Abstract: An automatic rhythm performing apparatus capable of simultaneously producing a plurality of rhythmic tones having the optimum volume relationship irrespective of the total volume of the rhythmic tones. A plurality of rhythmic tone signal generating devices generate a plurality of rhythmic tone signals corresponding respectively to a plurality of rhythmic musical instruments. A combining device combines the rhythmic tone signals to provide a combined output signal as an output of this apparatus, the level of which can be varied by a signal level varying device. There are provided a detecting device for detecting the level of the combined output signal and a controlling device for separately controlling respective signal levels of the rhythmic tone signals in accordance with the detected level of the combined output signal, thereby making the volume relationship of the plurality of the rhythmic tones optimum.

Abstract: An interactive music composition and performance system is a real-time composing and sound-producing system which employs a synthesizer, a programmable computer, and at least one performance device and which functions automatically to generate controls which determine the course of the musical composition it plays as well as the nature of the sound it produces. The system is interactive in that a user can direct aspects of the system's production of music, as he or she hears it being produced, by use of a performance device. If the user does not provide an input, the system proceeds automatically to compose music and produce sound.

Abstract: An automatic rhythm performance device of an electronic musical instrument having an expression pedal is constructed of an operation amount detector, a rhythm selector, and a rhythm tone generator. The operation amount detector detects the operation amount of the expression pedal. The rhythm selector selects a rhythm to be performance among a plurality of rhythms. The rhythm tone generator generates rhythm tones which have rhythm patterns determined by the selected rhythm respectively, the number of rhythm tones to be sounded increasing automatically in proportion to the operation amount. This increment of rhythm tones further enriches a musical tone produced by manual performance whose volume is increased by the expression pedal operation.

Abstract: A voice synthesizer is disclosed for simulating a voice singing the lyrics of a song. The synthesizer comprises a phoneme speech synthesizer in which the phonemes are sounded at a pitch controlled by the keys or notes played on a musical keyboard. The tempo of the sung lyrics is controlled by the tempo at which the keys of the keyboard are played.

Abstract: A musical tone forming system includes a waveform storage device for storing data representative of an attack portion of a musical tone waveform and data representative of part of the other portion of the musical tone waveform following the attack portion. An address device addresses the waveform storage device to first read the data representative of the attack portion and to then repeatedly read the part of the waveform from the waveform storage device to thereby form a musical tone signal. There is provided a device for generating data varying with time. The address device feeds an address data to the waveform storage device in accordance with the time-varying data to randomly designate as a starting address one of those addresses of the waveform storage device storing the data of the part of the waveform, thereby realizing a noisy nature characteristic of a percussion instrument.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument for reading out and performing musical tone data previously stored in a memory is disclosed. In the musical instrument, pitch data of a musical piece or pieces are previously stored in the memory. Desired pitch data stored are read out by operating a corresponding key arranged on a keyboard. A tone generator forms a musical tone signal on the basis of the pitch data for sounding the musical tone. When the keyboard is functionally divided into two groups, the musical tone for melody and/or accompaniment of the musical piece may be read out through the operation of the functionally divided keyboard.

Abstract: A system for automatically generating an accompaniment note pattern and a bass pattern programmed therein by the player. The system includes a programmable microprocessor wherein two patterns, one sounding in the frequency range of the solo and accompaniment manuals and the other in the frequency range of the pedals, can be programmed into a programmable and reprogrammable memory by the player by means of a separate keypad or one or two octaves of keys on the regular keyboards. The patterns are programmed in without regard to key, and on playback, the microprocessor is responsive to the chord being played at that time on the accompaniment manual to transpose the read out patterns to a compatible key. Means are provided for phase locking simultaneously occurring notes of the two patterns if they are of the same or octavely related frequencies. This is accomplished by causing both notes to be taken off the same divider string if a match of pitch occurs.

Abstract: A method and associated apparatus for sounding music played by a performer according to a preselected style. Accompaniment notes having a harmonious tonal relationship to preselected melody and chord information are arranged into a plurality of groups. Appropriate accompaniment notes are selected from the groups in accordance with musically derived sequences and sounded for preselected periods of time so that the melody and chord chosen by the performer are sounded in accordance with a derived playing style.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a keyboard has a sound wave-shape generating circuit comprised of a pitch ROM connected to the keyboard. A first selector is connected to the keyboard, and a second selector is connected to the pitch ROM. A drum rhythm sound pitch data generating circuit and a pitch forming circuit are each connected to the first and second selectors. A wave-shape memory and a noise rhythm sound forming circuit are each connected to the pitch forming circuit. A third selector is connected to the wave-shape memory and the noise rhythm sound forming circuit. An envelope counter is connected to the third selector and the output of the envelope counter is fed to an audio amplifier. In use, a play/rhythm switching signal is selectively applied to the first, second and third selectors so that both a drum rhythm sound and a noise rhythm sound can be generated using only the one wave-shape memory.

Abstract: A keyboard operated electronic musical instrument is disclosed in which a first set of tone generators is assigned to actuated keyswitches on a first keyboard and a second set of tone generators is nominally assigned to actuated keyswitches on a second keyboard. Assignment logic is provided so that when all the members of the first set of tone generators have been assigned an addition keyswitch actuation causes the temporary borrowing of one of the tone generators in the second set to respond to the newly actuated keyswitch. Saturation of tone generator assignment is diminished by a glissando detect subsystem which inhibits the use of a long release envelope release phase if a glissando has been initiated.

Abstract: In a keyboard instrument having white and black keys, the necessity for a player to depress black (sharp or flat) keys is eliminated by circuitry which memorizes which tones are to be automatically sharped or flatted when a corresponding white key is depressed.

Abstract: A musical scoring system for scoring music arranged in measures. The system preferably includes a keyboard unit having a plurality of keys, a clock generator, a counter for counting clock signals generated by the clock generator and a summing circuit for maintaining a running sum of a series of quantized note, rest length values during each measure of the music to be scored. When keys are operated at the keyboard unit, a subtracting and converting means subtracts the value then stored in the register from the value stored in the counter and quantizes the result to produce a new quantized note/rest length value. This new quantized note/rest length value is thereafter summed by the summing means to the value stored in the register. Preferably, at the beginning of each measure of the music to be stored, the contents of the counter and the register are cleared and the summing means, and subtracting and converting means are provided by a central processing unit.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument has internal memories for storing various panel data and a detachable present circuit having external memories of high-speed operation for storing panel data equivalent to those of the internal memories, by which panel data can be set from the outside. An advanced player can adjust and set a wide variety of tone variations through using various panel data by the external preset circuit, and a beginner who does not require such various tone variations can set panel data by the internal memories alone.

Abstract: A method and associated apparatus for embellishing the melody played on an electronic musical keyboard instrument. A set of musically-derived tables relates harmonious accompaniment notes to the melody in accordance with the chosen harmony and is addressed to generate a signal that represents at least one appropriate accompaniment note. The latter signal causes sounding of selected accompaniment notes to produce the desired musical harmony. A choice of voicing style and an orchestration option are additionally provided within the scope of the apparatus and method herein.

Abstract: One or a plurality of tones having a predetermined interval relation in terms of degrees with reference to tones produced by depressed keys of a keyboard are automatically selected from among diatonic scale tones of a performed tonality and the selected tones are produced as musical tones concurrently with the depressed key tones. To this end there are provided a tonality designator for producing an information representing the performed tonality, a duet note data forming circuit for forming pitch data of an ensemble note to be automatically produced necessary to realize a duet performance effect based the designated tonality and the depressed key tone, and a duet musical tone signal generator for producing a duet musical tone signal in accordance with the pitch data thus formed.

Abstract: A key data entry system for an electronic musical instrument comprises a keyboard having a plurality of user operable chord specification keys, a detector for detecting the key operation state of the chord specification keys, a first specifying device for specifying a particular one of the operated chord specification keys and a second specifying device for specifying the number of chord specification keys operated at one time. Further provided is a chord designating device which designates the root note and the kind of a chord to be produced as a function of the particular one of the operated chord specification keys and the number of chord specification keys operated at one time. In one implementation, one type of chord is produced when only one chord specification key is operated, a second type of chord is produced when two of the chord specification keys are operated together and a third type of chord is produced when three or more of the chord specification keys are operated together.

Abstract: A timbre modulation circuit for an electronic musical instrument having an automatic rhythm accompaniment system. The timbre modulation circuit is provided in a musical scale tone signal path and includes a means for generating a control pulse series synchronized with an automatic rhythm sound generation timing and a variable timbre circuit responsive to the control pulse series whereby the timbre characteristics are caused to vary in response to the control pulse series thereby modulating the timbre of the musical scale tones.

Abstract: Frequency information is stored in a tone coefficient memory and accumulated to obtain address information for reading out a musical sound from a musical waveshape memory by a musical sound generating circuit. Envelope information is stored in an envelope coefficient memory and accumulated to obtain address information for reading out an envelope waveshape from an envelope memory by an envelope generating circuit. An address counter performs address assignment for operating the musical sound generating circuit and the envelope generating circuit on a time-divided basis. The frequency information and the envelope information are respectively accumulated by a common accumulator on the time-divided basis. Further, attack and decay coefficients are stored in the envelope memory by higher and lower order bits of the same address, respectively, and the contents of the higher and lower order bits are selectively read out.

Abstract: When a player plays a musical piece on a keyboard of a musical instrument, the instrument provides an event datum at every event of the key depression and key release. The event datum includes information on the time of such depression or release and information on the note pitch. Thus a sequential train of these event data constitutes performance data which represents the progression of the music actually played. According to a reference tempo clock, a barline datum indicative of the time for a barline is provided at every period of a time length which defines a measure.

Abstract: An automatic performance device is of a type in which the automatic performance is executed in accordance with musical data read out successively. It comprises a fast feed stop control circuit for advancing the progress of the automatic performance when an actual key depression timing is faster than an ideal key depression timing indicated by the read out musical data and for temporarily stopping the progress when the former delays behind the latter. Comparison between the actual key depression timing and the ideal key depression timing is made by comparing the content of a counter counting the tempo pulses which decides the tempo of the automatic performance with note-length information included in the musical data. It further comprises a tempo control circuit for changing a period of the tempo pulses based on a tempo of a performance made by the actual key depression.

Abstract: An illumination level/musical tone converter is described which is suitable for incorporation into a miniature electronic device such as an electronic wristwatch, whereby the pitch of musical notes emitted by an acoustic output device can be varied as desired by the user varying the amount of illumination reaching a light sensor, e.g. by partially shading the sensor using a finger. Melodies can be composed in this way, and means can be provided for memorizing such melodies, which can be subsequently reproduced, e.g. to provide an audible alarm indication.

Abstract: A sound generating circuit for a timepiece including a sound base signal generator, a program divider, a dividing ratio selecting counter a sound interval base signal generator and a sound producer, whereby the sounding action of frequencies which repeatedly changes at the sound intervals and cycles is performed and can produce the onomatopoetic sounds of bird chirp, insect churr and the like which feels soft and soothing for the users.

Abstract: An electronic keyboard musical instrument is capable of inputting rhythmic patterns by setting desired rhythmic patterns in memory circuits using the keys of keyboards. The set rhythmic patterns operate a rhythm source circuit when read out from the memory circuits during performance and thereby output rhythm sounds.

Abstract: Electronic equipment having a tone generating function has a memory which stores rhythm patterns. Rhythm pattern data which is stored in the memory is sequentially read out by key-in operation at a key input section which selects a desired rhythm pattern. The number of depressing operations by a tempo setting key at the key input section is counted at a counter. The rhythm pattern data which is read out from the memory is set in a predetermined pattern. A control circuit controls the readout speed of the rhythm pattern data in accordance with the counting value of the counter.

Abstract: Disclosed is a musical envelope control device which is used in an electronic watch with a melody alarm function.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument equipped with multiple musical tone signal generating channels, with an automatic play system which controls the tone generation of the musical tone signal generating channels on the basis of the automatic play data recorded in a memory so as to successively and automatically generate musical tones. The instrument also has a manual play system which controls the tone generation of the musical tone signal generating channels by the keyboard and other performance controls so as to generate musical tones by control of the tone generation of the multiple musical tone signal generating channels by the joint use of the automatic play system and the manual play system.

Abstract: An automatic performance apparatus for use in combination with a manually operable musical tone generating instrument. The automatic performance apparatus includes a tempo signal generator, a reference timing signal generator, a tempo setting circuit and a tempo controller. The tempo controller measures the number of manual operations of the manual tone generating instrument in respective predetermined intervals before and after generation of the reference timing signal from the reference timing signal generator. The generation of the tempo signal from the tempo signal generator is controlled in accordance with the measured number obtained from the tempo controller, so that the tempo of the automatic performance is controlled.

Abstract: Predetermined performance keys in a group for a low octave section are used as read-out keys for reading out accompaniment memorized in a first memory, and the other keys in the keyboard are used as read-out keys for reading out melody memorized in a second memory. The read-out accompaniment and melody contents are reproduced with a first tone color designated by a first tone color designation switch given to the accompaniment and a second tone color designated by a second tone color designation switch given to the melody.

Abstract: An electronic music signal generator digitally stores amplitude values representing a complex wave in a number of different memories. By reading out the stored values, under control of a clock circuit, and superimposing them in various ways various effects such as decay can be produced to achieve either single toned or multi-toned sounds closely simulating the sound impression created by mechanical musical instruments.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a keyer capture system for an electronic keyboard musical instrument, such as an electronic organ. The system is particularly adapted for the situation wherein a relatively low number of notes are required to be captured at one time, such as in the case of the pedals. The system is responsive to serial data for the pedals and the two keyers are captured on a priority basis with the master keyer given preference. If the note is already captured by the other keyer, then that note will not be captured by the keyer which is receiving the keydown pulse for that note, and a recirculating shift register for each keyer keeps track of which note that keyer has captured. The system is capable of being easily integrated into an electronic organ wherein the pedal data is in serial time division multiplexed format, and can be implemented as an accessory wherein it is desired to generate the pedal data from the lowest actuated key on one of the manuals.

Abstract: On a first keyboard (4) the time value of each musical note and/or the time value of each pause of the musical sequence to be reproduced is introduced. After the introduction of each note value, the respective pitch value of this note can be introduced with the aid of a second keyboard (50). The introduced sequence can include up to 8 measures and is reproduced repeatedly after actuating a start switch (11) on a visual display (13) and/or with an acoustic output (34) in a frequency which is selected with the help of a switch (20). The visual display (13) has (4) seven segments elements which show the sequence continuously, measure after measure. The acoustic output (34) can produce, at choice, white noise signals or sounds. The white noise signals have impulses which decrease exponentially from a maximum.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument wherein a function for automatically detecting the musical performance mode is provided by the condition of a hand keyboard, a foot keyboard, and a chord type specifying circuit for one finger use, etc. so as to simplify the operation of causing a chord to be stored.

Abstract: A miniaturized electronic apparatus having an alarm sound generating function comprises an alarm sound data memory, in which alarm sound data for a plurality of different alarm sounds are memorized. Peculiar alarm sounds can be preset for each season or month or weekday so that upon reaching of an alarm time in the corresponding season or month or on the corresponding weekday it is selectively read out from the memory to produce the corresponding alarm sound from a sound generator. A designated order of the plurality of different alarm sounds can also be set in the apparatus.

Abstract: The electronic musical instrument is provided, in addition to usual tone producing circuitries associated with playing keys, with a chord designating circuit designating, according to key depression, a plurality of notes of that constitute a chord, a change detecting circuit for detecting a change in designated chord, a note selection circuit for selecting a note from among the designated notes according to a predetermined condition related to the preceeding selected note when the chord change is detected, and a musical tone forming circuit for forming musical tones of the selected notes. Succession of the selected notes constitute a counter line melody automatically established to meet the music being played on the instrument.

Abstract: A musical instrument includes a keyboard having a number of keys which produce input signals corresponding to different musical chord progressions which may be selected by a user. The instrument also includes a synthesizer for producing certain ones of a number of different chords in four voices in response to control signals, and control circuitry including a storage device for storing a number of algorithms which determine the control signals wherein the synthesizer produces the selected musical progression. Each successive chord of the selected progression is computed in accordance with one of the algorithms stored in the storage device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inhibiting the spurious recognition of new chords in an automatic chord recognition system by permitting a new chord group or chord type to be recognized only if the performer has operated the same or a greater number of keys since the last time an attempt was made to recognize a chord or the last time a valid chord was recognized.

Abstract: An automatic rhythm performance device is constructed of a rhythm pattern memory, an instrument memory and a rhythm tone generator. The rhythm pattern memory delivers a variety of rhythm patterns corresponding to the selected rhythm. The instrument memory delivers instrument names of instruments to be performed corresponding to the selected rhythm too. The rhythm tone generator generates percussive instrument tones of the delivered instrument names at the timing designated by the corresponding rhythm patterns, respectively. In the above rhythm performance device, the selectable rhythms are grouped into some groups in advance. This grouping enables the instrument memory to be constructed of two stage memories. One stores group numbers identifying such groups, and the other stores the instrument names in every such group. The delivery of the instrument names is performed by addressing by the outputted group number to which the selected rhythm belongs.

Abstract: An automatic performing apparatus of an electronic musical instrument arranged to produce musical tones in response to musical performance data read out of an external storage such as a musical sheet. The external storage stores the musical performance data and control data to control generation mode of musical tone signals to be produced. In the apparatus, musical performance data and control data are stored in separate memories. In order for a player to change the generation mode of musical tone signals intentionally, a plurality of panel switches are associated with a control data memory so that the control data for tone generation mode can be rewritten by operation of any one of panel switches.

Abstract: Bar codes representing rhythm data corresponding to rhythm pattern, rhythm progression or a certain kind of rhythm are printed in relation to a musical score, and are read out by scanning with a bar code reader. The rhythm data thus read out are stored in RAMs under the control of a CPU. The rhythm data stored in the RAMs are read out by the CPU and supplied through an amplifier to a loudspeaker, for producing sounds.

Abstract: A system is provided in which oral sounds are converted to instrumental musical notes. The system includes a digital memory adapted to store notes of different instruments and of different timbre. A variable address generator connected to the memory is adapted to retrieve the notes at various addressing rates in order to change the pitch thereof. The system is adapted to generate musical instrument output sounds in response to an oral input over a whole range of notes including pitches between whole and half tone increments in an unbroken frequency spectrum of pitch.

Abstract: A trigger-type oscillator circuit, which can be adjusted to a predetermined frequency, is connected to a circuit for generating audible and/or visual bips at the predetermined frequency. A pedal-type synchronized triggering remote control unit is connected to the oscillator such that the metronome can be triggered or stopped by an instrumentalist without releasing the instrument.

Abstract: Manually operable control apparatus for an electrical musical instrument such as an electronic organ having automatic chord circuitry which includes a plurality of spaced apart individually operable chord switches less in number than the number of chords available on the organ and connected to the chord circuitry of the organ through a multi-position gang selector switch arranged for a preselected different combination of chords at each of the different positions thereof. The chord switches permit individually activating any one of the individual chords in each of the preselected combination for each of the different positions of the gang selector switch.

Abstract: A musical instrument comprises an input circuit for entering pitch information and duration information of a note, a counting circuit for counting the time when the input means continues to be actuated in order to fix the duration information, a memory circuit for storing the pitch information and the duration information, and an output circuit for actuating the memory circuit so as to develop the pitch information and the length information.

Abstract: An apparatus performs automatically a music based on the note data read out from the memory in which are stored a plurality of note data which constitutes a music composition in the form of a paired combination of pitch data and duration data. A starting position in progression of the music composition is designated, and the position in the music composition corresponding to the designated position is searched to start the performance at the designated position.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic musical instrument with musical information input keys for producing musical information. A plurality of keys are provided for generating musical information of musical notes to introduce musical tones and pitches of the musical notes into the electronic musical instrument. A memory is included within the electronic musical instrument for sequentially memorizing the musical information. A musical generator is provided for sequentially reading out the stored musical information and providing an audio music in response to the stored musical information. The electronic musical instrument may function as an attendant feature of a conventional electronic calculator and/or an electronic timepiece. In a combined electronic musical instrument and calculator, the audio music can be utilized for announcing alarm conditions such as error, premature actuations of keys, overflow, voltage drop in power supply, etc.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic musical instrument with musical information input keys for producing musical information. A plurality of keys are provided for generating musical information of musical notes to introduce musical tones and pitches of the musical notes into the electronic musical instrument. A memory is included within the electronic musical instrument for sequentially memorizing the musical information. A musical generator is provided for sequentially reading out the stored musical information and providing an audio music in response to the stored musical information. The electronic musical instrument may function as an attendant feature of a conventional electronic calculator and/or an electronic timepiece. In a combined electronic musical instrument and calculator, the audio music can be utilized for announcing alarm conditions such as error, premature actuations of keys, overflow, voltage drop in power supply, etc.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument comprises a keyboard for performing a melody, a chord performing means, tonality designating means for designating a tonality of a music to be performed, melody mode judging means for judging the melody mode of the music based on an accompaniment chord, ensemble note data forming means for forming ensemble note data in accordance with the judged melody note and depressed melody keys of the keyboard; and musical tone forming means for forming musical tones corresponding to the ensemble note data and musical tones corresponding to the melody keys.

Abstract: When a key among ten keys or function keys in a keyboard section is operated with a mode selection switch in a key input section set in a recording position, the note data corresponding to the operated key, flag data and tone duration data corresponding to that note data are stored as one-key play note data in a note memory. When a one-key play key is operated in a timed relation to a given rhythm after clearing an address counter in the aforementioned state, musical sound is generated according to the note data stored in the note memory, and at the same time note data is stored again together with flag data for auto play and tone duration data in the note memory.

Abstract: In an electronic musical instrument, an apparatus and method are described for automatically generating arpeggios from selected chords while requiring only a minimum amount of performance sophistication and dexterity. In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of voice priority switches are included, each of which corresponds to a voice-related rhythmic pattern or an arpeggio variation of tones played. The desired variation of the voice-related rhythmic pattern of tones is implemented as selected notes are played. The played notes and corresponding notes in higher octaves are stored in a random access memory and subsequently accessed by a microprocessor which searches up or down in frequency to find the available notes in the random access memory. Subsequently, the microprocessor converts chosen notes to audible tones.

Abstract: A fully digitalized function-of-time generator suitable for use as a tone envelope generator in a digital electronic musical instrument, comprising: a clock pulse generator for generating a clock pulse at a selectable rate; a gate enabled at each arrival of the clock pulse; a single-stage binary shift register for successively shifting out its contents as a digital word representing the instantaneous values of a desired function of time synchronously with the clock pulse; a digital subtractor; a digital multiplier; and a digital adder, all of these members being interconnected to each other to be operative so that the output of the register is subtracted from a first set value representing a digital word, the resulting difference being multiplied by a second set value representing a digital word, the resulting product being added to the output of the register via the gate, so that the resulting sum is loaded into the register.