US 6,501,011 B2 · Sensor array MIDI controller

Abstract

A MIDI controller musical instrument (80) with buttons (34) on two sensorboards (54,56) for controlling musical notes. The buttons (34) are arranged such that the most harmonious note combinations are played by fingering the most proximate button (34) combinations, and such that any given chord or scale can be played with a characteristic fingering pattern regardless of the range or key signature it is played in. The buttons (34) are placed such that the fingers and thumb of a hand can span the entire note range of the instrument (80). The buttons (34) that control the notes for any one key signature of the major scale are located within their own delimited area which does not contain buttons (34) controlling notes which are not part of that key signature. Notes are assigned to the buttons in such a way that the notes can be tuned to a wide variety of intonations without any consequent necessity to change the fingering patterns of the major scale or its modes. Separate sensorboards (54,56) are provided, which are mirror images of one another, such that fingering techniques for chords and scales can be mirrored by the two hands on the buttons (34) of the two playing surfaces. A convex playing surface is provided for each sensorboard (54,56) such that any part along the underside of a finger can be used to control a single button (34) or a row of buttons (42,44,46,48).

Claims18

Dependent claims

A Sensor Array with a single right-hand sensorboard, said sensorboard having buttons arranged on its convex top surface, for controlling musical notes, the arrangement of said buttons essentially comprising a plurality of chromatic matrices with said chromatic matrices each having a plurality of octaves in each row of eighths, and wherein said right-hand sensorboard has an optimum implementation of intonation, which requires that two conditions be met:

i. all adjacently placed buttons that control notes related to each other by the interval of the fifth have these notes tuned such that a number between 1.49111 and 1.50554 multiplied times the cycles per second of the note lower in pitch will give the cycles per second of the note higher in pitch, and
ii. all adjacently placed buttons that control notes related to each other by the interval of the fourth have these notes tuned such that a number between 1.32843 and 1.34128 multiplied times the cycles per second of the note lower in pitch will give the cycles per second of the note higher in pitch.

A Sensor Array with a single left-hand sensorboard, said sensorboard having buttons arranged on its convex top surface, for controlling musical notes, the arrangement of said buttons essentially comprising:

a plurality of chromatic matrices, with said chromatic matrices each having a plurality of octaves in each row of eighths, and wherein said left-handed sensorboard has an optimum implementation of intonation, which requires that two conditions be met:
i. all adjacently placed buttons that control notes related to each other by the interval of the fifth have these notes tuned such that a number between 1.49111 and 1.50554 multiplied times the cycles per second of the note lower in pitch will give the cycles per second of the note higher in pitch, and
ii. all adjacently placed buttons that control notes related to each other by the interval of the fourth have these notes tuned such that a number between 1.32843 and 1.34128 multiplied times the cycles per second of the note lower in pitch will give the cycles per second of the note higher in pitch.

A Sensor Array with a single right-hand and a single left-hand sensorboard, said sensorboards each having buttons arranged on their convex top surfaces, for controlling musical notes, the arrangement of said buttons on each sensorboard essentially comprising:

a plurality of chromatic matrices, with said chromatic matrices each having a plurality of octaves in each row of eighths, and wherein each of said right-hand and left-hand sensorboards has an optimum implementation of intonation, which requires that two conditions be met:
i. all adjacently placed buttons that control notes related to each other by the interval of the fifth have these notes tuned such that a number between 1.49111 and 1.50554 multiplied times the cycles per second of the note lower in pitch will give the cycles per second of the note higher in pitch, and
ii. all adjacently placed buttons that control notes related to each other by the interval of the fourth have these notes tuned such that a number between 1.32843 and 1.34128 multiplied times the cycles per second of the note lower in pitch will give the cycles per second of the note higher in pitch.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Sensor array MIDI controller

Life of this patent

Sensor array MIDI controller

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18