Electronic musical instrument with automatic performing function

• US 4,876,938 A
• Filed: 12/16/1988
• Issued: 10/31/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Shinohara, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US07/287,619
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.01, 84/1.03, 84/1.24, 84/DIG. 22, 84/DIG. 12
• US Class Current: 84/611
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/26 for automatically producing a series of tones
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/445 Bar codes or similar machine readable optical code patterns, e.g. two dimensional mesh pattern, for musical input or control purposes
• 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

Melody and chord tone data are read out from a melody RAM and a chord RAM under the control of address counters in a CPU, and are supplied to LSIs. The LSIs are controlled by the CPU for operation on a time division basis for a plurality of channels, so that a given melody and chord are simultaneously produced from a loudspeaker.

Claims

1. An electronic musical instrument with an automatic performing function, comprising:

melody tone data storing means for storing tone name, tone octave and tone interval data;

chord tone data storing means for storing chord name and chord tone interval data, said chord name data being subdivided into chord root data and chord classification data;

said melody tone data and chord tone data being stored in their respective storing means in the same format, including a common format for melody tone name data and chord root data, a common format for melody tone octave data and chord classification data, and a common format for melody tone interval data and chord tone interval data;

musical tone signal generating means including at least one output processing unit having a plurality of time-division-switched channels for producing respective musical tone signals selectively responsive to the melody tone data supplied from said melody tone data storing means and to the chord data supplied from said chord tone data storing means, said output processing unit being capable of producing one or more musical tones simultaneously, each tone in a separate time-division-switched channel;

first automatic control means for successively reading out, and supplying to said musical tone signal generating means, melody tone data stored in said melody tone data storing means;

second automatic control means for successively reading out, and supplying to said musical tone signal generating means, chord tone data stored in said chord tone data storing means; and

operating mode selection means coupled to said first and said second automatic control means for selecting one of several automatic operation modes among which there are, at least, one mode in which only said first automatic control means is rendered operative, one mode in which only said second automatic control means is rendered operative and one mode in which both said first and second automatic control means are rendered operative.

2. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said melody tone data includes in said format a place for a sync start mark and said melody tone data storing means further includes means for storing a sync start mark at a preselected position for designating a sync start operation of rhythm performance, and said instrument further includes a rhythm performance means for generating rhythm sounds according to a preselected rhythm pattern and means for a starting operation of the rhythm performance means when a sync start mark is read out from the melody tone data storing means by said first automatic control means.

3. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said melody tone data includes in said format a place for a sync start mark and said melody tone data storing means further includes means for storing a sync start mark at a preselected position for designating a syncro start operation of chord performance executed by the second automatic control means and means for starting chord performance when the sync start mark is read out from the melody tone data storing means.

4. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said first automatic control means includes one-key play switch means for successively reading out melody tone data stored in said melody tone data storing means.

5. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 2, wherein said common format for melody tone name data and chord root data leaves four codes available for special marks and wherein at least in said melody tone data storing means said special mark codes include said sync start mark, a mark indicating a rest and a mark indicating end of automatic performance.

6. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 3, wherein said common format for melody tone name data and chord root data leaves four codes available for special marks and wherein at least in said melody tone data storing means said special mark codes include said sync start mark, a mark indicating a rest and a mark indicating end of automatic performance.

7. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said at least one output processing unit comprises a single central processing unit and a plurality of subsidiary output processing units each capable of producing up to at least four tones simultaneously, each tone in a separate time-division-switched channel, and also comprises a common mixing circuit.

8. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 7, wherein said at least one output processing unit comprises three said subsidiary output processing units each capable of producing up to four tones simultaneously, each tone in a separate time-division switched channel.