Abstract: A guitar-like electronic musical instrument for use with a synthesizer has six pitch strings on the neck which the player depresses onto conductive frets to determine the selected semitone. A transducer senses if the player forces the string laterally on the fret and if the string is so laterally forced (bent) beyond a threshold, further pitch detection is inhibited. The fret construction can be much simplified and there is no danger of spurious notes being caused by contact with adjacent strings.

Abstract: A guitar-like electronic musical instrument for use with a synthesizer (18) has a body (20) and a neck (22). The neck carries six pitch strings (40) which the player depresses onto conductive frets to determine the selected note. The body carries six trigger strings (50) which can be plucked or strummed to initiate or trigger the desired notes. Alternatively they can be triggered by six keys (70). The trigger strings (50) and pitch strings (40) are at an angle to each other. The three lower strings and the three higher strings can be triggered together by group trigger keys (300,302) and all six strings triggered by a master trigger key (204). If either of switches (200,202) are actuated, notes will be triggered automatically as soon as the pitch string is depressed onto the fret. Touching of the string is detected by an a.c. waveform superposed on a d.c. potential. Hall effect devices are used to sense triggering by the trigger strings (50) or keys (70).