Defaultless musical keyboards for woodwind styled electronic musical instruments
First Claim
1. A keyboard comprising a plurality of keys, N in number, and decoding means, each key sending a signal corresponding to binary 1 or 0, or vice versa, to an input of the decoding means, depending on whether the key has been activated or not, the number of unique outputs of the decoding means being a number X which is less than the number of unique binary combinations of the keys, 2N, the X unique outputs being caused by a basic X unique binary combinations of the keys, and the remainder, 2N -X, of the binary combinations of the keys causing ore than one unique output, the decoding means assigning outputs to inputs on the basis of mathematical values associated with the keys.
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Abstract
A decoder assigns key values according to a system of mathematical weight values in terms of whole and semi-tone intervals of the musical scale, each key contributing its assigned value to the sum when depressed. Any interval along the scale can be reached by any combination of depressed keys that sum to that interval amount from the open "zero reference" position. The result is a woodwind-style keyboard that is perfectly regular and which has no default or unusable fingering combinations.
25 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A keyboard comprising a plurality of keys, N in number, and decoding means, each key sending a signal corresponding to binary 1 or 0, or vice versa, to an input of the decoding means, depending on whether the key has been activated or not, the number of unique outputs of the decoding means being a number X which is less than the number of unique binary combinations of the keys, 2N, the X unique outputs being caused by a basic X unique binary combinations of the keys, and the remainder, 2N -X, of the binary combinations of the keys causing ore than one unique output, the decoding means assigning outputs to inputs on the basis of mathematical values associated with the keys.
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2. An electronic musical keyboard comprising a plurality of keys, N in number, and decoding means, wherein said keys and decoding means interact to behave in playing action to resemble the playing of simple flutes and other woodwinds, each key delivering a status signal corresponding to a binary 1 or 0or vice versa, depending on whether the key has been depressed or not, and in which decoding means provision has been made so that all possible combinations of key depressions and non-depressions and, therefore, all possible fingering patterns are valid and will serve to select one or another of the notes within the range or "register" prescribed by the number of keys "N", the decoding means assigning output to inputs on the basis of mathematical values associated with the keys.
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3. An electronic musical keyboard comprising a set of keys and a decoding means, each key of said set being connected for delivering to the decoding means a status signal corresponding to a binary 1 or 0or vice versa, depending on whether the key has been depressed or not, each of the keys of the set being assigned in the decoding means a mathematically weighted value corresponding to either a whole or half-tone musical interval, positive or negative sign, on the western tempered major musical scale, and by which assignment there may thus be up to four different types of keys:
- whole or half-tone, positive or negative sign, and in which there may be as few or many of each type of key as elected to effect a particular complexity of design, and which keys when pressed in plurality will act to sum in algebraic fashion according to the combined signed and weighted values of the keys depressed, the decoding means always having the same output for any given sum, no matter which keys were pressed to combine to provide the given sum.
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4. An electronic musical keyboard fashioned generally after that of the woodwinds in that it provides for finger patterns corresponding to variation of length of a column of air but is supplemented in that it accepts as valid all additional finger patterns, said keyboard being comprised of a plurality of keys and a decoding means, each key being connected for delivering to the input of the decoding means its status as being either depressed or undepressed, according to the particular finger pattern being applied, and in which decoding means provision has also been made so that all possible binary combinations of key statuses will be recognized by the decoding means as valid input codes and be thereupon translated into output codes which will cause subsequent apparatus to create or choose the desired note, there being but a single not for each output code and but one output code at a time, in which keyboard the number of valid input codes is greater than the number of output codes, the decoding means assigning outputs to inputs on the basis of mathematical values associated with the keys.
- 5. An electronic musical keyboard comprising a plurality of keys and a decoding means, each key being connected for delivering to the decoding means a status signal corresponding to a binary 1 or 0or vice versa, depending on whether the key has been depressed or not, the decoding means converting the combined status signals, as key depression patterns forming binary numbers, to provide a set of different outputs for playing different notes, there being only one output, for playing one note, for each binary number, the number of binary numbers formable by the keys being greater than the number of different outputs in said set, in which decoding means provision has also been made so that all possible fingering patterns cause outputs within said set, a plurality of the outputs in said set being caused by more than one key depression pattern, the decoding means assigning outputs to inputs on the basis of mathematical values associated with the keys.
Specification