The Keytar – Keyboard Instruments

A Keytar is a synthesizer instrument that is worn like a guitar. Traditional keyboards sit on stationary stands or as part of heavy, floor-mounted systems. In comparison, Keytars allow players to move freely on stage. Manufacturers refer to this kind of keyboard as a...

The Electric Piano – Keyboard Instruments

On an electric piano, the pressure applied to keys on a piano-style musical keyboard produces sound. The idea of an electric piano was first introduced by Ne-Bechstein in 1929. Further development happened in 1937 when Story & Clark and RCA collaborated in the...

The Carillon – Keyboard Instruments

A carillon is an idiophone percussion instrument played with a keyboard. It consists of at least 23 cast bronze bells suspended in chromatic order and sounded harmoniously together.  The word carillon derives from the Old French “carignon” (a variant...

The Pipe Organ – Keyboard Instruments

Around 200 B.C., the pipe organ appeared in Greece. Scholars argue that Ctesibius of Alexandria, engineer, invented the instrument. Rather than conceived as a musical instrument, for him, the organ acted as a demonstration of hydraulic principles. Thus, the earliest...

The Piano – Keyboard Instruments

A variety of keyboard instruments existed before the piano. For instance, the hammered dulcimer was the first widely used stringed musical instrument. It holds the credit of being a forerunner of the later piano. It has appeared in the Middle East, Southwest Asia,...