Percussion assembly, as well as drumsticks and input means for use in said percussion assembly

• US 20090320672A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hubertus Georgius Petrus Rasker
• Original Assignee: Hubertus Georgius Petrus Rasker
• Inventors: Rasker, Hubertus Georgius Petrus
• Granted Patent: US 8,003,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/745
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0083 using wireless transmission, e.g. radio, light, infrared
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/344 Structural association with individual keys electrically operated wind-actuated organs G10B3/22
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/185 Stick input, e.g. drumsticks with position or contact sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/331 Spint cymbal hihat, e.g. mimicking high-hat cymbal; Details of the pedal interface, of the pedal action emulation or of the generation of the different sounds resulting from this pedal action
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/435 Gensound percussion, i.e. generating or synthesising the sound of a percussion instrument; Control of specific aspects of percussion sounds, e.g. harmonics, under the influence of hitting force, hitting position, settings or striking instruments such as mallet, drumstick, brush or hand
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/146 using a membrane, e.g. a drum; Pick-up means for vibrating surfaces, e.g. housing of an instrument

Abstract

The present invention relates to a percussion assembly comprising a multitude of percussion instruments, means for playing said percussion instruments and input means for inputting a tone pitch selection for the purpose of producing a tone pitch selection signal. The percussion assembly further comprises sensor means for producing a synchronisation signal when at least one of said percussion instruments is being played. The percussion assembly furthermore comprises control means for receiving the tone pitch selection signal and the synchronisation signal and for producing an audio signal dependent on the tone pitch selection signal synchronously with the synchronisation signal. The invention further relates to drumsticks and to input means for use with a percussion assembly as described in the foregoing.

Claims

1. A percussion assembly comprising a multitude of percussion instruments, means for playing said percussion instruments and input means for inputting a tone pitch selection for the purpose of producing a tone pitch selection signal, wherein said percussion assembly further comprises sensor means for producing a synchronisation signal when at least one of said percussion instruments is being played, further comprising control means for receiving the tone pitch selection signal and the synchronisation signal and for producing an audio signal dependent on the tone pitch selection signal synchronously with the synchronisation signal.

2. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein the means for playing the percussion instruments comprise at least one drumstick, wherein said at least one drumstick comprises said input means.

3. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, characterised in that the input means are selected from a group comprising tone pitch selection keys (as described above), selection switches, joysticks and touch controls.

4. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein said input means are arranged for selecting tones of a scale of at least one octave.

5. A percussion assembly according to claim 4, wherein said input means are arranged for setting the root of the scale.

6. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein the means for playing the percussion instruments comprise one or more striking implements.

7. A percussion assembly according to claim 6, wherein said striking implements have been selected from the group comprising a drumstick and a foot pedal provided with a striking implement.

8. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein the sensor means are present on at least one of the striking implements for providing a trigger signal for producing the synchronisation signal when said at least one striking implement strikes a percussion instrument.

9. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein the sensor means are suitably disposed on at least one of the percussion instruments.

10. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein said the sensor means comprise at least one element selected from a group comprising drum trigger elements, light sensors, switches, microphones or vibration sensors.

11. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein the audio signal is made up of a sequence of tones, wherein the tones are dependent on the tone pitch selection signal and wherein the control means, with a view to producing the audio signal, are arranged for producing at least one tone of said tones when a synchronisation trigger occurs in the synchronisation signal.

12. A percussion assembly according to claim 11, wherein the tone pitch selection signal represents a melody, and the control means are arranged for producing the audio signal synchronously with the synchronisation signal, such that a melody rhythm of the melody is synchronised with the synchronisation signal.

13. A percussion assembly according to claim 12, wherein the control means comprise a memory for storing at least part of the tone pitch selection signal therein.

14. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein said input means further comprise octave selection means for selecting an octave.

15. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein the synchronisation signal is produced in dependence on at least one percussion instrument selected from a group comprising acoustic percussion instruments, such as a bass drum, a string drum or cymbals, and electronic percussion instruments being played.

16. A percussion assembly according to claim 1, wherein the control means are arranged for composing the audio signal from sampled sound signals.

17. A percussion assembly according to claim 16, wherein, to imitate musical instruments, the sampled sounds sound like at least one musical instruments selected from a group comprising electric bass guitar, acoustic bass guitar, fretless bass guitar, slap bass, string bass, finger-style bass, tuba, various synthesizer sounds, such as bass sounds, samples or simulations of existing makes and types of bass instruments, a guitar, wind instruments such as a saxophone or a trumpet, an organ, keyboard instruments such as a piano or a keyboard, and combinations of one or more instruments.

18. A percussion assembly according to claim 9, further comprising an input device, which input device comprises the input means, wherein the input device is arranged for being mounted to a percussion instrument, such as a hi-hat or a drum.

19. A drumstick for use with a percussion assembly according to claim 2, wherein the at least one drumstick comprises input means for inputting a tone pitch selection for the purpose of producing a tone pitch selection signal.

20. A drumstick according to claim 19, wherein said input means are made up of a multitude of input keys for producing the tones of a scale of at least one octave.

21. Input means for inputting a tone pitch selection for producing a tone pitch selection signal, which input means are designed for being attached to a drumstick according to claim 19 or 20 or for use with a percussion assembly according to claim 1.