What does "Karaoke" mean?

Hi everyone!

Maybe you know the answer, the word "Karaoke" comes from Japanese "Kara", which is short for "karappo" meaning "blank" and "oke" that means "orchestra". So we can deduce the definition from the word's etymology, that karaoke means "blank orchestra". In other words, you sing and you don't need the accompaniment of an orchestra. There is no need for musicians.

In order to organize a karaoke, you need a monitor, which will show the lyrics of the songs. You will hear the music but no vocals, in order that you can sing along to the song yourself. You can use either a computer or a karaoke device, connected to the screen. You also need one or more speakers in order to hear the music and your vocals.

There are different kinds of singers who might do karaoke. For example, there is the professional singer who is able to sing very well and sounds very impressive. There is the shy singer who is not too comfortable with singing in front of an audience, the funny singer who acts for making laugh people by exaggerating the voice or even by screaming.

Whatever the personalities of people who do karaoke, it's almost always a great moment of conviviality.

Thanks for reading this entry.