MUSICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING CONTROLLER EXACTLY DISCRIMINATING HALF-PEDAL AND CONTROLLING SYSTEM USED THEREIN

Abstract

A mute piano is responsive to key movements and pedal movements so as to produce music data codes expressing the pitch of tones and pedal effect to be given to the tones in accordance with the MIDI protocols, and the damper pedal stroke is divided into a rest region, a half-pedal region and a damper-free region which are expressed by difference numerical ranges of data bytes of the musical data code: since the piano has its own individuality, the relation between the pedal position and the value of data bytes is to be calibrated; the controller of the mute piano enters a calibration mode, and optimizes the relation to the actual damper actions, thereby causing the music data code exactly to express the effect of the damper pedal to be given to the tones.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TI-IE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the keyboard musical instrument and controlling system will be more clearly understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional side view showing the structure of a mute piano according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional side view showing a hammer, a hammer stopper and a damper incorporated in the mute piano,

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of a controller incorporated in the mute piano,

FIG. 4 is a graph showing contents of a damper pedal table, and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are flowchart showing an essential part of a computer program installed in the mute piano.

Claims

1. A musical instrument for producing pieces of music data expressing tones, comprising: a keyboard having plural keys selectively depressed so as to specify pitch of said tones;at least one pedal pressed down so as to specify to a pedal effect to be given to at least one of said tones, and moved along a pedal trajectory divided into more than two regions assigned to the tones without any pedal effect and plural pedal effects different from one another;a tone generator connected to said plural keys and said at least one pedal, producing said tones at the specified pitch, and giving said pedal effect to said at least one of said tones;plural key sensors monitoring said plural keys, and producing key signals representative of key movements;at least one pedal sensor monitoring said at least one pedal, and producing a pedal signal representative of a pedal movement on said pedal trajectory; anda controller connected to said plural key sensors and said at least one pedal sensor, producing music data codes defined in music protocols and expressing at least said specified pitch of said tones and the pedal effect to be given to said at least one of said tones on the basis of said key signals, said pedal signal and relation between an input value expressing a current physical quantity of said at least one pedal and a value of the music data code expressing said pedal effect and having a memory storing said relation in a rewritable manner so as to make it possible to optimize said relation with respect to actual movements of component parts of said tone generator related to said pedal effects.

2. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, in which said controller reads said value of said music data code from said relation depending upon said input value so as to produce said music data code expressing said pedal effect to be given to said at least one of said tones.

3. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 2, in which said input value is expressed as (AD1−AD0) where AD1 is a value of said physical quantity represented by said pedal signal and AD0 is a default value, and said default value is changed through the optimization.

4. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 3, in which said default value is indicative of a certain point in one of said more than two regions assigned to one of said pedal effects.

5. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, in which said tone generator further includes other component parts vibratory at different values of frequency, and said component parts have different influences on said vibrations so as to give said pedal effects to said tones.

6. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 5, in which said component parts take up said vibrations on the condition that said component parts are perfectly held in contact with said other component parts, permits said other component parts freely to vibrate on the condition that said component parts are perfectly spaced from said other component parts, and reduces the amplitude of said vibrations on the condition that said component parts are softly in contact with said other component parts.

7. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 6, in which said relation is optimized in such a manner that said conditions are satisfied by said at least one pedal in said more than two regions, respectively.

8. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a sound system for producing electronic tones from an audio signal, whereinsaid controller includes an electronic tone generator connected to said sound system, produces said audio signal representative of said electronic tones to be produced at said specified pitch on the basis of said music data codes expressing said at least said specified pitch, and modifies said audio signal so as to give said pedal effect on the basis of said music data code expressing said pedal effect.

9. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 8, further comprising a mute system prohibiting said tone generator from generation of said tones so that a player plays a music passage with the assistance of said electronic tone generator and said sound system.

10. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 1, in which a computer program runs on said controller for optimizing said relation.

11. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 10, in which said computer program makes said controller to give a human worker different notifications in said more than two regions so as to assist said human worker in the optimization.

12. The musical instrument as set forth in claim 11, in which said notifications are respectively given to said human worker as different sorts of sound.

13. A controlling system for a musical instrument having plural keys respectively assigned pitch names of tones to be produced and at least one pedal moved along a pedal trajectory divided into more than two regions assigned to the tones without any pedal effect and plural pedal effects different from one another, comprising: plural key sensors monitoring said plural keys, and producing key signals representative of key movements;at least one pedal sensor monitoring said at least one pedal, and producing a pedal signal representative of a pedal movement on said pedal trajectory; anda controller connected to said plural key sensors and said at least one pedal sensor, producing music data codes defined in music protocols and expressing at least said specified pitch of said tones and the pedal effect to be given to said at least one of said tones on the basis of said key signals, said pedal signal and relation between an input value expressing a current physical quantity of said at least one pedal and a value of the music data code expressing said pedal effect, and having a memory storing said relation in a rewritable manner so as to make it possible to optimize said relation with respect to actual movements of component parts of said tone generator related to said pedal effects.

14. The controlling system as set forth in claim 13, in which said controller reads said value of said music data code from said relation depending upon said input value so as to produce said music data code expressing said pedal effect to be given to said at least one of said tones.

15. The controlling system as set forth in claim 14, in which said input value is expressed as (AD1−AD0) where AD1 is a value of said physical quantity represented by said pedal signal and AD0 is a default value, and said default value is changed through the optimization.

16. The controlling system as set forth in claim 15, in which said default value is indicative of a certain point in one of said more than two regions assigned to one of said pedal effects.

17. The controlling system as set forth in claim 13, further comprising a sound system for producing electronic tones from an audio signal, andan electronic tone generator connected between said controller and said sound system producing said audio signal produced at said specified pitch on the basis of said music data codes expressing said at least said specified pitch and modifying said audio signal so as to give said pedal effect on the basis of said music data code expressing said pedal effect.

18. The controlling system as set forth in claim 17, further comprising a mute system prohibiting said tone generator from generation of said tones so that a player plays a music passage with the assistance or said electronic tone generator and said sound system.

19. The controlling system as set forth in claim 13, in which a computer program runs on said controller for optimizing said relation.

20. The controlling system as set forth in claim 19, in which said computer program makes said controller to give a human worker different notifications in said more than two regions so as to assist said human worker in the optimization.

21. The controlling system as set forth in claim 20, in which said notifications are respectively given to said human worker as different sorts of sound.