Earplugs At The Ready (Stylophone Original Pocket Synthesiser)

Member Name: flutel

Product:	Stylophone Original Pocket Synthesiser
Date:	29/05/09 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, fun, fun for hopeless non musicians and grown ups who never got one as a kid.

Disadvantages: No one will come to the concert

Oh I wish I could review this in sound because then you would be able to enjoy the mellow tones of the Stylophone Original Pocket Synthesiser.


By rights, I should have had one of these as a kid but my mother rarely seemed to get me anything I really wanted for birthday or christmas. I had to be content with watching my mates become virtuosos on theirs and having the odd snatched moment when a friend deigned to lend me one. I'm sure you can picture the look on my little girl's face.

Songs
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An odd snatched moment is not what you need on a stylophone; you need a lot of time on it alone to master one of the two (or even both) songs in the songbook provided. These are:

Silent Night

The Londonderry air - or 'Danny Boy' - (this is my favourite simply because it is not 'Silent NIght'.


So, I know what you're thinking, two songs in the songbook is a bit tight. Well, I agree with you. It's really not on; the Stylophone is not for musical people - they're all busy scraping away on violins or tooting on woodwind, it's for people who are hopeless at music - like me.


Having said that, I have not yet mastered 'Danny Boy' but that is simply because I do not practise much. I could be practising the Stylophone now - but I'm writing a review about instead. Life is a funny thing.


The actual instrument
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Appearance

I have the white (girly) instrument as opposed the the black one shown. It has a tasteful gold grille over the speaker bit and lovely gold keys. The little white 'pencil-thing' (this is a technical term I hope you understand) has a short lead which enables you to slot the pencil-type thing into its compartment when not in use.

Sound
It has the melodious tone of a rather whiny wasp drilling into your eardrum and you can vary this sound by selecting vibrato to be either on or off. So, if you want to do a particularly showy version of 'Silent Night' (perhaps in a church service at Christmas) just pop that vibrato button on. Result.


Drawbacks
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Oh no, There can't be any I hear you cry. There are three:

1. The batteries ran out even when I wasn't using it for 3 months.

2. When the keyboard is dusty (from not using it for 3 months) it does not play properly and the note breaks off.

3. No one likes to hear you play it.


But I love my little Stylophone Original Pocket Synthesiser I do.

Summary: I'd rather have a stylophone for Christmas than bubble bath.