US 4,703,681 A · Key depression indicating device for electronic musical instrument

Abstract

In a key depression indicating device for an electronic musical instrument capable of visually indicating which keys are to be depressed on a keyboard, the device includes a plurality of indicators provided correspondingly to a plurality of keys of the keyboard. Illumination of each indicators is so controlled by an illumination control means that an indicator corresponding to a succeeding note is lighted up at a timing, for example, a 4-th note's length ahead of the timing to depress the key irrespective of any length of the preceding note. Thus, even when a complicated music performance including a train of a plurality of consecutive short notes as a 32nd note is required, the indicators corresponding to the preceding as well as the succeeding notes in the train are each lighted up at a timing, i.e. the 4-th note's time length ahead of each actual key depression timing for the music performance. In this way, since there is given a sufficient ready time for each note, the player of the instrument is able to perform a smooth key depressing operation in accordance with the key-depressing indications given by the device.

Claims9

Dependent claims

A key depression indicating device for an electronic musical instrument having a plurality of tone-producing channels for producing musical tones responsive to the depression of keys on a plural key keyboard of said instrument, each of said keys corresponding to a particular tone generated by the tone-producing channels, the key depression indicating device comprising:

(a) a plurality of indicators provided corresponding respectively to the plural keys of said keyboard;
(b) memory means for storing note data representing a plurality of notes required to be sounded out in succession to constitute a music performance;
(c) means for generating a tempo clock signal representative of a preselected tempo;
(d) progression means for providing information representative of progression of notes of said musical performance over time in accordance with said preselected tempo, thereby designating a timing at which the keys corresponding to the notes of the musical performance should be depressed;
(e) reading-out means for reading out, from said memory means and in response to the information provided by the progression means, the note data for each note a common predetermined length of time ahead of the designated time at which the key corresponding to the note should be depressed according to the preselected tempo of the musical performance;
and
(f) illumination control means for illuminating, each time the note data for a note is read out from said memory means, an indicator corresponding to the key of the note represented by the read-out note data.

4 more elements

A key depression indicating device for an electronic musical instrument having a plurality of tone-producing channels for producing musical tones responsive to the depression of keys on a plural key keyboard of said instrument, each of said keys corresponding to particular tone generated by the tone-producing channels, the key depression indicating device comprising:

(a) a plurality of indicators provided corresponding respectively to the plural keys of said keyboard;
(b) memory means for storing note data representing a plurality of notes required to be sounded out in succession to constitute a music performance;
(c) means for generating a tempo clock signal representative of a preselected tempo;
(d) progression means for providing information representative of progression of notes of said musical performance over time in accordance with said preselected tempo, thereby designating a timing at which the keys corresponding to the notes of the musical performance should be depressed;
(e) reading-out means for reading out, from said memory means and in response to the information provided by the progression means, the note data for each note a common predetermined length of time ahead of the designated time at which the key corresponding to the note should be depressed according to the preselected tempo of the musical performance;
(f) illumination control means for illuminating, each time the note data for a note is read out from said memory means, an indicator corresponding to the key of the note represented by the read-out note data;
(g) detecting means for detecting, from among said plurality of keys whether a key is depressed;
and
(h) indication control means for controlling the illumination of the indicator corresponding to the depressed key when the detecting means detects that the key is depressed.

6 more elements

A key depression indicating device for an electronic musical instrument having a plurality of tone-producing channels for producing musical tone responsive to the depression of keys on a plural key keyboard of said instrument, each of said keys correspoding to a particular tone generated by the tone-producing channels, the key depression indicating device comprising:

(a) a plurality of indicators provided corresponding respectively to the plural keys of said keyboard, each of said indicators having a first illuminated state and a second illuminated state;
(b) memory means for storing note data representing a plurality of notes required to be sounded out in succession to constitute a music performance;
(c) means for generating a tempo clock signal representative of preselected tempo;
(d) progression means for providing information representative of the progression of notes of said musical performance over time in accordance with said preselected tempo, thereby designating a timing at which the keys corresponding to the notes of the musical performance should be depressed;
(e) reading-out means for reading out from said memory means and in response to the information provided by the progression means the note data for each note a common predetermined length of time ahead of the designated time at which the key corresponding to the note should be depressed according to the preselected tempo of the musical performance;
(f) illumination control means for illuminating, each time the note data for a note is read out from said memory means, an indicator corresponding to the key of the note represented by the read-out note data;
(g) detecting means for detecting, from among said plurality of keys whether a key correspondnig to an illuminated indicator is depressed;
(h) illumination extinguishing means for extinguishing the illumination of an illuminating indicator when the detecting means detects that the key corresponding to the illuminating indicator is depressed;
(i) time detecting means for detecting when the time has elapsed for each of the keys to be depressed according to the timing designated by the read out note data;
and
(j) control means for interrupting the generation of the tempo clock signal and altering the state of illumination of the indicator of a key when the key remains undepressed after the time has elapsed for the key to be depressed, as determined by the time detecting means.

8 more elements

A key depression indicating device for an electronic musical instrument having a plurality of tone-producing channels for producing musical tones responsive to the depression of keys on a plural key keyboard of said instrument, each of said keys corresponding to a particular tone generated by the tone producing channels, the key depression indicating device comprising:

(a) a plurality of indicators provided corresponding respectively to the plural keys of said keyboard;
(b) memory means for storing note data representing a plurality of note required to be sounded out in succession to constitute a music performance;
(c) means for generating a tempo clock signal representative of a preselected tempo;
(d) progression means for providing information representative of the progression of notes of said musical perfomrance over time in accordance with said preselected tempo, thereby designating a timing at which the keys corresponding to the notes of the musical performance should be depressed;
(e) reading-out means for reading out, from said memory means and in response to the information provided by the progression means, the note data for each note at the pace of the tempo clock signal a predetermined common length of time ahead of the designated time at which the key corresponding to the note should be depressed according to the preselected tempo of the musical performance;
(f) illumination control means for illuminating, each time the note data for a note is read out from said memory means, an indicator corresponding to the key of the note represented by the read-out note data;
(g) detecting means for detectig, from among said plurality of keys, whether a key is depressed;
(h) illumination extinguishing means for extinguishing the illumination of an illuminating indicator when the detecting means detects that the key corresponding to the illuminating indicator is depressed;
(i) time detecting means for detecting when the time has elapsed for each of the keys to be depressed according to the timing designated by the read out note data;
and
(j) reading-out timing control means operative to quicken the pace that the reading-out means reads out the note data when the detecting means detects that a key has been depressed prior to the common predetermined length of time ahead of the time at which the key should have been depressed according to the preselected tempo of the musical performance.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Key depression indicating device for electronic musical instrument

Life of this patent

Key depression indicating device for electronic musical instrument

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims9