Une Ville En Concert was a concert held by musician Jean-Michel Jarre on the district of La Défense in Paris on Bastille Day, 14 July 1990. About 2.5 million people standing in front of the pyramidal stage all the way down to the Arc de Triomphe witnessed this event, setting a new Guinness Book of Records entry for Jarre. The concert was funded by the Mairie de Paris, the Ministry of Culture and a small cluster of high-profile Parisian business concerns. Later, a concert video as well as a photobook of the event were released.
Revolutions is the ninth studio album by electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, first released in September 1988. The album reached number 2 in the UK charts, Jarre's best chart position since Oxygène. The Destination Docklands concert in London coincided with the release of the album.
Chronologie is the eleventh studio album by French electronic musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, and was released on Disques Dreyfus with license to Polydor in 1993. Chronologie peaked at Number 11 in the UK charts and the album cover art was created by long-time collaborator Michel Granger.
The Roland Corporation has manufactured several keytars.
The Roland AX-7 is a keytar that was manufactured by Roland Corporation from 2001 to 2007. This modern instrument contains many more advanced features than early keytars such as its predecessor, the Roland AX-1, and the Yamaha SHS-10. It runs on 8 AA batteries or an external power source. It has a 45 velocity sensitive keys, and a 3-character LED display. Several features aimed towards stage performance are present, such as a pitch bend ribbon, touchpad-like expression bar, sustain switch, and volume control knob, all on the upper neck of the instrument. There is also a proprietary "D-Beam" interface, made up of infrared sensors that detect nearby motion.
Eloy Fernando Fritsch is an electronic musician, keyboard player and main composer of Brazilian progressive rock band Apocalypse. As a solo artist he creates cosmic new-age music.
A wind controller, sometimes referred to as a wind synthesizer, is an electronic wind instrument. It is usually a MIDI controller associated with one or more music synthesizers. Wind controllers are most commonly played and fingered like a woodwind instrument, usually the saxophone, with the next most common being brass fingering, particularly the trumpet. Models have been produced that play and finger like other acoustic instruments such as the recorder or the tin whistle. The most common form of wind controller uses electronic sensors to convert fingering, breath pressure, bite pressure, finger pressure, and other gesture or action information into control signals that affect musical sounds. The control signals or MIDI messages generated by the wind controller are used to control internal or external devices such as analog synthesizers or MIDI-compatible synthesizers, synth modules, softsynths, sequencers, or even non-instruments such as lighting systems.
"Water for Life" was a concert given by French electronic musician Jean Michel Jarre on the night of December 16, 2006 amidst the dunes of the Sahara desert at Merzouga, Morocco. The concert was held under the auspice of UNESCO as 2006 had been designated the International Year of Deserts and Desertification by the United Nations General Assembly.
A MIDIjet Pro is a long-range, wireless MIDI system created in 2005 by Artisan Classic Organ Inc. Its predecessor was a short-range wireless MIDI system called MIDIjet. It connects any two pieces of MIDI equipment wirelessly using standard 5-pin MIDI connectors.
A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and frequency modulation synthesis. These sounds may be altered by components such as filters, which cut or boost frequencies; envelopes, which control articulation, or how notes begin and end; and low-frequency oscillators, which modulate parameters such as pitch, volume, or filter characteristics affecting timbre. Synthesizers are typically played with keyboards or controlled by sequencers, software or other instruments, and may be synchronized to other equipment via MIDI.
The Roland AX-Synth is a keytar that is manufactured by Roland Corporation, and was released in late August 2009. This modernized instrument builds on the features of its predecessor, the Roland AX-7. The most notable change is the addition of an internal synthesizer. A UV Black-colored "premium" model called "Black Sparkle" was released in September 2010. The AX-Synth has now been discontinued as well.
The Chick Corea Elektric Band is an album by jazz and fusion keyboard player Chick Corea, released in 1986. It is the eponymous debut album of the Chick Corea Elektric Band, which at that time also featured drummer Dave Weckl, bass player John Patitucci and guitarists Scott Henderson and Carlos Rios.
The instrument was manufactured by in 1966 by the Swedish manufacturer of electronic tube organs, Joh Mustad AB, in Gothenburg, Sweden and also sold under license in the UK as the 'Livingstone'. Very few of the instruments were sold outside of Sweden but one was purchased by Paul McCartney ( the original score for 'Strawberry Fields Forever' includes a Tubon intro which was replaced by a Chamberlin on the final recording) and by Ralf Hutter of Kraftwerk in the early 1970s.
It is also worth mentioning the use of phasing and the application of ring modulator effects to the keyboard's Tubon sound, which gives the music an industrial quality.
Manufactured by Baldoni MIDI Accord
... I know of at least one other company : Baldoni Accordions . They make a whole line of acoustic and MIDI accordions , including the MIDI - Accord (a strap-on keyboard controller with ...)
BALDONI Midi Accord.Styled as a portable keyboard controller, the Midi Accord gives the feel and performance of an accordion. Features include a 41 note velocity keyboard, 9 channel midi transmission w/ programmable midi program & volume per channel, 256 patch memory, and +/- 12 note transposition. The keyboard can transmit on 3 poly midi channels + a 4th mono (high note priority) channel, chords on 2 midi channels, and bass on 1 midi channel. A separate midi channel can be assigned for rhythm machine as well. A master volume pedal is included with up/down type switch controls for patch changes.
Baldoni Midi Accord / Digital Piano Accordion 19" 41/120 7lbs / Reedless, Electronic Presets / Requires amp and midi module (sold separately) / Includes Strap and Soft Case
