The phrase “electronic keyboard” refers to any instrument that generates audio by the pressing or putting of keys, and uses electric power, in some way, to facilitate the development of that sound. The use of an electronic keyboard to create tunes follows an inevitable evolutionary line from the quite 1st musical keyboard devices, the pipe organ, clavichord, and harpsichord. The pipe organ is the oldest of these, initially made by the Romans in the 3rd century B.C., and named the hydraulis. The hydraulis developed sound by forcing air by way of reed pipes, and was run by implies of a guide water pump or a pure water source these types of as a waterfall.
From it can be first manifestation in historic Rome until finally the 14th century, the organ remained the only keyboard instrument. It often did not element a keyboard at all, in its place making use of substantial levers or buttons that had been operated by making use of the full hand.
The subsequent look of the clavichord and harpsichord in the 1300’s was accelerated by the standardization of the 12-tone keyboard of white purely natural keys and black sharp/flat keys uncovered in all keyboard devices of today. The acceptance of the clavichord and harpsichord was eventually eclipsed by the advancement and popular adoption of the piano in the 18th century. The piano was a innovative development in acoustic musical keyboards due to the fact a pianist could vary the quantity (or dynamics) of the sound the instrument made by different the power with which each key was struck.
The emergence of digital audio know-how in the 18th century was the up coming vital phase in the development of the fashionable digital keyboard. The first electrified musical instrument was thought to be the Denis d’or (designed by Vaclav Prokop Dovis), relationship from about 1753. This was soon adopted by the “clavecin electrique” invented by Jean Baptiste Thillaie de Laborde close to 1760. The former instrument consisted of over 700 strings temporarily electrified to enhance their sonic attributes. The later was a keyboard instrument featuring plectra, or picks, that have been activated electrically.
Even though becoming electrified, neither the Denis d’or or the clavecin applied electric power as a sound resource. In 1876, Elisha Gray invented this kind of an instrument named the “musical telegraph.,” which was, fundamentally, the really 1st analog electronic synthesizer. Gray discovered that he could control sound from a self-vibrating electromagnetic circuit, and so invented a standard single notice oscillator. His musical telegraph developed sounds from the electromagnetic oscillation of steel reeds and transmitted them about a phone line. Gray went on to incorporate a straightforward loudspeaker into his later styles which consisted of a diaphragm vibrating in a magnetic area, producing the tone oscillator audible.
Lee De Forrest, the self-styled “Father Of Radio,” was the next big contributor to the development of the electronic keyboard. In 1906 he invented the triode electronic valve or “audion valve.” The audion valve was the initial thermionic valve or “vacuum tube,” and De Forrest built the first vacuum tube instrument, the “Audion Piano,” in 1915. The vacuum tube turned an necessary element of digital instruments for the up coming 50 yrs until finally the emergence and common adoption of transistor technological innovation.
The 10 years of the 1920’s brought a prosperity of new electronic instruments onto the scene together with the Theremin, the Ondes Martenot, and the Trautonium.
The future major breakthrough in the heritage of electronic keyboards came in 1935 with the introduction of the Hammond Organ. The Hammond was the initially electronic instrument capable of developing polyphonic seems, and remained so until the invention of the Chamberlin Audio Maker, and the Mellotron in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. The Chamberlin and the Mellotron ended up the 1st at any time sample-playback keyboards supposed for producing tunes.
The digital piano produced it is really to start with overall look in the 1940’s with the “Pre-Piano” by Rhodes (later on Fender Rhodes). This was a a few and a 50 percent octave instrument built from 1946 until finally 1948 that came geared up with self-amplification. In 1955 the Wurlitzer Enterprise debuted their initially electrical piano, “The 100.”
The increase of new music synthesizers in the 1960’s gave a effective push to the evolution of the digital musical keyboards we have today. The very first synthesizers ended up very substantial, unwieldy equipment applied only in recording studios. The technological breakthroughs and proliferation of miniaturized strong state elements soon permitted the creation of synthesizers that ended up self-contained, moveable instruments able of remaining used in live performances.
This started in 1964 when Bob Moog created his “Moog Synthesizer.” Lacking a keyboard, the Moog Synthesizer was not definitely an electronic keyboard. Then, in 1970, Moog debuted his “Minimoog,” a non-modular synthesizer with a created-in keyboard, and this instrument even further standardized the design and style of digital musical keyboards.
Most early analog synthesizers, this kind of as the Minimoog and the Roland SH-100, have been monophonic, capable of making only one tone at a time. A couple of, these types of as the EML 101, ARP Odyssey, and the Moog Sonic 6, could produce two distinctive tones at once when two keys ended up pressed. Real polyphony (the creation of many simultaneous tones which let for the enjoying of chords) was only obtainable, at initial, working with electronic organ models. There ended up a number of digital keyboards developed which mixed organ circuits with synthesizer processing. These included Moog’s Polymoog, Opus 3, and the ARP Omni.
By 1976, added style and design advancements experienced authorized the appearance of polyphonic synthesizers these types of as the Oberheim Four-Voice, and the Yamaha collection CS-50, CS-60, and CS-80. The 1st definitely sensible polyphonic synth, introduced in 1977, was the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5. This instrument was the initial to use a microprocessor as a controller, and also permitted all knob settings to be saved in laptop memory and recalled by merely pushing a button. The Prophet-5’s layout quickly turned the new common in the digital keyboards market.
The adoption of Musical Instrumental Digital Interface (MIDI) as the typical for electronic code transmission (letting electronic keyboards to be linked into personal computers and other devices for input and programming), and the ongoing digital technological revolution have developed great enhancements in all areas of electronic keyboard style, design, purpose, audio excellent, and value. Present day manufactures, these as Casio, Yamaha, Korg, Rolland, and Kurzweil, are now making an abundance of properly-designed, lightweight, flexible, terrific sounding, and affordable electronic keyboard musical instruments and will continue to do so effectively into the foreseeable potential.