Abstract: A musical instrument provides the ability to both automatically detect an initial note or chord played on a touchscreen, correct the initial note or chord to neutral tone or tones, as well as to “slide” the note or chord to a new location, providing a continuously variable and continuous pitch to the new location, thereby creating a new type of keyboard instrument. The keyboard is operative to initialize a series of pitch arrays, one for each key, where the pitch array value is computed to provide a lookup or translation from a pressed key into an output pitch with fine granularity which matches the granularity of resolution of the touchscreen.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an electronic musical instrument (EMI) (or “electronic multi-instrument) is described that separates pitch choice from percussive sound control (“articulation”). A pitch sensor interface (by which notes are selected) may comprise a software-programmed touchscreen interface (that can be modeled on existing musical instruments or entirely new) configured to allow pitch choice, while sound control may be made on a separate articulation control sensor (by which notes are triggered and modified), such as an illustrative double-sided touch pad, that senses one or more of a velocity, pressure, movement, and location of a user's contact. The design facilitates a portable, ergonomic, and intuitive way to express music via standard digital protocols (e.g., MIDI) through a physical interface that encourages fluid, non-static, personally distinguishable musical expression. Notably, the instrument may illustratively be a controller that requires a compatible synthesizer sound source (e.g.