OtamatoneJapanese Electronic Musical Instrument Portable Music Synthesizer from Japan by Maywa Denki Studio Award Winning, Educational Fun Gift for Children, Teens & Adults - Monchhichi

My daughter loves it it’s smaller than I expected but nonetheless gets the job done

My granddaughter requested one for her birthday and she loves it

The media could not be loaded. Warning: Lower your volume before playing the video!The Otomatone is an electronic musical synthesizer developed in Japan, although this model is made in China. The face on this one resembles Monchhichi, the popular Japanese monkey character. The instrument has a ribbon controller which produces the sound as fingers slide up and down. Simultaneously squeezing the rubber face will produce a vibrato sound. There are 2 volume settings and three octave settings. It requires 3 AAA batteries (not included). You can hear the sound in my video, but please note that I have no musical talent! Inside the cardboard packaging there are detailed instructions and a musical score that can be played. The price might seem high if you are considering this to be a child’s toy and the sound might drive a parent crazy. However, this instrument can actually produce music if one takes the time to learn how to play it. A contestant in Spain’s Got Talent show actually won a prize for playing Nessun Dorma. There are many videos online that also demonstrate the use and sound of the instrument way better than I did!

I bought this for my niece in hope that she'd play it and annoy my sibling and his wife. The top volume is not very loud at all. Boo.

Cute but didn't last 1 week and fell apart

I've always wanted an otamatone, ever since seeing one in a video years ago. This one was pretty cute, being a Monchichi branded one, so I couldn't pass it up. It should be known that this is an electronic device, so it will require 3 AAA batteries. And the battery compartment requires a small Phillips head screwdriver to access. Luckily, I wear glasses, so I had a small-enough screwdriver in my eyeglass repair kit. Otherwise, I would have had to buy something just to put the batteries in.As an instrument, this thing puts out an odd, buzzing electronic tone, which you activate by pressing in a touchpad along the stem. It's surprisingly challenging to do properly. You can shake the stem for vibrato, and squeeze the bulb at the bottom for what they call a "wah" effect. It takes more pressure to activate the sound than I initially thought it would. I thought a light touch that I sweep up and down the stem would be enough, and it definitely isn't. There are switches on the back to control the volume (off/normal/loud) and the pitch (high/medium/low), and some of the effects you can squeeze out of the extreme high or low pitches are pretty funny.One thing I found counterintuitive is that the pitch gets lower the farther UP the stem you go, toward the tip. I expected it to work more like a recorder for some reason, where the lower you place your fingers on the stem, the lower the note, but it works more like a string instrument, where the farther AWAY from the base, the lower the note. That will just take practice to get used to, as will the absence of any sort of fret or indication of what note you're playing. The other major issue I have with the otamatone is that the touchpad doesn't seem very responsive at all. Half the time, though I feel like I'm still exerting the same amount of pressure, I will get a very short, clipped note, instead of sustaining it like I was trying to do. That's the main reason I deducted a star.Ultimately, this is less an instrument, and more a toy. It's fun to play with, but you're probably going to drive people around you crazy, and it's unlikely you'll be joining that band unless they're REALLY niche.

I've always wanted an otomatone since I was in middle school, and having the chance to get one in my hands like this has been a dream come true.It's silly and goofy, and for parents buying this for their kids, it will 110% get annoying pretty quick while they're trying to learn how to play it.Otomatones come in a million different designs and versions, and this one here is of the Japanese character named Monchhichi, who's been a big hit overseas since the mid 70's for kids.Otomatones are advertised as being like a musical instrument, and while you might not be playing this in any kind of symphony I'd still agree with that statement.It takes 3 AAA batteries to use, has an on off switch with "Off" "Low Volume" and "High Volume" as well as a switch for "Low" "Medium" and "High" audio tones.Personally I definitely recommend seeing all the different designs and watching some of the things people have managed to play using these, it's so fun and cool.You also do receive a little sheet of paper to play "Symphony No. 9 in D minor, OP. 125 "Choral"" by Beethoven in the packaging that shows you the notes and how to follow along with it.

i picked this because I have seen it all over the internet for plenty of years, since my tumblr age lol. I figured it was time to finally get one. My Husband is the musical one in the family- and was playing songs on this item, when I was just making sounds. :b If you have someone in your life who enjoys music, they will enjoy this because of the different tones & pitches it offers! It’s really enjoyable and can also be used as a tool to annoy people - my son & husband have shown me that. It’s great quality & authentic. Enjoyable to past the time and it comes with instructions on how to use and how to play this so anyone can learn the scales. :)