Key-to-be-depressed designating and comparing apparatus using a visual display

A key-to-be-depressed designating apparatus, comprising:

• a keyboard including a plurality of keys,
• memory means for storing automatic performance data, the automatic performance data including a plurality of single event data portions, each single event data portion representing a musical tone and a key to be depressed which correspond to a particular part of the automatic performance,
• register means for storing the single event data portions and including a plurality of channels,
• read-out means for performing a read-out operation, the read-out operation including reading the automatic performance data stored in the memory means and sequentially assigning musical tones corresponding to single event data portions to a single idle channel within the register means,
• designating means defining a designation manner for designating the key to be depressed in accordance with the single event data portion,
• key-depression monitoring means for determining a musical tone corresponding to a depressed key,
• comparison means for comparing the musical tone corresponding to the single event data portion to the musical tone corresponding to the depressed key, and
• control means for controlling the read-out means such that the read-out operation will be continued until a predetermined period of time subsequent to the designation of the designated key elapses, such that a depression of a non-designated key will be ignored, and such that the read-out operation will be terminated if the designated key is not depressed during the predetermined period, wherein the designation manner changes the designation of the designated key at the end of the predetermined period, and wherein the control means controls the read-out means such that a read-out operation which has been terminated will be re-started upon a depression of the designated key whose designation has been changed by the designation means.

A key-to-be-depressed designating apparatus, comprising:

• a keyboard including a plurality of keys,
• a sound circuit including a plurality of channels,
• memory means for storing automatic performance data, the automatic performance data including a plurality of single event data portions, each single event data portion representing a musical tone and a key to be depressed which correspond to a particular part of the automatic performance,
• register means for storing the single event data portions, and having a plurality of memory channels corresponding to the plurality of channels in the sound circuit,
• read-out means for performing a read-out operation, the read-out operation including reading the automatic performance data stored in the memory means and sequentially assigning the musical tone and key corresponding to the single event data portion to a single idle memory channel within the sound circuit,
• designating means for designating the key to be depressed in accordance with the single event data portion stored in the single idle memory channel,
• checking means for determining whether a key depressed by a user matches the key designated by the designating means,
• counting means for counting a number of counts between when the designated key should have been depressed and a depression of the designated key,
• count value detecting means for detecting when the number of counts measured by the counting means reaches a predetermined value, and
• control means for controlling the read-out means such that the read-out operation will be terminated if the count value reaches the predetermined value.

A key designating apparatus for an electronic musical instrument, the designating apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of tone activation keys;
• a sound circuit including a plurality of channels;
• memory means for storing automatic performance data as a plurality of data parts, each one of the data parts including a plurality of single event data portions, each single event data portion representing a musical tone and a tone activation key to be activated which correspond to a particular part of each data part in the automatic performance;
• a plurality of register means for storing the single event data portions, the plurality of register means corresponding to the plurality of parts, and each register means have a plurality of memory channels corresponding to the channels in the sound circuit;
• read-out means for performing a read-out operation on the memory means, the read-out operation including reading the plurality of data parts at the same time, the read-out means assigning the tone and tone activation key corresponding to the single event data portion of each data part to a single idle memory channel within the corresponding register means;
• designating means for designating the tone activation key to be depressed in accordance with the single event data portion of each data part stored in the corresponding single idle memory channel;
• tone activation key monitoring means for determining a musical tone corresponding to an activated tone activation key:
• comparison means for comparing the musical tone of the designated tone activation key in each of the plurality of single idle memory channels to the musical tone corresponding to the activated tone activation key;
• and
• control means for controlling the read-out means such that the read-out operation will be continued after the designated tone activation key should have been depressed until a predetermined period of time elapses, such that a depression of a non-designated tone activation key will be ignored, and such that the read out operation will be terminated if the designated tone activation key is not depressed during the predetermined period.

A key designating apparatus for an electronic musical instrument, the designating apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of tone activation keys;
• memory means for storing automatic performance data as a plurality of data parts, each one of the data parts including a plurality of single event data portions, each single event data portion representing musical tone data and a tone activation key to be activated which correspond to a particular part of each data part in the automatic performance;
• read-out means for performing a read-out operation on the memory means, the read-out operation including reading the single event data portion in each of the plurality of data parts at the same time;
• designating means for designating the tone activation key to be depressed in accordance with the read-out single event data portion of particular data parts;
• and
• control means for controlling the read-out means such that the read-out operation will be continued after the designated tone activation key should have been depressed until a predetermined period of time elapses, such that a depression of a non-designated key will be ignored, and such that the read out operation will be terminated if the designated tone activation key is not depressed during the predetermined period.