Abstract: In one aspect, provided herein is a device for notating a musical composition. The device, in various implementations, is structured so as to be less laborious to notate, easier to read, and more simple to employ in notating, reading, and/or playing the music of a given composition to be composed and/or played. Accordingly, in its most basic form, the device herein disclosed includes a template, upon which template one or more symbols may be notated, where such notation is configured in a manner that more closely relates the note to be played with the mechanical action needed to be performed so as to play that note, such as on an instrument to be or being played.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and system for calibrating a musical device. In some embodiments, a method for calibrating a musical device includes: energizing an actuator to actuate a key using a force corresponding to a first intensity level; obtaining, from a sensor, a first sensor signal representing motion information of the key corresponding to application of the force; and calibrating the musical device based on the first sensor signal.

Abstract: In one aspect, provided herein is a device for notating a musical composition. The device, in various implementations, is structured so as to be less laborious to notate, easier to read, and more simple to employ in notating, reading, and/or playing the music of a given composition to be composed and/or played. Accordingly, in its most basic form, the device herein disclosed includes a template, upon which template one or more symbols may be notated, where such notation is configured in a manner that more closely relates the note to be played with the mechanical action needed to be performed so as to play that note, such as on an instrument to be or being played.

Abstract: In one aspect, provided herein is a device for notating a musical composition. The device, in various implementations, is structured so as to be less laborious to notate, easier to read, and more simple to employ in notating, reading, and/or playing the music of a given composition to be composed and/or played. Accordingly, in its most basic form, the device herein disclosed includes a template, upon which template one or more symbols may be notated, where such notation is configured in a manner that more closely relates the note to be played with the mechanical action needed to be performed so as to play that note, such as on an instrument to be or being played.

Abstract: A musical playback amusement system is disclosed. A primary audio track defined by a plurality of time-sequence audio data elements and associated synchronization identifiers are loaded and played back on a first interactive device. A second interactive device is in communication with the first interactive device to receive playback synchronization commands that coordinates playback of a secondary track loaded on the second interactive device. The synchronization identifiers in the primary track are transmitted from the first to the second interactive device as the playback synchronization commands in coordination with the playback of the primary audio track.

Abstract: The present invention is an music box vibration plate and the preparation method thereof, which comprises of a plurality of vibration piece disposed in parallel and having a thin flat sound generation pin with different length and generating sound as it is hit by the protrusion of the cylindrical drum or the disc and a fixing portions formed at the base end of the sound generation pin and having an enlarged thickness with the shape of plate, and a plurality of spacers disposed between each fixing portions of the vibration pieces to separate the vibration pieces, and a clamping member to clamp the fixing portions and the spacers.

Abstract: The present invention is an music box vibration plate and the Preparation method thereof, which comprises of a plurality of vibration piece disposed in parallel and having a thin flat sound generation pin with different length and generating sound as it is hit by the protrusion of the cylindrical drum or the disc and a fixing portions formed at the base end of the sound generation pin and having an enlarged thickness with the shape of plate, and a plurality of spacer disposed between each fixing portions of the vibration pieces to separate the vibration pieces, and a clamping member to clamp the fixing portions and the spacers.

Abstract: An automatic player piano has a feedback control loop for each of the black/white keys; the controller firstly determines a reference trajectory, i.e., a target key position varied with time for each key to be moved in the play-back, and calculates a target key velocity, and compares a true key position reported from a key sensor and a true key velocity calculated from the true key position with the target key position and target key velocity for optimizing the duty ratio of the driving signal; the positional difference and the velocity difference are independently multiplied by a positional gain and a velocity gain so as to determine the optimum duty ratio; since the ratio of the velocity gain to the positional gain is 1 to 3, the key travels along the reference trajectory without oscillation and overshoot.

Abstract: An ideal automatic player piano is assumed to reproduce an original performance from fundamental data representative of a fundamental forward key trajectory and a backward key trajectory; however, if an actual automatic player piano reproduces a forward key trajectory and a backward key trajectory on the basis of the fundamental data, the forward key trajectory and the backward key trajectory do not faithfully reproduce the original key motions; for this reason, the actual automatic player piano learns first offset time at the end position and second offset time at an intermediate position between the end position and the rest position so as to determine a virtual forward key trajectory and a virtual backward key trajectory, and further learns first dead time around the rest position and second dead time around the rest position so as to exactly determining first starting time at the rest position and a second starting time at the end position, thereby moving keys along composite forward/backward trajectories

Abstract: An automatic player piano records not only regular key-on event/impact event/regular key-off event representative of a regular key motion between a rest position and an end position but also irregular key-on event/irregular key-off event representative of an irregular key motion changing the direction at an intermediate point between the rest position and the end position so as to exactly reproduce an original performance.

Abstract: An automatic player piano controls a solenoid-operated key actuator so as to move a key along a quadratic curve around a turning point where the key changes the direction of the motion, and the solenoid-operated key actuator faithfully reproduce a half stroke key motion.

Abstract: An automatic playing apparatus is provided for an acoustic piano for reproducing a music without fingering of a player on a keyboard, and has a pedal actuator unit directly supported by a floor so that a reaction of the pedal is never exerted to the piano case, thereby preventing the key bed from deformation due to the reaction.

Abstract: A player fingers on the keyboard of an automatic player piano and steps on the soft and damper pedals for variety of musical expression in a recording mode, and a controller drives actuators associated with the keys and the pedals as if the player performs, wherein the controller sequentially checks a digital locational signal to see whether or not transit points indicated by the digital locational signal characterize the locus of the plunger and stores digital locational codes indicative of the characterizing transit points only, thereby improving the faithfulness of the performance without sacrifice of the amount of stored data.

Abstract: A controller module associated with a mechanical piano memorizes a plurality sets of parameters produced from detected trajectories of depressed keys in a floppy disk in a recording mode of operation, and restores the trajectories on the basis of the sets of parameters for driving an actuator array associated with a keyboard in a playback mode, thereby exactly reproducing a music without sacrifice of the memory capacity.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatic playing of a piano, the apparatus activating operation terminals in consonance with received play data to play music. The apparatus includes an input device for receiving play data, the play data including soft pedal event information and key event information. The apparatus also includes: a soft pedal history storage unit that, when the soft pedal event information is received from the input device, temporarily holds ON/OFF history of a soft pedal in consonance with the soft pedal event information; a converter that, when the key event information is received from the input device and the soft pedal history storage unit is storing an ON event for the soft pedal, performs a predetermined conversion of key depression force data that is included in the key event information; and a controller that controls the operation terminals in consonance with the key depression force data that has been converted by the converter.

Abstract: A solenoid drive system enabling an automatic performing apparatus to control the intensity of key depression with respect to individual keys. Voltage waveform data is provided for each of the solenoids to drive an associated keys. One cycle of the voltage waveform data is divided in a predetermined time period into a predetermined number of bit segments. A value of "1" or "0", representing a pulse height level of the control signal for each respective key is written to each and every bit segment. Duty cycle of the square wave of each of the control signals can be thus precisely varied according to and to match the key depression intensity. The voltage waveform data may be written to sequential addresses in the memory, and read out from non-sequential addresses in the memory. Alternatively, the voltage waveform data may be written to non-sequential addresses in the memory and read out from sequential addresses in the memory.

Abstract: In order to eliminate the disadvantages due to varieties of a string-striking speed (i.e., dynamic characteristic) of a hammer, a hammering operation control unit is applied to a piano accompanied with an automatic performance function which can reproduce a musical performance recording in advance. Based on a detected string-striking speed of the hammer which is driven by the reference drive value predetermined to each key, the hammering operation control unit computes a deviation from the target string-striking speed corresponding to the reference drive value as a compensation value. Then, the newest computed compensation value is stored in a memory device or medium such as a floppy disk by periodically renewing the stored compensation value. Based on the stored compensation value, the string-striking speed of the hammer is to be compensated.

Abstract: An automatic player piano is implemented with an automatic player unit and a mechanical piano having a keyboard mounted on a key bed, and the automatic player unit has a controller operative to memorizing pieces of a key touch information respectively representative of grades of intensity assigned to the sounds in the recording mode of operation and retrieve the pieces of the key touch information in the playback mode of operation, a plurality of actuators provided in association with the keyboard and responsive to the pieces of the key touch information for causing the keys to move, and a sensor unit operative to detect key motions of the keys for producing the pieces of the key touch information in the recording mode of operation, wherein the sensor unit is provided between the keyboard and the key bed because the space therebetween is largely equal regardless of the model of the mechanical piano.

Abstract: A pickup assembly for an electrical musical instrument is dipped in a hot wax bath in order to remove air pockets from the assembly. The resultant assembly provides consistent tonal characteristics despite humidity changes.

Abstract: Slotted bobbins consisting of a plurality of wire coils, are secured within a pickup for a stringed instrument assembly having an upper plate with a plurality of slots running in the direction of the strings, the slots of the bobbins being aligned with those of the upper plate. A magnetic pole piece is slidably disposed within each slot, each pole piece being independently slidable along the length of its slot, to allow reading each string at a different spectrum. The pole pieces are releasably secured within the slots so that they can be set at a desired point prior to playing of the instrument.

Abstract: A detachable electric stringed instrument pickup system for an electrical stringed instrument of the type including a body, a neck having a head, a bridge assembly connected to the body, and a plurality of strings positioned between the head and the bridge assembly includes a mounting fixture having an opening attached to the front of the body of the electrical stringed instrument under the strings, a base plate attached by height adjustment screws to the mounting fixture, and a height adjustment spring biasing the base plate away from the mounting fixture and also includes a first connector for elecrical connection mounted on the base plate and a second connector for electrical connection mounted on an assembly mount and detachably plugged into the first connector through the opening in the mounting fixture and wherein an electromagnetic pickup is mounted on the assembly mount and electrically connected to the second connector.

Abstract: A transducer for a musical instrument through which vibrations can be fed back to the instrument so that notes played on the instrument can be sustained. The transducer comprises a bracket for mounting the transducer to the instrument. First and second opposited permanent magnetic poles project away from the bracket. A first surface of a sheet of non-magnetic, non-electromagnetic resilient material is attached to the projecting first and second magnetic poles. An electromagnetic core has a spine and first and second legs originating at, and extending away from, the spine and terminating at first and second end faces, respectively. The first and second end faces are attached to a surface of the sheet opposite the surface of the sheet to which the permanent magnetic poles are attached, with the first face adjacent the first permanent magnetic pole and the second face adjacent the second permanent magnetic pole. A conductor is wound on the core.

Abstract: A foot-operated, bass drum pedal assembly is provided, and it includes: a base in the form of a metal plate, a first drum beater, a support for the beater mounted on the base, and a pedal pivotally mounted to the base and operatively connected to the beater to pivot same as the pedal is pivoted by the drummer's foot, and structure located proximate the pedal to sense downward movement of the pedal to predetermined downward position, and to produce an electrical signal usable to effect production of phenomena corresponding to a drum beat.

Abstract: A system for the selection and recall of individual phase, pickup selection, tone, overdrive and volume control for each of a plurality of pickup coils in electric guitars. These various controls for the humbucking pickup coils in the guitar are initially set by either rotary or toggle switches to achieve a particular combination of switch settings. Additional controls then allow the musician to write the states of these various controls into digital memory contained within the guitar. Several such combinations may be memorized and then recalled at a later time by actuation of a memory address selection switch which then reads the contents of the memory for a particular combination of settings and internally causes the various controls to reset themselves to this particular combination of settings.

Abstract: An electromagnetic pickup for use in sensing the mechanical motion of strings includes a ferromagnetic housing of elongate, longitudinally recessed form in which a ferromagnetic core is received. The core includes a plurality of coplanar, spaced, finger-like projections directed at the walls of the recess. Both the walls of the recess and the finger-like projections of the core are permanently magnetized to a common magnetic polarity and thus will concentrate by magnetic repulsion the flux into the gap between the projections. A coil wound around the core then senses the flux changes of these concentrated flux fields due to string motion.

Abstract: A magnetic pick-up is positioned below the strings of a stringed musical instrument having four strings. The pick-up comprises a long and narrow pick-up coil comprising wraps of insulated wire about a magnetic core. A pole piece is physically and magnetically connected to one end of the magnetic core. The pole piece includes a wide first portion which presents pole regions laterally inwardly adjacent the two outside strings of the instrument. It includes a narrower second portion which projects upwardly from the first portion and presents pole regions laterally inwardly adjacent the two inside strings. The coil and the pole piece produce a magnetic field which is elongated laterally of the instrument, generally parallel to the direction of greatest string displacement when the strings are stroked, finger or pick. The strings are located in the magnetic field.

Abstract: An electronic pickup device for stringed instruments having a pivot securely attached to the musical instrument and one rockshaft for each string of the musical instrument. The rockshaft is attached to one end of a string and attached to the pivot so that the other end of the rockshaft vibrates in conformity with the vibrations of the string. The vibrations of the rockshaft are then translated into electrical vibrations typically via a magnet on the end of the rockshaft juxtaposed to an induction coil.

Abstract: An electric string instrument, e.g. an electric guitar, has one or more resistive elements associated with each fret whereby sideways deflection of a string while in contact with a fret creates a change in the effective resistive value of that fret. This may be used to provide "blending" of a note. Each such fret has one conductor, thus enabling a 144 wire harness in the neck of a guitar to be reduced to 24 conductive paths, which may be provided on a printed circuit board. Preferably both the strings and the frets are electrically scanned. The instrument may be employed as a MIDI guitar controller or an audio guitar or simultaneously as a combination of both. A guitarist can use a normal playing style, without special adaptation, to obtain a full range of expression, including pick velocity.

Abstract: An improved electric stringed instrument which can produce "banjo" sounds. The instrument has a banjo head including a taut flexible membrane mounted on a ring which is mounted on a solid material (preferably wood) body. The ring and body are connected in a conventional manner to a fretted neck extending away from the head. A plurality of strings extend from adjustable securing means at the end of the neck over the flexible membrane to a tailpiece secured to the body. A bridge is positioned between the strings and membrane. One or more recesses in the body below the membrane contain electric pickups. The spaces between the sides and bottoms of the pickups and the adjacent surfaces of the recesses are at least partially filled with resilient foam. The foam beneath the pickups is compressed slightly to keep the upper pickup surface in resilient contact with the membrane.

Abstract: A guitar-like electronic musical instrument for use with a synthesizer has six pitch strings on the neck which the player depresses onto conductive frets to determine the selected semitone. A transducer senses if the player forces the string laterally on the fret and if the string is so laterally forced (bent) beyond a threshold, further pitch detection is inhibited. The fret construction can be much simplified and there is no danger of spurious notes being caused by contact with adjacent strings.

Abstract: An automatic playing device for a musical instrument includes a memory unit which stores a plurality of discrete states, e.g., patterns of key actuation of a keyboard, which can be serialized and combined with or substituted for manual keying information from a keyboard or other control device. Combining and substituting are controlled by the actuation of one or more switches by a human operator. The operator can advance through the stored pattern by actuating a single key or by playing a simple sequence of notes on a keyboard.

Abstract: An electromagnetic pickup for an electric guitar or similar stringed instrument incorporates a magnetic pickup assembly having pole pieces whose heads are slotted. The heads are positioned directly below the strings of the guitar. By orienting the slots so that they are perpendicular to the strings a percussive sound characteristic is obtained. By rotating the heads so that the slots are parallel to the strings, a sound characteristic typical of dual pole pickups is achieved.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument of the stringed type wherein bending of a string results in a change in a parameter of the sound produced. At the bridge of the instrument, each string is connected with a leaf spring which is moved towards the nut end of the instrument when the string is bent. Each leaf spring is connected with a Hall effect device, and the spacing between it and a permanent magnet is changed when the spring moves, thus causing a variation in the output of the Hall effect device, which variation alters a parameter of the audio output produced by a tone generator means.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument comprises a plurality of keyboards each having a plurality of keys, a control circuit for controlling a manner of tone production, and a musical tone production circuit responsive to respective depressed keys of respective keyboards. The control circuit controls the musical tone production circuit in response to operation of a switch mounted on a control panel for manually selecting one of a plurality of sets of preset parameters corresponding to a kind of a musical tone to be performed. The musical tone production circuit modifies a tone specified by a depressed key in any keyboard according to the selected switch on the control panel.

Abstract: An electronic keyboard musical instrument is operated by a main system computer in a manner dependent on the settings of input elements. A plurality of tone modules are used, each of which comprises a subsystem computer including a subsystem bus, a memory and a microprocessor. Data is exchanged between the main system computer and a subsystem computer through a bus switch which alternately connects the subsystem memory with the main system bus and the subsystem bus. This allows for an effectively "real time" exchange of data between the main system and the subsystem.

Abstract: A pickup assembly for stringed instruments such as guitars or the like, consists of a hollow cylindrical tube of magnetizable material in contact with a permanent magnet to produce an electro-magnetic field one upon each side of one free end of the cylinder and a resistive field coil in operative connection with the cylinder in a conventional manner. The vibrating string of the instrument passes diametrically over the open end of the pole piece cylinder spaced slightly above the surface thereof and between the two magnetic fields which are situated one upon each side of the longitudinal axis of the string. This permits free vibration of the string at all frequencies without any dampening or attenuation occurring.

Abstract: An improved electric guitar is disclosed, having strings closely spaced from the body and fingerboard of the guitar and magnetic pick-ups mounted under the pick-guard of the guitar, the cores of the magnetic pick-up protruding through the pick-guard into proximity with the lowered strings to thereby enhance the sound output of the instrument while also improving the playing characteristics of the guitar.

Abstract: This invention relates to a remote control system for a musical instrument or instruments. In particular the control system comprises at least one keyboard having a plurality of keys each coupled to means for sensing key operation and key velocity or force, a signal generator for producing a string percussing signal, transmission means for transmitting the signal to at least one remote instrument having a string percussing arrangement coupled to a receiver circuit in the instrument for receiving the string percussing signal, the arrangement being operable in response to the signal to produce an audible sound corresponding to the operation of the keyboard.

Abstract: An automatic performing apparatus for use in an electronic musical instrument stores chord name data and chord generation timing data to carry out an automatic chord performance. In spite of frequent variations of a chord during the progression of a music piece, repetitive storage of a same chord name data is not required so that the amount of stored data can be reduced, allowing utilization of a memory of a small capacity.

Abstract: A pick-up assembly for stringed musical instruments including a pair of pick-up assemblies, only one of which is magnetized. The first and second pick-up assemblies are physically disassociated so that the reactance of the unmagnetized pick-up assembly does not interfere with the magnetized pick-up assembly. The unmagnetized pick-up assembly is lowered further into the body of the instrument than the magnetized pick-up assembly for the same purpose. The outputs of the two pick-up assemblies are summed at the negative input of an operational amplifier which negative input is a virtual ground so that neither coil acts as a load for the other coil.

Abstract: A humbucking pick-up for an electrical musical instrument of the stringed type including two or three primary pick-up assemblies and, in either case, a lesser number of additional pick-up assemblies are all that is necessary to provide for humbucking, the secondary pick-up assemblies not being used for signal generation. The pick-up includes an instrument mounted preamplifier. With the preamplifier in use, the signals from the primary and secondary pick-up assemblies are summed thereat. The preamplifier may be bypassed and the signals from the primary pick-up assemblies conducted directly to an amplification system. This is accomplished while maximizing the output signal and still permitting humbucking. A dual tone control arrangement is provided so that the primary and secondary coils can be balanced simultaneously. The arrangement of the primary coils is such that the operation of the secondary humbucking coils is not affected thereby.

Abstract: In a magnetic pickup for stringed musical instruments at least one coil is associated with each string and at least one magnet produces a magnetic field passing through the coil which is varied by the vibration of the string to induce a signal in the coil, the magnet being movable relative to the coil in such a manner that both the strength and the phase of the induced signal may be varied.

Abstract: A play data detecting system for an electronic musical instrument in which in the case of multiplexing together and scanning note select signals from key switches and function select signals from tablet switches and analog volumes, these signals are divided into a plurality of scan blocks of different scan periods. For the tablet switches, a processing routine is executed twice in one cycle of a main routine in view of a required number of scan addresses and, for the analog volumes, the results of parallel processing are used once in one cycle. This permits high-speed processing of the key switches and low-speed processing of the tablet switches and the analog volumes with sampling periods fit for them, respectively.

Abstract: An improved bridge transducer for rigid non-acoustic body string musical instruments, enabling production of tonal character and quality associated with flexible acoustic body instruments using a novel compliant suspension supporting a string bridge, which is equally responsive to plucked or bowed strings, is interactive with the strings in a manner similar to acoustic body supported bridges, while eliminating problems of diminished string sustain, and air coupled loud speaker feedback, uneven frequency response, and is economical to manufacture. A sound pickup device is coupled to the suspended string bridge for detection and amplification of motion induced by played strings.

Abstract: An automatic playing musical instrument is provided in which the amount of storage medium to be used is substantially decreased. The automatic playing musical instrument is provided with a key information generating circuit for generating key information corresponding to a depressed key among the plurality of keys. A change of the key information is then detected, and a time interval between one of the change and the other which follows immediately after the one of the change is measured so as to generate a time period data representative of the time interval. Each time the change is detected, a musical performance data comprising the key information and the time period is stored in the storage medium, while on the other hand if the change is not detected, no musical performance data is stored thereby saving the amount of the storage medium to be used.

Abstract: To adjust the characteristic sounds produced by electric guitars and other musical instruments, the present apparatus and method provide for varying the resistive loading on the electromagnetic pickups of such instruments. This changes the shape of the peak of the resonance curve caused by the self-resonance of the electromagnetic pickup. A predetermined fixed resistance is maintained in the circuit at all times, such that when a control element is at a certain known position, the output curve from the pickup will be substantially flat and, furthermore, the apparent volume generated by the instrument will not be reduced substantially. To change volume, a volume-control potentiometer is provided. In the preferred form, a single control element not only adjusts the characteristic sounds produced by electric guitars or other musical instruments having electromagnetic pickups, but also provides roll-off of higher frequencies at some desired region within the audio spectrum.

Abstract: This invention relates to an acoustic guitar bridge comprising a body shell (1) for attachment to the body of a guitar, an adjustable saddle member (12) for supporting the strings of the guitar and an adjustable support member (4) for engaging and supporting the saddle member along its length, the support member being housed within the shell and the saddle member being arranged in a slot (3) in the shell, those members being mounted for movement, relative to the body shell, in respective directions lying transverse to each other and engaging each other through surfaces at least one of which is inclined to the direction of movement of the support member whereby movement of the support member varies the height of the saddle member relative to the body shell.

Abstract: A magnetic pickup for use with a guitar or other instrument having ferro-magnetic strings has a pole piece for each string which is easily adjustable by hand to vary the strength and phase of the output signal produced by the vibration of the associated string.

Abstract: A music information transmission system in which a music symbol on a music sheet is quantized into a digital signal by inputting that music symbol by using a key board. The digital signal is assembled into a packet, which is multiplexed on a blanking period of a television signal, and is transmitted over the air. At a reception side, the packet is separated from a picture signal, and is stored in a memory. A music player reads out the memory, and decodes the digital signal in the memory. The decoded signal operates the music player to play music. Thus, music information may be transmitted in a very narrow frequency band as compared with a conventional PCM system which quantizes an analog sound signal into a digital signal. The present invention is useful for instance for playing background music in a teletext or a character transmission system multiplexed with a television signal.

Abstract: A transducing assembly for a musical instrument responsive to string movement in intersecting, preferably perpendicular, planes for producing two electrical signals that can be processed and/or combined and then reproduced by a plurality of loudspeakers to yield an enhanced quality of sound.