Musical scale indicator
2010-03-26 00:00:00
fingering patterns for playing tones on that instrument arranged in a predetermined sequence indicative of any number of desired musical scales. A slidable, clear overlay is slidably connected with the base. The overlay has printed thereon the letter designations for the musical tones arranged in a predetermined sequence so as to cooperate with the fingering patterns indicated on the base in order to selectively indicate to the user the finger positions on the subject musical instrument that will produce the tones of a selected musical scale and simultaneously the finger positions on that instrument that will produce those tones.ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A music scale indicator, comprising:

a base having a first flat surface, said first flat surface having a first indicia placed thereon indicating fingering patterns for playing at least three pre-selected music scales in selected tonics on a pre-selected musical instrument, said first indicia comprising fingering indicia for indicating fingering patterns for playing said pre-selected music scales on said pre-selected musical instrument and lead note indicia for indicating a lead note location of each fingering pattern of said fingering patterns for each said pre-selected music scale of said pre-selected music scales;

an overlay having a second flat surface positioned in parallel relation with said first flat surface of said base; said overlay being constructed of a material which permits seeing through said overlay so that said second flat surface of said overlay and said first flat surface of said base may be simultaneously seen, said second flat surface of said overlay having a second indicia placed thereon indicating a simulated finger board of said pre-selected musical instrument, said simulated finger board indicating fingering positions for said pre-selected musical instrument, said second indicia further indicating a chromatic scale tone letter for each fingering position of said fingering positions for said pre-selected musical instrument, the chromatic tone letters being arranged in chromatic scale sequence, said overlay being slidably moved relative to said base so as to selectively indicate fingering positions for playing a selected music scale in a selected tonic on said simulated finger board of said pre-selected musical instrument, said selected tonic for said selected music scale being selected by sliding said overlay relative to said base until a selected chromatic scale tone letter that defines said selected tonic on said overlay aligns with a selected lead note indicia that indicates the selected music scale on said base, selection of said selected tonic for the selected music scale also simultaneously selecting a particular tonic respectively for each other music scale of said pre-selected music scales, a tonic being selected wherever a chromatic scale tone letter of said chromatic tone letters on said second surface of said overlay aligns with a lead not indicia on said first surface of said base, said selected fingering indicia for the selected music scale in the selected tonic and for each other music scale in its respective particular tonic being indicated wherever a tone letter indicia overlays a fingering pattern indicia; and

attachment means connected with said base for attaching said overlay to said flat surface of said base so that said second flat surface of said overlay may be selectively slid relative to said first flat surface of said base.

2. The music scale indicator of claim 1, wherein each fingering pattern of said fingering patterns on said base is a fingering pattern for each pre-selected music scale of said pre-selected music scales arranged in sequence of playing selected scale notes from the chromatic scale on said finger board of said pre-selected musical instrument.

3. The music scale indicator of claim 2, wherein said pre-selected music scales comprise seven music scales; further wherein said fingering patterns comprise fingering patterns for Major, Minor, Locrian, Mixolydian, Lydian, Phrygian, and Dorian music scales.

4. The music scale indicator of claim 3, wherein said pre-selected musical i...

Musical apparatus using multiple light beams to control musical tone signals
2010-03-25 00:00:00
tones by detecting motion of an object in a space adjacent to the musical apparatus. More specifically, the musical apparatus may comprise a musical tone signal generator which generates a musical tone signal, at least one light source which radiates light beams into a space adjacent to the musical apparatus, at least one light detector which detects at least two light beams reflected from an object in the space and generates a detection value for each of said at least two light beams, a computing element which receives the detection values and generates a synthesized value; and a controller which controls parameters of musical tones based on the synthesized value. For example, the synthesized value may be the sum of the detection values, the difference between the detection values, the ratio between the detection values, or some other relationship between the detection values.Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic sound generating system which responds to the motion of an object in a space exterior to the electronic musical system in order to control a sound function, the system comprising:

at least one radiation source that emits radiation into a space outside the electronic sound generating system where the emitted radiation hits an object in the space;

at least one detector that detects radiation reflected along at least two paths from the object in the space outside the electronic sound generating system to detect motions of the object;

a controller for generating a control signal for controlling the sound function dependent on the motions of the object; and

a tone generator for generating a sound that is at least partially dependent upon the sound function.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation source that emits radiation comprises a light source that emits at least one light beam and wherein the detector that detects radiation comprises a light detector that detects light reflected along at least two paths from the object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sound function is an audio signal.

4. The system of claim 1, Wherein the sound function is a tone signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sound function is an electronic audio control signal.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the electronic audio control signal comprises a MIDI signal.

7. An electronic audio control system which responds to the motion of an object in a space exterior to the electronic musical system in order to control a sound function, the system comprising:

at least one radiation source that emits radiation into a space outside the electronic musical system where the emitted radiation hits an object moving in the space;

at least one detector that detects radiation reflected from the object in the space outside die electronic audio control system and produces at least two detection values therefrom, the detection values being dependent upon the motion of the object; and

a controller for generating a control signal for controlling the sound function dependent on the motions of the object.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the radiation source that emits radiation comprises a light source that emits at least one light beam and wherein the detector that detects radiation comprises a light detector that detects light reflected along at least one path from the object.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the sound function is an audio signal.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the sound function is a tone signal.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the sound function is an electronic audio control signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the electronic audio control signal comprises a MIDI signal.Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is electronic musical apparatuses such as electronic musical instruments, music-related sound generation devices, music-related sound modification devices, and their controllers, including, for example, synthesizers, keyboards, drum machines, effects processors, effects pedals, sequencers and sound modules. More specifically, the electronic musical apparatus embodying the invention is controlled by detecting the location and/or movement of an object (e.g., a hand) within a space by using a plurality of light beams, including infrared light beams.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An electronic musical apparatus which detects reflected light to control the musical tone signal is known. Such a device was disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application Publication Number SHO 58-195296.

Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application Publication Number SHO 58-195296 discloses attaching a light quantity detection apparatus in order to detect and sense the amount of ambient light outside an electronic musical apparatus. It reacts to the amount of light that has been sensed by the light quantity detection apparatus and controls parameters that are related to the musical tone (hereinafter, simply referred to as "parameters") such as the musical interval, timbre and volume.

However, in the device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application Publication Number SHO 58-195296, the amount of light is detected by a single light quantity detection apparatus, and there is no disclosure in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application Publication Number SHO 58-195296 of the detection of a plurality of light quantities.

In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,687 discloses that a space is irradiated with light such as infrared light, mutually different sound pitches are assigned in advance to the multiple number of light beams reflected from the specified objects in the space, said multiple number of reflected light beams are detected and musical tone signals are produced that possess pitches which conform to the reflected light beams that have been detected.

However, in the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,687, if a plurality of reflected ...

Thumbrest ring adapter for musical instrument
2010-03-24 00:00:00
such an attachment ring on the thumbrest. In these instances, a neck strap, a chest support or a monopod support can not be directly attached to the thumbrest, and the weight of the musical instrument must be fully supported by the musician's thumb and embouchure.

Alternatively, a different means of supporting the musical instrument which is not dependent on a thumbrest attachment ring may be utilized. Such alternative means includes wrist straps which extend from the musician's wrist, between the thumb and forefinger, to the instrument at a location near a bell of the instrument. The lower end of the strap is attached by a belt which is attached around the body of the instrument. The length of the strap is adjusted to position the hand in the desired location and to relieve the weight on the thumb. Wrist support devices of this type have not achieved acceptance, possibly due to the constriction on the hand between the thumb and the forefinger and possibly due to the different feel of the instrument when it is supported near its bell rather than in the middle near its center of balance.

A variety of other types of instrument support devices have been used with heavier instruments such as bari tones, sousaphones and S-shaped saxophones. However, these other types of support devices are virtually required because of the considerably greater weight of those instruments and would not typically be effective with the smaller woodwind instruments which require a greater degree of dexterity. Thus, in spite of the variety of different types of support devices for a wide variety of different musical instruments, musicians playing the smaller woodwind instruments such as the oboe, the clarinet, the English horn and the straight saxophone typically choose to either support the entire weight of the instrument on their thumb or use a support device connected to an attachment ring on the thumbrest. In those instances where the instrument does not include an attachment ring on the thumbrest, the musician will typically be required to hold the entire weight of the instrument rather than opt for an alternative support device. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has evolved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides the capability of attaching a support device, such as a neck strap, chest support or monopod device to a woodwind instrument such as the oboe, the clarinet, the English horn or the straight saxophone when those instruments do not include a permanent eye or attachment ring on the their respective thumbrests. The ability to add such a support device allows a musician to relieve as much of the weight of the musical instrument on the musician's thumb and hand as desired without limiting the position, flexibility or maneuverability of the instrument. A further objective of the present invention is to provide an assembly that allows for the attachment of a support device, where the assembly is relatively small with respect to the size of the musical instrument and where the assembly may be quickly and simply attached to the instrument.

In accordance with the above aspects, the present invention relates to a unique ring adapter assembly which may be releasably attached to a thumbrest on the musical instrument to provide an attachment ring to those thumbrests which do not include their own permanent eye or attachment ring. One embodiment of the ring adapter assembly, which is used with fixed position thumbrests, includes a base adapted to be seated on a top surface of the thumbrest (opposite the bottom surface where the musician's thumb is positioned while playing the instrument). The base holds an attachment ring and fits within an open bottom end of a hollow tube. A cap fits within an open top end of the hollow tube and holds the ring in place within the hollow tube. Once the base is seated on the thumbrest, a spring wire attached to the cap is connected around the thumbrest to maintain the ring adapter assembly attached to the thumbrest. A screw extending through the cap and contacting the base may be rotated to move the cap up and down in relation to the stationary thumbrest. Upward movement of the cap increases tension within the spring wire and tightens the connection of the ring adapter assembly to the thumbrest. A post extending horizontally through the ring adapter assembly supports the spring wire and acts like a fulcrum to direct the force applied by the wire on the ring adapter assembly downward and away from the body of the musical instrument.

An alternative embodiment of the ring adapter assembly is used with thumbrests which are adjustable with respect to the body of the musical instrument. Such adjustable thumbrests typically comprise a horizontal project...

Low profile keyboard device and system for recording and scoring music
2010-03-23 00:00:00
binary digits, called bits. A number of digits representing a complete musical expression, such as which note has been played and the particular style, is called a data word. The words are then stored ina memory unit which can store only a finite number of these binary data words. The length of the recorded music, therefore, is limited by the amount of memory in the solid state chips used in digital sequencers. Microprocessor technology provides themeans for storing lengthy sequences by transferring the digitized musical data stored in memory to peripheral devices such as computer diskettes. Examples of electronic musical instruments which incorporate microprocessor technology include the EnsoniqMirage鈩? various Korg polyphonic synthesizers, and the Casio CZ 101鈩?

The computer, especially the personal home computer, further revolutionized the electronic music industry with the creation of software capable of interpreting the notes played on the keyboard and printing the music in musical scored form. Themusic industry desired a communication standard to be used among the multitude of electronic music manufacturers and the multitude of available home computers. The standard decided upon was MIDI, an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Inits simplest application, MIDI permits a musician to play two or more instruments from a single keyboard, in order to layer musical tone colors. In its most comprehensive application, MIDI provides the means for realizing a multi-track recorder or acomputer-based composing system by connecting several instruments to a master controller or computer. Computer software is available, furthermore, which can transform the music from digital format to a conventional musical score, both on the computerscreen and as printed out on paper in hard copy. Commercially available software which can convert MIDI data to scored music or to a format to be viewed on a computer terminal for editing purposes include the MIDI Performance Series鈩?by Passport,and the MPS鈩?written by Kentyn Reynolds for IBM-compatible personal computers.

The current limitation to the MIDI computer - musical interface is that it requires expensive and complex electronic musical instruments such as synthesizers or sequencers. MIDI was not designed to be adapted for the conventional non-electronicmusical instrument, such as the piano. MIDI Retrofit Kits鈩?are currently available from Forte Music Company to accommodate acoustic pianos; however, these retrofit kits require extensive modification on the underside of the piano keys as has beendescribed on some of the previous efforts to record keyboard music.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 861,317 discloses a keyboard device and system which is mounted on a keyboard to capture, analyze, record, and score musical information. The musical data is captured within this device by optical transmissivecouplers which sense whether a key has been depressed by a wiper and piston assembly which makes contact with the key. It would be desirable to eliminate the pistons and wipers connected to each key as so many parts can cause mechanical and maintenanceproblems.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive, lightweight and unobtrusive device for the purpose of scoring and recording live music performances.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic device which is both noninvasive, portable and convenient to attach to any keyboard instrument, and which does not require piano tuning or electronics expertise for properinstallation of the keyboard sensing electronics to record and score music.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide modular keyboard devices which easily interconnect to span any size or length of any keyboard instrument for purposes of recording and scoring music.

Another object of the invention is to provide a modular keyboard device with simplified electronics and a minimal number of wires for sequential capture of key and key expression data.

Another object of the invention is provide a reflective coupler method to detect which key is played and the velocity with which a particular key is struck, thus allowing for further musical expressions, such as staccato, legato, pianissimo, orfortissimo to be recorded simultaneously with the performance.

A further object of the present invention is to convert analog musical information into digital data compatible with a MIDI interface for ultimate recording and scoring with the use of a personal computer and appropriate software.

Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a device and a system used to capture, convert and transmit musical data obtained from a keyboard instrument during live performances to a computer-compatible link and then to a computer which enables the performance tobe viewed on a computer screen or to be printed out in music-scored form. Musical information, comprising both key and key expression, is sequentially captured using reflective couplers within the modular music recording device of the invention. Theinformation is preferably serially transmitted to and analyzed in a microcomputer unit which converts analog data to binary logic, calculates the attack and...

Keyboard electronic musical instrument with guitar emulation function
2010-03-20 00:00:00
trigger state information from said triggering device and key state information from said note select keys, and which sends commands to a tone generating device wherein,

a first state change of said triggering device from said first trigger state to said second trigger state when at least two of said note select keys are in said selected key state causes said data processing system to command said tone generating device to initiate production of a plurality of tones corresponding to the selected note select keys in an ascending sequence; and,

a second state change of said triggering device from said second trigger state to said first trigger state following said first triggering device state change as said selected note select keys remain in said selected key state causes said data processing system to command said tone generating device to (a) terminate production of said plurality of tones and (b) re-initiate production of said plurality of tones in a descending sequence.

2. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

said triggering device is a keyboard key.

3. An emulator as in claim 2 wherein,

said triggering device key is reciprocative between a rest position and a depressed position; and

said first and second trigger states are said rest and depressed key positions, respectively.

4. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

said triggering device is a vertically reciprocating foot pedal.

5. An emulator as in claim 4 wherein,

said triggering device foot pedal is reciprocative between a rest position and a depressed position; and

said first and second trigger states are said rest and depressed pedal positions, respectively.

6. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

said triggering device is a foot position sensing device which senses horizontal position of at least a portion of one of said user's feet.

7. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein,

each of said note select keys is reciprocative between a rest position and a depressed position; and

said rest and selected key states are said rest and depressed positions, respectively.

8. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

production of all of said tones initiated as a result of said first trigger state change is terminated as a result of said second trigger state change before the tones are re-initiated as a result of said second state change.

9. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

each of said tones initiated as a result of said first trigger state change is terminated as a result of said second trigger state change immediately prior to re-initiation; whereby,

as a result of said second state change, the highest pitched selected musical tone is muted and re-triggered, then the next lowest pitched selected musical tone is muted and re-triggered, followed by the next lowest tone.

10. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

state changes of said triggering device are affected through movement of a human appendage;

said data processing system receives information from said triggering device regarding the velocity with which said appendage effects trigger state changes;

said commands to initiate tone production include velocity data; and,

the velocity values corresponding with commands to initiate tone production for selected tones are a function of the velocity of the appendage movement which triggers the initiation of the selected tones.

11. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

said key state information includes information regarding aftertouch pressure applied to selected note select keys;

said commands to initiate tone production include velocity data; and,

the velocity values for selected tones are a function of aftertouch pressure applied to note select keys near the time of corresponding trigger state change.

12. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

said data processing system measures elapsed time between successive triggering device state changes; and,

elapse times between successive commands to initiate tone production for selected tones initiated as a result of a trigger state change are a function of the elapsed time between that trigger state change and the preceding trigger state change.

13. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

state changes of said triggering device are affected through movement of a human appendage;

said data processing system receives information from said triggering device regarding the velocity with which said appendage effects trigger state changes; and

elapse times between successive commands to initiate tone production for selected tones initiated as a result of a trigger state change are an inverse function of the velocity of the appendage movement which affected the corresponding trigger state change.

14. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

the center-to-center distance between two of said note select keys which correspond with two tones one octave apart is not more than 14.5 centimeters.

15. An emulator as in claim 1 wherein;

said data processing system communicates with said tone generating device according to a standardized digital protocol.

16. An emulator as in claim 15 wherein;

said protocol is selected from the group consisting of MIDI and ZIPI.

17. A method of generating ascending and descending musical chord arpeggiations comprising:

assigning at least twelve of the keys within a keyboard to a note select function;

determining which keys are included within a group of said note select keys being held in a selected state by a user;

instructing a tone generating device to play an ascendin...

Device for cleaning wind musical instruments
2010-03-18 00:00:00
the moisture that has collected on the inner wall of the tube of the wind instrument. Such swabs were intended to be disposable. Heretofore, filaments were employed to remove moisture that has collected on the inner wall of the tube of the wind instrument. The filaments with the moisture collected thereon extended through the tone holes of the musical instrument, resulting in moisture collecting on the pad that covers the tone holes. The repeated wetness of the pad causes the pad to become hard rather than remain a soft material.

The U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,504, to Koregelos, issued on Sept. 19, 1978, for Demoisturizer For Wind Musical Instrument, discloses an elongated device with filaments disposed along an elongated member. The filaments extend radially outward from the elongated member. The device is inserted into the tube of the wind instrument, whereby the filaments absorb moisture that has collected on the inner walls of the tube.

The U.S. Pat. No. 1,421,529, to Millhouse, issued on July 4, 1922, for Cleaning Device, discloses a cleaning device having an elongated resilient wire. At the free end of the elongated resilient wire is a bristle brush. The elongated wire is inserted into the tube of the wind instrument and the brush at the free end thereof removes the moisture from the inner wall of the tube of the wind musical instrument.

In the U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,790, to Satch, issued on Jan. 13, 1970, for Cleaning Rod For Woodwind Musical Instruments, there is disclosed a cleaning rod for musical instruments. At the free end of the rod is a hole through which a piece of cloth passes.

In the U.S. Pat. No. 3,739,420, to Kafkis, issued on June 19, 1973, for Device Swabbing The Base of A Musical Instrument, there is disclosed a device for removing moisture from the inner wall of a tube of a wind musical instrument. The device includes a flexible cord. At the free end of the cord is a triangularly shaped body of foamed plastic material. On the foamed plastic body is a contour conforming chamois cloth.

The U.S. Pat. No. 3,151,517, to Guinness, issued on Oct. 6, 1964, for Musical Pipes, discloses a musical pipe made of telescoping tubes. The U.S. Pat. No. 2,637,865, to Posson, issued on May 12, 1953, for Tube Cleaning Tool, discloses a ramrod. At the free end of the ramroad is a cleaning swab.

The U.S. Pat. No. 1,427,582, to Cumpston, issued on Aug. 29, 1922, for Gun Cleaning Device, discloses a ramrod. At the ...

Automatic performance apparatus of an electronic musical instrument
2010-03-15 00:00:00
part such as melody tone, accompaniment tone, or rhythm tone. The first performance data memory stores an instruction signal which instructs the second reading circuit to start and stop reading performance data stored in the second performance data memory, so that the reading of the performance data stored in the second performance data memory can automatically start and stop in accordance with the progressing of the reading based on the performance data stored in the first performance data memory. Both performance data stored in the first performance data memory and in the second performance data memory are read by respective reading circuits, so that it is possible to selectively start and stop reading the performance data stored in both the first performance data memory and the second performance data memory.ClaimsWe claim:

1. An automatic performance apparatus of an electronic musical instrument comprising:

first automatic performance means for performing music comprising:

first memory means for storing first performance information and instruction information; and

first reading means for reading said first performance information and said instruction information from said first memory means;

second automatic performance means for performing music comprising:

second memory means for storing second performance information; and

second reading means for reading said second performance information from said second memory means; and

control means for controlling said second automatic performance means in response to the readout of said instruction information.

2. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first memory means comprises a chord sequence memory for storing said first performance information including basic tone data.

3. An automatic performance apparatus of an electronic musical instrument comprising:

first automatic performance means having a first performance data memory for storing first performance data and first reading means for reading out performance data stored in said first performance data memory;

second automatic performance means having a second performance data memory for storing second performance data and second reading means for reading out performance data stored in said second performance data memory; and

selection means for selecting at least one of said first automatic performance means and said second automatic performance means in accordance with the state of stored instruction data, said selection means comprising a start-stop switch and said stored instruction data comprising registered content data included in said first performance data memory.

4. An automatic performance apparatus of an electronic musical instrument comprising:

first automatic performance means having a first performance data memory for storing first performance data and first reading means for reading out performance data stored in said first performance data memory;

second automatic performance means having a second performance data memory for storing second performance data and second ...

Wavetable-modification instrument and method for generating musical sound
2010-03-12 00:00:00
for use with a musical instrument having an input unit for specifying a musical sound to be generated and having an output unit responsive to an output signal to produce musical sound said generatorcomprising,

a digital wavetable unit having a random access memory for cyclically storing data values for a delay period,

a modifier unit having an arithmetic unit for summing two or more delayed data values from said wavetable unit and for dividing the summed data value by a number greater than unity to form a modified data value, and

means for storing the modified data value back into the memory for subsequent delay where the modified data value forms said output signal representing the musical sound to be produced.DescriptionBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to musical instruments and more specifically to digitally controlled electronic instruments and methods for generating musical sound.

Digitally controlled methods of generating musical sound operate by producing a sequence of digital numbers which are converted to electrical analog signals. The analog signals are amplified to produce musical sound through a conventionalspeaker. Musical instruments which employ digital control are constructed with a keyboard or other input device and with digital electronic circuits responsive to the keyboard. The electronic circuits digitally process signals in response to thekeyboard and digitally generate oscillations which form the sound in the speaker. These digitally generated oscillations are distinguished from oscillations generated by analog oscillators and are distinguished from mechanically induced oscillationsproduced by conventional orchestral and other type instruments.

All musical sounds, whether of electronic or mechanical origin, can be described by Fourier spectra. The Fourier spectra describes musical sound in terms of its component frequencies which are represented as sinusoids. The whole musical soundis, therefore, a sum of the component frequencies, that is, a sum of sinusoids.

Under Fourier analysis, tones are classified as harmonic or inharmonic. A harmonic tone is periodic and can be represented by a sum of sinusoids having frequencies which are integral multiples of a fundamental frequency. The fundamentalfrequency is the pitch of the tone. Harmonic instruments of the orchestra include the strings, the brasses, and the woodwinds. An inharmonic tone is not periodic, although it often can be represented by a sum of sinusoids. The frequencies comprisingan inharmonic tone, however, usually do not have any simple relationship. Inharmonic instruments do not normally have any pitch associated with them. Instruments in the orchestra that are inharmonic include the percussion instruments, such as the bassdrum, the snare drum, the cymbal and others.

Electronically controlled musical instruments have relied upon forming selected Fourier spectra as a basis for producing musical sound. One known type of digital musical instrument employs a harmonic summation method of music generation. In theharmonic summation method, a tone is produced by adding (or subtracting) a large number of amplitude-scaled sinusoids of different frequencies. The harmonic summation method, therefore, requires a large number of multiplications and additions to formeach sample. That process requires digital circuitry which is both expensive and inflexible. Accordingly, the digital design necessary to carry out the method of harmonic summation is computationally complex and leaves much to be desired.

Another known type of musical instrument employs the filtering method of music generation. In the filtering method, a complex electrical waveform, such as a square wave or a saw-tooth pulse train, is filtered by one or more filters to select thedesired frequency components. Thereafter, the filtered frequency components are combined to form the electrical signal which drives the speaker. The filtering method is commonly used to synthesize human speech and has often been used with analogelectronic organs. The filtering method is comparatively inflexible since each sample relies upon the stored values of fixed samples. In order to achieve natural sound, the filtering method requires a large number of multiplication steps which areeconomically expensive to achieve.

In a typical example of a filter technique, a waveshape memory provides digit...

Method for encoding music printing information in a MIDI message
2010-03-10 00:00:00
can be traced as far back as the 10th Century AD with notation of early church chant. These simple melodies were made up entirely of the notes of what we today call the diatonic scale. This is the origin of the "white" keys on the modern keyboard. Early chant was not composed in what we today call the major-minor system of keys but rather in an older system call modes. All modes used the same diatonic scale tones, but each mode started at a different degree (note) of the diatonic scale. Thus, for example, the Dorian Mode started on what we today call the diatonic pitch of D and consisted of the notes, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. This mode sounds a lot like the modern key of D minor, but includes a "raised" sixth degree (the note B instead of the B-鈾?that would be called for in modern D minor.

The system for notating pitch in chants and other early music was quite simple. A set of lines was drawn (sometimes four, sometimes five, sometimes more than five), and the degrees of the scale were represented as positions on the lines or on the spaces in between them. This is the origin of our modem five-line staff system. In the case of the Dorian mode referred to above, the notation of the scale would look as shown in FIG. 1.

The important thing to notice is that each degree (note) of the scale has a position that is one level higher than the previous degree, but that the actual size of musical interval between two consecutive degrees is not the same in all cases. For example, the size of musical interval between D and E is what we today call a whole step. In terms of sound frequency, the pitch E is on the order of 12.24 percent higher than the pitch D (the actual size will depend on the system of tuning used). The size of the musical interval between E and F is what we today call a half step. In terms of sound frequency, the pitch F is on the order of 5.94 percent higher than the pitch E. To restate the point in another way, the levels on the musical staff do not all represent the same size musical interval.

The modern system of major-minor keys, which is the basis of practically all music written and/or performed today (both classical and popular), grew out of the earlier modal system. What allowed the major-minor system to develop was the ability to alter selectively the basic pitches of the modes either by raising them with what we today call a sharp (#), or lowering them with what we today call a flat (鈾?. The amount by which a pitch is raised or lowered by a sharp or a flat is a half-step, about 5.94 percent of the base (starting) frequency. The Dorian scale in the previous example can be made into a D-minor scale by flatting the B. In CMN the flat is put in front o...

Musical apparatus detecting maximum values and/or peak values of reflected light beams to control musical functions
2010-03-08 00:00:00
light detectors for detecting light in at least two light paths.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sound function is an audio signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sound function is a tone signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a central processing unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a digital signal processor.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sound source comprising a storage device for storing multiple tone waveform data, the multiple tone waveform data being readable for producing the sound function.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the radiation comprises magnitude of radiation.

9. A method of controlling music based on the motion of an object within a specified spate, the method comprising:

receiving radiation reflected from an object within the specified space along at least two light paths;

generating information based on a characteristic of radiation received from each of the at least two light paths;

receiving performance data from a performance signal source;

generating an audio signal based on the performance data; and

controlling a characteristic of the audio signal based on the generated information.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein receiving radiation reflected from an object comprises receiving light reflected from an object.

11. The method recited in claimed 9, wherein receiving performance data from a performance signal source comprises receiving performance data from a digital music signal source.

12. The method recited in claim 9, wherein receiving performance data from a performance signal source comprises receiving performance data from a Musical Instrument Digital Interface ("MIDI") signal.

13. The method recited in claim 9, wherein generating information based on a characteristic of radiation received from each of the at least two paths comprises:

generating at least two detection values, each of which is based on a characteristic of radiation received from each of the at least two paths;

detecting a maximum value of each of the at least two detection values; and

controlling a characteristic of the audio signal based on a correlation between the maximum values of the at least two detection values.

14. The method recited in claim 9, wherein the audio signal is a tone signal.

15. The method recited in claim 9, wherein generating information based on a characteristic of the radiation received from each of the at least two paths comprises generating information based on a quantity of radiation received from each of the at least two paths.

16. The method recited in claim 13, wherein generating at least two detection values, each of which is based on a characteristic of radiation received from each of the at least two paths comprises generating at least two detection values, each of which is based on a quantity of light received from each of the at least two light paths.

17. A method of controlling and outputting music based on the motion of an object within a specified space, the method comprising:

receiving radiation reflected from an object within the specified space,

controlling a characteristic of the received radiation by moving the object within the specified space;

generating a detection value based on the characteristic of the received radiation;

receiving performance data from a per...

© 2009 www.tcomic.net The music of the Music4Usounds very sweet.