Weird Instruments

An independent site with no connection to Suzuki, Meloclub or Dubreq: not official, not an authorised dealer. Omnichord and Stylophone are trade marks of their owners, named here only to identify the real products.

Act I

Online omnichord: play our chord strip

Now playing: C major

Pick a chord, then drag a finger or the mouse along the strip. Sound is made in your browser by a small organ-like synth of ours: it is neither a recording nor a copy of any product.

Choose a root, choose major, minor or seventh, then drag a finger or the mouse across the strip. Its twelve segments sound the notes of the chord you picked, so a slow drag picks them out and a quick swipe strums them. Nothing plays until your first touch, because browsers insist on being asked.

This chord strip has a sound of its own: two oscillators through a filter, no samples, and no attempt to resemble any maker’s product. It is not an Omnichord, and nobody at Suzuki has been consulted.

Act II

Online omnichord: the strip in five moves

Anyone looking for an online omnichord wants the gesture first. Playing our strip is mostly a matter of choosing a chord and then moving your hand, which is also how the real instrument works.

  1. Turn the volume down first. Headphones are kind to the household.
  2. Choose a root from C, D, E, F, G, A or B♭.
  3. Choose major, minor or seventh. The panel names the chord you have chosen.
  4. Drag across the strip from left to right, then back again.
  5. Change chord when you feel the beat. There is no backing rhythm, so keeping time is your job.

Two chords are enough for a first tune. C major to G major and back covers more songs than anyone likes to admit.

Act III

What an online chord strip cannot do

Searching for an online omnichord gets you a sketch of an idea, not the instrument, and the gaps are worth knowing before you read anything into the result.

  • No rhythms. There is no waltz, no bossa nova, and no drummer to blame.
  • No MIDI. The sound stays in the browser tab and cannot drive another instrument.
  • No pressure sensitivity. A gentle swipe and a vigorous one sound at the same volume.
  • One tone only, so there is nothing to choose between and nothing to get wrong.

Act IV

Online omnichord first: why a free try comes before buying

A free go answers the one question that matters: do you enjoy dragging a finger across a row of notes while the chord does the thinking? If so, the hardware adds a good deal, and if not, you have lost a few minutes.

What the strip already tells you

An online omnichord search should end in a quick verdict. Ten minutes on the strip show whether chord-first playing suits your hands and your patience. You will also learn quickly whether a single tone satisfies you or whether you start wishing for a drummer.

What the hardware adds

  • Chord buttons you press with one hand while the other strums.
  • A four-octave touch-sensitive strumplate instead of twelve segments.
  • Ten rhythm styles, from Rock 1 to Waltz.
  • A MIDI out and a headphone socket, so the sound can leave the room.

We review the Suzuki OM-108, the 2024 reissue of the original instrument, on the Omnichord page. Stock on Amazon is low, which is one more reason to try the idea for free first.

If the answer is yes, the autoharp is the acoustic cousin that works on the same chord-first principle, and the Stylophone is another pocket instrument you can learn by ear.

Encore

Backstage questions about the online omnichord

  • Is this the real Omnichord?

    No. It is our own chord strip, built from two oscillators and a filter. It is not an Omnichord, it is not made by Suzuki, and it borrows nothing from the original’s sound or look.

  • Why is there no sound?

    Check that the tab is not muted and the device volume is up, then touch the strip once. Browsers wait for a touch before they play any audio, and a silent phone switch can also be the culprit.

  • Does the strip work on a phone?

    Yes. It answers to a mouse or a finger, so you can drag a thumb across it. Holding the phone sideways gives your thumb more room to strum.

  • Can our chord strip play rhythms or send MIDI?

    No to both. There is no rhythm section and the sound stays inside the browser tab, which keeps it honest about being a sketch.

  • What happens next if the strip goes down well?

    Read our review of the Suzuki OM-108, the reissue of the original instrument. Stock on Amazon is low at the moment, so it helps to know early whether you want to go looking.