I got this Omnichord for $10 at a thrift store! (+ a sample library for patrons)
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- čas přidán 3. 04. 2022
- In this video, I talk about about this amazing thrift store find - an Omnichord OM-84 - as well as the long history of fretless zithers.
You can support what I do on Patreon here: / dhilowitz
Also, checkout out this podcast episode I made about Autoharp manufacturer Alfred Dolge: • Episode 4: Dolgeville - Hudba
I would have a heart attack out of happiness if I found this for $10 at a thrift store
I absolutely love how a 1980s Omnichord is 15 times more expensive than an 1800s autoharp.
That's because the 80's was awesome!
@@blackshadow-_-c9441 shut up
it should be 1000x more expensive, it has 1000 times the tech in it
Thats because the autoharp did not have midi :)
@@Fddlstxx there is more to price than 'most tech' - natural materials are one of a kind :)
But hey, this omnichord is amazing
The only reason they surged in price is because people realized that the Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood" track is a preset. Before that, you could get them for $40 or $50.
I'd say that the omnichord covers of Remember You and Drift Away are also a big reason
at 1:40 the drum beat also kinda reminds me of starshine
@@INNITSTARS i mean Ice King uses an Omnichord in the episode.
I knew someone who played one of these in her one-woman band, and later with her boyfriend as a duo. Unfortunately, they both died six years ago.
This instrument has a very special sound to me, it sounds like her, and everything that made knowing her a joy.
If their music is online, please share it with us.
Sorry for your loss.
@@TehOneTrewIdjut my replies keep disappearing, no idea why!
Her band was called Introflirt, her solo act (more omnichord) was called VANFANTOM.
Damn it, I found and listened to some of the songs from this band. It's a brilliant!
It is unfortunate that their journey ended so tragically💔RIP
Denalda was really special it’s true
10$?! It's 550€ in Germany. You know what does it mean? It's time to contact Behringer to make a copy of this thing!
Please no.
@@musicman9901 why not?
you're right, Behringer needs to revive it, now i want one too.
@@GRMNCVS I love making music, likely like most of the people in the comments here, however I draw the line when it comes to supporting unethical companies. If you aren't already aware I'd suggest watching some videos here on youtube or doing some other research online as Behringer has a long history of using the cheapest components possible, treating staff very questionably as wells as other shady looking business dealings like promising to donate a bunch of synths for children and not keeping their word. I usually try to have at least some interest and mild pride behind the companies I choose to purchase from and support. I love music but I won't support unethical businesses to fuel my passion. Not to mention that Behringers main key to success is riding the fame, success and designs of other much more creative companies. They literally feed off the hype of other brands that make their own original products. That to me sounds like the definition of a parasite. IMO
pp
A few years back I fell in love with the omnichord from the OST for adventure time. So I went to look for one online and saw it was $200 and at the time since I wasn't as into music, I thought that was ridiculous for a novelty synth. Now that they go for $500-800 I'm always reminded of that mistake
yep paid 200 for mine...
You dont have to make a profit out of everything.
If you didnt find it worth spending 200 on. Than that was a good decision for you at that moment. Someone else bought it and found joy from it..or got frustrated by it and smashed it against the wall or his ex got it with the divorce and she now calls her ex and letting her new boyfriend play this thing in the background to torment him and so on and so on.
@@Stoney-Jacksman lol okay...
@@Stoney-Jacksman oddly... specific.
@@avengerer4 nah u just lack imagination. Even your sentence is a cliché of a cliché. Expand dude.
Behringer, please take note, the world needs an updated Omnichord !!!!! 😉😉😉
Ha! I love that you said "Behringer"! I have a number of Behringer products. And I love the Behringer story.
@@PlanetRockJesus Me too my friend, they are a great company 😍
@@mikeb2575 their great, just let’s hope they don’t steal stuff in the future again
Agreed
@@ireadysucks3026 um.. the original comment was suggesting that B steal the omni idea and. . . well. Ya. They stole the ARP? why not omnichord? stealing is their biz model
My mom was a music teach for about 30 years and I remember she would bring the classroom Omnichord home during summer breaks. It was super fun to play with as a kid.
My music class in elementary school in the 80s was, for some reason, almost entirely autoharp based. We got to check them out and bring them home too!
Mine too. 1978. I don't remember anyone enjoying it though. Those things were difficult and I could only make noise on it.
There were a bunch of programs for teachers to learn autoharp back then
Unfair. So cool.
I was gonna say, I totally remember these from my 80's childhood!
Ha! Mine too! Lots of autoharp! She actually had an omnichord too and would pull that out on occasion
what a find! I got the same model around 2000 for ~$30 ... I don't think I'd ever sell it but dang, judging from the comments they sell for a little more than that nowadays.
Sell it, buy one back later once the price comes down
j i
@Para Todo supply and demand: if demand drops because hype dies down again...
@@Synthetica9 You'd have to look at the trends and see if it has historically moved up in down as opposed to just moving up.
I'd never heard about these synth instruments before, and the whole video I was thinking 'wow I could make some sweet music with one of these, and from what he's saying I bet I could pick one up for less than 100 bucks.'
Jesus they're now going for more than a thousand where I'm at.
I'm convinced that the Omnichord is what makes 'Sea World' by The Phoenix Foundation so darn majestic! Great tune and lovely implementation!
That song seaworld by phoenix foundation is most certainly played on the Omni chord. I had this one till it broke. I got the new one and its not at all the same as the one here. But yes. That song is done on the model shown
I got one for $25 back in 2011. To be honest I don't think they're worth the prices they go for nowadays, but they do have a kind of charm to them, like an old casio. I love your presentation though, and really found the history lesson on zithers and chord machines very educational! Keep it up!
The high cost is because of the popularity of Rebecca Sugar’s music in Cartoon Network shows she works on.
Crazy seeing the autoharp being talked about online. I've spent a lot of time around the performers and luthiers that keep the instrument alive and outside of a few cases I almost never see it discussed outside those communities.
Been learning to play one. It sounds so unique
There's a world famous drag queen that plays one, Trixie Mattel!
Autoharps were fairly popular during the folk era of the late 50's and early 60's as well. They pop up a lot in old concert footage and TV performances from the the time.
Thank you for sharing music history in your videos! It's so fun and interesting seeing how musical styles, instruments, etc have changed over time amongst different cultures. Cheers :)
Got one from my wife's grandfather. He loved to buy different instruments. Banjos,lapsteels, mandolins. We lucked up and bagged this sweet one. The packaging says it was used by the band Devo to record one of their albums. Pretty kewl
Yep, Mark Mothersbaugh played an Omnichord on "Patterns", from their 1982 album Oh, No! It's Devo.
I demoed and sold these in the UK when they first came out in the 80s at the Ideal Home Exhibition in London and others all over the UK for about 9 months. Made a lot of money and they sold extremely well. In the UK they were priced at £99.00 when they were originally released with an optional case at £30.
Did the company ever send instruments to Kenny Everett? I remember he appeared playing an OmniChord on the Russell Harty Show and said directly to camera 'they'll send me a crate of these - and you can have one!' I tried to write to him to see if he'd make good on his rash promise but couldn't find an address. Oh well... But I often wondered if he did get some freebies from the manufacturer. Cheers mate, love your story.
Wow ! now $500 & up.
@@tinkerman9224 Well yeah, they've got good collectable value nowadays but £99 was pretty good money in the mid-eighties, what I mean is that they're kinda' the same price now as they were then! Especially if you had that carrying case. Cheers mate, have a good day.
I probably saw you demo it, my dad bought one at the Ideal Home Exhibition after we watched it being demoed, he quickly got bored of it and I played around with it for a while before it lost it's novelty.
Great video! And love the zither history.
This inspired me: for anyone with a hydrasynth with the ribbon slider, if you turn on a fast arp with a four octave range, you can then use the ribbon to control the level of the amp so that it’s set to zero unless you press the ribbon. Play chords with one hand and the ribbon can act as the strumming mechanism. Sort of a hydrachord if you will.
I had a Q Chord back in high school and LOVED it so much. I was asked to play it in church every Sunday. I have no idea what happened to it when I went off to college.....but now I really miss it and wish I had it ☹️
I always wanted an Omnichord, but I was in high school at the time and couldn't afford one. I used to play with it at the music store all the time. My favorite discovery was that you could finger pick it like a guitar. Wonderful sounds. Great memories. :)
"I got this Omnichord for ten bu..."
THAT'S ILLEGAL!!!
Wow that brings back memories of using the Omnichord to lead Praise and Worship at church in our house. Thanks for sharing.
10 dollars is really such a find, especially since I just got my OM-84 for 700 😭 But really love this video, omnichord content is so hard to find- anyways, I adore your videos❤
I bought a nonfunctional QChord a while back and refurbished it to working state, after finding what are apparently the last strum plates available. It's a lot of fun, but because of this video I ended up buying the Le Strum which is so much better in every way, especially because it puts out standard MIDI and not the weird gobbledygook that the QChord spams out.
Adventure Time is definitely responsible for the first big price surge.
I got a phantom notification from someone asking how Adventure Time is responsible. The instrument was featured heavily in the episode "I Remember You" from the fourth season, and was part of the amazing titular song. After that it became very public knowledge that Rebecca Sugar used an Omnichord to do a lot of her song demos for the show, and suddenly this thrift-store curiosity was going for $500+ everywhere.
For some odd reason I now have an overwhelming urge to buy some zithers and an e-bow and see what happens.
Yes!!! I really wonder how that would sound? The other thing I’ve always wanted to do is to try to turn one of them into a reverb tank.
I've tried this with an eBow Plus and couldn't get it to do anything on a stock Oscar Schmidt OS11021AE Autoharp. I had dreams of long sustains fed into a delay pedal. If anyone has had success with trying this, I'd love to know that.
@@DavidHilowitzMusic yes! The resonance is just crazy
It'll work. I sampled a whole hammer dulcimer with two Ebows creating a drone organ for my last film score.. On a zither the sustain would die a lot quicker though. Hammer Dulcimers have a lot more resonance
You need and autoharp and finger + thumb picks.. I believe Mike Fenton still does courses in the UK. He's one of the best in the world. I went to a few UKAA (Autoharp Association!) days in my youth and learned to get a feel for one but never invested in buying an autoharp due to the price. I have not tried the electronic ones and they look like junk as you don't have strings, just the touchpad. Needs about 2 inch long fake strings attached to pressure sensors that you can strum and pluck. The vid maker should have shown the instrument being played properly, held to the body like an autoharp.
There’s also a strum mode in the novation launchkey mini which uses the touchstrip as a strumplate, which you can use to simulate an omnichord.
T1TS!!!!
Oh damn that’s huge, thanks for the heads up
@@K_man217 czcams.com/video/vaK6YTYkhwA/video.html
or a library for kontakt that does the same thing. Stick with NI and you can't go wrong - the library is soniccouture omnichord and sounds perfect.
@@sheepkillindog
Don't say that, Eric.
Your patreon is very generous and I will be supporting. The fact I just found out about you makes me sad but I was instantly happy playing with your sample libraries
So glad that I got mine for $180 a few years ago before all the hype. I absolutely love it
i was able to get a qchord for 250$ which is a lot more already. glad that the qchord is less popular cause i like it more and it's cheaper. i think omnichord will only get more expensive as time goes on.
Wow, this got deep really fast
Love the authenticity of your stuff, no refurbishing, no age erasing. Keep that charm.
Great breakdown of a rare musical gem. I have this exact model, and I love it. I use it to quickly run through and try different chord progressions, have also used it in recordings. Through effects it’s truly insane. Can provide a magical sheen to any composition, and the rhythm section is iconic and weird. I love this thing.
This is a wonderful video. Thank you so much, David.
I have an issue with the term "you can't" in the "you can't play chords with them" part.
You can, just like an harp player, you have to develop a technique of shaping the hand so you can skip the appropriate strings to hit the specific notes of the chord, somehow difficult for a beginner but certainly not impossible nor even improbable, specially if you enjoy the harp.
Yes, I think you're right. I probably should have said "it's hard for beginners." These devices were of course all being sold as being beginner instruments. :)
I know it was a nightmare on the autoharp. This is why that music teacher hated me so much. She acted like it should just be easy for everyone.
Wrong
When I was in Elementary School the teachers had Autoharps to help with music instruction and class sings. Every classroom had a piano and most teachers could play the piano at least well enough to bang out Happy Birthday. Once a week a traveling music teacher came by and used that piano and the Autoharp.
Wow you have great thrift stores! Thanks for sharing David.
Quite an interesting video on chord machines. I was curious about their origin. Thanks for such an entertaining look at the Omnichord and earlier iterations.
I have the follow-on model, the "Q-chord." It has MIDI and a slot for special cartridges that contain different soongss, instruments, and percussion. I love it! Also, many famous musicians have used these instruments in their recodings- David Bowie being among them.
Here's a vid from Robbie Robertson's "Somewhere Down The Crazy River" ( a truly great tune) where an Omnichord is used: czcams.com/video/4KP9PNSUME4/video.html
Brian Eno, too. The OM84 was the last analog model released, IIRC.
John Sebastian, the Lovin' Spoonful 1965-1970: autoharp
I know there was that 'for practical reasons' caveat, but I thought it worth mentioning anyway that there are dozens of folk instruments still used to this day that fall into the 'box zither' family and fill up that huge 2000 year space between the cithra and the mass-produced 1800s zithers. Some like the langeleik, hummel, etc. which are probably ancestors of the Appalachian dulcimer and closer to the 'concert zither' you show here, and the kantele/kannel and similar instruments that are almost identical to the 'chord zither' (but are frequently used for melody playing). The 'weird' keyboard zithers also have a lot in common with old folk instruments like the nyckelharpa and hurdy-gurdy when you get down to how the instrument actually functions.
Cool little history lesson anyway, and looks like a fun instrument :)
It's true! I've always wanted to do more research about those. Interestingly, I have a copy of the Grove Music Dictionary from 1880 and it barely mentions any of these instruments. There are some folk instruments in it, but there is no entry for zither even!
Love the sound of it, great video!
Hey, I love your video. I grew up near Dolgeville and have been in that cool brick plant you show an illustration of. The other things they used to make in Dolgeville, Wilson baseball gloves and baseball bats. Now it is a huge Mennonite and Amish farming area.
Neato! I've always thought the Omnichords were pretty interesting, but there's always been something more "important" to spend my money on, though I did come really, really close to buying one of the later models a number of years back.
When you strummed across the zither, I immediately heard great source material for granular synthesis.
I have a friend who's hobby is restoring old autoharps and zithers. I may have to see if he'll loan me one to record.
Thanks so much for the inspiration, David!
I worked in a guitar shop when I was a young kid. Harden Davis who owned the shop new just about everything about every stringed instrument.
I remember him telling me about the autoharp and then he played it and it was absolutely incredible blew my mind… I can’t describe it but that man had a way with music.
Wow!!!! I had one of those as a kid in the 80s. Of course I never could make it sing like it should, but I had many of hours of fun playing with it.
Thank you for the blast from the past.
Man I remember seeing/hearing/playing one of these--I think it was this exact model when I was no more than 4 in the early 80s. How cool to see it again.
i was shocked recently when I saw the price on an Omnichord that I recently saw for sale. I consider it a cheesy sounding consumer novelty instrument. A lady at a church I went to in the 1980s used one of these when leading the worship.
Some of the trancey sounding stuff toward the end of this video sounds pretty nice.
it was not just a novelty given instruments existed liek this for a while, idk if it is that cheesy for its main sound
The band Minus the Bear found one of these at a yard sale and recorded an entire album (Omni) centered around it. Rocking album btw
Gorilllaz' early hit "Clint Eastwood" was birthed from an Omnichord
First time I saw one of these, I was working at a Salvation Army. The captain brought it in one day began service with it and people were amazed. One day he let my friend [he played in his school’s marching band ] play it and he started to rock out on it. The captain was a little envious that this young man was playing it better then he could, it was too funny and my friend never got to play it again.
This channel is just amazing. Thank you.
I have been watching some of your videos. You made the impression of a very professional, knowledgeable and serious guy, who follows his passion. Your videos are edited and presented super well! Keep on going!
I have an Omnichord given to me by my grandmother. I used to play it at her house when I was a kid. 🎵
I adore the omnichord. I wish I could get my hands on one. My favourite application of it is in Grizzly Bears "Ready Able". It's used in the outro and it adds so much to the soundscape and is such a perfect addition to the song.
I've always been fascinated by these things ever since I saw and touched an Omnichord at a fair as a child. As an adult I have had a Qchord for around 10 years I think. I love that it has midi capabilities.
I worked for 27 for a company that sold these things. We started with the OM - 27 and then the OM- 84 which transformed into the Q- chord which is much more advanced. You can put play along cartridges in them of pop tunes etc and has way more sounds. We were the Suzuki dealer for Canada. I am retired now but the company is still around and is called Empire Music. It's in Vancouver...
Looks so wierd but that retro 80s sound is awesome. I want to hear more of it. I never even heart of it and i grew up in the 80s.
the resurgence in popularity of this device is probably due to the wave of 80's nostalgia and 80's synth sounds from shows like 'stranger things'
Picked up a Q-Chord, case, and manuals in mint condition about two years ago for $20! I play a multiple instruments but always bring it along to get "non-musicians" to participate in the jam. It's easy, sounds great, and everyone finds it quite addictive.
Holy cow, what a good video, thank you so much!
I have an autoharp at home, in Italy. I think it belonged to my grandma (on my father's side) which kinda makes sense because she was born under the Austro-Hungarian empire, that in the early years of 20th century, encompassed a good portion of northern Italy, where she lived. So german-ish culture was pretty common and - evidently - also autoharps! 😀
I should probably restore it, at some point because it has a very unique sound!
I used to own an omnichord when I was younger. Unfortunately, when it stopped working I just gave it away. I did the same thing with a Moog Opus 3. What a shame. Love your channel, sir!
Awesome video!
My favorite bit is the power button being held in the ON position with the wadded up paper.
I love this sound! Makes you immedietly think of old school cartoons and video games.
When using Logic/Garageband on Mac with Logic Remote on an iPad/iPhone you also get a chords playing function with fully customizable chords and chord progressions. Using a smart device with touchscreen like an iPad has opened a new realm of possibilities in digital music production for me.
Oh, this thing. Damn. So like whenever this thing first surfaced, I was, for whatever reason, visiting some kind of outdoor vendor fair with my mother (brought along against my will, no doubt). The only thing I even remember about that day was the table that had a dozen of these weird things set up. I had a passing interest in it because I was into electronic keyboards in general. I tinkered with it a bit, wasn't super impressed, and that was the end of my impression of it. Still, interesting to come full circle. I'd totally forgotten about it and the neurons I'd devoted to that day might never have fired again without this video.
Great video! I learned something, and it was very entertaining. In the early 1990s, I found myself buying all sorts of sophisticated music making (Casio-like) electronic music making (toys). They were mini electric organs, combined with sound effects, like "DJ's" were using. Scratch-pads, drum synthesizers, echo, reverse keys, that played notes as if one were playing recored sounds backwards. Mini-keyboards, that mimicked every sort of instrument. Most had prerecorded rhythm sounds, or riffs that could by played along with. I still have them,....and once in awhile for giggles, I play them. I am amused for hours at a time.
this is such a concise and high quality video thank you
I play a CRB Diamond 800 circa 1969 and it's party trick is a roller type 2 octave ribbon for Arp or Glis. Mountains of fun but I still fancy one of these.
Hooray for pointing out the autoharp. I’ve played it professionally for 25 years. There is so much more you can do with it then just a simple strum too.
I called my style rhythm and folk because it is very rhythm-based. Or as one person said I had a thumb lead.
And there are some autoHarpers, who can play melodies, absolutely brilliantly.
But personally, I prefer my style of Sci Fi drinking songs.
MY music teach in middle school had one of these. I LOVED toying with it! I have not thought of this thing for ages.
I have my grandma’s Omnicord she purchased in Japan and have very vivid memories of her singing hymns with this sparkling accompaniment.
John Sebastian was also an autoharp player. He did a lot to promote the instrument's use in folk and jugband music.
There was one of these on my local Facebook marketplace for $20. It was listed for about 5 minutes when I asked if I could buy it, and it was already sold pending pickup.
This has LITERALLY been my dream find forever!
I had one the same one I regret selling it not long ago. Very fun to play and relaxing to play the strum sound awesome very warm sound.
Damn, only $10? And in such good condition? I’m jealous!
I'm not a musician but even I can imagine all the possibilities you can play with this gem. Amazing
Wow! I’m so happy I found this page
I love the Omnichord, sampled one a while back. Great Video David!
I prefer the scrape myself. It adds so much identity and depth to the instrument. After all that's why we love guitars in general. It's not the notes so much as how its played and the passion resonates in the strum.
My cousin got one of those a million years ago when they were new. I was amazed, but so young that he wouldn't let me run off and play with it. I ended up buying a room full of guitars. Good times.
I love my autoharp so much. Thank you for taking the time to show the progression from zither, to autoharp, to omnichord! Although I will argue that another Maybelle Carter is more renowned for her autoharp skills. (However Dolly is very good too)
Saw one online at an estate sale coming up! This was super informative, Thanks
Rebecca Sugar is really into the omnicord so that's why it's in Adventure Time. Some of her demos songs use the omnicord too
10 dollars? Mine have cost hundreds! I guess they might actually be harder to come by in England though. I've been playing them since 2010 and I've used them on loads of recordings and a few film scores since then. I had the om27 until last Christmas then sold that to a bandmate, brought a restored 0m84
Yeah they're expensive everywhere, David just lucked out and found a thrift shop that didn't know how to price it.
Also, don't forget the CZcamsr click-bait discount you get in American thrift stores.
This is super interesting, i love the sounds created from these 😁🤗
Such a nice instrument! Totally love it!
My 1975 Thomas Celebrity Royale came with an apeggio bar beneath the swell keyboard. Any chord held on the great organ would be translated to whatever stops were set on the swell. Unfortunately, it's now defunct, and at my advanced age, I'm not considering repairing it. But with sustain on, it was a great effect if you wanted something really big sounding. I loved it.
When you said “Alfred Dolge” my first thought was “that reminds me of Dolgeville” (which is like 20 minutes from where I live) and then you went on to confirm that he was the founder of Dolgeville and not only that, but that you have a podcast episode about it.
Needless to say I’ll be listening to that. When you live in the middle of nowhere, it’s crazy when someone references places near you.
Oh, cool! The story of Dolgeville is so fascinating…
Love this instrument! I was lucky enough to have two. ❤️
Dude! I haven't seen one of these since the mid 90's when I was a kid. This is dope.
I hope they start manufacturing more omnichords. Also, amazing video
I think this recent renaissance for these instruments comes along with the DAWless revolution you can see in homebrew music production. What the OP-1 started as a fad more than anything is now a great subset of the industry with things like the Synthstrom Deluge. Yet another great little bit of kit to add to the setup and nae have to worry about PC connectivity and all that.
Very nice sounding. And for the low cost, too. Amazing.
Everyday you learn something new. This was interesting 👍
10 Dollars?! I need to get myself out and scour the charity shops for a bargain!
Out of all these I like the chord zither the best just cause how simple it is, you could imagine someone in ancient times playing this in a narrow street
I was given a harp and an Omnichord to play with for my early childhood education. I was old enough to appreciate it, but too young to know what I was doing. It is a treat to listen to this history and learn more in later years.
OMG, what a throwback. I forgot about this, use to love it when i was really little. I have no idea what happened to it. but now wish i still had it.
The goodwill I worked at recently sold an Omnichord for $7.49.
When I told my manager and the worker who priced it that it's worth up to 800, they scrambled to look for it.
By nobody's surprise, it flew off the shelves in minutes.
Don't be a narc let ppl get nice things for cheap. Thrift stores make things accessable and their motive shouldn't be for profit
@@telegenicz I sold a 700 dollar mountain bike for 25 dollars. I'm not being a narc, i'm preserving a piece of musical history (or trying to, anyway.) and it's important we keep as many examples around as possible for, at the bare minimum, documentation.
@@_waymin it's a goodwill. You're being a narc.
goodwill is horrible. their prices are astoundingly overpriced on most things. no one goes in there to drop $800 on anything
@@telegenicz cry.
Great video! I love great deals like this. TEN BUCKS! People are buying these for over $300 on Ebay!
Bought one of these many years ago......still love it!
I think that's a great way to sort of "sketch out" your songs. Knowing how the chords progress can give us a great idea of the overall mood. Then we just mess with the notes in each chord to come up with a melody.