Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a fret board and a plurality of conductive frets may be coupled to a resistance ladder of discrete resistive elements. A conductive wire or a plurality of such wires selectively making contact with at least one of the conductive frets forms, together with the resistance ladder, part of a tone generating circuit. The circuit includes an oscillator which generates a tone in response to the conductive fret with which the wire makes contact. The circuit may also include a wave shaping circuit which selectively alters the shape of the generated tone and through a series of gradations alters its operating characteristics from that of a full wave rectifier to a linear voltage follower. Another embodiment modulates the phase of the generated tone by exploiting the dynamic impedance of a diode. One or more unique pressure sensitive touch pads may be employed for a glissando effect and/or for volume and/or tone glides.

Abstract: A multiple touch switch apparatus has at least one multiple segment conductor ply on the top surface of a support ply. The segments are electrically insulated from each other by their lateral displacement but are immediately adjacent so that a selected one or more of the segments can be contacted in response to a single transverse touch force. A second support ply has a unitary conduction ply on its bottom surface spaced apart from, but facing, the multiple segment conductor ply. At least the second support ply and the unitary conduction ply are resilient deformable into contact with one or more segments of the multiple segment conductor ply. Each of the multiple segment conductors or the unitary conduction ply or both may incorporate a conductor layer and a pressure sensitive semiconductor composition layer disposed thereon. The semiconductor layer provides a pressure sensitive variable contact resistance in series with the switch.