Defaultless musical keyboards for woodwind styled electronic musical instruments

• US 5,036,745 A
• Filed: 11/04/1988
• Issued: 08/06/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Theodore H. Althof Jr
• Original Assignee: Theodore H. Althof Jr
• Inventors: Althof, Theodore H. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US07/267,093
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 84/1.01, 84/1.03-1.17, 84/DIG. 2, 84/DIG. 20, 84/653, 84/656, 84/678, 84/684, 84/742, 341/22, 341/24, 341/25-27, 341/29, 341/30, 307/231, 328/137, 328/154, 340/825.5, 340/825.51
• US Class Current: 84/656
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/22 for suppressing tones; Preference networks
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/02 Preference networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/20 Monophonic

Abstract

A decoder assigns key values according to a system of mathematical weight values in terms of whole and semi-tone intervals of the musical scale, each key contributing its assigned value to the sum when depressed. Any interval along the scale can be reached by any combination of depressed keys that sum to that interval amount from the open "zero reference" position. The result is a woodwind-style keyboard that is perfectly regular and which has no default or unusable fingering combinations.

Claims

1. A keyboard comprising a plurality of keys, N in number, and decoding means, each key sending a signal corresponding to binary 1 or 0, or vice versa, to an input of the decoding means, depending on whether the key has been activated or not, the number of unique outputs of the decoding means being a number X which is less than the number of unique binary combinations of the keys, 2^N, the X unique outputs being caused by a basic X unique binary combinations of the keys, and the remainder, 2^N -X, of the binary combinations of the keys causing ore than one unique output, the decoding means assigning outputs to inputs on the basis of mathematical values associated with the keys.

2. An electronic musical keyboard comprising a plurality of keys, N in number, and decoding means, wherein said keys and decoding means interact to behave in playing action to resemble the playing of simple flutes and other woodwinds, each key delivering a status signal corresponding to a binary 1 or 0or vice versa, depending on whether the key has been depressed or not, and in which decoding means provision has been made so that all possible combinations of key depressions and non-depressions and, therefore, all possible fingering patterns are valid and will serve to select one or another of the notes within the range or "register" prescribed by the number of keys "N", the decoding means assigning output to inputs on the basis of mathematical values associated with the keys.

3. An electronic musical keyboard comprising a set of keys and a decoding means, each key of said set being connected for delivering to the decoding means a status signal corresponding to a binary 1 or 0or vice versa, depending on whether the key has been depressed or not, each of the keys of the set being assigned in the decoding means a mathematically weighted value corresponding to either a whole or half-tone musical interval, positive or negative sign, on the western tempered major musical scale, and by which assignment there may thus be up to four different types of keys:

whole or half-tone, positive or negative sign, and in which there may be as few or many of each type of key as elected to effect a particular complexity of design, and which keys when pressed in plurality will act to sum in algebraic fashion according to the combined signed and weighted values of the keys depressed, the decoding means always having the same output for any given sum, no matter which keys were pressed to combine to provide the given sum.

4. An electronic musical keyboard fashioned generally after that of the woodwinds in that it provides for finger patterns corresponding to variation of length of a column of air but is supplemented in that it accepts as valid all additional finger patterns, said keyboard being comprised of a plurality of keys and a decoding means, each key being connected for delivering to the input of the decoding means its status as being either depressed or undepressed, according to the particular finger pattern being applied, and in which decoding means provision has also been made so that all possible binary combinations of key statuses will be recognized by the decoding means as valid input codes and be thereupon translated into output codes which will cause subsequent apparatus to create or choose the desired note, there being but a single not for each output code and but one output code at a time, in which keyboard the number of valid input codes is greater than the number of output codes, the decoding means assigning outputs to inputs on the basis of mathematical values associated with the keys.

5. An electronic musical keyboard comprising a plurality of keys and a decoding means, each key being connected for delivering to the decoding means a status signal corresponding to a binary 1 or 0or vice versa, depending on whether the key has been depressed or not, the decoding means converting the combined status signals, as key depression patterns forming binary numbers, to provide a set of different outputs for playing different notes, there being only one output, for playing one note, for each binary number, the number of binary numbers formable by the keys being greater than the number of different outputs in said set, in which decoding means provision has also been made so that all possible fingering patterns cause outputs within said set, a plurality of the outputs in said set being caused by more than one key depression pattern, the decoding means assigning outputs to inputs on the basis of mathematical values associated with the keys.

6. A keyboard as claimed in claim 5, in which each of the keys has been assigned in the decoding means a specific mathematically weighted value corresponding to either a whole or half-tone musical interval, positive or negative sign, on a western tempered major musical scale, and by which arrangement there may thus be up to four different types of keys:

whole or half-tone, positive or negative sign, and in which there may be as few or many of each type of key as elected to effect a particular complexity of design, and which keys when pressed in plurality of will act to sum in algebraic fashion according to the combined signed and weighted values of the keys depressed, the decoding means always having the same output for any given sum, no matter which keys were pressed to combine to provide the given sum.

7. A keyboard as claimed in claim 6 in which the "open", or no-keys-depressed, fingering pattern is regarded as a "zero" reference from which a descending scale is played by progressively closing more and more keys which sum according to the familiar straight descending pattern common to the woodwind family, to comprise a basic set of fingering patterns, but which also by virtue of the summing feature can play the same scale by fingering patterns closing keys from the bottom up and in numerous other ways not possible on instruments using resonating air columns of different lengths.

8. A keyboard as claimed in claim 5, the outputs extending over a range, in which keyboard an output located centrally in the range, relative to an output located toward the outside of the range, is caused by a greater number of fingering patterns as compared to the number of fingering patterns which cause said output located toward the outside of the range, the keyboard thus having a plurality of alternate fingering patterns for most outputs of the decoding means, and larger numbers of fingering patterns for some outputs, most of which fingering patterns are not usable on keyboards of instruments using resonating air columns of different lengths.

9. A keyboard as claimed in claim 5, having a basic set of fingering patterns, said basic set being defined as a set of fingering patterns resembling fingering patterns as found on resonating-air-column-based woodwinds, said keyboard having outputs from fingering patterns beyond those of the basic set, in which the effect of the fingering patterns beyond the basic set obey the formula/principle:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">"equal sums=equal intervals38

with regard to a reference "zero", wherein said formula/principle is to be understood in that each key always either 1 or 1/2, positive or negative, to a sum, depending on whether the key is depressed or undepressed, the sum determining the number of an interval on a musical scale.

10. A keyboard as claimed in claim 6, comprising 7 keys, the decoding means having at least 13 different outputs corresponding to a basis set of 13 different fingering patterns of the 7 keys, for providing control over a register of one fully chromatic octave of 13 semi-tones.

11. A keyboard as claimed in claim 10, comprised of more than seven keys, the decoding means having outputs for registers spanning more than one octave.

12. A keyboard as claimed in claim 11, in which an irregularity is imposed upon the fingering pattern system for emulating a corresponding irregularity in the fingering pattern system of an instrument using resonating air columns of different lengths or for accomplishing some other purpose of functional design while otherwise retaining the basic summing principle, said irregularity thus forming an exception to the summing principle otherwise used in the keyboard.

13. A keyboard as claimed in claim 12, a plurality of irregularities underlying the same set of keys, further comprising means for switching to selected irregularities, whereby a player may select at the election of the player one or more fingering pattern variations.

14. A keyboard as claimed in claim 6, having at least one redundant key for giving a choice of locations from which a given key value can be implemented, a redundant key being redundant to a matching key, a redundant key being redundant in the sense that its value does not sum when its matching key has already been pressed.

15. A keyboard as claimed in claim 6, having register keys which sum for changing registers as a function of the number of register keys pressed.