Zanzithophone

The Casio DH-100, with packaging and user manual.

The zanzithophone is a name given to an electronic MIDI saxophone. Its proper name is the "Digital Horn" as can be seen printed on the instrument itself. It was produced by Casio in the mid 1980's as the DH-100 (silver) or DH-200 (black). It has six built in synthesized sounds; saxophone, trumpet, synth-reed, oboe, clarinet, and flute. The Digital Horn produces a piercing, unearthly nasal tone. This instrument is most notably used by The Elephant 6 Recording Company based in Athens, Georgia. It looks like a clarinet/saxophone hybrid, and can be played with recorder fingering. Alternatively, it can be played with the "Casio system" which alters the fingering and allows for up to 4 octaves to be played.

The MIDI OUT capability 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.

References in literature

The zanzithophone is mentioned in a footnote on page 66 of Kim Cooper's book In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (New York: Continuum, 2005).

External links

• Web site with instructions for squeal fix and other fixes for the Casio Digital Horn
• Fingering chart and link to manual, MIDI implementation chart, more