Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Patent
1991-12-27
1995-03-21
Blankenship, Howard B.
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
84665, 84DIG30, G10H 100
Patent
active
053985850
ABSTRACT:
An electronic musical instrument is designed in a generally guitar-shaped configuration with a fingerboard containing rows of keys replacing each string, one key for each string/fret position. Pressing on a key causes a signal to be provided to a central processing unit which continually scans the fingerboard at a high rate and converts the signals to a plurality of outputs to a synthesizer. Unlike a guitar, a plurality of keys, including a plurality along a single row, may be operated simultaneously to produce a plurality of notes simultaneously. A number of pressure switches and other switches located on the body enable a player to modify the output with vibrato, pitchbend, stereo pan, percussion effects, etc. Additional pressure responsive circuits provide inputs to the central processing unit varying with pressure on the keys. A second embodiment includes a fingerboard with many more rows or columns of keys and more keys per column. In either embodiment the keys may be colored similarly to a piano keyboard or otherwise either embodiment may have a specified or programmable musical interval between adjoining keys on adjacent rows.
REFERENCES:
patent: Re31019 (1982-08-01), Evangelista
patent: 3555166 (1971-01-01), Gasser
patent: 4031800 (1977-06-01), Thompson
patent: 4336734 (1983-05-01), Gunn
patent: 4570521 (1986-02-01), Fox
patent: 4630520 (1986-12-01), Bonanno
patent: 4748887 (1988-06-01), Marshall
Blankenship Howard B.
Spyrou Cessandra C.
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