Performance apparatus and tone generation method therefor

• US 20070022868A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Nishibori, Yu, Iwai, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 7,394,010 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/626
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/06 Circuits for establishing the harmonic content of tones , or other arrangements for changing the tone colour
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen touch screen note input, e.g. using a displayed keyboard G10H2220/241; personal digital assistant [PDA] G10H2230/015
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/161 with 2D or x/y surface coordinates sensing graphical user interface or touchscreen input G10H2220/091; microtonal keyboard G10H2210/401
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/236 representing an active musical staff or tablature, i.e. with key-like position sensing at the expected note positions on the staff active keyboard representation on a touchscreen G10H2220/241
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/295 Switch matrix, e.g. contact array common to several keys, the actuated keys being identified by the rows and columns in contact

Abstract

A Plurality of key switches for tone-generating are arranged two-dimensionally. Mode setting section sets a tone adjusting mode in which the key switches are caused to function as tone-adjusting operators. In the tone adjusting mode, adjustment of a predetermined tone factor (e.g., tone pitch, tone length, tone volume or tone color) is permitted in response to operation of the key switch. For example, once a user moves a finger to change a Y-coordinate position of the key switch in the tone adjusting mode, an amount of the movement, i.e. a difference between Y-coordinates of two or more successively-operated key switches, is detected, and the thus-detected movement amount is set as a value for adjusting a tone volume or the like. All of light-emitting elements located at Y-coordinate positions of the key switches may be illuminated in a line, to allow the user to visually confirm the adjustment and operation.

Claims

1. A performance apparatus comprising:

a plurality of key switches arranged two-dimensionally;

a memory storing tone data corresponding to said plurality of key switches;

a tone generation section that, on the basis of the tone data stored in said memory, generates a tone corresponding to a key switch operated among said plurality of key switches;

a mode setting section that sets a tone adjusting mode for causing the key switches to function as tone-adjusting operators for a tone to be generated by said tone generation section; and

a tone adjustment section that adjusts, in the tone adjusting mode, a predetermined tone factor of the tone in response to operation of the key switch.

2. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tone adjustment section adjusts the predetermined tone factor in accordance with a two-dimensional coordinate position of the operated key switch or a difference between two-dimensional coordinate positions of two or more key switches successively operated among said plurality of key switches.

3. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the predetermined tone factor is any one of tone pitch, tone length, tone volume and tone color.

4. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein, in the tone adjusting mode, said mode setting section designates any one tone factor from among the tone pitch, tone length, tone volume and tone color, and

said tone adjustment section adjusts the tone factor, designated by sad mode setting section, in accordance with operation of the key switch.

5. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mode setting section sets the tone adjusting mode in response to operation of a predetermined control switch.

6. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tone adjustment section adjusts the predetermined tone factor in accordance with an X- or Y-coordinate position of the operated key switch.

7. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tone adjustment section adjusts the predetermined tone factor in accordance with X- or Y-coordinate positions of two or more key switches successively operated among said plurality of key switches.

8. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein, when a given tone factor is to be adjusted, said tone adjustment section adjusts the given tone factor in accordance with a difference between X-coordinate positions of two or more key switches successively operated among said plurality of key switches, while, when another tone factor is to be adjusted, said tone adjustment section adjusts the other tone factor in accordance with a difference between Y-coordinate positions of two or more key switches successively operated among said plurality of key switches.

9. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in correspondence with two-dimensional arrangement of said plurality of key switches, and

a light emission control section that controls light emission of the light-emitting elements in response to the operation of the key switch for adjusting the predetermined tone factor.

10. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said tone adjustment section adjusts the predetermined tone factor in accordance with an X- or Y-coordinate position of the operated key switch, or in accordance with a difference between X- or Y-coordinate positions of two or more key switches successively operated among said plurality of key switches, and

said light emission control illuminates in a line all of light-emitting elements located at a same X- or Y-coordinate position as the operated key switch, in accordance with the X- or Y-coordinate position of the operated key switch.

11. A performance apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a storage section that stores ON/OFF states of said plurality of key switches in correspondence with a desired music performance, and a readout control section that reads out the ON/OFF states of said plurality of key switches from said storage section in response to a reproductive performance instruction, and

wherein said tone generation section generates tones corresponding to the key switches designated in accordance with the ON/OFF states read out via said readout control section.

12. A method for generating a tone using a performance apparatus including a plurality of key switches arranged two-dimensionally, and a memory storing tone data corresponding to the plurality of key switches, said memory comprising:

a tone generation step of, on the basis of the tone data stored in the memory, generating a tone corresponding to a key switch operated among the plurality of key switches;

a step of setting a tone adjusting mode for causing the key switches to function as tone-adjusting operators for a tone to be generated by said tone generation step; and

a tone adjustment step of adjusting, in the tone adjusting mode, a predetermined tone factor of the tone in response to operation of the key switch.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said tone adjustment step adjusts the predetermined tone factor in accordance with a two-dimensional coordinate position of the operated key switch or a difference between two-dimensional coordinate positions of two or more key switches successively operated among said plurality of key switches.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the predetermined tone factor is any one of tone pitch, tone length, tone volume and tone color.

15. A method as claimed in claim 12 wherein said mode setting section sets the tone adjusting mode in response to operation of a predetermined control switch.

16. A method as claimed in claim 12 which further comprises a step of, in response to the operation of the key switch for adjusting the predetermined tone factor, controlling light emission of the plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in correspondence with two-dimensional arrangement of the plurality of key switches.

17. A computer program containing a group of instructions for causing a computer of a performance apparatus to perform a tone generation procedure, the performance apparatus including a plurality of key switches arranged two-dimensionally, and a memory storing tone data corresponding to the plurality of key switches, said tone generation procedure comprising:

a tone generation step of, on the basis of the tone data stored in the memory, generating a tone corresponding to a key switch operated among the plurality of key switches;

a step of setting a tone adjusting mode for causing the key switches to function as tone-adjusting operators for each tone to be generated by said tone generation step; and

a tone adjustment step of adjusting, in the tone adjusting mode, a predetermined tone factor of the tone in response to operation of the key switch.

18. A computer program as claimed in claim 17 wherein said tone adjustment step adjusts the predetermined tone factor in accordance with a two-dimensional coordinate position of the operated key switch or a difference between two-dimensional coordinate positions of two or more key switches successively operated among said plurality of key switches.

19. A computer program as claimed in claim 17 wherein the predetermined tone factor is any one of tone pitch, tone length, tone volume and tone color.

20. A computer program as claimed in claim 17 wherein said mode setting section sets the tone adjusting mode in response to operation of a predetermined control switch.

21. A computer program as claimed in claim 17 which further comprises a step of, in response to the operation of the key switch for adjusting the predetermined tone factor, controlling light emission of the plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in correspondence with two-dimensional arrangement of the plurality of key switches.