List of keytars

A keytar is a keyboard or synthesizer hung around the neck and shoulders, similar to a guitar.

Main article: Keytar
Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater playing a Zen Riffer keytar alongside guitarist John Petrucci

List of keytars
  • [no grip] ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ — keyboard model without control grip.
  • [opt grip] ^ ^ — keyboard model with optional control grip.
DatesModelTypeI/FNotes
1795Orphica[1]acoustic piano–a portable miniature piano in horizontal harp form.
1963Weltmeister 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.
1966Joh 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]
1977Hillwood 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 Probecontroller(CV/Gate)Roger Powell's keytar by Royalex
1979PMS Syntar[9]synthesizer(CV/Gate)an earliest synthesizer keytar product, prior to the Moog Liberation in 1980
1980Davis Clavitarcontroller(CV/Gate)used by George Duke, Herbie Hancock in 1980.
1980Moog LiberationsynthesizerCV/Gate
1980Royalex Probecontroller(CV/Gate)Jan Hammer's keytar by Royalex, ca. 1980.
19821982Dynacord Rhythm Stick (Jamma)[10]percussion controllerMIDI & CV/Gateused by Michael Jackson (1996-7), Billy Ocean, Sabrina Salerno (1988), Manu Katche, and Curt Cress.[11]
1982Roland SH-101[opt grip]synthesizerCV/Gatecontrol grip was optional.
1982Sequential Circuits Remote ProphetcontrollerSCBcontroller for Prophet-5 synthesizer using proprietary serial interface.[12] Used by Geoffrey Downes of ASIA and Dave Stewart.
1982Yamaha CS01[no grip]synthesizer with optional breath controller BC1 or BC2CV/Gateused by Chick Corea in the early 1980s.
1983Yamaha KX1controllerMIDIused by Herbie Hancock in 1983, George Duke in 1983.
1983Korg Poly-800[no grip]synthesizerMIDI
1983c. 1983Yamaha CS01IIsynthesizer with optional breath controller BC1 or BC3CV/Gate
1984c. 1984Korg Poly-800 MkII[no grip]synthesizerMIDI
1984Casio CZ-101[no grip]synthesizerMIDIa medium size keyboard with strap pins
1984Korg RK-100controllerMIDI
1984Yamaha KX5controllerMIDIa medium depth keyboard
1985Lync LN1 (The Lync)controllerMIDI
1985Roland AXIScontrollerMIDI
1985Yamaha DX100[no grip]synthesizerMIDIa mini keyboard with strap pins
1986Casio AZ-1controllerMIDI
1986Siel DK70[opt grip]synthesizerMIDIcontrol grip was optional
1987Korg 707[no grip]synthesizerMIDIa synthesizer with strap pins
1987Yamaha SHS-10electronic keyboardMIDI
1987c. 1987Tyco HotKeyztoy keyboard–a toy keyboard
1988Lync LN4controllerMIDIalso Jan Hammer signature model existed.
1988Yamaha SHS-200electronic keyboardMIDI
1989Tsumura JD21[13]percussion controllerMIDI
1990Lync LN1000controllerMIDI
1990c. 1990Formanta Minisynthesizer(MIDI)
1991Junost 21synthesizer(MIDI)
1992c. 1992[14] Baldoni MIDI Accord[15]accordion controller ?MIDIStrap-on keyboard controller in the keytar style, with the chromatic buttons on the left-hand, and piano keyboard on the right-hand.[16][17]
1993Roland AX-1controllerMIDI
1994Zendrumpercussion controller(MIDI)
1995 The Drumstick percussion controller (MIDI) used by E. Dr. Smith[18]
2000c. 2000Suzuki MK-3600
YAMAHA YMK-80		electronic keyboardMIDIa keyboard for marching band
2000Lag LeKeycontroller(MIDI)
2001Roland AX-7controllerMIDI
2002c. 2002Casio SA-75electronic keyboardMIDIa mini electronic keyboard with handsfree microphone and strap pins
2007c. 2007Zen Riffer Solo Axecontroller(MIDI)
2008Behringer UMA25S[no grip]controllerUSB & MIDI
2009Roland AX-SynthsynthesizerUSB & MIDI
2009StoneboardcontrollerMIDI
2010Politrep[no grip]controllerMIDI
2010Roland Lucina AX-09synthesizerUSB & MIDI
2010Mad Catz Rock Band 3 Wireless Pro Keyboardcontroller & video game controllerMIDI & console specific
2012Alesis VortexcontrollerUSB & MIDI
2014Alesis Vortex WirelesscontrollerUSB & MIDIfirst keytar with wireless USB connection to a PC or laptop
2014Korg RK-100SsynthesizerUSB & MIDIused by Rick Astley in 2016
2017Yamaha Vocaloid KeyboardsynthesizerUSB,[19] Bluetooth LE[20]To be released in "Winter 2017".[21] First wearable prototype in 2014;[21] limited rental available in 2015 [22]
2018Alesis Vortex Wireless 2controllerUSB & MIDI
2018Roland AX-EdgesynthesizerUSB, MIDI, Bluetooth LE
2019Behringer MS-101synthesizerUSB & MIDIClone of the original 1982 Roland SH-101
2019Yamaha Sonogenic SHS-500electronic keyboardUSB, MIDI, Bluetooth LEBuilt-in speaker
2019Yamaha Sonogenic SHS-300electronic keyboardUSBBuilt-in speaker
2018Yamaha Vocaloid VKB-100electronic keyboardUSB, MIDI, Bluetooth LEBuilt-in speaker
2020Korg RK-100S 2synthesizerUSB & MIDIWooden body and new programs

Custom/rare keytars

Rare keytar products

Drum/Percussion keytars
  • Dynacord Rhythm Stick (also known as "Jamma" since 1982) [10]
  • Tsumura JD21 [13]
  • Drumitar / Zendrum (2008)
  • "Riday T91"

Custom made keytars
In alphabetical order:
  • "Alien Guitar Simulator", a selfmade keytar by Le Orme keyboard player Michele Bon.
  • "Arcadetar", a keytar-like keyboard controller combined a pitch sensor in 20 inch. (50 cm) long, developed by Italian musician Andrea Lomuscio of Teapot Industries in 2012.
  • Jeri Ellsworth's FPGA-based C64 keytar[23]
  • Lady Gaga's custom made keytar during The Monster Ball Tour in 2010.
  • "Lag Circulaire" made for Jean Michel Jarre
  • "Lag Insecte" made for Jean Michel Jarre
  • "Lag Mad Max" made for Jean Michel Jarre
  • Matthew Bellamy's "Keytarcaster" Manson, made for playing Undisclosed Desires from Muse's 5th studio album, The Resistance
  • Prince's "PurpleAxxe", also played by Tommy Barbarella
  • "Politrep", a copy of the Zen Riffer keytar made by order at the website space4keys.com
  • "Remote" for Jean Michel Jarre's studio by Lag
  • "Syblade", a keytar designed to be unique and to inspire.

Customized keytars
Based on minimoog keyboards
Based on Yamaha KX series
Based on Roland AX series

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Keytars.

References
  1. "Orphica (?Vienna, c. 1805)". Centre for Performance History, Royal College of Music. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  2. "Weltmeister Basset". blackroses.de. Archived from the original on 2002-03-22.
  3. "Joh Mustad AB Tubon (1966, Sweden)". Stockholm Music and Theatre Museum. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22.
  4. "The 'Tubon' Joh Mustad AB, Sweden, 1966". 120 Years of Electronic Music (120years.net). 9 February 2014. 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.
    See also: photographs of Paul playing Tubon 1, 2 (at the Schloss Hotel in Hamburg, during The Beatles' last world tour), Tubon part score of "Strawberry Fields Forever".
  5. Sean Albiez; David Pattie, eds. (January 2011). "Kraftwerk (1970)". Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop. A&C Black (published 2011). pp. 100–101. ISBN 978-1-4411-9136-6. 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.
  6. "Lådan: Va i helvete har dom för sig inne i banken efter tre?". YouTube.
  7. "Rockeyboard RB-1". Hillwood Keyboard / Synthesizer Catalog 1977. Hillwood Musical Instrument/Zen-On. Archived from the original on 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  8. "Blog: The Keytar - A Brief History". Sonicstate. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  9. James D. Maier. "The Performance Music Systems Syntar".
  10. "The Jamma & Dynacord Rhythm Stick official site". — including the stories, photographs, videos, technical stuffs and manuals (see below).
    • Dynacord Rhythm Stick MIDI - operating manual. Dynacord.
    • UK application 8,423,427, Jones Peter Stephab (Dynacord Electronic-Und Geratebau GmbH & Co.), "A Music Synthesizer, Especially Portable Drum Synthesizer", published 1984-09-17 (EP 0195038 A1 (published on 1986-09-24), WO 8601927 A1)
    • US patent 4,867,028, Peter S. Jones (Dynacord Electronic-Und Geratebau GmbH & Co.), "Music Synthesizer Especially Portable Drum Synthesizer", issued 1989-09-19 (a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 871,442, filed as PCT EP85/01927 on Mar. 22, 1986, now abandoned.)
  11. Graham, Alex (2019). Electronic Drumfax. self-published. pp. 121, 122. ISBN 978-1701024229.
  12. Reid, Gordon (March 1999). "Sequential Circuits – Prophet Synthesizers 5 & 10 (Retro)". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  13. "JD21 official manual" (in Japanese). Tsumura Inc.
  14. Kozak, Donald P. (1992). A Guide to Computer Music: An Electronic Music Resource. Sound Management. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-9621514-2-2. Manufactured by Baldoni MIDI Accord
  15. "n/a". Electronic Musician. Vol. 11, no. 1. 1995. p. 8. ... 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 ...)
  16. Accordion Videos And Links (2014-07-07). "BALDONI Midi Accord". Facebook. 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.
    See also a photo.
  17. Liberty Bellows (2017). 2336 - Blue Baldoni Midi Accord Keytar Accordion 41 120 $1195 [Demo] (demo video). 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
  18. Smith, E. "The Drumstick". Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  19. Yamaha Corporation. "VKB-100 - 仕様". jp.yamaha.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  20. Yamaha Corporation. "VKB-100 - Apps". jp.yamaha.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  21. Yamaha Corporation (31 August 2017). "VOCALOID Keyboard" (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  22. Yamaha Corporation. "JOYSOUNDでVOCALOID KEYBOARDと歌おう！" (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  23. "Jeri Ellsworth Rocks a Commodore 64 Keytar". Make:zine. 19 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2016-04-18.
  24. Jan Hammer playing Cruder in 1970s. ShowBiz.cz (photo).
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