Simplified keyboard and electronic musical instrument

• US 5,841,053 A
• Filed: 03/28/1996
• Issued: 11/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gerald L. Johnson, Joseph T. Pawlowski
• Original Assignee: Gerald L. Johnson, Joseph T. Pawlowski
• Inventors: Pawlowski, Joseph T., Johnson, Gerald L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US08/623,485
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 84/613, 84/615-620, 84/637, 84/645, 84/650, 84/669, 84/423 R, 84/451, 84/477 R, 84/478, 84/630, 84/DIG. 25, 84/DIG. 26
• US Class Current: 84/615
• CPC Class Codes: G10C 3/12 Keyboards; Keys
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/20 for transposition
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/38 Chord
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/565 Manual designation or selection of a tonality
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/246 with reduced number of keys per octave, some notes missing

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic musical instrument comprised of operators organized in repeating patterns of seven. The operators are electronically interpreted to correspond only to the valid notes of a selected scale. The repeating patterns of seven notes directly corresponds to the vast majority of mucis theory and thus constitutes an enormous simplification in the art of learning, performing and composing music. The present invention enables users of the electronic musical instrument to master chord and note progressions in any scale and mode by learning only a single set of note patterns, in contrast to the myriad scales, chord and note patterns which must be learned on traditional keyboard and pedal devices.

Claims

1. An electronic musical keyboard instrument or representation thereof which comprises;

a plurality of repeating recognizable patterns of seven keys of a first and a second type, which are capable of actuation, and arranged as first type-second type-first type-second type-first type-second type-first type;

a plurality of electronic signals, each assigned to a valid musical note;

a plurality of selectable stored scales of valid notes in repeating patterns of octaves for matching assignment of valid notes to the repeating patterns of seven actuatable keys;

a means for selecting a scale with valid notes, from the plurality of stored scales;

a means of electronically assigning the keys of the keyboard to the valid notes of the selected scale, such that the seven keys of any repeating pattern of seven keys on the keyboard play only the valid notes of the selected scale;

means for detecting when a selected key is actuated; and

means for generating the electronic signal assigned to a valid note, when the means for detecting when a key is actuated detects the actuation of a key;

a means of electronically assigning the keys of the keyboard to the valid notes of the selected scales, such that the patterns of keys play the same associated chords in any selected scale.

2. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein the first type of key is a different color than the second type of key.

3. The keyboard of claim 2 wherein the first type of key is white and the second type of key is black.

4. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein the first type of key is a different shape than the second type of key.

5. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 which further comprises a means of displaying which scale is selected.

6. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 which further comprises a means of displaying what are the valid notes of the pre-selected scale.

7. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 which further comprises a means of displaying which keys are assigned to which notes.

8. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 7 wherein the means of displaying scale information is a digital display.

9. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 7 which further comprises a means of displaying which keys of a scale are not assigned to a note.

10. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 which further comprises a means of designating a group of scales for later access.

11. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 10 which further comprises a means to access said designated group of scales.

12. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 11 wherein the means of designating a group of scales for quick access are displayed by a display device.

13. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 wherein the method for selecting a scale comprises selecting a root note and a mode.

14. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 13 wherein the means for selecting a root note and a mode is a digital input device and a digital display.

15. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 14 wherein the digital display device is a 2 line by 24 character liquid crystal display.

16. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 13 wherein the means for selecting a root note and a mode is a rotary type input sensor.

17. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 13 wherein the means for selecting a root note and a mode is a mouse.

18. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 which further comprises a means to allow playback and overlay of one track over another.

19. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 18 wherein the means to allow playback and overlay of one track over another is a multi channel sequencer.

20. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 which further comprises a means of adjusting the sound output of the instrument to account for and simulate different room sizes, room liveliness, echo conditions, and reverberation effects.

21. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 which further comprises a MIDI sequencer.

22. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 wherein the keys of the keyboard can be associated with notes which simulate the notes made by a plurality of instruments.

23. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 4 which further comprises a plurality of recognizable repeating patterns of seven bass pedals of either a first type or a second type, capable of activation, and arranged first type-second type-first type-second type-first type-second type-first type;

a plurality of selectable stored scales and associated chords of valid notes in repeating patterns of octaves for matching assignment of valid notes to the repeating patterns of seven actuatable bass pedals;

a means for selecting a scale with valid notes, from the plurality of stored scales;

a means for detecting that a selected bass pedal is actuated;

a means of electronically assigning the bass pedals to the valid notes of the selected scale, such that the seven pedals of any repeating pattern of seven pedals on the keyboard play only the valid notes of the selected scale;

a means of electronically assigning the bass pedals to the valid notes of the selected scales, such that patterns of bass pedals play the same associated chords in any selected scale.

24. The keyboard of claim 23 wherein the first type of key is a different color than the second type of pedal.

25. The keyboard of claim 23 wherein the first type of pedal is white and the second type of pedal is black.

26. The keyboard of claim 23 wherein the first type of pedal is a different shape than the second type of pedal.

27. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 23 wherein the means for detecting that a bass pedal is actuated also detects how hard and or how quickly the bass pedal is actuated and deactuated.

28. An electronic musical keyboard instrument or representation thereof which comprises;

a plurality of repeating recognizable patterns of seven keys of a first and a second type, which are capable of actuation, and arranged as first type-second type-first type-second type-first type-second type-first type;

a plurality of electronic signals, each assigned to a valid musical note;

a plurality of selectable stored scales of valid notes in repeating patterns of octaves for matching assignment of valid notes to the repeating patterns of seven actuatable keys;

a means for selecting a scale with valid notes, from the plurality of stored scales;

a means of electronically assigning the keys of the keyboard to the valid notes of the selected scale, such that the seven keys of any repeating pattern of seven keys on the keyboard play only the valid notes of the selected scale;

means for detecting when a selected key is actuated; and

means for generating the electronic signal assigned to a valid note, when the means for detecting when a key is actuated detects the actuation of a key.

29. The keyboard of claim 28 wherein the first type of key is a different color than the second type of key.

30. The keyboard of claim 29 wherein the first type of key is white and the second type of key is black.

31. The keyboard of claim 28 wherein the first type of key is a different shape than the second type of key.

32. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 28 wherein the means for detecting that a key is actuated further includes means for detecting how hard and or how quickly said key is actuated and deactuated.

33. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 29 which further comprises a means of manually identifying the notes of a scale.

34. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 33 wherein the means of manually identifying the notes of a scale is a digital display device.

35. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 33 wherein the means of manually identifying the notes of a scale is a rotary type input sensor.

36. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 33 wherein the means of manually identifying the notes of a scale is a mouse.

37. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 33 which further comprises a means of storing the manually identified notes of a scale.

38. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 37 wherein the means of storing the manually identified notes of a scale is electronic memory.

39. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 33 which further comprises a means of comparing the notes of a manually recorded scale with the notes of stored scales.

40. The electronic musical keyboard instrument of claim 39 wherein the results of the means of comparison of the notes of a manually recorded scale with the notes of stored scales is displayed by a digital display device.