Electronic musical instrument with automatic and semi-automatic playing apparatus

An electronic musical instrument for being selectively switched between automatic playing, for carrying out musical tone generation according to timing information and tone information contained in a playing data, and semi-automatic playing, for carrying out musical tone generation according to the tone information, in response to key depression of a player, comprising:

• key means for entering timing commands for tone generation;
• key-depression detecting means for detecting the operation of the key means to produce a key-depression signal;
• semi-automatic play timing controlling means responsive to the key-depression signal for controlling a first timing for tone generation in the semi-automatic playing;
• automatic play timing controlling means responsive to the timing information for controlling a second timing for tone generation in the automatic playing;
• and
• key-depression timing display means for generating a stimulation indicative of the timing for key depression in the semi-automatic playing, at the second tone generation timing controlled by the automatic play timing controlling means.

An electronic musical instrument for being selectively switched between automatic playing, for carrying out musical tone generation according to timing information and tone information contained in a playing data, and semi-automatic playing for carrying out musical tone generation according to the tone information, in response to key depression of a player, comprising:

• at least one key for entering timing commands for tone generation;
• a key-depression detector for detecting the operation of the at least one key to produce a key-depression signal;
• a semi-automatic play timing controller responsive to the key-depression signal for controlling a first timing for tone generation in the semi-automatic playing;
• an automatic play timing controller responsive to the timing information for controlling a second timing for tone generation in the automatic playing;
• a pause detector for monitoring the key-depression signal in the semi-automatic playing, and when the key-depression signal is not issued for a first predetermined period of time, producing a semi-automatic playing pause signal;
• a play mode switcher responsive to the semi-automatic playing pause signal produced in the semi-automatic playing for switching from the semi-automatic playing to the automatic playing;
• and
• a tone generator responsive to a selected one of the semi-automatic play and the automatic playing for performing the tone generation according to a pitch information contained in the playing data at one of the first and the second tone generation timings.

An electronic musical instrument for being selectively switched between automatic playing, for carrying out musical tone generation according to timing information and tone information contained in a playing data, and semi-automatic playing, for carrying out musical tone generation according to the tone information, in response to key depression of a player, comprising:

• at least one key for entering timing commands for tone generation;
• a key-depression detector for detecting the operation of the at least one key to produce a key-depression signal;
• a semi-automatic play timing controller responsive to the key-depression signal for controlling a first timing for tone generation in the semi-automatic playing;
• an automatic play timing controller responsive to the timing information for controlling a second timing for tone generation in the automatic playing;
• and
• a key-depression timing display for generating a stimulation indicative of the timing for key depression in the semi-automatic playing, at the second tone generation timing controlled by the automatic play timing controller.