Play A Full Orchestra by Yourself! A Recommendation for the Electone

The Electone is an electronic organ sold by YAMAHA that is played using both hands and feet across three keyboards. Equipped with rhythm functions and a wide variety of tones, its greatest feature is the ability to perform a full band or orchestra by yourself. Here, I’ll be introducing the appeal of the Electone, an instrument that lets you enjoy music using your whole body!

■ Introducing the Features of the Electone!

○ Play As a Band or Orchestra by Yourself!

The greatest feature of the Electone is that one person can perform all the instruments. With its wide variety of tones and rhythm patterns, and the ability to assign different sounds to each of the three keyboards, you can perform many genres of music on a single Electone—from orchestras with many instruments to three-piece rock setups with guitar, bass, and drums.

○ Wide Variety of Tones & Rhythms

The Electone has two tiers of keyboards that’s similar to a pipe organ. In addition, there is a pedal keyboard played with the feet, meaning you play three keyboards at the same time. The upper keyboard, played with the right hand, can have up to four tones assigned simultaneously. For example, if you set it to trumpet, horn, violin, and flute, pressing a single key will produce the sounds of four instruments at once.

In the same way, the lower keyboard and the pedal keyboard can each be assigned up to two tones. Furthermore, effects such as a wah wah can also be applied, resulting in an extremely wide range of sound variations. For example, you can finely create sounds suited to each piece, like in a Star Wars–style orchestral theme or a jazz session–like sound with piano and jazz guitar.

○ Sound and Rhythm Sets = Registration

The combination of tones and rhythms is called a registration, and you can choose from about 300 preset patterns. Existing registrations can be rearranged or customized, and you can also create entirely new ones, giving you virtually unlimited variations. Furthermore, if you assign registrations to the row of buttons located behind the lower keyboard, you can change them with a single touch during performance.

You can also change registrations using the switch on the right-side pedal. Additionally, even without manual adjustments, you can set them to change automatically in sync with the rhythm, allowing you to focus on playing while the Electone handles tone and rhythm changes. Registrations can also be saved to a USB memory and transferred to other Electones, which is very useful for stage performances.

○ Change the Sound After Pressing a Key!

The Electone features aftertouch, which allows you to change the tone after pressing a key. By applying additional pressure with your finger after pressing a key, the sound becomes brighter and louder. Other keyboard instruments, such as the piano, do not allow changes in tone or volume after pressing a key—the tone is determined by the force applied at the moment of pressing. With the Electone, you can modify the tone afterward, making it ideal for expressing long, expressive notes like those of string or wind instruments.

○ Change the Pitch with "Horizontal Touch"

There is also a feature called horizontal touch. By applying lateral pressure after pressing a key, you can change the pitch of the note. Mastering both aftertouch and horizontal touch enables very detailed tonal expression as well as dynamic performance.

■ Which is Harder to Play, Piano or Electone?

The piano has a single keyboard, while the Electone has three keyboards, with the hand-played keyboards divided into upper and lower manuals. At first glance, the Electone might seem harder to play, but how does it actually compare?

The Electone’s overlapping upper and lower manuals allow you to see the keys in the center of your field of vision. The piano, with its single row of 88 keys, extends horizontally, requiring you to look at the keys from the edge of your vision—or play without looking. This makes the hand keyboards on the Electone much easier to play. However, the foot pedals on the Electone are generally out of sight, so it takes time to get used to playing them.

○ Foot Movement

When starting out, the foot pedals are relatively easy to play because they mostly handle simple bass lines. As players advance, foot movements become more complex, using both toes and heels, or incorporating the right foot in passages typically played with the left foot, making it more challenging.

○ Finger Movement

Finger movements are considerably more difficult on a classical piano. On the Electone, the left hand is mostly used for backing, so it doesn’t move as intensely as on a classical piano. It’s closer to jazz piano, where the left hand plays various chord inversions. The right hand primarily carries the melody, so its movement can be as demanding as classical piano at times.

○ The Electone is an Instrument of Overall Musical Skill

In terms of pure technical playing ability, the piano is generally more difficult. The Electone, however, is an instrument that requires overall musical skill. For example, playing styles suited to Latin, 8-beat, or swing rhythms, or adding jazz-style accents, demand a broad understanding of music. The key is how closely you can reproduce the feel and tone of real instruments.

● Electone and Dreamatone

The Electone is produced by Yamaha, while the Dreamatone was Kawai’s electronic organ. The Dreamatone was popular alongside the Electone but was discontinued in 2016. Other examples include Technitone by Panasonic (formerly Matsushita Electric) and Victron by Victor Japan.

■ Recommended YAMAHA Keyboards

The Electone is a wonderful instrument that allows you to enjoy music with your whole body. However, due to its high price and large size, many people hesitate to purchase one. Here are two YAMAHA keyboards that allow you to enjoy a variety of sounds similar to the Electone.

YAMAHA PSR-SX600

Equipped with 850 preset voices, 43 drum patterns, touch response, pitch bend, and modulation, this is the top-of-the-line portable keyboard from YAMAHA.

YAMAHA PSR-E360MA

A YAMAHA keyboard with a distinctive and beautiful wood-grain design. It features 384 voices, 16 drum patterns, effects such as reverb and chorus, and recording/playback functions. A keyboard suitable for casual use.

■ Recommended Electone Performances Found on YouTube!

I found some performances on YouTube that fully showcase the charm of the Electone. Be sure to check them out!

■ “Star Wars” Medley 【 STAR WARS 】 Electone Performance

826aska

Perfectly recreates the world of Star Wars, even playing the sound of Darth Vader’s breathing. Watching the lights on the lower keyboard buttons clearly shows how the registration changes automatically. Pay attention to the changes in tone from hand touch and the use of the right-foot pedal.

■ Dancing Queen / ABBA “Dancing Queen” Electone (by Ear) ★YAMAHA Electone ELS-02C

aki-Electone solo

Can play ABBA’s disco sound. When performed on the Electone, the song feels grander in scale. A small window shows the footboard, so you can clearly see the movement of the feet. Fast bass lines are skillfully played using both toes and heels.

■ 【Pair A Dice】Yamaha Electone Competition (International Finals) Performance

Eri Hanano

An original piece inspired by a casino. The piano and wind instrument sounds are very realistic. Footboard performance using toes and heels is fast, and the performer is wearing heeled shoes. A performance video that highlights exceptional technique.

■ The Electone Develops Your Sense of Rhythm

How did you like this article on Electone recommendations? When you learn to play the Electone, you handle many different rhythms and perform along with them, which helps improve your sense of rhythm and the ability to control dynamics. Be sure to enjoy playing a one-person orchestra by learning the Electone!

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