The Omnichord is an electronic musical instrument made by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation in 1981. Designed as an electronic autoharp, it lets users play harp-like sounds using an electronic strum plate, which mimics the feel of playing a stringed instrument. The Omnichord became popular because it is easy to carry, has a unique sound, and was admired for its fun and unusual look.

Different Omnichord models have organ-like chords, built-in drum rhythms, and an automatic bass line feature. A set of buttons lets users choose major, minor, and 7th chords, which can be activated by the strum plate, chord buttons, and bassline accompaniment.

Production of the Omnichord stopped with the OM-300 model in 1996. Later, the Omnichord became popular again because people started to appreciate old electronic instruments. A new model, the OM-108, was released in 2024.

Production

The Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation introduced the first Omnichord, the OM-27, in 1981. It was released together with another instrument called the Tronichord (also known as the Portachord). This instrument was designed for people who had no musical experience and might feel nervous about using traditional keyboards.

The OM-27 had 27 chord buttons, a strum plate, pre-programmed drum rhythms, and controls for adjusting volume, tempo, and sustain. It only had one sound, called "harp." In 1984, Suzuki released the OM-36, which had 36 chord shapes, and the OM-84, which had 84 chord shapes. Both models included an improved strum plate.

The next model, the OM-100, moved the strum plate to a more comfortable position. It also added new sounds, including guitar, piano, banjo, jazz organ, flute, chime, brass, vibraphone, and synthesizer. In 1989, Suzuki introduced the OM-250, which added a MIDI out port to connect with other electronic instruments. The OM-300, released in the early 1990s, included a MIDI in port, a chord sequencer, and additional sounds. In 1999, Suzuki re-released the Omnichord as the Q-Chord. This version had a redesigned body, more sounds, a better speaker, and a slot for storing songs.

During the 2020s, interest in the Omnichord increased because of growing popularity in experimental music and a renewed interest in older electronic instruments. In 2024, Suzuki announced a new model, the OM-108. It features analog circuits, copies of earlier models, new sounds and drum presets, and the ability to play the chord buttons like a keyboard or drum pad.

Sound and features

Omnichords have pre-set rhythm patterns with controls for tempo and volume, as well as an automatic bass line feature. These can be combined to create musical accompaniment. The most unique feature of the Omnichord is the Sonic Strings strum plate, which allows the player to "strum" arpeggios like a guitar. Later models added MIDI compatibility, more sound choices for the Sonic Strings, vibrato, and a chord memory system called Chord Computer.

The Omnichord was designed mainly for accompaniment rather than playing melodies. It is ideal for supporting a singer with basic rhythms and for easily playing chords without needing advanced music theory knowledge.

The Omnichord has three main sound generators:

• A percussion section that plays rhythms such as rock, waltz, slow rock, Latin, foxtrot, and swing, with adjustable tempo and volume.
• A chord generator that creates different triad and seventh chords, either as organ-like chords or walking bass. The original OM-27 model could only play 27 different chords, but later models can play 84 different chords.
• A Sonic Strings section that produces arpeggios or individual notes from a selected chord across four octaves, played using a touch strip. Notes played on the touch strip are always in tune with the selected chord button. Later models included additional sound options for the Sonic Strings, such as vibes, brass, organ, guitar, and banjo.

Later models included a chord sequencer in the Chord Memory section, allowing users to record up to 51 chords in sequence and play them back automatically or with a footswitch. In 2023, Pitchfork described the Omnichord as "feeling like a toy" with "cheap" sounds.

Users

The Omnichord was easy to use for people with different levels of musical skill or knowledge of music theory. This made it popular among many users. It was especially common in Japan, where it was used in pop and electronic music, in advertisements for products like Coca-Cola and the Walkman, and in music education to help students practice by playing along with music.

The Omnichord was used by pop musicians in the 1980s and 1990s, including the Human League, Talking Heads, and Devo. Eurythmics used the Omnichord's harp sound on their 1982 song "Love Is a Stranger." Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois used a slowed-down recording of an Omnichord on the 1983 song "Deep Blue Day" from the album Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks to create a sound described as "beautiful, deep, and jukebox-like." Lanois also used an Omnichord on the U2 song "Trip Through Your Wires" from the 1987 album The Joshua Tree, combining it with delay effects and guitar amplifiers.

David Bowie used an Omnichord during his performance of the 1968 Simon & Garfunkel song "America" at the 2001 Concert for New York City. Damon Albarn used the Omnichord OM-300's "Rock 1" preset for the 2001 Gorillaz song "Clint Eastwood." Meshell Ndegeocello used an Omnichord to create her 2023 album The Omnichord Real Book. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, the Omnichord became the first winner of the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album. Other users include Jim James, Nick Rhodes, and Joni Mitchell. At the January 1, 2026, inauguration of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, singer Lucy Dacus performed the political song "Bread and Roses" while using an Omnichord.