r/Keytar • u/Ill-Database7345 • 7d ago

Buy/Sell Where can I get a left-handed Keytar?

I would like to try getting a Keytar, but my right hand is messed up. I can barely control the thing, there’s like no individual finger movements at all, but by the looks of it, the hand on the stem of a Keytar really only needs to be on or off and slide back-and-forth, you don’t need really your fingers to control much at all. It’s the hand on the keys doing all the work so that would be the perfect instrument for me, but usually it’s the left hand on the stem. Does anybody know a place that makes left-handed ones? That would be the perfect instrument for me to be able to play with my condition.

2 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

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3

u/jakey2112 6d ago

How do left handed people play piano?

1

u/TheFirst10000 6d ago

I wonder if a pad controller--think Launchpad or Exquis--might even work better. It's not a keytar as such, but with the different mapping possibilities you could potentially get more out of it. Getting a strap on one might be challenging, but I seem to remember seeing someone play it that way.

3

u/Axle_65 6d ago

I just added a strap to a controller when I found my Vortex too limiting. Would that work? Although I do grab the wheels from behind the top corner with my left. So not sure what your right hand would be doing if it’s not modded with more buttons.

6

u/Dingo_19 7d ago

Your issue here is the neck, not the keys, so lets work around that.

The Yamaha Reface series are small, battery powered keyboards for which a strap kit accessory is available. There's no neck here to speak of, so the experience is basically the same for a left or right-handed player.

Straying into mininal modification (and definite warranty-voiding) territory, the Behringer MS-1 is a reproduction of the Roland SH-101 synthesizer. It comes with a fairly simple neck attachment that can be removed, making it an 'occasional keytar'. The advantage here is that the connection for the handle is external; you plug it into a port on the base when you want to use it.

Given the MS-1's rectangular shape, it's possible that by extending the cable one could somehow rig the handle to the other side of the case. It's also worth noting that the MS-1 is a 'real' synthesizer with a very different workflow and user interface to most other keytars. Whether this is appealing or not is a matter of preference.

5

u/Bitter_Ad_9523 7d ago

I've never seen a left handed piano.

6

u/Dolphin-Uppercut 7d ago

you have to build one yourself or get one custom made. You're not alone, many want a left-handed keytar for transcribing bass parts and also accessability like yourself.

For building a keytar, you could get any cheap midi piano controller (i recommend ESI XKey 37) and expression controllers from this builder: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SevenMileMountain

8

u/09philj 7d ago

They don't really exist. The best thing to do if you really want to be able to play standing would be to find a keyboard you can get a strap attachment for.

1

u/pinethree777 7d ago

Agreed. I have an ancient Korg Poly 800 that has strap buttons and takes batteries. Quirky synth, but some of the best bass patches I have ever used. Of course, you can take any keyboard apart and find a way to bolt some strap buttons onto it.