Zanzithophone

The zanzithophone is the name given to an electronic MIDI saxophone, formerly produced by Casio as the "Casio DH-100" (silver) or "DH-200" (black). It produces a piercing, unearthly nasal tone. This instrument is most notably used by The Elephant 6 Recording Company out of Athens, GA. It looks like a white-ish clarinet/saxophone hybrid, and can be played as such. Alternatively, it can be played with the "Casio system" which alters the fingering and allows for up to 4 octaves to be played. It is commonly played in the western region of Macedonia, where it is offered as a course during elementary and middle schools.

The MIDI OUT capibility of the instrument means that it can be used to play sounds from any other MIDI instrument such as a synthesizer. This, and its low price (it was initially marketed as a toy) increased its appeal to the budget-minded musicians.

The instruments are prone to developing a squeal. This is because of a capacitor deteriorating; it can be fixed by replacing the capacitor.

External links

* [http://www.btinternet.com/~dorian.rose/] Web site featuring instructions for fixing squeal described in article.
* [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/paul.fox4/casiofixes.htm] Web site with instructions for other fixes for the Casio Digital Horn.
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20050403213740/www.tierrahombre.com/dh100/] Fingering chart and link to manual, MIDI implementation chart, more.