Karaoke’s direct translation is “empty orchestra”. It is a word defined as a portmanteau. Which basically means two words blended together to get one meaning. It is a Japanese word which is used to describe entertainment given by amateur singers.
Karaoke is a way for you become a kid again. A way to pretend your something your not. Or may you are. A way for you to sing along to your favorite musicians and see life through their eyes, even if it is for a moment. The setup is simple, but can become extravagant. A recording stripped of lyrics and a microphone will get you jamming. An even better setup includes music video and stage.
Karaoke would be difficult if it wasn’t for a few built in guides. You see, a karaoke song is a music song that is first stripped of lyrics. Since most amateur singers don’t have every word of every song memorized the lyrics are placed on a video screen. To guide the singer a bouncing symbol is used along with the lyrics to keep the singer on tract.
Professional singers use karaoke. When it makes more sense financially, professional singers will sing along to their recorded songs. Don’t mistake this for lip singing. The professional artist will actually sing their song. This is usually due to space limitations where a big band or orchestra would not fit on a small stage.
Who first created karaoke? Well, their have been some disputes as to who created this form of singing. One story goes that Daisuke Inoue created the first ever karaoke machine in Japan in 1971. Then it spread to other parts of Asia in the 1980s as it rose in popularity.
Today Karaoke has risen to a whole new level. In Japan it is not uncommon to see karaoke setup to entertain a dinner party. In other parts of the world like Korea, you are able to rent a karaoke room. This room is filled with the latest karaoke songs, has the latest karaoke music, and is used to throw karaoke parties for you and friends.
Today singing karaoke has become easier than ever. It’s no longer just a music box with microphone. Now karaoke has advance in technology. Karaoke singers can adjust the song to their vocal range. They can change the tempo of the song to make singing more enjoyable.
Read Aaron’s article about karaoke instrumentals.
