Electronic music instrument for shifting tone pitches of input voice according to programmed melody note data

• US 5,278,346 A
• Filed: 03/20/1992
• Issued: 01/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Masafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US07/854,906
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 84/609, 84/616, 84/619, 84/626, 84/628, 84/629, 84/631, 84/DIG. 4, 84/723-743
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/20 for transposition
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/181 Spint trombone, i.e. mimicking trombones or other slide musical instruments permitting a continuous musical scale microtonal scale G10H2210/401
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 5/005 Voice controlled instruments

Abstract

This invention discloses an electronic musical instrument, which shifts the tone pitches of a series of externally input voice signals in real time, and outputs the shifted voice signals from a loudspeaker. Data for shifting the tone pitches of voice signals is pre-programmed in a memory circuit as music piece data. Every time a user operates an operation switch, the music piece data is sequentially read out, and the tone pitches of voice signals input from a microphone are shifted by a tone pitch converter. The shifted voice signals are output from a loudspeaker in real time. The input voice signals can be shifted to a melody corresponding to the music piece data.

Claims

1. An electronic musical instrument comprising:

a microphone for converting an externally input voice into an electrical signal;

a memory circuit for storing a series of pitch shift data for shifting a tone pitch of the externally input voice signal output from said microphone;

a data readout circuit for sequentially reading out the series of pitch shift data from said memory circuit every time an operation switch means is operated; and

tone pitch converting means for shifting the tone pitch of the externally input voice signal supplied from said microphone on the basis of the series of pitch shift data supplied from said memory circuit, and outputting the shifted externally input voice signal.

2. The electronic musical instrument of claim 1, wherein the series of pitch shift data is note data representing a melody of a music piece.

3. The electronic musical instrument of claim 1, wherein said operation switch means imitates an operation member of an acoustic instrument.

4. The electronic musical instrument of claim 1, wherein said tone pitch converting means shifts the tone pitch of the external input voice signal in real time.

5. The electronic musical instrument claim 1, wherein said electronic musical instrument has a wind instrument shape, said microphone being incorporated in a mouthpiece portion of said electronic musical instrument, and a loudspeaker is incorporated in a bell portion of said electronic musical instrument.

6. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said electronic musical instrument has a trombone shape, and said operation switch means is assembled in a hand slide of the trombone.

7. A method of controlling a pitch of an externally input voice, comprising the steps of:

(a) converting the externally input voice to an input voice signal;

(b) determining if an operation switch of an electronic musical instrument has been activated;

(c) reading music piece data from a memory when the operation switch is activated in said step (b);

(d) shifting the pitch of the input voice signal according to the music piece data read in said step (c); and

(e) outputting the shifted input voice signal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the music piece data is a melody of a music piece.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the operation switch is an operation member of an acoustic instrument.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said step (d) is performed in real time.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic musical instrument is a wind instrument including a microphone in a mouthpiece portion and a loudspeaker in a bell portion.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic musical instrument is a trombone and a hand slide portion of the trombone includes the operation switch.