Fingerboard for musical instrument
DCFirst Claim
1. For use with a music synthesizer:
- an electronic musical keyboard instrument comprising;
a fingerboard elongated in a first direction;
a plurality of keys arranged in rows and columns along said fingerboard, wherein the rows extend along the fingerboard in said first direction;
a circuit board within said fingerboard;
means for mounting each said key movable independently of every other one of said keys and movable into contact with said circuit board;
a central processing unit;
said circuit board including means for forming key input signals in response to said keys contacting said circuit board and for transmitting said signals to said central processing unit;
said central processing unit including means for scanning said circuit board and for receiving said key input signals from said forming and transmitting means, for converting said key input signals to digital signals representing musical notes, and for outputting said digital signals to said synthesizer.
0 Assignments
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic musical instrument is designed in a generally guitar-shaped configuration with a fingerboard containing rows of keys replacing each string, one key for each string/fret position. Pressing on a key causes a signal to be provided to a central processing unit which continually scans the fingerboard at a high rate and converts the signals to a plurality of outputs to a synthesizer. Unlike a guitar, a plurality of keys, including a plurality along a single row, may be operated simultaneously to produce a plurality of notes simultaneously. A number of pressure switches and other switches located on the body enable a player to modify the output with vibrato, pitchbend, stereo pan, percussion effects, etc. Additional pressure responsive circuits provide inputs to the central processing unit varying with pressure on the keys. A second embodiment includes a fingerboard with many more rows or columns of keys and more keys per column. In either embodiment the keys may be colored similarly to a piano keyboard or otherwise either embodiment may have a specified or programmable musical interval between adjoining keys on adjacent rows.
118 Citations
25 Claims
-
1. For use with a music synthesizer:
an electronic musical keyboard instrument comprising; a fingerboard elongated in a first direction; a plurality of keys arranged in rows and columns along said fingerboard, wherein the rows extend along the fingerboard in said first direction; a circuit board within said fingerboard; means for mounting each said key movable independently of every other one of said keys and movable into contact with said circuit board; a central processing unit; said circuit board including means for forming key input signals in response to said keys contacting said circuit board and for transmitting said signals to said central processing unit; said central processing unit including means for scanning said circuit board and for receiving said key input signals from said forming and transmitting means, for converting said key input signals to digital signals representing musical notes, and for outputting said digital signals to said synthesizer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 25)
-
10. For use with a music synthesizer having conventional MIDI input means:
-
an electronic keyboard instrument having a general shape of a guitar including a fingerboard elongated in a first direction and a body enclosing a chamber attached to said fingerboard; said fingerboard including a plurality of keys arranged in rows and in columns along said fingerboard wherein the rows extend along the fingerboard in said first direction; a circuit board in said fingerboard; each said key including a conductive pad, means for mounting each said key independently movable of every other one of said keys and movable to bring said conductive pad in contact with said circuit board; said circuit board including means for forming individual key input signals in response to said keys contacting said circuit board; and central processing means in said chamber connected to said circuit board for receiving said individual key input signals from said circuit board and for providing MIDI output signals to said music synthesizer. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. For use with a synthesizer having MIDI input means:
-
an electronic musical keyboard instrument comprising a housing, a fingerboard elongated in a first direction carried on said housing; a plurality of keys arranged in rows and columns along said fingerboard wherein the rows extend along said fingerboard in said first direction; a circuit board within said fingerboard; means for mounting each said key movable independently of every other one of said keys and movable into contact with said circuit board; a central processing unit; said circuit board including means for forming key input signals in response to said keys contacting said circuit board and for transmitting said signals to said central processing unit; said central processing unit including means for scanning said circuit board and for receiving the key input signals from said forming and transmitting means and for outputting said key input signals in MIDI format. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
Specification