Volume control apparatus for an automatic player piano

In an apparatus for automatically playing a piano, said apparatus having storage means for storing play information, which includes key depression force information, said apparatus sequentially reading said play information from said storage means and and activating operation terminals, the improvement comprising circuitry for altering the volume at which the piano is played and for expanding or decreasing the dynamic range through which the volume may altered, said circuitry comprising:

• volume designating means (40) for designating a volume at which the piano is to be played;
• generating means (15) for generating volume control information in agreement with a volume designated by said volume designating means, said generating means comprising a single conversion table having a constant table and a coefficient table that contain a first factor (C) and a second factor (K), respectively, for each level of volume control information, said constant table providing said first factor (C) by which the key depression force information (V) is to be altered for establishing the volume at which the piano is to be played, said coefficient table providing said second factor (K) by which the key depression force information (V) is to be altered for establishing the dynamic volume range at which the piano is to be played;
• calculation means for performing a mathematical operation employing said key depression force information (V) and said first and second factors (K,C) generated by said generating means, to obtain new key depression force information (v);
• and
• control means (14) for activating said operation terminals based on said new key depression force information provided by said calculating means.