Abstract: A performance information transmission system includes a performance information transmitter device and a performance information receiver device which are capable of correcting transmission errors in event information transmitted from the performance information transmitter device to the performance information receiver through a wire or radio communication. This correction does not require another transmission passes, cause a delay of the generation of the musical tone, or cause difficulties in restoring the burst error. The performance information transmitter device is equipped with state information generating device which generates state information for indicating the control state of a musical tone of a predetermined musical tone after a change has occurred in the event information. A transmit device transmits sequentially the event information and the state information generated by the state information generating device.

Abstract: An automatic player piano records an original key motion reciprocated between a rest position and an end position as a series of a key-on event, a hammer event and a key-off event by using key/hammer sensors, and supplements the key/hammer event for an unusual key motion such as a half stroke, thereby faithfully reproducing the original key motions in a playback mode.

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: A pedal controller monitors a damper pedal incorporated in an acoustic piano, and reduces the amount of music data information represented by digital pedal position signals through an anti-aliasing filtering, a decimation and an interpolation without sacrificing the accuracy of the pieces of music data information.

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: A system and method of communicating music printing information using a minor enhancement to the conventional MIDI standard. This method degrades the communication of traditional MIDI command information or parameters by a small amount, but allows the inclusion of information important to music printing. MIDI compatible equipment that does not recognize the enhanced encoding can still utilize MIDI information that includes the enhanced encoding with minimal degradation of the performance information. In particular, the system method is useful for encoding enharmonic pitch encoding in the low order bits of MIDI note-on velocity information. The general method can be utilized to encode a wide variety of printing information in one or more selected MIDI control commands.

Abstract: An automatic player piano controls keys to be rotated by solenoid-operated actuator units in such a manner as to pass a reference point on a trajectory of the key at a reference velocity in a playback mode, and a hammer driven by the depressed key strikes strings at the same intensity as that in a recording mode, because the intensity is variable with the reference velocity at the reference point.

Abstract: An automatic player piano is expected to exactly reproduce sounds generated in an original performance on the basis of music data codes, and a central processing unit incorporated in the automatic player piano increases initial forces exerted on a certain key to be quickly repeated in a playback so as to prevent the playback from a loss of sound.

Abstract: A key sensor incorporated in a keyboard musical instrument has a shutter plate attached to a turnable key and photo-interrupters stationary with respect to a key bed, and the shutter plate has an outer bottom edge and an inner bottom edge oblique with respect to a virtual plane where optical paths of the photo-interrupters are extending so that the shutter plate intermittently crosses the optical paths.

Abstract: A hammer sensor incorporated in a keyboard musical instrument monitors a motion of each hammer assembly, and a controller not only determines a hammer velocity and an impact time for generating a set of music data codes representative of a music performance but also measures an actual distance between the hammer sensor and an impact point against a music string on the basis of a forward trajectory and a backward trajectory measured by the hammer sensor; thereby allowing a worker to easily adjust the hammer sensor to an appropriate position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for accurately sensing key motion in a keyboard operated musical instrument, in which optical emitters and sensors are positioned above the hammer shanks. The optical emitters and sensors are arranged on a plurality of individually addressable sensor boards, and the sensor boards are divided into a plurality of individually addressable sensor banks. Each sensor board is independently and sequentially activated by a controller according to a specified timing sequence. As the controller activates a sensor board in one bank, allowing the board to warm up, another sensor board in the second bank, which has previously been activated and warmed up, is read and analyzed by the controller. Activation and reading of sensor boards alternates between sensor banks as the sensor boards are sequenced through.

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: In order to use a plenty of waveform data, representing sampling waveforms of sounds produced from musical instruments, an electronic musical instrument provides a hard disk unit. Herein, musical tone information containing the waveform data is registered into the hard disk unit in the form of a file using a specific file name. When registering the file into the hard disk unit, a string of characters representing a musical property of the musical tone information are automatically created and are used as a part of the file name. Each file name incorporates an identifier made of one or more characters. When a new file name, which is automatically created and is assigned to a new file to be newly registered into the hard disk unit, coincides with the existing file name of the file which has been already registered in the hard disk unit, a new identifier is automatically created and is incorporated into the new file name.

Abstract: A karaoke reproducing apparatus for recording singing sound together with karaoke play sound, has a facility of printing information on the recorded musical program. The karaoke reproducing apparatus has a memory which contains previously stored recorded music information including at least the title, songwriter's name, and composer's name for each of musical programs recorded on the recording medium. In response to a recording start command, the recorded music information corresponding to a musical program selected by an operation is read from the memory, and output to a printer. Since recorded music information can be printed on a printed member such as a label and preserved as a record when singing sound is recorded together with karaoke play sound, the label, if adhered to a recording medium on which the sound is recorded, allows the user to readily know the recorded contents afterward.

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: A method and apparatus for representing musical information as guitar fingerboards dynamically maps the guitar fingerboards to their associated chord notations as the fingerboards are being displayed or printed. The transposition and mapping of the chord symbol onto the fingerboard is accomplished using an array of fingerboard record that represent a chosen set of fretting combinations for a fingerboard and a system for matching the musical information represented by the associated chord with the appropriate fretting combination for that chord.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatic playing of a piano has storage register for storing play information, which includes key depression force information, and that sequentially reads the play information from the storage register and that uses included key depression force to activate operation terminals. The apparatus comprises: volume designating circuitry for designating volume; a volumn control information generator for generating volume control information in agreement with a volume designated by the volume designating circuitry; a calculator for performing a specified arithmetic operation involving the key depression force information and the volume control information, which is generated by the volume control information generator, to obtain new key depression information; and a controller for driving the operation terminals based on the new key depression force information that is provided by the calculator.

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 photosensor controller is described comprising sensor units 17-0 to 17-7, 18-0 to 18-7, 19-0 to 19-7 and a circuit 16 driving light emitting diodes by a method of time division. Each sensor unit comprises pairs of an LED and a photodiode. After the driving circuit 16 turn on the proceeding LED, if turns off the next LED for a period corresponding to the delay time constant of a detected signal from a photodiode which corresponds to "OFF", making a completely to "0" in this off period of turning off, even in case of waveform rounding. Following this, the next LED is turned on.

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: An instrument for recording and playing musical playing data comprises a pattern memory, a timing designation key for designating playing back timing of the pattern data, a sequence track for recording sequence data, and a writing device for writing the pattern data into the sequence track at the playing back timing designated with the timing designation key. The pattern data is read from the pattern memory and transferred to the place, in the sequence track, corresponding to the designated timing. The transferred note data is modified with the designated chord. The instrument further comprises a backing track storing backing data, any part of which can be also transferred to the sequence track.

Abstract: An electronic piano system provides an automatic performance piano capable of automatically carrying out pre-recorded performance, plus a key-return speed detecting unit and/or a string-striking speed presuming unit. When a depressed key is released so that a key is to be returned to its original position, a key-return speed is occurred, which is detected by the key-return speed detecting unit. On the other hand, when the key is depressed so that a hammer strikes a string in order to generate the corresponding sound, a string-striking speed of hammer is occurred. Based on a detected key-striking speed, the string-striking speed presuming unit presumes the corresponding string-striking speed. Thus, by use of the detected key-return speed and/or presumed string-striking speed, the automatic performance can be carried out with high fidelity.

Abstract: A computer system connected through appropriate analog and digital circuitry controls or monitors a piano. Solenoids connected to each piano key and to each note-sounding hammer permit a computer program to control the keys and/or the sounding of a note, as well as transmitting to the computer for storage and analysis information concerning a student's performance.

Abstract: In order to obtain speed and position information about a moving component of a musical instrument a fin extending in the direction of travel of the moving component is coupled thereto as, for example, by affixing the fin to the hammer shank of a piano. The fin carries indicia, such as a bar code, which can be read, for example, by an optical or magnetic sensor assembly. In one embodiment, a pair of side-by-side indicia bands are carried on the fin with the bands slightly offset in the direction of travel in order that direction, as well as speed and position information can be obtained. The gathered data may include information recorded, for example, for all the notes and the pedals of a piano in order that a performance may be reconstructed and played back employing a solenoid stack or the like.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for studying music includes a music analysis system, which in conjunction with a proprietary storage medium, enables the user to comparatively analyze a recorded musical performance alone or in synchronization with a modifiable synthesized version of the same musical performance. The system further provides facilities for defining specific segments of the original and synthesized performances as well as means for re-orchestrating the synthesized performance, adding additional instrumental parts to the synthesized performance, changing the tempo of the synthesized performance on playback, and electronically displaying and/or printing the score of the synthesized performance. The invention further includes a proprietary storage medium containing data representative of the original musical performance, digital data representative of the synthesized performance and timing data. The invention further discloses a method for generating the data stored on the proprietary storage medium.

Abstract: Conventional karaoke devices simply show lyrics on screen. This invention displays not only lyrics but also data useful for the enhancement of the singer's presentation such as the strength of the vocals and the pitch. More precisely, vocal data, which indicates the special requisites of a specific vocal rendition such as its strength and pitch, and the current lyric position indicator, which marks the current position in the lyrics, are correlated with the music data to which they correspond and then stored in memory. The said vocal data and current lyric position data are then read out of memory and each block of vocal data is displayed on the screen of a visual display medium a little in advance of the music to which it corresponds while the current lyric position within said block of vocal data is indicated in time with the music. Moreover, the strength and basic frequency of an actual vocal rendition can be detected and compared with the stored vocal data.

Abstract: A music interpreter apparatus automatically interprets a notational music composition (written or printed music), which is abstract and incomplete to some extent, to provide its performance realization information which is specific and complete. The apparatus includes a score memory, an interpreter and a performance memory. The score memory stores a coded music notational symbol string representing a written music composition. The interpreter reads and interprets the coded music notational string based on an artificial intelligence simulating knowledge and experience of a human music interpreter or performer to provide a performance symbol string specifying the performance realization and containing played pitch, note-on time, duration and loudness parameters of specified values with respect to each note in the music composition. The resultant performance symbol string is stored into the performance memory.

Abstract: A computerized musical instrument system has a processing system for converting multiple modes of music data input into relative rhythm coded data in the format of pitch codes and relative rhythm codes for designating respective types of rhythm elements, including the pitches, as they occur in the beats or other basic music intervals of a music piece. The relative rhythm codes represent the relative proportions by which the designated rhythm elements divide each beat. In a relative rhythm coding mode, pitch and rhythm data are entered via a keyboard and relative rhythm code and control code keys. The music data may also be input in the form of MIDI formatted data, audio or digital sound input, real-time performance (keypress) data, or optically scanned data from printed music notation. The instrument system can provide various forms of outputs including synthesized sound, a display or music notation, stored music data, printed output, and related audio and/or image effects.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pedal movement control and recording apparatus for an automatic music playing piano in which the pedal displacement corresponding to sequentially changing pedal control signals is determined in order to generate a pedal position conversion table, and which provides means for generating position data normalization tables and reverse normalization tables, whereby music performed on one piano can be replayed on a second automatic music playing piano, correcting for the unique response characteristics of each piano, thereby preserving nuances of pedal movement during replay.

Abstract: The invention provides a performance recording/reproducing apparatus including a playing information recording device, a data discrimination device and a data transfer device. The data discrimination device discriminates a specific channel of playing data, which needs correction or modification from the others all merged on one of the tracks of the playing information recording device. The data transfer device transfers data of the specific channel to another track. The apparatus thus efficiently corrects or modifies only data of the specific channel and accordingly completes recording of performance in a short while.

Abstract: A recorded music enhancement system (RMES) utilizing a recording media such as audio tape or compact disc with a separate track for a control waveform or digital code which controls secondary stimuli, such as pulsing lights, so that they pulse in time with the music, or are otherwise coordinated with the music in some artistic arrangement. This system has a triac to switch the power on and off to the lights or other secondary stimuli, and includes a tone or digital code detector which receives the input waveform from the extra track on the recording medium and operates the triac as a function of the input waveform, in essence causing lights or other stimuli to reproduce the rhythm variations of the music as it is played from the tape or other recording medium.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for studying music includes a music analysis system, which in conjunction with a proprietary storage medium, enables the user to comparatively analyze a recorded musical performance alone or in synchronization with a modifiable synthesized version of the same musical performance. The system further provides facilities for defining specific segments of the original and synthesized performances as well as means for re-orchestrating the synthesized performance, adding additional instrumental parts to the synthesized performance, changing the tempo of the synthesized performance on playback, and electronically displaying and/or printing the score of the synthesized performance. The invention further includes a proprietary storage medium containing data representative of the original musical performance, digital data representative of the synthesized performance and timing data. The invention further discloses a method for generating the data stored on the proprietary storage medium.

Abstract: An automatic performance apparatus for recording performance data in a memory for controlling generation of musical tones, wherein the change or changes of pitch, key-on timing, key-off timing, note interval and/or note length data of a note can easily be effected. The note to be change is designated by positioning a cursor and operating a designation switch. The change of data of the note is achieved in accordance with the moving direction and amount of the cursor, for example, after the designation of the note.

Abstract: A musical score block copy forming apparatus has a musical keyboard (1) having a full-scale key group and a chromatic-scale key group, and a function keyboard (2) having function keys, and the like. Data input at the keyboards (1, 2) and data necessary for a musical score forming arithmetic operation are stored in a storage unit (7). The input data and the data stored in the storage unit (7) are subjected to arithmetic processing by an arithmetic processing unit (3). The arithmetic processing unit (3) has a layout change function used when a musical score is formed, and can display a musical score on a display (4) on the basis of an arithmetic result. The musical score displayed on the display is output to an output unit (5) for forming a block copy of the musical score.

Abstract: A reproducing piano is provided which is capable of reproducing the notes of a chord or a sequence of multiple intensity notes within several groups of common intensity. This is accomplished by sorting the notes into a plurality of groups and then assigning intensity levels to the various groups so that notes within a group will be played at the same intensity. A limited number of solenoid driver circuits are multiplexed among the solenoids according to the grouping of notes, thereby providing faithful reproduction of the music, but at a lower cost than by individual control of each key.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method and apparatus for reproducing in a player piano the pedal mechanism movements which approximate those of the original performance from a tape or other recording medium on which has been recorded data representative of the sequential positions of the piano pedal mechanisms during the original performance. A playback mechanism reads the desired pedal positions from a digitally encoded tape, and this is converted to an analog voltage representative of the desired pedal position. The voltage is then differentiated as a function of time to produce a voltage that is representative of the velocity of the pedal mechanism. A velocity sensor in the form of a permanent magnet within a coil senses the movement of the pedal mechanism in the reproducing piano to create a second signal proportional to the actual velocity of the pedal mechanism.

Abstract: A musical tone visualizing apparatus includes at least an image memory for storing plural images relating to players and/or musical instruments of an orchestra, a display unit for displaying the images on a display screen thereof and a display control circuit for controlling the display unit so that displayed images can be varied in response to an inputted musical tone signal or inputted performance information outputted from an electronic musical instrument, for example. Hence, it is possible to move the players and musical instruments in response to performance of the electronic musical instrument, and it is also possible to selectively enlarge one display image of the player and musical instrument whose tone volume is the largest. Thus, the displayed images can be automatically varied in response to the performance of the electronic musical instrument.

Abstract: A device for correcting a timing of music playing information including a determining unit and a correcting unit, the correcting unit corrects the timing of the change of the performance of a piece of music, which is outside the range of short time data, to a timing within the range of the short time data, in response to a determination by the determining unit.

Abstract: A musical score display device for a music score processor is formed into a rectangular platelike form so as to be detachably mounted on the processor. The device includes a cable for connecting the display device with the processor. The musical score display device may include an LCD provided with two touch sensors. By pressing the sensors, the next page or previous page of music score is displayed.

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: A method for electronically processing and storing musical information involves separating the musical information into a plurality of segments, each representing some portion of a measure, and assigning a sequential time dimension value to each segment. The musical information is also separated into plurality of channels, with each channel representing a sound source and having a sound dimension value assigned to it. The musical information for a given channel and segment is stored in a memory array by associating the musical information corresponding to a given channel and segment with the memory array node specified by the time dimension value and sound dimension value assigned to the given channel and segment.

Abstract: A computerized music notation system includes a first keyboard having pitch keys, a second keyboard for entering relative rhythm codes representing the relative proportions by which the entered pitches and other rhythm types divide a beat and a terminator code to mark the end of each beat, and a computer executing a processing program for generating output music notation in beat units based upon the pitch data and the rhythm data. The pitch and rhythm data sets are independent of each other. The computer processes the pitch data assigning pitch names in the selected key of music, and the rhythm data in beat units by assigning computed fixed duration values to the rhythm types in accordance with the selected time signature. The pitch and rhythm data are combined and processed for output with other notation features, such as staff lines, stems, flags, beams, articulation marks, etc.

Abstract: A method and system for transcribing musical information that allows a musician or composer to enter both rhythmic and melodic information directly from a musical instrument, such that the rhythmic information may be entered simultaneously with the entry of melodic information, during a subsequent pass after the entry of melodic information, or automatically either during or after the entry of melodic information using a companded approximation of a single unit of rhythmic information. Rhythmic information is entered as absolute and relative beat unit values from which relative note values (i.e. quarter note, half note) are assigned to the melodic information to create the proper graphic symbols to transcribe the musical information into musical notation or sheet music.

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 system for facilitating instruction of musicians in playing of a stringed musical instrument of the type having a plurality of strings and a plurality of frets such as a guitar. The system includes means for producing signals representing musical notes to be played, this means including an array of switches (which may take the form of capacitors), one switch being provided for each note. The switches are positioned beneath each string, which may constitute one of the components of respective switches within a group, in vicinity of each fret. Processing means, which may be coupled to the means for producing signals, produces data representing the musical notes when the system is in its input configuration. Means for receiving, storing and playing back data therefrom representing the musical notes are coupled to the processing means.

Abstract: In playing a music, the present electronic musical instrument stores a code for a performance event and data of generation time length until a presently-specified performance event is regenerated, in a sequencer memory. For each playback access to this sequencer memory, a performance event is excecuted upon elapse of a time corresponding to the generation time interval data of the performance event read out from the memory. For instance, a musical tone which is generated by depression of a key on a keyboard, is generated again with the designated pitch after a given time.

Abstract: A system for facilitating instruction of musicians in playing of a stringed musical instrument of the type having a plurality of strings and a plurality of frets such as a guitar. The system includes means for producing signals representing musical notes to be played, this means including an array of switches (which may take the form of capacitors), one switch being provided for each note. The switches are positioned beneath each string, which may constitute one of the components of respective switches within a group, in vicinity of each fret. Processing means, which may be coupled to the means for producing signals, produces data representing the musical notes when the system is in its input configuration. Means for receiving, storing and playing back data therefrom representing the musical notes are coupled to the processing means.

Abstract: A portable modular music recording device which simply and unobtrusively attaches to a keyboard instrument for purposes of recording live musical performances; and an efficient music microcomputing system in which the captured musical data is digitized and further analyzed to determine note and note expression information when a key has been played. In the modular keyboard device, key and key expression data is captured by means of reflective couplers mounted in the keyboard device, and the information is transmitted to the processing unit. Microcomputer instructions refine the data to a format suitable for serial transmission via a computer-compatible link for ultimate scoring and recording.

Abstract: Tone data produced by operating a keyboard is stored in a RAM to be saved into a tape recorder through an interface. Of a plurality of music numbers saved in the tape recorder a selected one is loaded into the RAM through the interface. A tone generator converts the tone data from the RAM into a tone signal which is sounded from a loudspeaker. The save and load operations are all controlled by a CPU.

Abstract: A plastic card mounting an IC memory of a credit card size called a music card stores encoded digital music information including tone, musical interval, musical length and loudness of each musical note and pause, and said music information actuates a synthesizer which generates music sound signal. The music card also stores a character code for indicating title of music on said synthesizer. As music note is encoded and stored in a digital form, a small capacity of IC memory is enough for storing a long play music.