STRINGLESS BOWED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

• US 20170103741A1
• Filed: 10/07/2016
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey James Hsu
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey James Hsu
• Inventors: HSU, Jeffrey James
• Granted Patent: US 10,224,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0016 Means for indicating which keys, frets or strings are to be actuated, e.g. using lights or leds
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/342 for guitar-like instruments with or without strings and with a neck on which switches or string-fret contacts are used to detect the notes being played electric guitars in which the tones are generated by the vibration of strings G10H3/18
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/021 Indicator, i.e. non-screen output user interfacing, e.g. visual or tactile instrument status or guidance information using lights, LEDs or seven segments displays
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/241 on touchscreens, i.e. keys, frets, strings, tablature or staff displayed on a touchscreen display for note input purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/311 with controlled tactile or haptic feedback effect; output interfaces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/365 Bow control in general, i.e. sensors or transducers on a bow; Input interface or controlling process for emulating a bow, bowing action or generating bowing parameters, e.g. for appropriately controlling a specialised sound synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/411 Light beams
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/075 Spint stringed, i.e. mimicking stringed instrument features, electrophonic aspects of acoustic stringed musical instruments without keyboard; MIDI-like control therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/125 Extracting or recognising the pitch or fundamental frequency of the picked up signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/143 characterised by the use of a piezoelectric or magneto-strictive transducer

Abstract

A stringless electric bowed musical instrument is disclosed in which sensors are provided to detect finger positions and bowing motions of the player. A touch-sensitive fingerboard surface is equipped with pitch sensors that detect finger positions. Use of a fingerboard surface that includes an interactive flexible touch screen display provides a plurality of illumination patterns to be displayed on the fingerboard and permits various operational modes that are useful for both students and artists. A bowing platform in contact with either the fingerboard or the body of the instrument provides an adjustable bowing surface for including bow sensors configured to detect vibrations in response to bow motion. The bow sensors may include piezo-ceramic elements. Optical pitch sensors may sense interruption of one or more laser beams that propagate above a top surface of the fingerboard.

Claims

1. A musical instrument, comprising:

a body;

a neck attached to the body;

a fingerboard attached to the neck, the fingerboard including a touch sensitive display configured to detect finger positions; and

a bowing platform in contact with either the fingerboard or the body, the bowing platform having an adjustable bowing surface for placement of a bow, the bowing platform including bow sensors configured to detect vibrations of the bowing surface in response to motion of the bow.

2. The musical instrument of claim 1 wherein further comprising:

a power supply;

electronic components configured to drive the touch sensitive display;

a microprocessor programmed to process information received from the touch sensitive display and the bow sensors; and

a computer-readable memory, the memory storing instructions that cause the microprocessor to output selected illumination patterns to the touchscreen display.

3. The musical instrument of claim 2, wherein the touch sensitive display is interactive and the instructions implement a plurality of selectable operational modes of the interactive touchscreen display.

4. The musical instrument of claim 3 wherein the operational modes include one or more of a performance mode, a control panel mode, a recording mode, a playback mode, a play along mode, an exercise mode, a game mode, and a silent mode.

5. The musical instrument of claim 4 wherein one or more of the operational modes is programmed to cause different illumination patterns to be displayed on the interactive touchscreen display based on a user selection.

6. The musical instrument of claim 4 wherein one or more of the operational modes is programmed to cause vibration of the fingerboard in response to touch data sensed by the finger position sensors, the touch data including a touch location and a touch pressure.

7. The musical instrument of claim 1 wherein the interactive touchscreen display is flexible and conforms to the shape of a bowed instrument fingerboard.

8. The musical instrument of claim 1 wherein the fingerboard includes one or more layers of fiberglass, metal, glass, ceramic, crystalline, rubber, acrylic, or polymer materials.

9. An apparatus for an electronic musical instrument, the apparatus comprising:

a fingerboard attached to the electronic musical instrument the fingerboard having a proximal end and a distal end;

a light source generating a light beam;

a waveguide operable to direct the light beam from the source toward the fingerboard; and

a nut at the distal end of the fingerboard, the nut having a reflective surface positioned to reflect the light beam.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a bowing platform mounted to the musical instrument, the bowing platform and the fingerboard having reflective surfaces positioned to reflect the light beam.

11. An apparatus for a bowed musical instrument, the apparatus comprising:

a fingerboard of the musical instrument;

a light beam source that causes a light beam to propagate along a length of the fingerboard;

an optical pitch sensor that senses disturbance of the light beam;

a bowing platform having

a bowing surface for receiving a bow; and

bow sensors configured to detect vibrations of the bowing surface;

a socket configured to couple signals from the optical pitch sensors and the bow sensors to a mobile electronic device configured to process the signals; and

a power supply that provides electrical power to the optical pitch sensors, the bow sensors, and the socket.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the electronic pitch sensors are configured to sense a light beam.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the bowing platform includes a waveguide for directing propagation of the light beam.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein a light source of the light beam is housed in the bowing platform.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein a light source of the light beam is housed in a body of the bowed musical instrument.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the light beam includes one or more of a visible laser beam and an infrared laser beam.

17. A method, comprising:

displaying an illumination pattern on a touch screen fingerboard of a stringless musical instrument;

electronically sensing finger placement on the touch screen fingerboard; and

electronically sensing vibrations of one or more bowing surfaces of a bowing platform of the stringless musical instrument.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating sound derived from the sensed finger placement and the sensed vibrations of the bowing surfaces.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the bowing platform is mounted to the fingerboard.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein a number of the one or more bowing surfaces configured to receive a bow is adjustable.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the bowing platform has a concave profile.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein the electronically sensing steps entail use of a piezo-ceramic device.