MIDI Instruments
The keyboard is the most popular MIDI instrument, however it does have some limitations. Even though it can be used to produce any MIDI signal, the keyboard is not capable of producing such musical techniques as pitch bending and controlling the intensity of a pitch after a key has already been struck. The electronic saxophone shown below has sensors that can detect these techniques and transmit them as MIDI data. The keyboard is also limited in the speed of the repetitions of the notes. Although it is possible to get drum sounds out of a keyboard, it is not very practical because the musician is not able to play a keyboard with drumsticks. In addition, it would be much more difficult for a drummer or a sax player to use his or her skills as a musician on a keyboard, unless he or she had just as much skill on the keyboard. As MIDI technology gets increasingly popular, more and more electronic musical instruments are being created. The sounds and feel of electronic instruments is also improving as they become more and more like the actual acoustic versions of those instruments.