Abstract: Musical equipment enables the row of front digitals of a musical keyboard to sound either the diatonic scale or a six-tone musical scale. Thus music written by different methods of notation can be played on the keyboard by a musician trained in either one of the methods. Musical notation based on a six-tone musical scale can depict intimately the consonant sounds of music, and it can have a system of key signatures that is much easier to learn and to use than the traditional system of key signatures. When a keyboard digital is played, a digital identifying number for that keyboard digital is transmitted in binary code for a separate sound generator. Translating apparatus intercepts this transmission and transforms the digital numbers into associated pitch numbers in such a way that the front digitals of the keyboard can play either the diatonic scale or a six-tone scale, and can play either scale in any musical key with its key signature automatically actuated.

Abstract: When a musician presses the digital of a musical instrument, a digital identifying number is transmitted to a separate sound generator, where a tone of the appropriate pitch is generated. A musical scale selecting and musical key signature actuating apparatus intercepts this transmission. The apparatus contains a number changer which can change the numbers transmitted to the sound generator so that the same sequence of instrument digitals can sound either the diatonic scale or a musical scale having only six tones per octave, and a musician can play from music written in different diatonic musical keys with the sharps or flats in its key signature automatically actuated.

Abstract: When a musical keyboard is being played, "Note On" messages, each accompanied by one or more digital identifying numbers, are transmitted to a separate sound generator. A key signature actuator intercepts these transmissions and changes the numbers electronically so that the sharps or flats in a selected key signature will be automatically actuated. The messages accompanied by the changed numbers are sent on to the sound generator, where the proper sharps or flats are automatically sounded when front digitals of the keyboard are played. A uniform pitch changing parameter can also be selected. This parameter can be added to the pitch numbers before transmission to the sound generator so as to change the overall pitch of its musical output.

Abstract: A key signature actuator for a musical keyboard eases playing from music written with difficult key signatures by automatically actuating the sharps or flats in the key signatures. The keyboard has five back digitals per octave span, like the traditional keyboard, except that the back digitals are de-emphasized as landmarks by making them light gray, and musical notes are associated with movable landmarks, rather than with fixed digitals. When in written music a key signature is indicated, the landmarks are electronically shifted so that the key note of that key signature is played by a tonic digital (a fixed front digital to the immediate left of a group of two back digitals). At the same time the tonic digital is made to sound the key tone corresponding to that key signature by adjusting the overall pitch of the musical output by means of a uniform pitch changer. The number of electrically changeable landmark elements is minimized and binary coding is used to simplify the electrical connections.

Abstract: A key signature actuator for musical keyboard eases playing from music written with a difficult key signature by automatically actuating the sharps or flats in the key signature. Musical notes are associated with keyboard landmarks positioned along the keyboard rather than with fixed digitals, and the landmarks are moved bodily up or down the keyboard to identify different sequences of digitals to associate with the notes. An automated key signature actuator moves a keynote of the desired key signature to the keyboard position normally occupied by middle C, at the same time changing the overall pitch of the musical output to make the keynote sound as intended. The changeable keyboard landmarks are also used in the teaching of music and to assist the playing of music written in different notations.

Abstract: An electrically-keyed musical instrument has a double-row keyboard in which back digitals alternate with front digitals throughout the keyboard. The keyboard is provided with two sets of landmarks to assist playing from either the traditional notation or a six-tone notation. The musical instrument has an electronic key signature actuator apparatus which may be set to physically actuate any key signature of music written in the traditional notation, so that the diatonic tones in the selected key can be played entirely on the front digitals of the keyboard. The other five tones of the chromatic scale must be played on back digitals of the keyboard. The electronic apparatus also allows the front digitals to play the whole-tone scale or a hexachord scale, and to play the hexachord scale in any selected one of twelve different hexachord keys. A person trained on the instrument in a six-tone notation can, by throwing a switch, easily play music written in the traditional notation.

Abstract: A spark-ignition engine has adaptive adjustment of the size of its fuel rations in dependence on misfires in the engine. A misfire is identified as an abnormal deficiency in energy conversion, this being detected by means of a mechanical energy discriminator which compares the quanta of energy derived from different combustion cycles.The preferred embodiment is a single cylinder engine having a fuel injector valve. The valve is normally closed, being opened for a short interval during each combustion cycle. The size of a fuel ration is regulated by varying the duration of opening of the valve. The duration of opening of the valve is automatically adjusted in dependence on the frequency of misfires in the cylinder. A misfire is detected by means of a decelerometer which compares engine speeds during successive combustion cycles. When a misfire is detected, the fuel rations are automatically increased.

Abstract: A spark-ignition engine has self adaptive adjustment of the size of its fuel rations in dependence on misfires in the engine. A misfire is identified as an abnormal deficiency in energy conversion, this being detected by means of a mechanical energy discriminator which compares the quanta of energy derived from different combustion cycles. When a misfire in a particular cylinder is identified, the fuel rations to that particular cylinder are automatically increased. Overall increase of fuel rations is counteracted by gradually decreasing the fuel rations of cylinders when they are firing regularly and not producing deficient quanta of energy. In the preferred embodiment each cylinder has its own fuel injector valve. The valve is normally closed, being opened for a short interval of time during each cylinder cycle. The size of a fuel ration is regulated by varying the duration of opening of the valve.

Abstract: In order to reduce engine output torque, a gasoline engine can omit the ration of fuel from a proportion of its cylinder cycles, employing a pattern of successive inhibition and enablement of its fuel rations. For a given output torque, different patterns of successive enablement and inhibition can be selected to minimize transmission of vibration from the engine to its environment. Selection of the optimum pattern can be made automatically.

Abstract: A pitch changing apparatus shifts the absolute pitch of musical output from an electronic organ. The apparatus combines two or more transposing switches in a cascade arrangement. In the preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises four binary transposing switches in cascade relationship, with frequency divider circuits interposed between successive transposing switches. The preferred embodiment selects one out of twelve absolute pitches for the musical output in steps of one semitone. Other embodiments select absolute pitch in steps of two or three semitones. The other embodiments use arrays of electronic switching elements included in integrated circuit packages.

Abstract: Electronic tone transposition apparatus in an organ allows the front digitals of the keyboard to play different musical scales and to play the diatonic scale in different keys. The apparatus physically actuates a key signature of written music by interchanging the electrical coupling to a front digital with the coupling to its adjacent back digital. The number of such interchanges is equal to the number of flats or sharps in the key signature. The organ can be electronically switched so that the front digitals of the keyboard play different musical scales with different numbers of tones per octave span.

Abstract: The organ is designed to play six-tone musical scales, which lead naturally to a simple and easily learned system of hexatonic notation. A scale selector apparatus can be set to make different hexatonic scales playable on the front digitals of the keyboard. For most advantageous use of the instrument, music should be written in or translated into hexatonic notation. The instrument can also be used to play conventionally written music, by using the scale selector apparatus to translate into the conventional diatonic scale.A hexatonic scale selector switch operates on the top octave of tones; lower tones are derived from the top octave by means of chains of frequency dividers. The association of tones with digitals will be correct in lower octaves of the keyboard, provided that all the musical scales have the same number of tones per octave. For translation to the diatonic scale, it is necessary to use a second scale selector switch operating on the outputs from the chains of frequency dividers.

Abstract: The organ plays either a hexatonic scale or the diatonic scale on its front digitals. The organ has a tone transposition apparatus comprising a scale selector apparatus, a key selector apparatus and an absolute pitch changer switch. The key selector apparatus includes a hexachord key selector switch in cascade with a diatonic key selector switch. Each key selector switch is formed by two linear arrays of movable contacts sliding along two linear arrays of stationary contacts. Either of these key selector switches can be set to physically activate key signatures of written music. The key selector apparatus operates on the top octave of tones; lower tones are derived from the top octave by frequency division.

Abstract: The instrument is designed to play a six tone scale on its lower digitals, which leads naturally to a simple and easily learned system of music notation. In the preferred embodiment, the six tone scale consists of the first six tones of the conventional diatonic scale, which is called the hexachord scale. For most advantageous use of the instrument, music should be written in or translated into the hexachord notation, but the improved instrument can also be used to play conventionally written music. The hardware to make this possible includes a scale selector switch to translate from a hexachord scale into the conventional diatonic scale. An absolute pitch selector switch is provided, to allow the player to control absolute pitch of the musical output independently of the written music.

Abstract: An absolute pitch selector apparatus provides a set of audio-frequency tone signals for a musical instrument. These are selected from a larger number of tone generator circuits by means of a rotary pitch selector switch. Stationary input and output contacts of the switch are printed on the same side of a stationary circuit board. The output contacts are shaped like the arcs of circles that are coaxial with the single circle of input contacts. A rotor carries a first set of spring contacts bearing on the stationary input contacts, a second set of spring contacts bearing on the stationary output contacts, and bridging conductors.

Abstract: The musical instrument has a keyboard which may be arranged to have either seven or five lower digitals per octave span. The musical tones are electrically keyed by means of digital switches. A scale selector switch changes the connections between the digital switches and the tone generator circuits so that either the seven tone diatonic scale or a pentatonic scale is played on consecutive lower digitals of the keyboard.The top parts of the upper digitals are easily removable and interchangeable. Most of the upper digitals are black. When the keyboard is arranged for playing in a pentatonic scale, the E.music-sharp. upper digital in each octave is white, serving as a landmark for the player. When the keyboard is arranged for playing in the diatonic scale, the inactive E.music-sharp. and B.music-sharp. digitals are white.