Automatic accompaniment apparatus for electronic musical instrument

• US 4,619,176 A
• Filed: 06/06/1985
• Issued: 10/28/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Isii, Sigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US06/741,714
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.01, 84/1.03, 84/1.24, 84/DIG. 12, 84/DIG. 22
• US Class Current: 84/610
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/36 Accompaniment arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/185 Arpeggio, i.e. notes played or sung in rapid sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously, e.g. as a chord; Generators therefor, i.e. arpeggiators; Discrete glissando effects on instruments not permitting continuous glissando, e.g. xylophone or piano, with stepwise pitch variation and on which distinct onsets due to successive note triggerings can be heard
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/321 Missing fundamental, i.e. creating the psychoacoustic impression of a missing fundamental tone through synthesis of higher harmonics, e.g. to play bass notes pitched below the frequency range of reproducing speakers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/002 using a common processing for different operations or calculations, and a set of microinstructions (programme) to control the sequence thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/12 Side; rhythm and percussion devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/22 Chord organs

Abstract

In an automatic accompaniment apparatus for electronic musical instrument capable of automatically generating accompaniment tones such as base tones, chord tones and arpeggio tones, arrangement is provided so that, at each time of depressing keys on an accompaniment keyboard, accompaniment key data for accompaniment tones which may possibly be sounded, are previously formed and secured, and the selected ones of the key data for the selected accompaniment are outputted at accompaniment tone generating timings synchronous with the rhythm. Thus bass tone, chord tones, arpeggio tones etc. may be generated in sufficient synchronous relation with a selected rhythm even by adopting a time-divisional processing using a low-speed compact computer such as a micro-computer.

Claims

1. An automatic accompaniment apparatus for an electronic musical instrument, comprising:

a keyboard including keys;

time divisional data processing means which forms at a first time division depressed key data representing respective keys depressed on said keyboard, forms at a second time division a plurality of key data corresponding to the actual accompaniment tones to be possibly sounded based on said depressed key data generates at a third time division a sounding timing signal for instructing timings for sounding of accompaniment tones, and reads out at a fourth time division key data for said accompaniment tones to be sounded from hereinbelow said memory means by selectively designing addresses in said memory regions in response to said sounding timing signal;

memory means for storing said plurality of key data in separate memory regions, respectively; and

means for generating accompaniment tone signals based on the respective key data thus read out.

2. An automatic accompaniment apparatus for an electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein:

said keyboard is one intended for accompaniment, and

said time divisional data processing means includes means for detecting a chord name based on said depressed key data, and is arranged to form said plurality of key data in accordance with a chord name detected.

3. An automatic accompaniment apparatus for an electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein:

said keyboard is one intended for accompaniment, and

said time divisional data processing means is arranged to form said plurality of key data over a plurality of octaves by associating said key data with note names based on the depressed key data corresponding to a plurality of keys depressed on said keyboard.

4. An automatic accompaniment apparatus for an electronic musical instrument, comprising:

a keyboard including keys;

time divisional data processing means which forms at a first time division depressed key data representing respective keys depressed on said keyboard, forms at a second time division a plurality of key data corresponding to the actual accompaniment tones to be possibly sounded based on said depressed key data, generates at a third time division a sounding timing signal for instructing timings for sounding of accompaniment tones, and reads out a fourth time division key data for said accompaniment tones to be sounded from hereinbelow said first memory means by selectively designating addresses in said memory regions in response to said sounding timing signal;

first memory means for storing said plurality of key data in separate memory regions, respectively;

second memory means for storing accompaniment pattern data containing sounding timing data and address designation data for respectively accompaniment tones to be sounded;

means for generating a tempo signal;

said time divisional data processing means having an operation for reading out said accompaniment pattern data from said second memory means, and when there is a sounding timing data corresponding to the timing of said reading-out, for reading out a key data from a memory region whose address in said first memory means has been designated in accordance with an address designation data associated with said sounding timing data; and

means for generating accompaniment tone signals in accordance with the key data read out.

5. An automatic accompaniment apparatus for an electronic musical instrument according to claim 4, wherein:

the accompaniment papptern data stored in said second memory means contains at least one of a tone color, a tone volume and a sounding time for each of the accompaniment tones to be sounded, and

said accompaniment tone signal generating means receives said sounding controlling data from said time divisional data processing means to control at least one of the tone color, the tone volume and the sounding timing for said accompaniment tone signal.

6. An automatic accompaniment apparatus for an electronic musical instrument, comprising:

an accompaniment keyboard;

a single data processor used on a time divisional basis separately to form at a first time division depressed key data representing respective keys depressed on said keyboard, to form at a second time division accompaniment key data corresponding to the actual accompaniment tones and having a possibility of being generated based on said depressed key data, to generate at a third time division a tempo signal for applying an interruption to said data processor to enable, for a predetermined length of time, an operation of said data processor for generating an accompaniment tone data every one-integerth of one beat, and to generate accompaniment tone data by selecting and outputting key data from among said accompaniment key data at respective accompaniment tone generating timings that are synchronous with a rhythm to be performed; and

means for generating accompaniment tone signals utilizing without further computation, the respective accompaniment tone data generated at said second time division.

10. An automatic accompaniment apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said formed accompaniment key data consists of complete accompaniment key codes for all notes having a possibility of being generated based on said depressed key data.

7. In an electronic musical instrument of the type providing a plurality of automatic accompaniment effects, and in which tones are generated in accordance with provided key codes, the automatic accompaniment notes being established in response to depressed key data, the improvement comprising:

precomputation means for precomputing, at each time that said depressed key data changes, a set of note codes representing all actual accompaniment notes to be possibly sounded based on said depressed key data, and

accompaniment tone sounding means for selecting and utilizing said precomputed note codes at appropriate accompaniment timings to produce the musical notes corresponding thereto without further modification of said note codes.

8. An automatic accompaniment apparatus for an electronic musical instrument according to claim 7, wherein said precomputation means includes a memory means for storing said complete note codes for all accompaniment notes to be possibly sounded.

11. An automatic accompaniment apparatus for an electronic musical instrument according to claim 7 wherein said precomputation means and said tone sounding means both utilize a single microcomputer on a time division basis, and wherein said tone sounding means carries out said selecting in a duration of time that is shorter than the time duration taken by said precomputation means to precompute said set of complete note codes.

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

a keyboard including keys;

a single microprocessor; and

means for utilizing said single microprocessor, on a time-shared basis for time sequential execution of different programs respectively (a) to detect newly depressed keys, (b) to precompute, upon detection of a new depressed key, a set of note codes representing all actual accompaniment tones to be possibly sounded in accordance with that detected newly depressed key, and (c) at rhythmic timing intervals to select a note code from said set and produce an accompaniment tone corresponding thereto without further modification of said note codes.