The word Karaoke is a portmanteau, a word that is used broadly that is blended from two or more words to mean one thing: empty orchestra. This word comes from the Japanese. It’s a way of entertainment for amateur singers.

Karaoke is a way to pretend your something that your not. It is a way to sing along to recorded music, sing your heart out, and pretend that you are a rock star. The basic setup is to sing along to recorded music, but an advance setup comes with music video, microphone, and a stage setup like a concert.

Karaoke music comes in all shapes and sizes. At its basics it is a song, like a pop song, that is stripped of its lead vocal. These lead vocals are usually instead displayed on a screen for the singer to read while they sing. To help the singer stay on track their may be a bouncing ball, different color text, or symbol that guides the singer through the lyrics on the screen.

Karaoke is not only for amateurs. It has been around as long as recording of music. When it’s not practical for a full band or orchestra, many professional singers will use a recording of their hit music. They then sing live, not lip sing, their song.

Who has claim to the invention of Karaoke? No one really knows for sure. Once claim is that it originated in Japan in 1971. Inventor, Daisuke Inoue, was said to have created the very first karaoke style machine. Later in the 1980s karaoke caught fire and spread to other parts of Asia before spreading to other parts of the world.

Karaoke is used to entertain all around the world. In Japan it is not uncommon to see a karaoke setup to entertain a dinner party. In other parts of the world you can find Karaoke in buildings completely dedicated to this type of entertainment. A person can rent out a room completely accessorized with the latest karaoke equipment and have a karaoke party.

Technology has advance in the world of Karaoke. The basic components have remained the same, but what you can do with karaoke has grown to a whole new level. Today karaoke singers can use karaoke technology to change the key the song is played in to adjust to the key they sing in. They can also adjust the tempo of the song. It’s all about the comfort and range of the karaoke singer.

Read Aaron’s article about karaoke instrumentals.