ELECTRONIC KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT

• US 20080072742A1
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: NISHIDA, Kenichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/615
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/24 for selecting plural preset register stops
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/275 Spint drum

Abstract

Respective sets of black keys and white keys of respective octaves of a keyboard 10 are defined as specific key range, respectively, to assign various tone colors of percussion instruments of a drum set to a plurality of keys included in the respective specific key ranges of the octaves. A specific key range has secondary key ranges to assign tone colors produced by different playing techniques of the same musical instrument. A depression of any key of a specific key range results in generation of a musical tone having a tone color of a percussion instrument assigned to the specific key range. To a pedal unit 20, a tone color of “bass drum” is assigned. Tone colors of “hi-hat” assigned to the keyboard 10 are controlled such that a depression of any key to which “hi-hat” is assigned with or without operation of the pedal unit 20 results in generation of a musical tone of open hi-hat or closed hi-hat.

Claims

1. An electronic keyboard instrument comprising:

a keyboard having a plurality of keys;

a percussion instrument assigning portion for assigning a type of percussion instrument to a plurality of keys included in a specific key range of the keyboard; and

a musical tone generation controlling portion for controlling, in a case where any of the keys included in the specific key range is depressed, generation of a musical tone signal having a tone color of the percussion instrument assigned to the specific key range which includes the depressed key.

2. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein

the specific key range is variable.

3. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein

the specific key range is provided on an octave basis.

4. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 3, wherein

the specific key range is composed of a plurality of neighboring black keys included in an octave or a plurality of neighboring white keys included in an octave.

5. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein

in a case where a plurality of keys included in the specific key range of the keyboard are depressed concurrently or consecutively in a certain short period of time, the musical tone generation controlling portion responds only to the first key-depression to control generation of one musical tone signal.

6. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein

the percussion instrument assigning portion assigns a plurality of percussion instruments included in a drum set to a plurality of specific key ranges arranged in a direction of the keys of the keyboard such that the assignment of the percussion instruments to the specific key ranges corresponds with an arrangement of the drum set;

and

the musical tone generation controlling portion controls generation of a musical tone signal having a tone color of a percussion instrument assigned to a specific key range including the depressed key.

7. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein

the percussion instrument assigning portion divides the specific key range into a plurality of secondary key ranges each composed of a plurality of keys, and assigns a plurality of tone colors produced by different playing techniques of the type of percussion instrument assigned to the specific key range to the secondary key ranges, respectively;

and

in a case where any key of the secondary key ranges is depressed, the musical tone generation controlling portion controls generation of a musical tone signal having a tone color assigned to the secondary key range which includes the depressed key.

8. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 7, wherein

tone colors of hi-hat are assigned to the specific key range, and a tone color of open hi-hat and a tone color of closed hi-hat are assigned to the secondary key ranges respectively.

9. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 7, wherein

tone colors of snare are assigned to the specific key range, and at least two of a tone color of normal snare, a tone color of roll or a tone color of rim shot are assigned to the secondary key ranges respectively.

10. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 7, wherein

tone colors of at least one of snare, hi-hat or cymbal are assigned to the specific key range, and a tone color produced when played with sticks and a tone color produced when played with brush are assigned to the secondary key ranges respectively.

11. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 7, wherein

the plurality of keys included in each of the secondary key ranges are composed of only white keys or only black keys.

12. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein

the percussion instrument assigning portion allows the specific key range to further include a key to which a modification function for modifying a generation manner of a musical tone signal corresponding to the percussion instrument assigned to the specific key range is assigned;

and

the musical tone generation controlling portion further modifies, in a case where the key to which the modification function is assigned is depressed, the generation manner of a musical tone signal generated by a depression of any other key of the specific key range.

13. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 12, wherein

in a case where the key to which the modification function is assigned is depressed during generation of a musical tone signal by a depression of any other key of the specific key range, the musical tone generation controlling portion changes a tone color of the musical tone signal generated by the depression of the other key and then terminates generation of the musical tone signal.

14. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 12, wherein

in a case where the key to which the modification function is assigned is depressed prior to generation of a musical tone signal by a depression of any other key of the specific key range, the musical tone generation controlling portion generates a musical tone signal having a tone color different from that of a musical tone signal to be generated without depression of the key to which the modification function is assigned, and also terminates generation of the musical tone signal earlier than termination of generation of a musical tone signal to be generated without depression of the key to which the modification function is assigned.

15. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pedal operated with a foot, wherein

the musical tone generation controlling portion changes a tone color of a musical tone signal generated by a depression of a key included in the specific key range in accordance with operation of the pedal.

16. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 15, wherein

in a case where hi-hat is assigned to the keys of the specific key range by the percussion instrument assigning portion, the musical tone generation controlling portion controls such that a musical tone signal to be generated by a depression of any key of the specific key range has a tone color of open hi-hat if the pedal is not operated, and the musical tone signal has a tone color of closed hi-hat if the pedal is operated.

17. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pedal operated with a foot, wherein

the musical tone generation controlling portion controls generation of a musical tone signal having a tone color of bass drum in response to operation of the pedal.

18. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 17, further comprising:

a velocity sensing portion for sensing operational velocity of the pedal, wherein

the musical tone generation controlling portion controls loudness of a musical tone signal to be generated in accordance with an operational velocity of the pedal sensed by the velocity sensing portion.

19. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sequencer for recording performance of percussion tones by depression of the keys included in the specific key range, wherein

the sequencer records not performance data indicative of pitch of the depressed keys but performance data indicative of the percussion instrument assigned to the specific key range.

20. An electronic keyboard instrument according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of lamps for indicating the plurality of keys, the lamps being provided in association with the keys; and

a specific key range indicating portion for illuminating the lamps to indicate assignment of the specific key range by the percussion instrument assigning portion.