Mashing up the stage-worthy look of an electric guitar with the range of a keyboard, the keytar is a one-of-a-kind instrument with a big reputation.
Where Did the Keytar Come From?
When synthesizers became more affordable and quickly started to develop throughout the seventies and eighties, they also started to become a regular sight in bands. Before the dawn of the synthesizer, the 'key player' of a band would be hitting the keys of a piano, or even a Rhodes piano, a clavinet or an organ. So, any instrument with a keyboard was acoustic, or at least a bit primitive in terms of the technology, and everything was played live by the musician. With a synthesizer loaded with simple sequencers and arpeggiators, things changed a little bit - to the point where people weren't sure if it was the synth playing the music or the musician. Also, any kind of keyboard-based instrument, whether it's a piano, synth, or otherwise isn't exactly a dynamic sight on stage - not like the electric guitar, which always stole the spotlight. Enter the Keytar.
The Moog Liberation keytar
The obvious next step was the keytar: an instrument that had all the playability of a keyboard alongside all of the design hallmarks of a guitar. With a keytar, key players could actually perform and the audience could actually see what they were doing. As far back as the seventies, companies were already developing early examples of a keytar, but it would be the Moog Liberation that would not only break new ground but become the first stage-worthy keytar.
The Keytar: A Synthesizer or MIDI Controller
While it looks a lot like a guitar, the core of a keytar is the same as the core of a keyboard, or a synthesizer, or even a MIDI controller. If you have a keytar that operates as a MIDI controller, then you can 'play' a normal synthesizer or computer plugin from a distance, and if the keytar has a rechargeable battery built in, and maybe some kind of transmitting and receiving system to support wireless MIDI (instead of a long USB cable), then you have yourself a cable-free setup. If your keytar came pre-loaded with a stack of sounds, then you could even use a wireless guitar system to gain full freedom to move on stage.
