What is an Otamatone?

This is a music instrument, that is basically an electronic synthesiser played with a ribbon controller, that is attached to a silly Pacman lookalike mouth inside which you will find the speaker of the instrument. 

Invented and introduced in Japan in 2009, and even though it looks like a funny toy for kid, it is actually playable. And due to its crazy design it has become a very popular instrument in the “meme culture” on the Internet.

Is it Easy to Play the Otamatone?

It is very easy to produce sounds, and play all over the range, even a kid can do it. However, the hard part is to learn where all notes are so you can play with proper intonation (finding the right notes of the melody).

This is because you don’t have frets or markers for the notes, but instead it is similar to a violin string where you have to use muscle memory in combination with the direct feedback of the sound to do quick real time adjustments in order to get to each proper pitch.

Is the Otamatone a Real Instrument?

Well, yes…and no. It may have started as a toy, and it still looks like a toy. But there have been examples where people play this instrument beautifully with emotion, adding beautiful legatos and portamentos, expressive vibratos etc.

However, due to the funny design, you will never be taken seriously as a musician playing this on stage. But you will definitely catch their attention, and if you play it well you may even make a great impression musically.

And with the contrast between the silly looking toy like design, and playing actual music beautifully, you will definitely make people surprised and even awe-struck.

How much does the Otamatone cost?

The price depends on whether you choose the basic standard model, or the “premium” bigger model.

The bigger version is definitely easier to play, and will sound better, due to the more precise control you get out of the longer “slide controller” (band).

The basic version will be in the 30$ range, and the premium version in the 80$ range, depending on your location, taxes etc.

It’s still a very fun and cheap instrument and can therefore be a great gift to any person interested in music and instruments.

How does an Otamatone sound?

The overall sound of the Otamatone can be described as a bit “whiny”, “nasal”, and some even refer to it as an electronic synthesizer Erhu (chinese bowed instrument).

Here’s a live example of an Otamatone performance that is both “funny” yet beautiful at the same time: