C/D keyboards that you strap on like a guitar

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http://www.hinchliffe.org/jon/graphics/marl03.jpg
http://www.tunefan.com/WinterKeyboardstanding.JPG

Strap-on keyboards: keyboardist liberator? dorky guitar envy? so dorky they're cool?

― wetmink (wetmink), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:05 (twenty-two years ago)

they're called keytars and they're classic.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:07 (twenty-two years ago)

they are ROCKIST

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic if used non-ironically.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:09 (twenty-two years ago)

classic. there's a toy store on grand and humboldt, i think, in brooklyn that's a goldmine of weird keytars and pseudo-toy noisemaking things.

― lauren (laurenp), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic if used non-ironically.
Has this been possible post-1989?

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:11 (twenty-two years ago)

only if you're in Devo.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Probably not, but I can hope.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Definitely classic (see cover of Moog Cookbook's s/t)

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic in their hilarious dudness. Best used by keyboard players in metal bands (always the only dude in the band with short hair, usually wearing a keyboard motif tie in publicity shots).

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic if it's a Roland SH-101. otherwise <h1>DUD.</h1>

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:16 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.bradleysalmanac.com/pictures/misc/keytar.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

all those poor keyboard players being forced to hold their keyboards like guitars for the sake of ROCK MUSIC

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I WANT ONE.

― Barima (Barima), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I WANT TO BE ONE.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Thumb's up on the 101, but lose the handle and put it on a stand, man.

― sexyDancer, Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Only John Tesh and Devo have really pulled this off.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

SO SO SO SO SO SO CLASSIC

― geeta (geeta), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.falloutrecords.com/gallery/crip-2.html

Once, again, The Cripples. (i.e. it can be done right without being Devo or John Tesh)

― donut bitch (donut), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.keytarmusic.com/images/KeyWallStu.JPG
noodle vague otm

― DougD, Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:42 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.turnkey.co.uk/productimages/Roland_AX7.jpg

Classic

― don (don), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah, now I know they're called keytars I see there was this earlier thread, although it's really about guitar synths and MIDI guitars:

Synth guitars

The highlight being this pic:
http://www.artistdirect.com/showcase/modern/photos/sixfi.gif

The reason I thought of it was that I was reminiscing about the time I saw Yes, and it came time for Rick Wakeman's big moment. He came out from behind his big bank of keyboards and strapped on his keytar at the front of the stage... and, no sound. He never got the thing to play. At the time I didn't mind because I thought it was hilarious because I believed they were duds, but today I'm wondering if they're attaining classic status...

― wetmink (wetmink), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 19:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Mink, was that when we went to Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe or the Yes lineup with every member in the history of prog rock attending?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 20:04 (twenty-two years ago)

That young man from Air seems to use the keytar non-ironically. Or perhaps post-ironically. Or perhaps post-non-ironically.

― C W (C W), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 20:08 (twenty-two years ago)

i saw green velvet play, they had one, it kinda ruined the whole thing for me.

― hun, Wednesday, 12 May 2004 21:43 (twenty-two years ago)

gygax right on time with the Tesh reference. and right he is

― dleone (dleone), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 22:40 (twenty-two years ago)

green velvet is a they? when did that happen?

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

NTI, that was the Yes with 8 members. Too bad they didn't have Wakeman, Kaye, Moraz, and Downes all with keytars.

― wetmink (wetmink), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 23:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Only accordions are cool.

http://66.216.8.84/MusicEvents/Clifton%20Chenier/image.jpg

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:13 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.steelydan.com/Images/2vn/sony/df1.jpeg

― Josh in Chicago (Josh in Chicago), Thursday, 13 May 2004 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

watchoo talkin bout? Green Velvet live is the ultimate!

― sexyDancer, Thursday, 13 May 2004 14:24 (twenty-two years ago)

On the upside ROCK N ROLLLLL MANG!

On the downside you can only play them with one hand.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 13 May 2004 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I sometimes have dreams where I'm playing a keytar. My most recent dream had me wearing/playing TWO keytars, a really big one with my left hand and a little bitty one with my right hand. In this dream I was also wearing a headset mic, and it was the first time I've ever felt totally corny in a dream.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 13 May 2004 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

classic. i always wanted to be this guy, not the man with geetaw. Paul Simpson was a big influence.

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 13 May 2004 14:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Apart from the accordian pic (squeezeboxes are also cool), notice how NOBODY in the above pictures looks even the slightest bit cool.

so, dud.

― Sasha (sgh), Friday, 14 May 2004 00:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I love this thread so much, I check it every 5 minutes waiting to see more keytar pictures. I love them all so much.

― David Allen (David Allen), Friday, 14 May 2004 00:12 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.keytarmusic.com/images/PoisStu_Kt99.JPG

― frankE (frankE), Friday, 14 May 2004 00:14 (twenty-two years ago)

frankE's picture to my point.

― Sasha (sgh), Friday, 14 May 2004 00:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyone ever seen that Jodie Foster!-Scott Baio!-Cherrie Currie! shitflick "Foxes" circa 1980? Features a sequence in which the brats go to see the Big Stadium Rock Show, and the headlining band is ... Angel. Remember Angel? Of course you don't.

But Angel has a Strap Keyboard player who grimaces and gyrates round and round the stage. The girls go wild, of course, of course. Plus it looks like he glued a neck from an old Strat onto the thing. It's rock and roll anarchy, all right.

I think this jerk outdoes the albino in the Strap Keyboard Hall of Fame Sweepstakes.

― kjoerup, Friday, 14 May 2004 06:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not sure which member of Angel played the keytar, but I bet all of them had a go at it.
http://www.chaoticworks.com/meadows/angel3.jpg

― kjoerup, Friday, 14 May 2004 06:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Hell yeah I remember that movie. I saw that when I was far too young to understand any of it. I was disturbed by the blood coming out of the blonde's nose at the end. Would be okay to see now, though.

These keytars are the ultimate in 80's cheez. Far too dated for me to ever take seriously again.

― Bimble (bimble), Friday, 14 May 2004 06:59 (twenty-two years ago)

did anyone from scritti politti use one?

― lukey (Lukey G), Friday, 14 May 2004 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.womeninphotography.org/archive06-Apr01/gallery/f2/Images/Herbie-Hancock.jpg

― HERBIE HANCOCK BE PLAYING KEYTAR UP IN THIS PIECE (nickalicious), Friday, 14 May 2004 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

http://killingmylobster.com/albums/goooaal/keytar_business_copy.jpg

― WE ARE TEH COOLESTEST GUYS EVAR (nickalicious), Friday, 14 May 2004 14:08 (twenty-two years ago)

http://ifp.uni-muenster.de/~rostd/private/USA2002_2_27q.jpg

― CAPTURED! BY ROBOTS AND FORCED TO PLAY KEYTAR (nickalicious), Friday, 14 May 2004 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Why does Herbie Hancock have a Michael Jackson jacket on?

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 15 May 2004 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

but what about random synths you can wear like keytars?

http://www.cheeseontoast.co.nz/photos/0429Sec1.jpg

― etc, Saturday, 15 May 2004 02:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Skinny Tie Alert.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 15 May 2004 02:03 (twenty-two years ago)

two weeks pass...

Sorry for being late to this party.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Saturday, 29 May 2004 20:38 (twenty-two years ago)

And Bimble, it's just the medallion for Herbie there...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Saturday, 29 May 2004 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

why are his veins bulging?

― keith m (keithmcl), Saturday, 29 May 2004 22:35 (twenty-two years ago)

He is a robot.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Saturday, 29 May 2004 22:38 (twenty-two years ago)

The Power of Funk surges within him.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 30 May 2004 04:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Keyboardists are the new sex gods.

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Sunday, 30 May 2004 04:43 (twenty-two years ago)

(I'm dead serious, it's a much more enticing use of the fingers if you think about it...)

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Sunday, 30 May 2004 04:48 (twenty-two years ago)

More enticing than?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 30 May 2004 05:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Classic, so long as I don't have to LOOK at 'em! One of the stupidest-looking instruments in the history of electric music, right up (down) there with the Chapman Stick, the Steinberger bass and anything Rick Neilson ever played.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Sunday, 30 May 2004 08:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Um, what? If you don't look at them they sound just like...keyboards.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 30 May 2004 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Yep, keyboards that sound like keyboards! Nothing wrong with that.

Actually, tho, they can sound quite guitar-like on occasion. Jan Hammer's old "Miami Vice Theme" is a good example, if memory serves.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Sunday, 30 May 2004 18:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, but that's not because they LOOK like guitars. It's because it's played like one...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 30 May 2004 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry, I'm not getting your point. Are you saying you can only fully appreciate 'em by actually SEEING them being played?

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Sunday, 30 May 2004 18:46 (twenty-two years ago)

No, what I'm saying is that the only reason they'd be classic is because of the way they look.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 30 May 2004 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, now I get it. So it's the "regular" keyboards that are no good.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 31 May 2004 02:31 (twenty-two years ago)

No good to look at, for sure...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 31 May 2004 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

http://nardwuar.com/vs/andrew_wk/profile_pic.jpg

― skew it on the omgwtfbbq, Monday, 31 May 2004 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

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