Touch sensitive polyphonic musical instrument

An electronic music system of the keyboard or fingerboard type comprising;

• a plurality of waveform oscillators, one associated with each key of the keyboard,
• a like plurality of touch responsive filter networks, one being coupled from each waveform oscillator,
• and output circuitry coupled from said plurality of touch responsive filter networks for combining signals therefrom,
• each said network comprising conductance means variable continuously over at least a portion of a selected conductance range in accordance with pressure applied to said filter network over a range including a range corresponding to said selected conductance range for varying the cutoff frequency thereof.

A touch sensitive keyboard for an electronic musical instrument comprising:

• a plurality of keys each adapted to energize at least one circuit corresponding to a musical tone, one such circuit associated with each individual key,
• associated with and operated by said key, a body formed of an elastically deformable material adapted and positioned to make an electrical contact forming a resistive component of said circuit,
• a plurality of spaced-apart electrical contact members forming elements of a circuit controlled by said key,
• means separating said deformable material from an adjacent contact member, whereby key pressure at a threshold level brings said material into contact with said adjacent contact member to form a resistive contact between said spaced-apart contact members and increasing pressure above said threshold continuously increases the pressure of such contact and continuously increases the conductance of said contact in the normal operating range in response to increasing pressure above said threshold level,
• whereby an electrical response of said circuit is initiated by said threshold key pressure and continuously varied by increasing key pressure above said threshold level.

A musical keyboard device for providing an electrical conductance variable continuously over at least a portion of a selected conductance range in response to pressure applied thereto over a range including a range corresponding to said selected conductance range, said device comprising:

• a musical instrument keyboard having a plurality of keys;
• a plurality of bodies each formed of a mixture of elastically deformable electrically insulating material having particles of electrically conductive material dispersed therein in stacked relation to each other along the direction of pressure;
• spaced-apart electrically conductive elements disposed one each between each pair of said bodies, and at each end of said stack, at least one of said elements being operable by a key of said keyboard to cause contact between said deformable body and an electrically conductive element;
• apertured plates interposed between each conductive element to prevent contact between said body and said element until a pressure in excess of a predetermined pressure is applied to said bodies;
• and
• a plurality of capacitors, each connected to at least one of said conductive elements to form a low pass filter network.