Electronic keyboard instrument with pad

• US 5,223,658 A
• Filed: 01/22/1990
• Issued: 06/29/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey W.
• Application Number:
  US07/468,230
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 84/647, 84/653, 84/658, 84/662, 84/663, 84/665, 84/670, 84/723, 84/730, 84/737, 84/738, 84/741-744, 84/DIG. 12, 84/DIG. 24, 84/615, 84/626 , 84/633, 84/635, 84/627
• US Class Current: 84/663
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/02 Means for controlling the tone frequencies, e.g. attack or decay; Means for producing special musical effects, e.g. vibratos or glissandos
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/186 Microprocessor-controlled keyboard and assigning means

Abstract

An electronic keyboard instrument having a performance pad, a detector, a memory, and a sound system. The detector detects a key touch of a key depressed to assign a percussion tone to the pad. The memory stores the key touch detected by the detector with the percussion tone of the depressed key. The sound system produces the stored percussion tone in accordance with the key touch stored in the memory.

Claims

1. An electronic instrument comprising:

a performance pad to be played by a player;

performance elements, each corresponding to a percussion tone, to be played by a player;

detection means for, when a performance element is played, detecting the played performance element and the play touch representing a strength in playing the performance element;

assigning means for assigning to the performance pad the percussion tone and the play touch corresponding to the played performance element detected by said detecting means; and

means for, when said performance pad is played, producing the assigned percussion tone in accordance with the assigned play touch.

2. An electronic instrument according to claim 1, wherein the performance elements are the keys of a keyboard.

3. An electronic instrument according to claim 1, wherein the assigning means assigns to the performance pad the percussion tone and the play touch corresponding to the played performance element when the performance pad is played simultaneously with playing of the performance element.

4. An electronic instrument according to claim 1, wherein the instrument is incapable of detecting a strength playing on the performance pad based on the play touch of the player.

5. An electronic instrument comprising:

a performance pad to be played by a player;

performance elements, each corresponding to a percussion tone, to be played by a player;

detection means for, when a performance element is played, detecting the played performance element and the play touch representing a strength on playing the performance element;

storage means for storing first data designating the percussion tone corresponding to the played performance element and second data designating the play touch corresponding to the played performance element; and

means for, when said performance pad is played, producing the percussion tone signal disignated with the first data in accordance with the play touch designated with the second data.

6. An electronic instrument according to claim 5, wherein the performance elements are the keys of a keyboard.