Electronic musical instrument for reading out and performing musical tone data previously stored

• US 4,522,100 A
• Filed: 09/07/1982
• Issued: 06/11/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Ishii, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US06/415,439
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.03, 84/1.01, 84/1.24, 84/1.17, 84/DIG. 22
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0041 in coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/36 Accompaniment arrangements

Abstract

An electronic musical instrument for reading out and performing musical tone data previously stored in a memory is disclosed. In the musical instrument, pitch data of a musical piece or pieces are previously stored in the memory. Desired pitch data stored are read out by operating a corresponding key arranged on a keyboard. A tone generator forms a musical tone signal on the basis of the pitch data for sounding the musical tone. When the keyboard is functionally divided into two groups, the musical tone for melody and/or accompaniment of the musical piece may be read out through the operation of the functionally divided keyboard.

Claims

1. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

a single keyboard having a plurality of keys, each being associated with a musical note;

memory means for storing pitch codes of the musical tone of either a melody or an accompaniment of a musical piece;

changeover switching means coupled to said keyboard for switching an operation mode of said keyboard to first and second modes, in said first mode the keys on said keyboard designating the musical notes, in said second mode the keys on said keyboard being functionally and fixedly divided into two key groups and in said second mode the keys on either of said two key groups on the keyboard permitting readout of the pitch codes stored in said memory means and the other of said key groups designating the musical notes;

musical tone generating means coupled to said keyboard, to said memory means and to said changeover switching means for generating musical tones in accordance with a key operation on said keyboard when said operation mode is switched to said first mode, and for generating musical tones corresponding to the pitch codes read out from said memory means by keys of either of said two key groups and to the musical notes designated by the keys of the other of said key groups when said operation mode is switched to said second mode;

first control means coupled to said memory means and to said changeover means and being responsive to operation of any one of the keys of one of said two key groups for causing the pitch code of said musical tone stored in said memory means to be read out and causing said musical tone to be formed by said musical tone generating means when said operation mode is switched to the second mode; and

second control means coupled to said musical tone generating means and to said changeover switching means and being responsive to a manual operation of keys of the other of said two key groups for causing the musical tone corresponding to the operated keys to be formed by said musical tone generating means when said operation mode is switched to the second mode.

2. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, further comprising third control means coupled to said memory means for causing the pitch code of the musical tone of either of said melody or accompaniment stored in said memory means to be read out under the control of said first control means, and when a musical tone is generated by said musical tone generating means, said third control means causing said musical tone to be produced by said musical tone generating means only during a period that any one of the keys of the corresponding key group on said keyboard is operated.

3. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one key group on said single keyboard includes one or more keys.

4. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1 or 2, further including memory control means coupled to said memory means for previously storing the pitch codes of a musical tone of the melody or the accompaniment of a musical piece in said memory means by means of said key operation.

5. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising memory control means coupled to said memory means for previously storing the pitch codes of a musical tone of the melody or the accompaniment of a musical piece into said memory means by external input means.

6. An electronic musical instrument according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein said memory means is semiconductor memory means.

7. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

a single keyboard having a plurality of keys associated with a musical note;

memory means for storing pitch codes of a musical tone of either the melody or the accompaniment of a musical piece;

dividing position designating means coupled to said single keyboard for functionally dividing said single keyboard into two respective key groups with a desired pitch;

changeover switching means coupled to said keyboard and to said dividing position designating means for switching an operation of said keyboard to first and second modes, in said first mode the keys on the keyboard designating musical notes, in said second mode the keys on said keyboard being divided into two groups designated by said dividing position designating means and in said second mode the keys of either of said two key groups on said keyboard permitting readout of the pitch codes stored in said memory means and the keys of the other of said key groups designating the musical notes;

musical tone generating means coupled to said keyboard, to said memory means and to said changeover switch means for generating musical tones in accordance with key operation on said keyboard when said operation mode is switched to the first mode, and for generating musical tones corresponding to the pitch codes read out from said memory means by keys of either of said two key groups and to the musical notes designated by keys of the other of said key groups when said operation mode is switched to said second mode;

first control means coupled to said memory means and to said changeover switching means and being responsive to operation of any one of the keys of one group of said two key groups for causing the pitch code of said musical tone stored in said memory means to be read out and for causing said musical tone to be generated by said musical tone generating means when said operation mode is switched to the second mode; and

second control means coupled to said musical tone generating means and to said changeover switching means and being responsive to a manual operation of keys in the other of said key groups of said single keyboard for causing the musical tone corresponding to the manually operated keys to be formed by said musical tone generating means when said operation mode is switched to the second mode.

8. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 7, further comprising third control means coupled to said first control means for causing the pitch code of the musical tone of either the melody or the accompaniment stored in said memory means to be read out by said first control means, such that said musical tone generated by said musical tone generating means under the control of said first control means is generated only during a period that any one of the keys of the corresponding key group of said keyboard is operated.

9. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 7 or 8, wherein one key group of said single keyboard includes one or more keys.

10. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising memory control means coupled to said memory means for previously storing the pitch codes of a musical tone of the melody or accompaniment of a musical piece by means of operation of keys of said keyboard.

11. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising memory control means coupled to said memory means for previously storing the pitch codes of a musical tone of either the melody or the accompaniment of a musical piece into said memory means by external input means.

12. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 7, wherein said dividing position designating means includes means for setting the functionally dividing position in accordance with the pitch of a key operated on said keyboard.

13. An electronic musical instrument according to any one of claims 7, 8 or 12, wherein said memory means is semiconductor memory means.

14. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

a single keyboard having a plurality of keys, each associated with musical note;

first memory means for storing the pitch codes of a musical tone of the accompaniment of a musical piece;

second memory means for storing the pitch code of a musical tone of the melody of the musical piece;

dividing position designating means coupled to said single keyboard for functionally dividing said keyboard into two respective key groups with a desired pitch;

changeover switching means coupled to said keyboard and to said dividing position designating means for switching an operation mode of said keyboard to said first and second modes, in said first mode the keys on said keyboard designating the musical notes, in said second mode the keys on said keyboard are divided into two groups designated by said dividing position designating means, and in said second mode the keys of either of said two key groups on said keyboard permitting readout of the pitch code stored in said first memory means and the keys of the other of said key groups permitting readout of the pitch code stored in said second memory means;

musical tone generating means coupled to said keyboard, to said memory means and to said changeover switching means for generating musical tones in accordance with key operation when said operation mode is switched to the first mode, and for generating musical tones corresponding to the pitch codes read out from aid first and second memory means when said operation mode is switched to the second mode;

first control means coupled to said first memory means and to said changeover switching means and being responsive to operation of any one of the keys in one of said key groups for causing the pitch code of said musical tone stored in said first memory means to be read out and for causing said musical tone to be generated by said musical tone generating means when said operation mode is switched to the second mode; and

second control means coupled to said second memory means and to said changeover switching means and being responsive to operation of any one of the keys in the other of said key groups for causing said musical tone stored in said second memory means to be read out and for causing said musical tone to be generated by said musical tone generating means when said operation mode is switched to the second mode.

15. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 14, further comprising:

third control means coupled to said first control means for causing the pitch code of said musical tone stored in said first memory means to be read out under the control of said first control means such that said musical tone generated by said musical tone generating means is produced only during a period that any one of the keys of said one of said two key groups of said single keyboard is operated; and

fourth control means coupled to said second control means for causing the pitch code of said musical tone stored in said second memory means to be read out under the control of said second control means, such that said musical tone generated by means of said musical tone generating means is produced only during a period that any one of the keys of said other of said two key groups of said single keyboard is operated.

16. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 14 or 15, wherein each of said key groups include one or more keys.

17. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 14 or 15, further comprising:

first memory control means for previously storing the pitch codes of a musical tone of the accompaniment of a musical piece into said first memory means through the operation of said single keyboard; and

second memory control means for previously storing the pitch codes of a musical tone of the melody of the musical piece into said second memory through the operation of said single keyboard.

18. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 14 or 15, further comprising:

first memory control means for previously storing the pitch code of a musical tone of the accompaniment of a musical piece into said first memory by external input means; and

second memory control means for previously storing the pitch code of a musical tone of the melody of the musical piece into said second memory means by external input means.

19. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 14, wherein said dividing position designating means includes means for setting the functionally dividing position in accordance with the pitch of a key operated on said keyboard.

20. An electronic musical instrument according to any one of claims 14, 15, or 19, wherein said first and second memory means are semiconductor memory means.