Abstract: A shoulder rest for use with a stringed musical instrument, such as a violin or viola, includes a substantially rigid body, defining a hollow resonating chamber, and supporting feet mounted to the body for engaging the underside of the instrument and spacing the body from the instrument when the shoulder rest is attached thereon. A fastener is provided for removably attaching the shoulder rest to the underside of the instrument.

Abstract: A stringed instrument, such as an acoustic guitar, includes a sound board, a first back and a side positioned between the sound board and the first back. The sound board, the first back and the side cooperate to form a sound box. A second back is attached to the stringed instrument in spaced relation to the first back on a side of the sound box opposite the sound board. The second back creates a gap between the sound box and a musician playing the stringed instrument which reduces or eliminates muting and lessening of the string brilliance caused by contact between the first back and a musician playing the stringed instrument in the absence of the second back.

Abstract: The present invention includes a string instrument that includes a neck having a finger board, a finger board having a plurality of frets and having a finger board axis along the length of the finger board, the frets having substantially parallel fret axes, and the fret axes oriented at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the finger board axis. The non-perpendicular angle is an obtuse angle or an acute angle. The string instruments are fretted string instruments including a guitar, a harp, a zither, an electric guitar, a bass guitar, mandolin, sitar, ukulele, and banjo. It is another object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing a string instrument that includes the steps of attaching the plurality of the substantially parallel frets on the finger board of the instrument along the length of the finger board at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the finger board axis; and, forming and assembling the string instrument. The invention also provides a kit for playing music.

Abstract: An improved control structure for music synthesis is provided in which: 1) the sound representation provided to the adaptive function mapper allows for a greatly increased degree of control over the sound produced; and 2) training of the adaptive function mapper is performed using an error measure, or error norm, that greatly facilitates learning while ensuring perceptual identity of the produced sound with the training example. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, sound data is produced by applying to an adaptive function mapper control parameters including: at least one parameter selected from the set of time and timbre space coordinates; and at least one parameter selected from the set of pitch, .DELTA.pitch, articulation and dynamic. Using an adaptive function mapper, mapping is performed from the control parameters to synthesis parameters to be applied to a sound synthesizer.

Abstract: Disclosed is an elongate peg, preferably of wood, which has lips or shoulders generally perpendicular to the length of the peg body and adjacent opposite ends. The lips or shoulders are on opposite sides of the peg body. The peg is used to tighten or tension the vertical lacing in "bongo" type drums by contacting adjacent pairs of vertical lacing with the peg whereby each lip is in contact with one of the adjacent pair of vertical lacing so that when the peg is flipped generally horizontal end forward, a twist is formed in the lacing pair at one end of the peg held by the lip while the other end of the peg is forcibly held against the drum shell by the force in the twist. In a preferred aspect, the drum profile is such that the spacing between the vertical lacing and the drum shell is increased slightly to facilitate more easily the flipping of the peg but still retain a peg end in forceable contact with the shell once flipped.

Abstract: A first reading unit reads first performance data from a first storage medium, and outputs it to a reproducing unit. A second reading unit reads second performance data from a second storage medium, and outputs it to the reproducing unit. The reproducing unit reproduces the first performance data inputted from the first reading unit, and the second performance data inputted from the second reading unit. A control unit synchronizes reproduction of the first performance data and reproduction of the second performance data, and switches between these reproductions.

Abstract: A vibrato assembly for stringed instruments makes slight and rapid changes in the pitch of the tone produced by a stringed instrument. The vibrato assemblies described herein use flexures to permit movement of an armature relative to a fixed base to produce variations in the tension of the strings and thereby the pitch of the tones. These flexure vibrato assemblies have the advantages of high strength, zero operational noise and rumble, and virtually zero friction and hysteresis. Additionally, flexure vibrato assemblies provide a robust path between the instrument and the strings resulting in improved tonal quality, range, and sustain. A modular flexural pivot is especially useful as the flexure of the present invention.

Abstract: An acoustic piano, solenoid-operated key actuators for moving black/white keys in response to a driving signal and an electric system form in combination a keyboard musical instrument, and the electric system previously establishes first relations between key motions and associated hammer motions and second relations between the magnitude of the driving signal and final hammer velocity; the electric system estimates the final hammer velocity and a time delay between a key-on timing and an impact timing on the basis of the first relations for producing pieces of music data information in a recording mode, and tailors the driving signal on the basis of the second relations in a playback mode for exactly reproducing the original performance.

Abstract: A shoulder strap of an acoustic guitar or similar stringed instrument is attached to the neck of the instrument through an attachment device including a looped portion which extends beneath the strings along one side of the neck, and across the bottom of the neck, and along the opposite side of the neck to be joined to the end portion adjacent the top edge of the neck. The fastener joins the end portions together, and is provided with a stem and a head over which the slotted end of the guitar strap may be manipulated to rest on the stem and be retained on the fastener by the head.

Abstract: An inverter(3) for driving a motor(4) of an electric automobile(20) produces a three-phase PWM current. When the torque reference is zero, alternatively or when the torque reference is zero and motor speed is no higher than a predetermined value, the inverter(3) is controlled to be cut off so that current from a main power battery(9) is suspended or stopped.

Abstract: A sensorless brushless motor driving circuit for a motor having three phases includes a position detecting circuit for detecting the position of the rotor from the terminal voltages of the motor, a commutation switching circuit for generating commutation switching signals based on a position signal from the position detecting circuit, a motor driving transistor circuit for supplying a motor driving currents to the motor in response to driving signals, a buffer circuit for supplying the driving signals according to the commutation switching signals, and a neutral feedback amplifier for detecting a neutral potential of terminal voltages of the motor, comparing the neutral potential with a reference voltage, outputting a first output to the buffer circuit when the neutral potential of the terminal voltages of the motor is higher than the reference voltage and outputting a second output to the buffer circuit when the neutral potential of the terminal voltages of the motor is lower than the reference voltage.

Abstract: A wireless communicator, such as a cellular telephone or personal communicator, includes a power source (e.g., two series connected batteries) providing output voltages VSS, VDD, and V1, where V1=(VDD-VSS)/2. The power source is coupled to a first load for powering the first load with VSS and VDD. The wireless communicator further includes a power source switching unit having first inputs coupled to VSS, VDD and V1, a second input coupled to a MODE signal, and outputs coupled to a second load. The power source switching unit is responsive to a first state of the MODE signal for powering the second load with VSS and V1, and is responsive to a second state of the MODE signal for powering the second load with V1 and VDD. By periodically toggling the MODE signal, such as at a frame rate of the wireless communicator, the power drawn from each battery by the second load is equalized, while providing the second load with a desired lower operating voltage.

Abstract: A tuner for stringed musical instruments which has a transducer pickup for converting sound vibrations of the strings to electrical signals and a body being either hollow or solid with a front and back surface and a edge surface extending between the front and back surface. The tuner has a tuner circuit attachable to an interior of the sound box with an input couplable to an output of the transducer and a digital display positionable on one of the edge or front surfaces of the body so that it faces a player when the instrument is in a playing position.

Abstract: Single and multiple disc strobe tuners employ microprocessor controlled stepper motors for driving the disc(s) to facilitate the use of customized tuning schemes, such as unequal temperaments and stretch tuning. The tuning schemes are stored in a look up table and may be programmed by the user. The single disc embodiment preferably employs an auto note detector which determines the identity of a note being played by an instrument, and causes the microprocessor to adjust the speed of the stepper motor almost instantaneously to a speed assigned to that note in accordance with a selected tuning scheme. This enables a user to play through a series of notes rapidly to verify whether they are in tune with the selected tuning scheme. The multiple, preferably 12, disc embodiment employs a separate stepper motor and micro controller for each disc to accommodate individual tuning of each disc relative to one another.

Abstract: A block sequence compiler for compiling a sequence of audio and/or video blocks (e.g., audio tracks, MIDI, video clips, animation, etc.) suitable for producing one or more audio and/or video output sequences (i.e., audio, video, or multimedia) each having a duration corresponding to user-prescribed criteria. In a preferred embodiment, a user chooses an audio and/or video source segment from a predefined library and prescribes the duration of an audio and/or video sequence. Prior to depositing each audio and/or video segment in the library, the segment is partitioned into audio and/or video blocks that are identified in a corresponding characteristic data table with characteristics including (1) duration, (2) suitability for being used as a beginning or ending of an audio and/or video sequence, and (3) compatibility with each block. Using this characteristic table and the user-prescribed criteria, i.e.

Abstract: In a multiphase motor driver, each phase current is controlled by the ratio of measurements across a common sense element. By utilizing the same sense element for each phase, inaccuracies which result from the variance among multiple sense elements can be eliminated. The individual phase currents are controlled from a common clock generation device. By appropriately controlling each of the phase currents to assure that only one of the phase currents is flowing through the sense element at the time of measurement, the measurement is assured to be dependent on the individual current and the parametric value of the sense element only. Thereby, the control of the phase currents, via the ratio of the measured values across the common sense element, is independent of the parametric value of this common sense element.

Abstract: A music box comprises a comb having vibrating teeth, a drum having elements for plucking the comb for playing music, a driving source for rotating the drum, a speed governor for regulating rotation speed and a frame for supporting the comb, drum, driving source and speed governor. The speed governor further comprises an accelerating train having two worms and a control device provided on a last row of the accelerating train. A position maintaining element is integrally arranged with the frame for preventing at least the first worm positioned on the driving source side, of the two worms referred to, from moving in the thrust direction. In one form, the music box has a driving source which includes a spring. One end of the spring is engaged with a winding shaft arranged in a spring housing of the spring and the other end is engaged with an engagement section provided on the frame.

Abstract: A transmission device to provide reciprocating and returning motion, which comprises a music box, a doll, and a motion assembly with a rotative shaft; the doll is mounted on the rotative shaft; the lower end of the rotative shaft is furnished with a rotative gear to be engaged with a driven gear, which has a shaft hole to be mounted with a rotative shaft of a driving gear; the driven gear has a curved guide groove for receiving short shaft of the driving gear, which is engaged with a gear rack of a guide plate. When the motion assembly is pulled with a pull plate to move along the guide plate, the driving gear will be driven to turn with the gear rack of the guide plate; then, the driving gear will be driven to turn with the gear rack of the guide plate; simultaneously, the short shaft of the driving gear will move along the guide groove of the driven gear, and then the doll on the rotative shaft will move straight as a result of the motion assembly moving.

Abstract: This invention is a display system for an automatically tuned stringed instrument displaying, individually or simultaneously, the frequency of each string of the instrument. The system provides for using the display to manually tune the instrument or to initially tune the instrument to within the operating range of the automatic tuning system.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for easily, efficiently, and accurately searching melodies. A melody is inputted to a computer and converted into a form of a sequence of digitized representations of relative pitch differences between successive notes thereof. A melody database is searched for at least one sequence of digitized representations of relative pitch differences between successive notes which at least approximately matches the sequence of digitized representations of relative pitch differences between successive notes of the melody.