Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reissue Patent
2000-01-27
2001-12-04
Witkowski, Stanley J. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S622000, C084S627000, C084S633000, C084SDIG001
Reissue Patent
active
RE037459
ABSTRACT:
This is a reissue of application Ser. No.
07
/
291
,
275
filed Dec.
28
,
1988
and now U.S. Pat. No.
4
,
991
,
486
.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function, and more particularly to an electronic musical instrument having plural rhythm tone source channels to which rhythm tone kind designating information is applied.
2. Prior Art
The known first conventional rhythm performance apparatus having plural rhythm tone source channels (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 59-191) assigns plural rhythm tone kinds to be performed (e.g., rhythm tones of bass drum, cymbal, snare drum, ...) to plural rhythm tone source channels. By selectively driving these rhythm tone source channels in accordance with rhythm patterns concerning the rhythm kind (e.g., march) to be performed, the rhythm performance is automatically done.
However, the above-mentioned first conventional rhythm performance apparatus is disadvantageous in that the rhythm kinds to be performed must be fixed. For example, when the conventional rhythm performance apparatus provides eight rhythm tone source channels, the number of rhythm tones to be generated must be fixed at eight. In such case, it is impossible to use sixteen rhythm tone kinds (which is larger than the number of channels) and thereby do the rhythm performance whose contents is complicated and variable.
In order to do such complicated rhythm performance in the conventional rhythm performance apparatus, the number of channels must be increased, so that its constitution must be complicated.
As the second conventional rhythm performance apparatus, a rhythm pattern program apparatus (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 54-48515) is known. This apparatus provides recording means having plural recording tracks each corresponding to each of plural rhythm tone kinds, wherein tone-generation timing information is written into each recording track.
In order to program many kinds of rhythm patterns (or many rhythm kinds) such as the march, waltz, rumba and the like, the above-mentioned second conventional apparatus must provide thirty-two recording tracks if thirty-two rhythm tone kinds are used, for example. For this reason, the second conventional apparatus is disadvantageous in that the memory having large memory capacity must be required as the recording means.
As the third conventional rhythm performance apparatus, the rhythm performance apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-18471 is known.
In the above-mentioned third conventional rhythm performance apparatus, each rhythm tone kind corresponds to each rhythm tone source channel. Hence, in order to increase the number of rhythm tone kinds which can be generated, the number of rhythm tone source channels must be increased, so that the third conventional rhythm performance apparatus is disadvantageous in that its constitution must be complicated.
In order to eliminate the above disadvantage, it can be considered that plural rhythm tone kinds are assigned to each rhythm tone source channel. For example, sixteen rhythm tone kinds are assigned to eight rhythm tone source channels. However, in the case where the rhythm tones in eight channels are all generated, it is impossible to simultaneously generate a new rhythm tone. For this reason, the third conventional rhythm performance apparatus is disadvantageous in that performance expression must be limited in the rhythm performance having high speed tempo or in the rhythm tone generation with short time interval.
As the fourth conventional rhythm performance apparatus, a manual rhythm (or hand-percussion) performance apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 61-116397 is known. This apparatus can generate a single rhythm tone corresponding to the selected rhythm tone kind at every time when an operable member corresponding to a specific rhythm tone kind is operated.
However, in order to generate a drum tone as a roll tone (i.e., continuous tone) in the above apparatus, a player must continuously turn on and off the operable member corresponding to such drum tone. For this reason, this fourth conventional rhythm performance apparatus is disadvantageous in that its operation is very troublesome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function whose number of channels is relatively small but which can do the variable rhythm performance.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function capable of programming many kinds of rhythm patterns in the recording means having relatively small memory capacity.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function capable of generating many kinds of musical tones in short time without increasing the number of channels.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function capable of generating the roll tone with ease.
In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function comprising:
(a) tone source means having plural rhythm tone source channels, the tone source means storing plural rhythm tone kinds each of which can be designated by a player, the tone source means thereby generating a rhythm tone signal corresponding to designated rhythm tone kind by each rhythm tone source channel;
(b) means for generating rhythm tone kind designating information by which at least one of rhythm tone kinds to be performed is designated by every tone-generation timing; and
(c) assigning means for assigning the rhythm tone kind designating information to one of the plural rhythm tone source channels so that desirable rhythm tone kind is designated in assigned rhythm tone source channel at every time when the means generates the rhythm tone kind designating information.
In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function comprising:
(a) storing means having plural storing tracks;
(b) selecting means for arbitrarily selecting one of plural rhythm tone kinds concerning rhythm patterns to be programmed, so that the selecting means generates rhythm tone kind designating information by which selected rhythm tone kind is designated;
(c) designating means for designating a tone-generation timing concerning the rhythm tone kind selected by the selecting means, so that the designating means generates timing information indicative of designated timing thereof; and
(d) writing means for detecting the storing track to which the rhythm tone kind designating information have been already assigned to thereby write corresponding timing information to the detected storing track at every time when the selecting means generates the rhythm tone kind designating information, the writing means assigning the rhythm tone kind designating information to one of un-assigned storing tracks to thereby write corresponding timing information to the newly assigned storing track when the rhythm tone kind designating information is not assigned to the plural storing tracks at all.
In a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function comprising:
(a) tone source means having plural musical tone generating channels, the tone source means generating a musical tone signal corresponding to designated at least one of plural musical tone kinds by each musical tone generating channel;
(b) designating means for generating musical tone kind designating information by which the musical tone kind to be generated is designated;
(c) assigning means for assigning the musical tone kind designating information to at least one of th
Abe Yasunao
Ito Mikio
Kondo Masao
Morrison & Foerster
Witkowski Stanley J.
Yamaha Corporation
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