Takeo Shibukawa

Electronic musical instrument having a function to indicate keys to be operated

Indicators are provided in corresponding relations to individual keyboard keys. For each of plural phrases of a given music piece, information is supplied that represents at least the highest-pitch note to the lowest note in the phrase. During performance of the music piece and on the basis of the supplied information, the indicators, for each phrase, indicates all notes within a range from the highest-pitch note to the lowest note of the phrase. Thus, the player can easily position his hands over accurate keys and thereby can comfortably carry out performance operations for each phrase. Notes to be performed in each phrase after a first note corresponding to predetermined performance timing in the phrase may be indicated in different manners (for example, by varying degrees of brightness) depending on performance timing differences, from the first note performance timing, of the notes. Alternatively, individual notes of each phrase may be sequentially indicated quickly in advance of the actual phrase performance. These modifications allow the player to intuitively recognize the order of performance, Further, by indicating at least one of the current and next notes in a manner different from other notes, it is advantageously shown very visibly which notes should be performed now and next.

Playing-style detecting apparatus and electronic musical instrument utilizing the same

An electronic musical instrument can perform a musical-tone control according to a playing-style. In the instrument, a touch sensor is provided for each key on a keyboard, and pressure sensors are also provided under the keys. Each touch sensor detects a speed data corresponding to a depression speed of the key, and each pressure sensor detects a pressure data corresponding to an initial peak of a depression pressure after the start of the depression of the key. The instrument operates according to the speed data and the pressure data for discriminating between a standard playing-style which touches the key from an upside remote position and a push playing-style which starts depression of the key from a state where the key is touched. Values of the pressure data from the respective pressure sensors are different even if the speed data from the respective touch sensors are the same, so that the judgment is made as to which playing-style is performed on the corresponding key based on the speed data and the pressure data, thereby performing the musical-tone control according to the detected playing-style.

Electronic musical instrument providing transposition during playing

When an operation to give a transposition instruction is performed during generation of musical tone, the transposition is not performed for the musical tone being generated but the transposition is performed for only the specific musical tone to which the musical tone generating instruction is given newly.

Soft pedal effect applying apparatus

A soft pedal effect applying apparatus is utilized in an electronic musical instrument in order to apply a soft pedal effect to a musical tone to be generated when a soft pedal is operated, wherein this soft pedal effect is set quite similar to that of a non-electronic musical instrument such as a grand piano. Before operating the soft pedal, a generated musical tone has a reference tone volume and a reference tone color which are determined based on a touch operation intensity applied to a depressed key in a keyboard. By operating the soft pedal, a tone volume of the generated musical tone is softened due to the soft pedal effect by slightly lowering the tone volume by the predetermined tone volume attenuation value, wherein this lowered tone volume can be clearly discriminated from the reference tone volume. Such attenuation value can be arbitrarily varied in response to the tone volume level. In addition, a tone color of the generated musical tone is softened due to the soft pedal effect by giving a desirable filter characteristic to the tone color, wherein this softened tone color is different from the reference tone color. Thus, when the soft pedal is operated, the tone volume and the tone color of the generated musical tone are independently softened.

Fingering information analyzer, electronic musical instrument including fingering information analysis and method therefore

In a fingering information analyzer, tone pitch information indicative of each tone pitch of a series of musical notes supplied from a flexible disc or a performance information memory is analyzed to produce fingering information indicative of a performance finger for each of the musical notes. The fingering information is mixed with the tone pitch information and memorized in a fingering memory. When the fingering information is reproduced, a performance finger for each of the musical notes is determined in accordance with a changing direction or variation width of the tone pitch information continual in time series and a changing condition of white and black keys based on the tone pitch information. The tone pitch information and fingering information memorized in the fingering memory is read out in accordance with progression of a musical tune and adapted for performance of the keys on a keyboard and for indication of the performance finger.