Abstract: Provided is a keyboard musical instrument such as an acoustic piano or an electronic piano having an appearance and design similar to an acoustic piano, in which a fall board is made of a resin plate-shaped body, and hollow portions are provided inside the plate-shaped body. In addition, the plate-shaped body includes a plate-shaped resin foamed plate portion, and the hollow portions are made of plural air bubbles contained inside the resin foamed plate portion.

Abstract: A white key for a keyboard instrument, which makes it possible to improve yield and marketability and reduce manufacturing costs. The white key for a keyboard instrument includes a wooden key body, a synthetic resin-made upper cover bonded to the key body, and a synthetic resin-made front cover bonded to a front end face of the key body. The upper cover has a protrusion protruding downward from a front end thereof, and the protrusion and an upper end of the front cover are in contact with each other via respective inclined surfaces formed on the protrusion and the upper end of the front cover.

Abstract: A material for a key of a keyboard instrument may include, but is not limited to, a base resin; and particles of a moisture control material that performs chemical sorption of moisture. The moisture control material increase in volume with moisture-sorption. The moisture control material decrease in volume with moisture-desorption.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus for an electronic musical instrument having white keys and black keys capable of providing a satisfactory tactile impression, having a satisfactory appearance, and suppressing a difference in tactile impression between when the white keys are played and when the black keys are played. Each white key has a base portion and an upper plate portion fixed to an upper surface of the base portion, and each black key has a key main body portion. The upper plate portion is formed by a porous member having sweat-absorbability and made of a material comprised of an AS resin mixed with stone powder and a white-colored colorant. Each black key is made of the same material as that of the upper plate portion, except for a colorant mixed therein.

Abstract: A material for a key of a keyboard instrument may include, but is not limited to, a base resin; and particles of a moisture control material that performs chemical sorption of moisture. The moisture control material increase in volume with moisture-sorption. The moisture control material decrease in volume with moisture-desorption.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus for an electronic musical instrument having white keys and black keys capable of providing a satisfactory tactile impression, having a satisfactory appearance, and suppressing a difference in tactile impression between when the white keys are played and when the black keys are played. Each white key has a base portion and an upper plate portion fixed to an upper surface of the base portion, and each black key has a key main body portion. The upper plate portion is formed by a porous member having sweat-absorbability and made of a material comprised of an AS resin mixed with stone powder and a white-colored colorant. Each black key is made of the same material as that of the upper plate portion, except for a colorant mixed therein.

Abstract: An keyboard assembly for an electronic musical instrument is mainly constructed by a key frame, a key, a key switch and an assembly guide member. A fixing portion of the key is supported by the key frame such that a front portion of the key can be freely rotated up and down. An actuator is attached to and projected downward from a lower side of the key. The key switch (or a key-depression sensor) has an elastic projecting portion at its upper end. This key switch is provided on the key frame and is driven by the actuator, which depresses down the elastic projecting portion of the key switch when the key is depressed down. The assembly guide member guides the key when the key is moved in an assembling direction (i.e., a longitudinal direction of the key) in order to carry out an assembling operation to assemble the key and the key frame together.

Abstract: A key for keyboard instruments includes a molded key body and a perspiration-absorbing sheet. The molded key body is pivotally secured to a supporting member of the instrument and formed of a synthetic resin. The perspiration-absorbing sheet is provided over the surface of the key body so that the perspiration-absorbing sheet serves as a top, playing surface of the key.

Abstract: The invention applies to keyboards--for example, musical or typewriter keyboards. Various key top shapes are disclosed which may be identified by touch. These shapes include longitudinal ridges, slots, and rows of ridges, slots, knobs, craters and texturing. Various angled key tops are disclosed also. The preferred embodiment applies to a musical keyboard similar to the Janko design.

Abstract: A piano key cover having a body of synthetic material pigmented to resemble natural ivory defines a top playing surface having a random orientation of peak-to-valley texture and a multiplicity of fine pores to replicate a surface of natural ivory. A multiplicity of the pores have diameters generally in the range of 0.0002 to 0.0012 inch (0.005 to 0.030 mm). The synthetic material is selected from the group consisting of acrylic polymer, polyurethane, epoxy and the like. A method for forming such a piano key cover and a piano having key covers of the invention are also described.

Abstract: A piano key cover having a body of synthetic material pigmented to resemble natural ivory defines a top playing surface having a random orientation of peak-to-valley texture and a multiplicity of fine pores to replicate a surface of natural ivory. A multiplicity of the pores have diameters generally in the range of 0.0002 to 0.0012 inch (0.005 to 0.030 mm). The synthetic material is selected from the group consisting of acrylic polymer, polyurethane, epoxy and the like. A method for forming such a piano key cover and a piano having key covers of the invention are also described.

Abstract: A piano key cover is formed of synthetic material pigmented to resemble natural ivory and having a top playing surface with a random orientation of peak-to-valley texture and a multiplicity of fine pores replicating natural ivory. The key cover is formed by providing a mold, engraving a surface of the mold with a randomly-oriented pattern of peak-to-valley texture replicating natural ivory, placing in the mold a composition of suitable synthetic material pigmented to resemble natural ivory and filler, the filler having the characteristic of being removable from a molded article by further treatment, forming the piano key cover within the mold, and treating the piano key cover to remove the filler thereby causing the surface of the paino key cover to define a plurality of fine pores replicating the surface of natural ivory. A piano including the key cover of the invention, and formed by the above method, is also described.

Abstract: An electronic musical instrument has plural keys each capable of designating different tone pitch and touch response. When any key is depressed by player, touch response information is generated in response to touch intensity or depressing pressure of the depressed key. Based on the touch response information, initial-touch response effect or after-touch response effect is applied to a musical tone of depressed key or musical tones of simultaneously depressed keys. The touch response information is corrected such that the generated musical tones will not be heard un-natural. In addition, by controlling the depressing pressure of key, an automatic performance pattern consisting of predetermined accompaniment pattern and rhythm pattern can be designated and changed.

Abstract: A keyboard for a musical instrument is composed of a resin composition, having a durometer hardness of 82 or larger, and the composition comprises a cellulose derivative resin and a silica having 3.0 or less silanol groups in the area of 100 square angstrom and a BET specific surface area of 10 to 210 m.sup.2 /g. It may comprises a substrate and the keyboard.

Abstract: A key cover plate for a piano or the like is injection-molded thermoplastic material marbleized by incomplete mixing of a color agent. The cover plate simulates the grain of natural ivory and has a Munsell hue of between 4.5Y to 8.8Y to 6.6YR. The cover plate also has a Munsell chroma of between 1.0 to 2.6 and a Munsell value of between 8.3 to 9.3. A contrast ratio of the plastic ivory material is between 70 to 90.

Abstract: This invention relates to a touch response sensor for an electronic musical instrument capable of producing a signal responsive to a key depressing speed upon depression of a key. In order to produce such a signal from the sensor, the latter comprises two switches which are operated in turn by a single drive piece with a time lag determined by the key depressing speed. The secondarily operated switch may be a switch capable of producing a signal responsive to a key depressing pressure and including a resistant member and a resilient member having a conductive portion facing the resistant member thereby, upon depression of the resilient member through the key, to produce a resistance variation signal responsive to the key depressing pressure.