Patent · US Expired

Musical instrument and method for use therein

US4230012A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
9References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 14, 1977
Grant dateOct 28, 1980
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 14, 1997

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S84/22
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed which are utilized in providing a musical instrument useful for composing, teaching, learning and performing music. The instrument includes a pitch detector which responds to an applied input signal to produce and octave code representing the octave in which the input signal is located and a note code representing the note which is closest in pitch to the input signal. The octave and note codes are applied to display means which indicate the octave and note nearest in pitch to the input signal. The octave and note codes are also applied to an automatic pitch generator wherein they control the dividing down of a high frequency clock signal to produce a true pitch signal having the pitch corresponding to the octave and note codes. The automatic pitch generator also has provision for selectively combining octave and note transpose codes with the octave and note codes to achieve any desired degree of transposition of the true pitch signal. The transposed true pitch signal is applied to a tracking chord generator which internally produces two complete octaves of notes, with the lowest note locked in pitch to the transposed true pitch signal. The chord…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.