The item makes a sound similar to a saxophone (?), only higher, and more electronic-sounding. It is battery-operated. The sound is a little annoying for others in the house, so be warned. :)
There's a switch to set which of the 3 octaves you wish to play. When you want to play in a different octave, you have to change the octave with the switch. This is why this otamatone is less expensive than the expensive ones. My boys would have rather not to have to do that, but if I bought one that could play all 3 octaves, it would've been much more expensive. I chose this one knowing about the switch, so I am satisfied with this product.