In this feature we take a look at the Suzuki QChord, a digital electronic musical instrument released in 2000 as a successor to the original 1981 Omnichord (and its subsequent models), and designed as a guitar/keyboard hybrid primarily for beginning musicians.
It’s main features are the 36 buttons which can be used singly and in combination to produce a range of music chords (84 in total) plus a ‘strumplate’ which acts rather like strumming a guitar’s strings.
There’s also a pitch bend control, a range of voices and rhythms, and the ability to play QCard song cartridges that provide backing instrumentation.
Suzuki released an updated Omnichord, the OM-108, in 2024 which has obvious similarities with the QChord.
The QChord (model number QC-1) originally retailed for around $229.
Target Audience
The QChord was initially aimed at beginner musicians and children, thanks to it not requiring great musical knowledge in order to generate pleasing musical sounds.
It won a couple of awards as an outstanding educational product for children. It has also been used in music therapy and by those with disabilities.
Features
- Built in demo song
- 10 digital rhythms – 30 additional available on a QCard Rhythm Cartridge
- 100 General MIDI voices
- Headphone and line out jacks
- MIDI in and out
- Mono speaker with bass port
- Pitch bend (electronic whammy bar)
- Strumplate – four octave range always in tune with selected chord
- Chord Controls
- LCD for song number display
- EZ Play mode
- Effects: vibrato, reverb and fills, plus balance control over accompaniment
- Chords: Up to 84 chords
- Melody keyboard
Specifications
| Strumplate Range | 4 Octave Range |
| Strumplate Voices | General MIDI Voices (100) |
| Chord Buttons | 36 Soft Touch Buttons, 84 Chord Combinations: Major, Minor, 7th, Major 7th, Minor 7th, Augmented & Diminished |
| Rhythm Styles | Rock, Country, Dance, Lounge, New Age, Waltz, Ballad, March, Bossanova, Blues Shuffle. Also additional rhythm styles available on the optional rhythm style cartridges. |
| Accompaniment | 4 Channel: Drums, Bass, Chord & Chord Plus, all with Individual Adjustable Controls |
| Effects | Reverb, Chorus and Vibrato (all with Adjustable Depth Control), and Pitch Bend Wheel |
| QCard | Optional Song Cards with Lyric, Chord & Melody Books Available. Also Style Cards to add Rhythm Styles to the QChord’s 10 On-Board Styles. |
| Variable Controls | Master Volume, Strumplate Volume, Strumplate Sustain, Rhythm Volume, Rhythm Tempo, Bass Volume, Chord Volume, Chord Plus Volume, Reverb Depth Control, Chorus Depth Control, Vibrato Depth Control, Pitch Bend Wheel, Transpose, Tuning, Octave Shift |
| Button Controls | Power, Demo, Strumplate Voice Select, Rhythm Style, Select, Rhythm Fill, Rhythm Intro/End, Start/Stop. QCard Play, QCard Pause, QCard Search Up, QCard Search Down |
| Melody Keyboard Voices | 109 General MIDI |
| Other Functions | Rhythm Fill, Rhythm Intro/End, Pitch Bend Wheel, MIDI In & MIDI Out, Transpose, Tuning, Octave Shift |
| Display | Two Digit LCD, Two LED Light Bar, 12 LED’s |
| Power Output | 7 Watts, 5″ Oval Speaker and Bass Ports |
| Jacks | A/C Power In, 1/4″ Line Out/Headphone, MIDI In, MIDI Out |
| Dimensions | 21 1/4” L x 11 3/4” W x 2 1/8” H |
| Weight | 3.25 lbs |
Accessories
Various accessories could be purchased for the QChord including:
- a hard moulded case which could also accommodate a power adapter, song cartridges and books
- AC adapter
- DC adapter
- Adjustable strap
- Stereo cable
- Stereo headphones
- Amplifier (25W with tone controls)
- Demo videos
Cartridges
Cartridges, which sold for somewhere between $20-$25, included:
- QSC-1 Country Classics, 8 Songs
- QSC-2 Great Standards, 8 Songs
- QSC-3 Lennon & McCartney, 8 Songs
- QSC-4 Strangers in the Night, 8 Songs
- QSC-5 Pop Favorites, 8 Songs
- QSC-6 Holiday Song Favorites, 8 Songs – no longer available.
- QSC-7 Pop Classics, 8 Songs
- QSC-8 Childrens Song Favorites, 8 Songs – no longer available
- QSC-9 Religious Standards, 12 Songs
- QSC-10 Religious Favorites, 12 Songs
- QSC-11 Country Hits, 10 Songs
- QSC-12 Platinum Chartbusters, 10 Songs – no longer available.
- QSC-13 Party Hits, 12 Songs
- QRC-1 Rhythm Style QCard, 30 Rhythm Styles (these are rhythm patterns, not songs)
- QRC-2 Rhythm Style QCard, 34 more Rhythm Styles (these are rhythm patterns, not songs)
Songbooks
QChord song books contained instructions on how to play the supplied music, and then perhaps 20 or so individual pieces of music.
Books included:
- The Best of Lennon & McCartney
- Strangers in the Night and other favourites
- Pop Favourites
- Holiday Song Favourites
- Pop Classics
- Children Song Favourites
- Religious Standards
- Great Standards
Conclusion
The QChord is a worthy member of Suzuki’s family of “chord” instruments and it’s a shame it’s now rather rare and difficult to obtain.
Search Reverb or eBay to see if the QChord is available
