Electronic keyboard musical instrument or tone generator employing Modified Eastern Music Tru-Scale Octave Transformation to avoid overtone collisions

• US 5,306,865 A
• Filed: 12/18/1989
• Issued: 04/26/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Company
• Original Assignee: Meta Company
• Inventors: Dinnan, Joseph A., Dinnan, Thomas P., Dinnan, James W., Dinnan, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sircus, Brian
• Application Number:
  US07/451,837
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: 84/314 R, 84/428, 84/451, 84/646, 84/670, 84/722, 84/743, 84/DIG. 30, 84/615, 84/622, 84/423
• US Class Current: 84/622
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 1/05 with fret boards or fingerboards
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 3/06 Necks; Fingerboards, e.g. fret boards
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/20 for transposition
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/186 Means for processing the signal picked up from the strings filtering G10H1/12

Abstract

An electronic musical instrument for reproducing chords or pure tones in a fixed interval scale, called Modified Eastern Music Tru-Scale Octave Transformation by the inventors, without overtone collision. The instrument includes a memory for storing and reproducing the 24 octave frequency interval system. The inventive instrument reproduces single or multiple notes with an interval system which eliminates dissonance, and allows complete modulation in all key signatures and pure tone relationships without altering the keyboard. The invention also contemplates the use of the Modified Eastern Music Tru-Scale frequencies with all MIDI interface compatible instruments or devices, in conjunction with a suitable frequency generator, or through internal or external memory sources. The invention also can be applied to a fretted stringed musical instrument which provides a novel fretboard for generating overtone collision-free tones with complete modulation of the Modified Eastern Music Tru-Scale Octave Transformation. Generation of these frequencies might be acoustical or "direct" (to an amplifier) electronic production. The string length, determined by a ratio, is calculated to produce a closed number relationships for independent time-space frequencies.

Claims

1. In an electronic musical instrument for playing Eastern music in accordance with Eastern tonalities, comprising:

a keyboard, including a plurality of keys which may be depressed singly or in combination; and

means for reproducing said Eastern tonalities in accordance with ones of said keys being depressed singly or in combination, wherein depression of combinations of said keys normally results in overtone collision;

the improvement wherein said reproducing means includes means for eliminating said overtone collision when said ones of said keys are depressed in combinations, said overtone collision eliminating means comprising means for reproducing musical notes in accordance with a 24-tone fixed interval scale system for reproducing said Eastern tonalities;

wherein said means for eliminating said overtone collision comprises means for reproducing notes of a musical scale in accordance with the following octave transformation;

space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ RATIOS NOTE FREQUENCY INTERVAL ______________________________________ 1;

1 C.sup.0 300 12.5 25;

24 C♯

312.5 12.5 13;

12 D.sup.♭

325 12.5 9;

8 D 337.5 12.5 7;

6 D♯

350 12.5 29;

24 E♭

362.5 12.5 5;

4 E 375 12.5 31;

24 E.sup.♯

387.5 12.5 4;

3 F.sup.♭

400 12.5 11;

8 F 412.5 12.5 17;

12 F.sup.♯

425 12.5 35;

24 G.sup..sup.♭

437.5 12.5 3;

2 G 450 12.5 37;

24 G.sup.♯

462.5 12.5 19;

12 H.sup..sup.♭

475 12.5 13;

8 H 487.5 12.5 5;

3 H.sup.♯

500 12.5 41;

24 A.sup..sup.♭

512.5 12.5 7;

4 A 525 12.5 43;

24 A.sup.♯

537.5 12.5 11;

6 B.sup..sup.♭

550 12.5 15;

8 B 562.5 12.5 23;

12 B.sup.♯

575 12.5 47;

24 C.sup..sup.♭

587.5 12.5 2;

1 C.sup.1 600. ______________________________________

2. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said overtone collision elimination means includes memory means for storing said fixed scale interval system as an octave transformation.

3. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 2, wherein said memory means comprises a flexible disk memory in which flexible disks may be inserted and removed.

4. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 2, wherein said memory means comprises a semiconductor random access memory.

5. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 2, wherein said memory means comprises an optical disk read-only memory.

6. In an electronic tone frequency generator comprising:

Interface means for connecting said electronic tone frequency generator to an electronic instrument such that said electronic tone generator is capable of receiving signals indicative of requested frequencies; and

means for reproducing said requested frequencies in accordance with said signals, wherein an electronic musical instrument normally reproduces musical notes in combination such that overtone collision results;

the improvement wherein said reproducing means comprises means for eliminating said overtone collision, said overtone collision eliminating means comprising in turn means for reproducing Eastern tonalities in accordance with a 24-tone fixed interval scale.

wherein said means for eliminating said overtone collision comprises means for reproducing notes of a musical scale in accordance with the following octave transformation;

space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ RATIOS NOTE FREQUENCY INTERVAL ______________________________________ 1;

1 C.sup.0 300 12.5 25;

24 C♯

312.5 12.5 13;

12 D.sup.♭

325 12.5 9;

8 D 337.5 12.5 7;

6 D♯

350 12.5 29;

24 E♭

362.5 12.5 5;

4 E 375 12.5 31;

24 E.sup.♯

387.5 12.5 4;

3 F.sup.♭

400 12.5 11;

8 F 412.5 12.5 17;

12 F.sup.♯

425 12.5 35;

24 G.sup..sup.♭

437.5 12.5 3;

2 G 450 12.5 37;

24 G.sup.♯

462.5 12.5 19;

12 H.sup..sup.♭

475 12.5 13;

8 H 487.5 12.5 5;

3 H.sup.♯

500 12.5 41;

24 A.sup..sup.♭

512.5 12.5 7;

4 A 525 12.5 43;

24 A.sup.♯

537.5 12.5 11;

6 B.sup..sup.♭

550 12.5 15;

8 B 562.5 12.5 23;

12 B.sup.♯

575 12.5 47;

24 C.sup..sup.♭

587.5 12.5 2;

1 C.sup.1 600. ______________________________________