Otamatone facts for kids
Otamatone logo
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Several Otamatones in a store
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| Owner | Maywa Denki |
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| Introduced | 2009 |
| Website | https://otamatone.jp |
The Otamatone (Japanese: オタマトーン, Hepburn: Otamatōn) is a super fun electronic musical instrument. It was invented in Japan by the CUBE toy company and a design group called Maywa Denki. Two brothers, Masamichi and Nobumichi Tosa, led the design team.
What is an Otamatone?
The Otamatone looks like an eighth note! Some people think it also looks a bit like a tadpole or a ladle. In Japanese, "otamajakushi" means "tadpole" and "ladle." The sound comes out of a "mouth" on the note's head.
To play it, you need both hands. One hand holds and squeezes the "head." Your other hand changes the pitch (how high or low the sound is) by pressing on a special ribbon on the stem. If you press higher on the stem, the sound gets lower. The ribbon is designed to feel a bit like a guitar fretboard. This means the distance between higher notes is shorter than between lower ones.
You can make cool effects by squeezing the head! When you squeeze, the Otamatone's "mouth" opens and closes. This creates a "wah-wah" sound, like a wah-wah pedal. If you shake the neck gently, it makes a vibrato effect, which is a wobbly sound. On the back of the head, there are switches to change the octave, turn it on or off, and control the volume.
The sound of an Otamatone is often compared to a theremin, a synthesizer, or a jinghu.
Different Kinds of Otamatones
There are many different versions of the Otamatone!
- The Original Otamatone comes in colors like black, white, yellow, blue, and pink. There are also two clear "skeleton" versions.
- The Otamatone Melody (or Otamatone Mini) is a tiny version. It doesn't have a slide to choose notes. Instead, it plays pre-set tunes. It also comes in many colors.
- The Otamatone Neo is a special 10th Anniversary Edition. It's easier to play because its fingerboard is a bit wider. You can also connect it to the Otamatone Studio app on a smartphone to play different sounds! It comes in black and white.
- The Otamatone Deluxe is a bit bigger, about 44 cm long. It has a longer neck, a jack to connect to speakers, a power input, a three-level pitch switch, and a volume knob. It's available in black and white.
- The Otamatone Techno is an improved version of the Deluxe. It can link to a smartphone app for even more features.
- The Otamatone Wahha GoGo looks like the original but has a unique design with teeth. This design is based on Maywa Denki's "Wahha Gogo" laughing machine. It comes in silver, gold, and black.
- The Otamatone Digital is different because it has a small piano-style keyboard instead of a slide. This lets you play chords and multiple notes at once. It can also make electric guitar or drum sounds!
- The Otamatone Jumbo is a huge version! You play it like a guitar, and it has a clamp to squeeze the mouth. These were first used for demonstrations. In 2020, Maywa Denki offered custom-made Otamatone Jumbos for about $3000!
Famous Otamatone Players
One of the most well-known Otamatone players is TheRealSullyG. He creates Otamatone versions of popular songs and meme music. As of March 2021, he had over 800,000 subscribers on his channel!
See also
In Spanish: Otamatone para niños
