Expressive musical instrument with which accurate pitch can be played easily

A musical instrument having acoustic tone-producer means for producing a plurality of player-selected notes, comprising:

• note-identification means for providing a note-identification signal identifying each player-selected note;
• data storage means addressable by said note-identification signal and responsive thereto for outputting a tuning signal, said tuning signal specifying a predetermined amount of frequency-tuning bias corresponding to each of said player-selected notes;
• tuning means receiving said tuning signal and responsive thereto for automatically tuning said acoustic tone-producer means differently as each individual note is played;
• said instrument having keys for actuation in various combinations by a player, for selection of notes, and wherein said note-identification means comprises:
• means for sensing which keys are presently actuated by the player;
• and
• means for recognizing the selected note in response to the combination of keys that are actuated;
• and
• means for producing said note-identification signal in response to said means for recognizing.

A musical instrument having acoustic tone-producer means for producing a plurality of player-selected notes, comprising:

• note-identification means for providing a note-identification signal identifying each player-selected note;
• data storage means addressable by said note-identification signal and responsive thereto for outputting a tuning signal, said tuning signal specifying a predetermined amount of frequency-tuning bias corresponding to each of said player-selected notes;
• tuning means receiving said tuning signal and responsive thereto for automatically tuning said acoustic tone-producer means differently as each individual note is played;
• and wherein said tuning means comprises:
• a tuning member mounted for movement relative to said acoustic tone-producer means, for affecting the frequencies produced by said acoustic tone-producer means;
• actuator means for moving said tuning member in response to said tuning signal to a bias position to change the frequency by the amount of said frequency-tuning bias as notes are played;
• and wherein said tuning means comprises closed-loop tuning means responsive to the difference between the present position of said tuning means and said bias position.

A musical instrument having acoustic tone-producer means for producing a plurality of player-selected notes, comprising:

• note-identification means for providing a note-identification signal identifying each player-selected note;
• data storage means addressable by said note-identification signal and responsive thereto for outputting a tuning signal, said tuning signal specifying a predetermined amount of frequency-tuning bias corresponding to each of said player-selected notes;
• tuning means receiving said tuning signal and responsive thereto for automatically tuning said acoustic tone-producer means differently as each individual note is played;
• and wherein said tuning means comprises:
• a tuning member mounted for movement relative to said acoustic tone-producer means, for affecting the frequencies produced by said acoustic tone-producer means;
• actuator means for moving said tuning member in response to said tuning signal to a bias position to change the frequency by the amount of said frequency-tuning bias as notes are played;
• and wherein said instrument is a flute and said tuning member comprises a stop for the end for the air column of said flute, proximate the end of the flute which is nearer the mouthpiece.

A calibrator for a musical instrument, said instrument having acoustic tone-producer means for producing a plurality of player-selected notes, as well as note-identification means (34);

• comprising:
• frequency-reference means (72) for making available a plurality of reference-frequency signals, said reference-frequency signals corresponding to said plurality of selectable notes and being responsive to be accessed by said note-identification means (34);
• means (80) for sensing the frequency of each played tone produced by said acoustic tone-producer means during calibration and producing a played-frequency signal dependent upon the frequency played;
• comparison means (82) receiving said played-frequency signal and a corresponding one of said reference-frequency signals, for comparing the frequency of the played note with said reference-frequency signal, and providing a frequency-error signal (83) accordingly, associated with the identified note;
• means (32C, 58, 28, 26, 30, 84) receiving said frequency-error signal (83) for the identified note, for converting said frequency-error signal to a tuning-position signal;
• data storage means (36) connected to be addressed by said note-identification means (34), for storing said tuning-position signal (30).

A closed-loop calibrator for a musical instrument, said instrument having acoustic tone-producer means for producing a plurality of player-selected notes, comprising:

• note-identification means (34) for providing a note-identification signal identifying each player-selected note;
• frequency-reference means (72) for making available a plurality of reference-frequency signals, said reference-frequency signals corresponding to said plurality of selectable notes and being responsive to be accessed by said note-identification means;
• means (80) for sensing the frequency of each played note produced by said acoustic tone-producer means during calibration and producing a played-frequency signal dependent upon the frequency played;
• comparison means (82) receiving said played-frequency signal and a corresponding one of said reference-frequency signals, for comparing the frequency of the played note with said reference-frequency signal, and providing a frequency-error signal (83) accord to their difference;
• means (32C, 58, 28, 26, 30, 84) for providing a tuning-position signal, said means receiving said frequency-error signal (83) and being responsive thereto automatically to tune said instrument to said reference pitch while the note is being played, comprising:
• (a) a tuning means (26) receiving a representation of said frequency-error signal (83) and being responsive thereto for tuning said acoustic tone-producer means differently as each individual note is played, and (b) means (30) for sensing the present position of said tuning means (26) and outputting a present-position calibration signal accordingly;
• position memory means (36) for receiving and storing said present-position calibration signal.

A method for, when each of a plurality of notes is played, tuning an instrument that has a tuning member whose setting affects said plurality of notes, comprising the steps of:

• identifying each note of a sequence of player-selected notes by actuating a sequence of combinations of keys;
• automatically detecting said combinations of keys, and in response thereto, producing a corresponding sequence of note-identification signals;
• addressing a data storage means with said note-identification signals, and in response thereto, outputting from said data storage means a sequence of tuning-position signals, each specifying a predetermined amount of tuning bias corresponding to said player-selected note;
• automatically tuning said instrument differently for the duration of the playing of each individual note, in response to said tuning-position signals, whereby the setting of said tuning member changes as the notes being played change.

A method for calibrating an instrument for note-by-note tuning as the instrument is subsequently played, comprising the steps of:

• playing a note and sensing the frequency of said played note as it is played;
• identifying the note by sensing the combination of keys that are depressed to select the note, and producing a corresponding note-identification signal;
• in response to said note-identification signal, accessing a reference frequency corresponding to said note, from among of a plurality of reference frequencies corresponding to the identities of a plurality of notes;
• comparing the frequency of the played note with the corresponding reference frequency, and outputting a difference signal based upon the difference between the two frequencies;
• in response to said difference signal, automatically tuning the instrument to said reference frequency by positioning a tuning element of the instrument;
• storing in memory the as-tuned position of the tuning element, at a memory address corresponding to said note.