Two dimensional musical keyboard

• US 9,082,386 B1
• Filed: 01/02/2014
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lewis Neal Cohen
• Original Assignee: Lewis Neal Cohen
• Inventors: Cohen, Lewis Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHREIBER, CHRISTINA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US14/146,709
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 844/33, 844/23.R, 844/23.B, 846/15, 84/74, 847/44, 844/832
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/02 Boards or like means for providing an indication of notes
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/023 Electrically operated
• CPC Class Codes: G10C 3/12 Keyboards; Keys
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0091 Means for obtaining special acoustic effects combined with modulation G10H1/043
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/18 Selecting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/342 for guitar-like instruments with or without strings and with a neck on which switches or string-fret contacts are used to detect the notes being played electric guitars in which the tones are generated by the vibration of strings G10H3/18
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/344 Structural association with individual keys electrically operated wind-actuated organs G10B3/22
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/38 Chord
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/251 arranged as 2D or 3D arrays; Keyboards ergonomically organised for playing chords or for transposing, e.g. Janko keyboard

Abstract

A musical keyboard comprises one or more handboards, where each handboard has a two dimensional arrangement of keys. The columns are formed by an octave of conventional piano keys. The rows are formed by subdividing the conventional piano keys. First the keys are subdivided into a front key area with wide white keys and optionally thin extensions of the black keys, and a rear key area with white and black keys. The front and rear key areas are each further subdivided into rows of octaves. Two octaves of a note can be played with the same finger, and a hand can span a three octave range.

Claims

1. A keyboard for controlling musical notes, comprising:

a plurality of keys arranged in at least one row and a plurality of columns in a front key area;

a plurality of keys arranged in at least one row and a plurality of columns in a rear key area;

a row of keys in the front key area comprising keys in a first group and zero or more keys in a second group, wherein the top playing surfaces of the keys in the second group, if present, are raised above the top playing surfaces of the keys in the first group

a row of keys in the rear key area comprising keys in a third group and keys in a fourth group, wherein the top playing surfaces of the keys in the fourth group are raised above the top playing surfaces of the keys in the third group

a first key in the first group;

a second key in the third group, in substantially the same column as the first key, wherein the first key is wider than the second key;

a musical pitch value selection means operationally coupled to each of the keys; and

wherein the first key and the second key select the same pitch.

2. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein there are at least two rows of keys in the front key area, and at least two rows of keys in the rear key area.

3. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein there are at least two rows of keys in the front key area, and a third key and a fourth key in adjacent rows of the front key area, in substantially the same column, select pitches separated by one octave.

4. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein there are at least two rows of keys in the rear key area, and a third key and a fourth key in adjacent rows of the rear key area, in substantially the same column, select pitches separated by one octave.

5. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein a plurality of keys have a rib or tactile guide on the top surface of each key in the plurality of keys.

6. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein there are three rows of keys in the front key area.

7. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein there are three rows of keys in the rear key area.

8. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein there are at least twelve keys in the row in the rear key area, and the at least twelve keys are assigned pitches in an ascending chromatic scale, from left to right.

9. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the keys in the first group in the row in the front key area are assigned pitches in an ascending major scale, from left to right.

10. The keyboard of claim 9, further comprising a master tuning means, and a root key at the front left corner of the front key area, wherein the musical pitch value selection means will set the pitch of the root key according to a master tuning protocol, and select the pitch of any other key relative to the pitch of the root key.

11. The keyboard of claim 1, further comprising an octave up switch coupled to or on the keyboard, wherein the musical pitch value selection means will select pitches an octave higher for each key, after the octave up switch is actuated.

12. The keyboard of claim 1, further comprising an octave down switch coupled to or on the keyboard, wherein the musical pitch value selection means will select pitches an octave lower for each key, after the octave down switch is actuated.

13. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein there are at least twelve keys in the row in the rear key area, and the at least twelve keys are assigned pitches in an ascending chromatic scale, from left to right, and there are are at least seven keys in the first group in the row in the front key area, and the keys in the first group are assigned pitches in an ascending major scale, from left to right, and there are fewer keys in the row in the front key area than in the row in the rear key area.

14. A keyboard for controlling musical notes, comprising:

a plurality of keys arranged in at least one row and a plurality of columns in a front key area;

a plurality of keys arranged in at least one row and a plurality of columns in a rear key area;

a row of keys in the front key area comprising keys in a first group and zero or more keys in a second group, wherein the shape or color of keys in the second group, if present, are different than the shape or color of keys in the first group;

a row of keys in the rear key area comprising keys in a third group and keys in a fourth group, wherein the shape or color of keys in the fourth group are different than the shape or color of keys in the third group;

a first key in the first group;

a second key in the third group, in substantially the same column as the first key;

a musical pitch value selection means operationally coupled to each of the keys; and

wherein the first key and the second key select the same pitch, and the first key is wider than the second key.

15. The keyboard of claim 14, wherein the keys are depicted as key regions on a touch screen or other input device to a tablet, computer, cell phone, gaming system, or music learning system.

16. A method for performing or recording music, the method comprising:

providing a keyboard with;

a plurality of keys arranged in at least one row and a plurality of columns in a front key area, and a plurality of keys arranged in at least one row and a plurality of columns in a rear key area, and a row of keys in the front key area comprising keys in a first group and zero or more keys in a second group, wherein the optional keys in the second group are distinguished by shape, color, height or other key distinguishing means from the keys in the first group, and a row of keys in the rear key area comprising keys in a third group and keys in a fourth group, wherein keys in the fourth group are distinguished by shape, color, height or other key distinguishing means from the keys in the third group, and a first key in the first group, and a second key in the third group, in substantially the same column as the first key select the same pitch, and the first key is wider than the second key

providing a means for playing tones or storing musical sequence information in response to key touches on the keyboard

pressing keys on the keyboard.