The Casio AZ-1 is a polyphonic MIDI keyboard

Keyboard instrument

A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

 in the form factor of a keytar

Keytar

A keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...

. It has a distinctive white body with a long neck, with detailing in a pale blue. This instrument is designed to be played, with the aid of a shoulder strap, in an approximation of an electric guitar. As were many keytars, it was geared towards keyboardists who wanted greater freedom of movement during performances.

Features

The AZ-1 features 2 switches, 2 wheels, and 1 slider that can be assigned different MIDI functions as the user deems fit. It has a pitch wheel for shifting the sound up or down fractions of a note. Furthermore, its feature set includes both velocity sensitivity as well as true aftertouch. This is something of a rarity amongst keytars, and all but the highest end keyboards, as many only have velocity sensitivity.

2000s

Today, the AZ-1 is used by groups such as Dangerous! The Brockville Country Club, Fun!Yeah!, Comtron, and Papanegro. Furthermore, this model was prominently featured in the music video for Snoop Dogg's "Sensual Seduction".