Automatic performance apparatus

• US 4,633,751 A
• Filed: 04/15/1985
• Issued: 01/06/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Yuzawa, Keiji, Fukaya, Hideshi, Hoshii, Toshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US06/722,764
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.03, 84/1.01, 84/1.28, 84/1.24, 84/DIG. 22
• US Class Current: 84/613
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0041 in coded form
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/22 Chord organs

Abstract

An automatic performance apparatus includes input circuitry for serially inputting musical sound information of a predetermined melody and musical sound information to be imparted to the melody, in accordance with progressions of the melody and a chord. A storage device serially stores the musical sound information inputted, and readout circuitry successively reads out the musical sound information stored in the storage device. Accordingly, the musical sounds based on the read out musical sound information are reproduced, and a melody and a chord are played simultaneously.

Claims

1. An automatic performance apparatus comprising:

input means for inputting musical sound information of a musical piece which includes melodic musical sound information corresponding to a melody of said musical piece and chordal musical sound information corresponding to a chord to be added to the melody, in accordance with a progression of said musical piece;

storage means coupled to said input means and having, in a single memory area, a plurality of memory locations, each of said memory locations selectively storing said melodic sound information and said chordal musical sound information corresponding to a chord to be added to the melody, said melodic and chordal musical sound information being inputted by said input means, the storing order of the melodic musical sound information and of the chordal musical sound information in said plurality of memory locations being determined by the musical piece to be stored, said melodic musical sound information stored in a given memory location including at least note pitch code data and note length code data, and said chordal musical sound information stored in a given memory location including at least chord name code data and chord length code data;

reading means coupled to said storage means for successively and sequentially reading out the musical sound information stored in said memory locations of said storage means, said reading means including a single address designation means for sequentially designating addresses of memory locations in said single storage means from which said musical sound information is to be read out; and

musical sound producing means coupled to said reading means for producing musical sounds corresponding to the melody and chord based on the musical sound information successively read out by said reading means.

2. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reading means includes an automatic reproduction directing means for directing the automatic reproduction of musical sound information stored in said storage means.

3. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reading means reads out the musical sound information stored in said storage means, in accordance with a melodic progression.

4. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the melodic musical sound information further includes ratio code data corresponding to sustain/release.

5. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the note pitch code data includes a dummy code which expresses a beginning of the musical piece.

6. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chordal musical sound information further includes ratio code data corresponding to sustain/release.

7. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reading means includes a one-key melody key, and a control means for reading out said chordal musical sound information together with said melodic musical sound information corresponding to operations of said one-key melody key.

8. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reading means includes a one-key play key, and wherein a melody and a corresponding chord are stored in successive memory locations of said storage means, said single address designation means causing said chord and following melody to be read out sequentially from said storage means responsive to operation of said one-key play key.

9. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reading means includes a one-key melody key, a one-key chord key, and a control means for reading out said chordal musical sound information together with a melody in correspondence with the operations of said one-key melody key, and for reading out said chordal musical sound information together with a melody in correspondence with the operations of said one-key chord key.

10. An automatic performance apparatus, comprising:

memory means having, in a single memory area, a plurality of memory locations having respective addresses, each of said memory locations selectively storing melodic musical sound information corresponding to a melody and chordal musical sound information corresponding to a chord to be added to the melody, the storing order of the melodic musical sound information and the chordal musical sound information in the plurality of storage locations being determined by the musical piece to be stored;

said melodic musical sound information stored in a given storage location including at least note pitch code data and note length code data, and said chordal musical sound information stored in a given storage location including at least chord name code data and chord length code data;

a selectively operable one-key melody key for causing performance of a melody;

a selectively operable one-key chord key for causing performance of a chord;

a single address designation means coupled to said memory means and including first means means for changing the address of said memory locations responsive to each operation of the one-key melody key to successively read out the melodic musical means; and

second means for changing the address of said memory locations responsive to each operation of the one-key chord key to successively read out the chordal musical sound information from respective memory locations of said memory means; and

musical sound producing means coupled to said single address designation means for producing musical sounds of the melody and/or chord based on the melodic and/or chordal musical sound information successively read out from said memory means responsive to operation of said one-key melody key and/or said one-key chord key.

11. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a mode setting means for setting a play mode or a recording mode; and

a directing means for directing not to change the note length code data and the chord length code data stored in said memory means when the one-key melody key and the one-key chord key are operated in said play mode set by said mode setting means, and for directing to rewrite the note length code data and the chord length code data stored in said memory means when said one-key melody key and said one-key chord key are operated in said recording mode set by said mode setting means.

12. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a melody and a corresponding chord are stored in successive memory locations of said memory means, said single address designation means causing said chord and following melody to be read out sequentially from said memory means responsive to operation of said one-key melody key.

13. An automatic performance apparatus comprising:

memroy means having in a single memory area, a plurality of memory locations for storing in given memory locations melodic musical sound information corresponding to a melody of a musical piece and chordal musical sound information corresponding to a chord to be added to the melody, the storing order of the melodic musical sound information and the chordal musical sound information in the plurality of memory locations being determined by the musical piece to be stored;

a selectively operable one-key melody key for causing perfomance of at least a melody;

a selectively operable one-key chord key for causing performance of a chord;

first address designation means coupled to said memory means and including first means responsive to operations of said one-key melody key for sequentially reading out the melodic musical sound information and incidental chordal musical sound information corresponding thereto from a memory location of said memory means when said one-key melody key is operated; and

second means responsive to operations of said one-key chord key for reading out the chordal musical sound information which is successively stored in a memory location of said memory means when said one-key chord key is successively and continuously operated; and

musical sound producing means coupled to said single address designation means for producing musical sounds of the the melody and/or chord based on the melodic and/or chordal musical sound information successively read out from said memory means responsive to operation of said one-key melody key and/or said one-key chord key.

14. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said melodic musical sound information includes at least note pitch code data and note length code data, and said chordal musical sound information includes at least name code data and chord length code data.

15. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a mode setting means for setting a play mode or a recording mode; and

a directing means for directing not to change the note length code data and the chord length code data stored in said memory means when the one-key melody key and the one-key chord key are operated in said play mode set by said mode setting means, and for directing to rewrite the note length code data and the chord length code data stored in said memory means when said one-key melody key and said one-key chord key are operated in said recording mode set by said mode setting means.

16. An automatic performance apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a melody and a corresponding chord are stored in successive memory locations of said memory means, said single address designation means causing said chord and following melody to be read out sequentially from said memory means responsive to operation of said one-key melody key.