JP4743341B2 - Keyboard instrument - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a keyboard instrument.

  Conventionally, a so-called performance support device in which a plurality of light emitters are arranged corresponding to each key of a keyboard instrument, and any one of the light emitters corresponding to each key emits light as the music progresses. There are various types. According to such a performance support device, each light emitter is selectively emitted sequentially according to a predetermined piece of music. Therefore, the respective keys corresponding to the light emitting elements that emit light must be sequentially pressed. You can play that song.

  The performance support apparatus described above is considered to be able to perform music well if it is a person who is accustomed to playing a keyboard instrument to some extent. However, since conventional keyboard instruments are provided with a large number of keys corresponding to musical tones, it is difficult for beginners who have just started to practice keyboard instruments to press keys according to the light emission of the light emitter. There is. In addition, it may be confused by the large number of keys and the practice becomes unpleasant.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a keyboard instrument that can be easily played or practiced even by a beginner who has just started playing a keyboard instrument. It is an object.

The invention according to claim 1 is a plurality of keys arranged in one direction at positions where keys can be pressed in a state in which all or some of the fingers of the player's hand are associated with one or more keys. Storage means for storing music data including the first key, performance data for designating a musical tone, and fingering data for designating a finger to be depressed and a key to be depressed, A control means for reading out music data stored by the storage means, a finger designated by fingering data in the music data output by the control means, or the first key associated with the finger as a player An informing means for informing the user, a detecting means for detecting a pressed first key of the plurality of first keys, and a first key detected by the detecting means are output by the control means. Fingering data Therefore, in the case where the first key is associated with the designated finger, a musical tone output means for outputting a musical tone designated by the performance data in the music data outputted by the control means is provided. It is a keyboard instrument.
The invention according to claim 2 is the keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first keys are five keys corresponding to each finger.
The invention according to claim 3 is the keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first keys are two to four keys each corresponding to one or more fingers.
The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the keyboard includes a plurality of second keys arranged on both sides of the plurality of first keys so as to form a line with the plurality of first keys. The keyboard instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The invention according to claim 5 is the keyboard instrument according to claim 4, wherein the shape of each second key is different from the shape of each first key.
The invention according to claim 6 is the keyboard instrument according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a load on the key press of each second key is different from a load on the key press of each first key. is there.
The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the keyboard includes a plurality of third keys arranged between each of the plurality of first keys. It is a keyboard musical instrument given in the paragraph.

  According to the present invention, even a beginner who has just started playing a keyboard instrument can easily perform performance or practice of performance.

It is a top view which shows the external appearance of the keyboard musical instrument which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution in the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the music data in the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the main routine in the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the start / stop process in the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the interruption process in the same embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the keyboard process in the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the sound generation process in the embodiment. It is a top view which shows the external appearance of the keyboard musical instrument which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the external appearance of the keyboard musical instrument which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the performance practice apparatus which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is a top view which shows the external appearance of the performance training apparatus which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is a top view which shows the external appearance of the performance training apparatus which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the performance practice apparatus which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the keyboard musical instrument which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the keyboard musical instrument which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the keyboard musical instrument which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the keyboard musical instrument which concerns on the modification of this invention. It is a plane which shows the external appearance of the typing practice apparatus which concerns on the modification of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Such an embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the present invention.

A: First Embodiment A conventional keyboard instrument has a one-to-one correspondence between the key and the pitch of a musical tone, and when a key is pressed, a musical tone having a pitch corresponding to the key is output. Therefore, the number of keys corresponding to the number of musical tones to be output is provided. Therefore, beginners who have just started practicing playing a keyboard instrument need to learn the correspondence between a large number of keys and musical sounds, which is one of the reasons that it takes a long time to improve their performance. It was. On the other hand, the performance practice device according to the present embodiment, if the fingering by the player satisfies a predetermined condition regardless of the pitch of the musical tone in the music (for example, the fingering by the actual player) If the fingering set in advance matches), a musical sound is output. Therefore, unlike a conventional keyboard instrument, music can be played by moving a finger according to a preset fingering without learning the correspondence between a large number of keys and musical sounds. As described above, according to the performance practice device according to the present embodiment, even a beginner who has just started to practice a performance can easily perform.

A-1: Configuration of the First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the appearance of a performance practice device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the performance practice device 1 includes a main body 10, a left hand playing unit 11, a right hand playing unit 12, a left hand fingering display unit 13, and a right hand fingering display unit 14.

The left-hand playing unit 11 includes keys 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, and 11e.
The right hand playing unit 12 is composed of keys 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d and 12e. Each of these keys can be depressed by a performer with a finger, like a normal keyboard instrument key. Here, in the present embodiment, each key constituting the left hand playing unit 11 corresponds to each finger of the left hand, and each key constituting the right hand playing unit 12 corresponds to each finger of the right hand. Specifically, in the left hand playing unit 11, the key 11a is the left little finger, the key 11b is the left ring finger, the key 11c is the left middle finger, the key 11d is the left index finger, and the key 11e is the left thumb. Respectively. Similarly, in the right hand playing unit 12, the key 12a is the right thumb, the key 12b is the right index finger, the key 12c is the right middle finger, the key 12d is the right ring finger, the key 12e is the right finger, Each corresponds.

  Each of the left hand fingering display unit 13 and the right hand fingering display unit 14 includes five LEDs (light emitting units). As shown in FIG. 1, the five LEDs included in the left hand fingering display unit 13 are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to the five keys included in the left hand playing unit 11, and the right hand fingering display unit The five LEDs included in 14 are arranged at positions corresponding to the five keys included in the right-hand playing unit 12. Then, any one of the keys can be instructed to the performer by lighting any one of the LEDs.

  Here, as described above, in the present embodiment, since each key and each finger have a one-to-one correspondence, the key to be pressed is determined by lighting one of the LEDs. In addition to instructing, it is possible to instruct a finger to be pressed. In this embodiment, the key indicated by the lighting of the LED (that is, the finger to perform key pressing) and the key actually pressed by the performer (that is, the finger that actually pressed the key) When a predetermined condition is satisfied, some musical sound in the music is output. This predetermined condition differs depending on the performance mode to be described later. For example, when the key instructed by the lighting of the LED matches the actually pressed key, that is, the fingering by the performer is performed. The musical tone is output when the fingering matches a preset fingering (fingering matching mode described later).

  Next, a control system of the performance practice device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the control system of the performance practice apparatus 1 includes a CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, external storage device 104, operation unit 105, sound source 106, speaker 107, LED driver 108, key drive unit 109, and key press detection. The unit 110 is configured. These units may be configured to be embedded in the main body of the performance practice device 1 or may be configured to be provided in a box separate from the performance practice device 1.

  The CPU 101 performs various operations among various units connected via the bus 111, that is, the ROM 102, the RAM 103, the external storage device 104, the operation unit 105, the sound source 106, the LED driver 108, the key drive unit 109, and the key press detection unit 110. It exchanges information and functions as a control center of the performance practice device 1. The ROM 102 stores various control programs executed by the CPU 101. The RAM 103 is used as a main memory by the CPU 101, and has a storage area for storing music data described later, and a storage area for setting various flags and registers described later.

  The external storage device 104 is configured by a magnetic storage medium, a CD-ROM, and the like that store information related to music performance such as music data, and a reading device that reads data therefrom. The music data stored in the external storage device 104 is read in response to an instruction from the CPU 101 and loaded into the RAM 103.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the music data for one music piece includes the right hand including information on the performance of the part to be played by the right hand (hereinafter referred to as “right hand part”). Music piece data and left-hand piece music data including information on the performance of a part to be played by the left hand (hereinafter referred to as “left-hand part”). The right-hand music data and the left-hand music data are configured to include event data for instructing a performance operation and time data representing a time interval between these event data. Here, there are three types of event data: a note on event, a note off event, and a key pressure event.

  The note-on event is event data for instructing the generation of a musical tone. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a note number for designating a musical tone to be generated and the strength of the musical tone are indicated. Includes velocity to specify. In the conventional keyboard instrument, the note number and the key have a one-to-one correspondence. However, in the present embodiment, the note number and the key do not correspond to the one-to-one. That is, when any one of the keys is pressed, one of the tones that can be output by a normal keyboard instrument (for example, 88 types of tones) is output.

  The note-off event is event data for instructing the muting of the musical sound generated by the note-on event, and includes a note number for instructing the musical sound to be muted and velocity. However, since the note-off event data is data for instructing to mute the musical sound, the velocity is “64” which is a default value. In the following description, note-on events and note-off events are collectively referred to as “performance events”.

  The key pressure event includes fingering data for designating a finger to be pressed. Here, each fingering data includes any number (finger number) from “1” to “5”, and any finger is specified by this finger number. That is, the thumb is “1”, the index finger is “2”, and so on. In the present embodiment, each finger and each key of the performer have a one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, the fingering data specifies the finger to be pressed and presses the key. This also specifies the key that should be used. In the present embodiment, the LED provided corresponding to the key specified by the fingering data during the key pressure event is lit up, so that the key to be pressed (= pressed) to the performer. The finger to be locked) is notified.

  In the present embodiment, the timing at which a key pressure event is read out is a predetermined time (FIGS. 3A and 3B) than the timing at which a note-on event for instructing the generation of a musical sound corresponding to the key pressure event is read out. In the example shown in (2), the time data in the music data is set so as to be faster by “6”). That is, the LED is lit in advance by a predetermined time earlier than the timing at which a key is actually pressed to output a musical sound.

  The CPU 101 reads these event data at the timing specified by the time data in the music data, or at the timing when any key is pressed, the performance event is sent to the sound source 106 or the key drive unit 109, and the key pressure event is The data is transmitted to the destination corresponding to the type of each event data, such as to the LED driver 108 or the key driving unit 109. The above is the composition of the music data used in this embodiment.

  Next, in FIG. 2, the operation unit 105 (learning mode selection means) includes a start switch for instructing the start of the performance operation by the performer, a stop switch for instructing the end of the performance operation, and various performances described later. In addition to a mode selection key for selecting a mode and the like, various switches and operators are provided, and a signal corresponding to an operation by the user is transmitted to the CPU 101.

  The sound source 106 is a means for generating a tone signal according to a performance event supplied by the CPU 101. Specifically, when a note-on event is supplied by the CPU 101, a tone signal corresponding to the note number and velocity included in the note-on event is generated and output. On the other hand, when the note off event is supplied by the CPU 101, the sound source 106 stops generating the musical sound designated by the note number included in the note off event. Note that the sound source 106 in the present embodiment can output a plurality of percussion instrument sounds instructed by the CPU 101 (a percussion instrument mode described later). The signal output from the sound source 106 is amplified by an amplifier (not shown) and output from the speaker 107. Note that headphones may be provided instead of the speaker 107.

  The LED driver 108 is a means for lighting one of the LEDs included in the left hand fingering display unit 13 and the right hand fingering display unit 14. That is, when a key pressure event is supplied by the CPU 101, the LED driver 108 turns on the LED corresponding to the key specified by the fingering data in the key pressure event among the plurality of LEDs. . As described above, the CPU 101, the LED driver 108, and the plurality of LEDs constitute “notification means” in the claims.

The key driving unit 109 is a unit for driving a key designated by fingering data in a key pressure event supplied by the CPU 101 by a known method when the performance mode is set to a key driving mode described later. It is. That is, the key drive unit 109 can drive the key designated by the CPU 101 to be depressed, or can drive the depressed key to be released. When one of the keys is pressed by the performer, the key press detection unit 110 outputs a signal to that effect and a signal indicating the key pressed or released to the CPU 101.
The above is the configuration of the performance practice device according to the present embodiment.

A-2: Performance Mode Next, performance modes that can be selected during performance in this embodiment will be described.
In the present embodiment, an automatic performance mode for automatically performing music and a practice mode for the performer to practice the music are prepared, and the performer operates the mode selection key of the operation unit 105. Thus, these modes can be selectively switched. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, different modes can be set for the left hand part and the right hand part. For example, the left hand part is automatically played in the automatic performance mode, and the right hand part is practiced in the practice mode.

  In the present embodiment, as the above-described practice mode, a. Fingering match mode; b. Fingering direction matching mode, c. Any key mode, d. Key-driven mode, and e. One of the five modes of the percussion instrument mode can be selected. Each of these modes is a concept included in the “teaching mode” in the claims. Hereinafter, each mode will be described.

a. Fingering match mode In this fingering match mode, a tone is output only when the key specified by the fingering data during the key pressure event and the key actually pressed by the performer completely match. The That is, a musical tone is output only when the fingering specified by the music data matches the actual fingering by the performer.

b. Fingering direction coincidence mode In this fingering direction coincidence mode, the key specified this time by fingering data is actually compared to the key previously specified by fingering data (hereinafter referred to as “previous key”). A musical tone is output when the key pressed by the performer is in the same direction (the positive or negative direction of the x axis) in the direction in which the keys are arranged (the x axis direction in FIG. 1). It is like that. For example, when the previous key is the key 12c and the key to be pressed this time is the key 12a, the key 12a to be pressed this time is positioned in the negative direction of the x axis with respect to the previous key 12c. Therefore, when a key located in the negative direction of the x-axis is pressed with respect to the previous key 12c, that is, when the key 12a or 12b is pressed, the musical tone at that point in the music is recorded. Is output.

  In another expression for this fingering direction matching mode, for the finger that should have been pressed previously, the finger specified this time by the fingering data and the finger that actually pressed the key are: It can also be said that a musical sound is output when it is on the same side in the hand. That is, in the above example, the finger that should have been pressed last time is the middle finger of the right hand, and the finger that should be pressed this time is the thumb of the right hand. Here, when viewed from the back side of the right hand, the thumb is located on the left side with respect to the middle finger. Therefore, when a key is pressed by a finger on the left side (thumb side) with respect to the middle finger, that is, the thumb or forefinger, the musical sound at that point in the music is output.

c. Any key mode In this any key mode, even if any key is pressed, that is, when any key is pressed, a musical tone is output. Yes.

d. Key Drive Mode In this key drive mode, the key specified by the fingering data during the key pressure event is automatically driven to the pressed or released state, and the parts set in this mode are automatically Performance is to be performed. That is, it differs from the automatic performance mode in that the key is driven as the music performance progresses. The performer can practice to learn fingering by watching this key drive, or to place each finger at a position corresponding to each key and move the finger according to the drive of the key. Hereinafter, a performance in this key driving mode, that is, a performance in which key driving is performed together with automatic performance is referred to as “exemplary performance”.

e. Percussion instrument mode In the performance practice apparatus according to the present embodiment, a percussion instrument sound can be assigned to each key by performing a predetermined operation on the operation unit 105. That is, for example, a large drum sound is assigned to the key corresponding to the thumb of the right hand, a cymbal sound is assigned to the index finger, and so on. When the performance mode is set to the percussion instrument mode, the percussion instrument sound assigned to the key is output when any key is pressed regardless of the progress of the music. It has become. In this percussion instrument mode, since it is not necessary to instruct the performer of the key to be pressed (= finger to be pressed), the LED is not turned on.

  The above is the performance mode in this embodiment. The above-described automatic performance mode and each mode that can be selected as the practice mode correspond to “learning mode” in the claims. The “teaching means” in the claims is means for performing performance learning in each of the above modes. In the present embodiment, the CPU 101, the ROM 102, the sound source 106, the LED driver 108, the key driving unit 109, The key pressing detection unit 110 is realized.

A-3: Flags and Registers Next, various flags and registers set in the RAM 103 will be described.
The RAM 103 includes a start flag SF, a part flag PF, and a practice mode flag PM (R) and (L), registers AD (R) and AD (L), DU (R) and DU (L), and ADG (R). And ADG (L) and DUG (R) and DUG (L) are set, respectively. Of these flags or registers, those marked with “(R)” are the registers or flags for the right-hand part, and those marked with “(L)” are the registers or flags for the left-hand part. , Respectively.

  First, the start flag SF is a flag indicating whether or not to perform a performance operation. In a start / stop process described later, when the start switch of the operation unit 105 is depressed, “1” is set, and the stop switch is set. When the key is depressed, “0” is set.

  The part flag PF is a flag indicating whether the right hand part or the left hand part is set to the practice mode or the automatic performance mode, respectively. Specifically, if the right hand part is set to practice mode and the left hand part is set to automatic performance mode, the part flag PF is set to “0”, the left hand part is set to practice mode, and the right hand part is set to automatic performance mode. If it is set, “1” is set to the part flag PF, and “2” is set to the part flag PF when both the right hand part and the left hand part are set to the practice mode.

  The practice mode flags PM (R) and PM (L) are set to any of the above modes when the right hand part or the left hand part or both are set as the practice part. Is a flag indicating whether or not is selected. Specifically, when the fingering match mode is set, “0” is set to the practice mode flag PM (R or L), and when the fingering direction match mode is set, the practice mode is set. When the flag PM (R or L) is set to “1” and the any key mode is set, the practice mode flag PM (R or L) is set to “2” and the key driving mode is set. If it is, the practice mode flag PM (R or L) is set to “3”, and if the percussion instrument mode is set, the practice mode flag PM (R or L) is set to “4”. It has become.

  Next, the various registers described above will be described. These registers are registers DU (R) and DU (L) used to measure the elapsed time, and registers AD used to store DUG (R) and DUG (L) and addresses in the RAM 103. (R) and AD (L), and ADG (R) and ADG (L).

  In the register DU (R), a time interval between performance events in the right-hand music data is set. That is, in the example of FIG. 3A, immediately after the performance of the music is started, a time interval “10 (4 + 6)” from the beginning of the music data to the first performance event is set, and thereafter “12”, Each value is set such as “14 (8 + 6)”,. Similarly, in the register DU (L), the time intervals between the performance events in the left-hand music data (“18 (12 + 6)”, “32”, “8 (2 + 6) in the example of FIG. 3B) are stored. ", ...) is set.

  In the register DUG (R), a time interval between each key pressure event in the right-hand music data is set. That is, in the example of FIG. 3A, immediately after the performance of the music, the time interval “4” from the beginning of the music data to the first key pressure event is set, and thereafter, “26 (6 + 12 + 8)”, Each value is set such as .... In the register DUG (L), a time interval between key pressure events in the left-hand music data (in the example of FIG. 3B, “12”, “40 (6 + 32 + 2)”,...) Is set. The

  In the register AD (R), an address in the RAM 103 in which each performance event in the right-hand music data is stored is sequentially set at a timing specified by the time set in the register DU (R). That is, in the example of FIG. 3A, addresses “R4”, “R6”, “R10”,... Are sequentially set. Similarly, addresses (“L4”, “L6”, “L10”...) In the RAM 103 in which the next performance event in the left-hand music data is stored are sequentially set in the register AD (L).

Further, the address in the RAM 103 in which each key pressure event in the right-hand music data is stored is sequentially set in the ADG (R). That is, in the example of FIG. 3A, “R2”, “R8”,... Are sequentially set. Similarly, addresses (“L2”, “L8”,...) In the RAM 103 in which the next key pressure event in the left-hand music data is stored are sequentially set in the register ADG (L).
The above is the flags and registers used in this embodiment.

A-4: Operation of Embodiment Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, a main routine of processing executed in the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. Note that each process described below is executed by the CPU 101 according to various programs stored in the ROM 102.

  First, when the performance training apparatus 1 is turned on, the CPU 101 performs an initial setting process (step S10). In this initial setting process, the CPU 101 initializes the various registers and flags described above. When this initialization process ends, the CPU 101 performs a start / stop process shown in FIG. 5 (step S20). In the start / stop processing, when the start switch or stop switch of the operation unit 105 is pressed, the processing such as setting of each register is performed (details will be described later).

  When this start / stop process ends, the CPU 101 performs the keyboard process shown in FIG. 7 (step S30). In this keyboard process, when any key is pressed or released, a tone generation process (FIGS. 8A to 8E) or a process for muting is performed according to the set performance mode. (Details will be described later). When this keyboard process is completed, the CPU 101 performs a panel process (step S40). In this panel processing, the state of various switches in the operation unit 105 is detected, and the various flags described above are set corresponding to the state of each switch. When the panel processing ends, the CPU 101 performs other processing (step S50) and then performs keyboard processing again. Thereafter, the CPU 101 repeats the above-described processing from the keyboard processing to other processing (steps S20 to S50) until the power of the performance practice device 1 is turned off.

  In addition to the main routine described above, the CPU 101 performs an interrupt process shown in FIG. 6 at regular time intervals. In this interruption process, an automatic performance process for a part set in the automatic performance mode, a process for lighting an LED, and the like are performed.

Here, the above-described start / stop process will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
When the start / stop process is started, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the start switch of the operation unit 105 is turned on (step S201). If it is determined that the start switch is turned on as a result of the determination, the CPU 101 sets “1” to the start flag SF (step S202) and performs a data set process (step S203).

  In this data set process, the CPU 101 first instructs the reading device in the external storage device 104 to read music data. Then, the CPU 101 writes the music data read in response to this instruction in a predetermined storage area in the RAM 103. Further, the CPU 101 reads the time until the first note-on event in the music data is read out to the register DU (R and L), and reads the first key pressure event in the music data into the register DUG (R or L). Set the time until. In the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the specific values set in each register are DU (R) = 10, DU (L) = 18, DUG (R) = 4, DUG (L ) = 12.

  When such data set processing is completed, or when it is determined that the start switch is not turned on as a result of the above-described determination (step S201), the CPU 101 determines whether or not the stop switch of the operation unit 105 is turned on. Is determined (step S204). If it is determined that the stop switch is turned on, the CPU 101 sets “0” to the start flag SF (step S205), and the start / step process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the stop switch is not turned on as a result of the determination described above, there is no need to change the value of the start flag SF, and the start / stop process is terminated.

  Next, detailed processing performed in the above-described interrupt processing, keyboard processing, and the like will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. In the following description, the description will be given taking as an example the case where the left hand part is set to the automatic performance part and the right hand part is set to the practice mode. Also, in the following, the right hand part has the following modes: (1) fingering coincidence mode, (2) fingering direction coincidence mode, (3) any key mode, (4) key drive mode, and (5) percussion instrument mode. The explanation will be divided into the cases where it is set.

(1) When the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the fingering coincidence mode (part flag PF = 0, practice mode flag PM (R) = 0)
As described above, the CPU 101 performs an interrupt process at regular time intervals (for example, a time interval corresponding to a tempo set by the player operating the operation unit 105). FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing this interrupt processing.

  When the interrupt process is started, the CPU 101 first determines whether or not the start flag SF is “1” (step S101). As described above, the start flag SF is set to “1” when an instruction to start a performance operation is given. Therefore, if it is determined that the start flag SF is not “1” as a result of this determination, that is, if the performance operation has not started, the following processing does not need to be performed and the interrupt processing is immediately terminated. .

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the start flag SF is “1”, it means that the start of the performance operation is instructed. In this case, the CPU 101 decrements the values set in the registers DU (L), DU (R), DUG (L), and DUG (R) by “1”, respectively (step S102).

  Next, the CPU 1 determines which value of “0”, “1”, and “2” the part flag PF is (step S103). That is, it is determined whether the right hand part and the left hand part are set to the practice mode or the automatic performance mode, respectively.

  Now, “0” is set in the part flag PF. In this case, the CPU 101 performs processing from steps S104 to S114, that is, processing a. Automatic performance processing of left hand part, processing b. LED lighting process of right hand part, and process c. Set the registers for the right hand part. Hereinafter, each of these processes will be described.

Process a. Left-hand part automatic performance processing In the left-hand part automatic performance processing, the performance event in the left-hand music data is read from the RAM 103 and sent to the sound source 106 when the time set in the register DU (L) becomes “0”. Processing for automatic performance such as output is performed. Specifically, it is as follows.

  First, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the value of the register DU (L) has become “0” as a result of the decrement of the register DU (L) (step S102) (step S104). As described above, the time between performance events in the left-hand music data is set in this register DU (L). Therefore, if it is determined in the above determination that the value of the register DU (L) is not “0”, it means that it is not yet the timing to read the performance event in the left-hand music data, so the following processing ( Steps S105 and S106) are not performed. On the other hand, when it is determined that the value of the register DU (L) is “0”, it means that the timing for reading the performance event in the left-hand music data has arrived. Process related to. That is, the CPU 101 sets, in the register AD (L), the address at which the performance event next to the performance event stored at the address set in the register AD (L) is stored. However, when the value of the register DU (L) first becomes “0” after the music performance starts, the address where the first performance event in the left-hand music data is stored is set in the register AD (L). To do. Further, the CPU 101 sets the time until the performance event is read out in the register DU (L) (step S105).

  Next, the CPU 101 reads the performance event stored in the address newly set in the register AD (L) in step S105 from the RAM 103 and outputs it to the sound source 106 (step S106).

  On the other hand, the sound source 106 supplied with a performance event from the CPU 101 performs operations such as generation and output of a musical tone signal or stop of output of a musical tone signal in accordance with the performance event. In this way, the automatic performance of the left hand part proceeds in sequence.

Processing b. LED lighting process (steps S107 to S110)
When the process a described above is completed, the CPU 101 starts the LED lighting process for the right-hand part. In this LED lighting process, when the time set in the register DUG (R) becomes “0”, the LED 15 corresponding to the key specified by the fingering data included in the key pressure event is turned on. Processing is performed.

  When the processing b is started, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the value of the register DUG (R) has become “0” as a result of the decrement (step S102) described above (step S107). As described above, the time between each key pressure event in the music data for the right hand is set in the register DUG (R). Therefore, if it is determined that the value of the register DUG (R) is not “0” as a result of this determination, it means that the LED lighting timing is not yet reached, so the process b is immediately terminated and will be described later. The process proceeds to process c. On the other hand, if it is determined that the value of the register DUG (R) is “0”, it means that the lighting timing of any one of the LEDs 15 has arrived, and thus the CPU 101 performs the process shown in step S108. I do.

  That is, the CPU 101 sets the address where the key pressure event is stored in the register ADG (R). Specifically, the address at which the key pressure event next to the key pressure event stored at the address set in the register ADG (R) at that time is stored is set in the register ADG (R). However, when the value of the register DUG (R) becomes “0” for the first time after the music performance starts, the address where the first key pressure event is stored is set in the register ADG (R). Furthermore, the CPU 101 sets the time until the key pressure event stored in the address newly set in the register ADG (R) is read out in the register DUG (R) (step S108).

  Next, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the practice mode flag PM (R) is “4” (step S109). Here, the practice mode flag PM (R) is set to “0”. Therefore, the CPU 101 reads out the key pressure event stored in the address newly set in the register ADG (R) in step S108 from the RAM 103 and outputs it to the LED driver 108 (step S110). Thereby, the process b ends.

  Here, the LED driver 108 turns on the LED corresponding to the key specified by the fingering data included in the key pressure event received from the CPU 101 among the LEDs included in the right hand fingering display unit 14. Further, the LED driver 108 turns off the lit LED when a certain time has elapsed since the LED was turned on. By performing such processing, in the performance mode other than the percussion instrument mode, the key designated by the key pressure event in the music data (that is, the finger to be pressed) is notified to the performer. It will be. The timing for turning off the LED is not limited to a certain time after the lighting, but for example, the LED may be turned off when the next key pressure event is received, or a note-off event in the music data is received. It is good also as a structure which makes it light-extinguish at a timing.

Process c. Register setting for right hand part, etc. (steps S111 to S114)
When the process b described above is completed, the CPU 101 sets the register for the right-hand part at the timing when the time set in the register DU (R) becomes “0”. The details are as follows.

  First, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the value of the register DU (R) has become “0” as a result of the decrement of the register DU (R) (step S102) (step S111). As described above, the time between performance events in the right-hand music data is set in the register DU (R). Therefore, if it is determined that the value of the register DU (R) is not “0” as a result of the above determination, it is determined that the timing of the right hand part register setting and the processing for the model performance has not yet arrived. This means that the process c is terminated without performing the following processes (steps S112 to S114), and the interrupt process is terminated.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the value of the register DU (R) is “0”, it means that the timing for setting the register relating to the performance of the right-hand part has arrived. In this case, the CPU 101 sets, in the register AD (R), the address where the performance event next to the performance event stored in the address set in the register AD (R) is stored. However, when the value of the register DUG (R) first becomes “0” after the music performance starts, the address where the first performance event is stored is set in the register AD (R). Further, the CPU 101 sets the time until the performance event stored in the address newly set in the register AD (R) is read in the register DU (R) (step S112).

  Next, the CPU 101 determines whether or not “3” is set in the practice mode flag PM (R) (step S113). Here, as described above, since the right-hand part is set to the fingering coincidence mode (PM (R) = 0), the CPU 101 ends the process c without performing the process of step S114 (details will be described later). And interrupt processing ends.

  Next, the keyboard processing executed in the main routine described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. When this keyboard process is started, the CPU 101 first determines whether any of the keys released in the previous keyboard process has been pressed (step S301). This determination is made based on a signal transmitted from the key press detection unit 110. If it is determined that the key is not depressed as a result of the determination, the CPU 101 does not need to perform the process for generating a musical sound (steps S303 to S309), so the CPU 101 performs the process for muting the musical sound (steps S310 to 312). Proceed to

  On the other hand, if it is determined that any of the keys released in the previous keyboard process has been pressed, the CPU 101 determines that the value of the part flag PF is “0”, “1”, or “2”. Is determined (step S302). Now, since the part flag PF is set to “0”, the CPU 101 next determines whether or not the depressed key is a key included in the right-hand performance unit 12 (step S303). This determination is made based on a signal output by the key press detection unit 110. Here, since the left-hand part is set to the automatic performance mode, if the operated key is not the right-hand performance unit 12, that is, if the operated key is the left-hand performance unit 11, the sound generation process is performed. There is no need. Accordingly, the process proceeds to the process for muting the musical sound (step S310).

  On the other hand, when the depressed key is a key included in the right hand playing unit 12, the CPU 101 performs a sound generation process corresponding to the currently set right hand part performance mode, that is, the fingering matching mode ( Step S304).

  FIG. 8A is a flowchart showing the sound generation process performed in step S304 in the flowchart of FIG. 7 when the performance mode of the right hand part is set to the fingering coincidence mode. As shown in FIG. 8A, in this sound generation process, the CPU 101 first determines whether or not “1” is set in the start flag SF (step Sa10). As a result, if “1” is not set in the start flag SF, it means that the performance operation has not started, and it is not necessary to perform sound generation processing or the like. Return to processing.

  On the other hand, when the start flag SF is “1”, that is, when the performance operation is started, the CPU 101 stores the key stored in the address set in the register ADG (R) at that time. It is determined whether or not the key specified by the fingering data in the pressure event matches the key pressed by the performer (determined by the signal transmitted from the key pressing detection unit 110) (step Sa11). ). As a result, if the key specified by the fingering data does not match the pressed key, the process returns to the keyboard process without performing the sound generation process.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the key specified by the fingering data matches the pressed key, the CPU 101 stores the key at the address set in the register AD (R) at that time. The performance event is read from the RAM 103 and output to the sound source 106 (step Sa12), and then the process returns to the keyboard process.

  The sound source 106 that has received the performance event generates a musical sound signal in accordance with the performance event and outputs it to the speaker 107. In this way, when the practice mode is set to the fingering coincidence mode, a musical tone is generated only when the key specified by the fingering data matches the key pressed by the performer, If the key specified by the fingering data does not match the key pressed by the performer, no musical sound is generated. If the key specified by the fingering data and the key pressed by the performer do not match, a tone is not generated but an alarm is output, thereby You may make it alert | report that the pressed key is an incorrect key.

  As described above, the music data is read so that the timing for reading the key pressure event in the music data is earlier than the timing for reading the performance event by a predetermined time (“6” in the music data illustrated in FIG. 3). Medium time data is set. Here, any key is pressed by the performer after the key pressure event is set in the register ADG (R or L) until the performance event is set in the register AD (R or L). In this case, the next performance event may be set in the register AD (R or L) at the timing when the key is pressed, and a tone corresponding to the performance event may be output, or any tone may be output. You may make it not. In step S108 in FIG. 6, the key pressure event stored in the address set in the register ADG (R) is read immediately before new data is set in the registers ADG (R) and DUG (R). And stored in a predetermined area in the RAM 103, and using this stored data, a determination is made in step Sa11 in FIG. 8A and in step Sb11 in FIG. Also good. That is, in step Sa11 in FIG. 8A and step Sb11 in FIG. 8B, the key that has been pressed and the finger specified by the key pressure event stored in the predetermined area in RAM 103 are displayed. You may make it compare with the corresponding key.

  After the sound generation process described above is performed, the CPU 101 performs a mute process (steps S310 to S312) described below.

In this silencing process, the CPU 101 first determines whether or not the practice mode flag PM (R or L) of the pressed key part (right hand part or left hand part) is “3” (step S310). ). Here, since the practice mode flag PM (R) is set to “0”, the process proceeds to step S310. That is, the CPU 101 determines whether any of the keys that have been pressed in the previous keyboard process has been released (step S311). If it is determined that one of the keys has been released as a result of this determination, the CPU 101 transmits to the sound source 106 an instruction to stop the generation of the musical sound corresponding to the released key (step S312). Then, the keyboard process ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that none of the keys are released, the keyboard process is terminated as it is not necessary to perform a process for stopping the musical tone.
The above is the interrupt processing and keyboard processing when the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the fingering coincidence mode.

(2) When the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the fingering direction matching mode (part flag PF = 0, practice mode flag PM (R) = 1)
When the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the fingering direction coincidence mode, the same processing as in the case (1) is performed. Therefore, the description of the same processing as in the case (1) is omitted.

  When the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the fingering direction coincidence mode, the fingering direction coincidence mode is supported in step S304 in the keyboard processing (FIG. 7) in (1) above. The sound generation process, that is, the sound generation process shown in FIG. 8B is executed.

  When the sound generation process shown in FIG. 8B is started, the CPU 101 first determines whether or not the start flag SF is “1” as in the sound generation process shown in FIG. Sb10). As a result, when it is determined that the start flag SF is not “1”, it is not necessary to perform the sound generation process, and the process directly returns to the keyboard process.

  On the other hand, when the start flag SF is “1”, the CPU 101 determines the key (specified by the fingering data in the key pressure event stored at the address set in the register ADG (R) at that time. The key to be pressed this time) is in either the positive or negative direction of the x axis with respect to the key (previous key) specified by the fingering data in the key pressure event before the key pressure event. Determine if it is located. Further, the CPU 101 determines whether the key pressed by the performer is located in the positive direction or the negative direction of the x-axis with respect to the previous key. As a result, it is determined whether the position of the key to be pressed this time and the position of the key actually pressed are the same in the x-axis direction with respect to the previous key position (step). Sb11).

  As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the directions are not the same, the process returns to the keyboard process without performing the sound generation process. On the other hand, if it is determined that they are in the same direction, the CPU 101 reads the performance event stored at the address set in the register AD (R) at that time from the RAM 103 and outputs it to the sound source 106 (step Sb12). Return to keyboard processing.

  Thus, when the practice mode is set to the fingering direction matching mode, the key to be pressed this time and the key actually pressed are different from the key that should have been pressed immediately before. The musical sound is generated only in the same direction (positive direction or negative direction) in the x-axis direction. That is, for example, when the key that should have been pressed last time is the key 12b corresponding to the index finger of the right hand and the key to be pressed this time is the key 12d corresponding to the ring finger of the right hand, the key to be pressed this time 12d is on the right side with respect to the immediately preceding key 12b. Therefore, when the right key is pressed with respect to the immediately preceding key 12b, that is, the key 12c corresponding to the middle finger of the right hand, the key 12d corresponding to the ring finger, and the key 12e corresponding to the little finger are pressed. A musical tone is output when

(3) When the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the any key mode (part flag PF = 0, practice mode flag PM (R) = 2)
The process performed when the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the fingering direction matching mode is substantially the same as the process in (1) described above. Therefore, the description of the processing common to (1) described above is omitted.

  When the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the any key mode, the process shown in FIG. 8C is performed in step S304 in the keyboard process (FIG. 7) in the case of (1) above. Is executed. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 8C, the CPU 101 first determines whether or not the start flag SF is “1” as in the sound generation process shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B (step Sc10). Thus, it is determined whether or not the performance operation has been started. If the performance operation has started, the performance event stored at the address set in the register AD (R) is read from the RAM 103 and output to the sound source 106 (step Sc11), and the process returns to the keyboard processing.

  The sound source 106 generates a musical sound signal according to the performance event received from the CPU 101 and outputs it to the speaker 107. As described above, in the any key mode, a musical sound is output regardless of which key is pressed by the performer.

(4) When the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the key drive mode (part flag PF = 0, practice mode flag PM (R) = 3)
In this case, the processing a. In the flowchart shown in FIG. Automatic performance processing of left hand part, and processing b. After the LED lighting process for the right hand part is executed, the process for the model performance of the right hand part is executed in process c.

  When the CPU 101 determines that the value of the register DU (R) has become “0” after executing the process a and the process b in the same manner as (1) above (step S111), the registers AD (R) and DU ( R) is set (step S112), and it is determined whether or not “3” is set in the performance mode flag PM (R) (step S113). Here, since the performance mode flag PM (R) is set to “3”, the CPU 101 starts an exemplary performance process for the right-hand part shown in step S114. That is, the CPU 101 reads out the performance event stored at the address set in the register AD (R) from the RAM 103 and outputs the performance event to the tone generator 106 and the key driving unit 109, and is set in the register ADG (R) at that time. The key pressure event stored in the address is read and output to the key driving unit 109.

  Here, the sound source 106 performs operations such as generation and output of a musical sound signal or stop output of the musical sound signal in accordance with a performance event supplied by the CPU 101.

  Further, when the CPU 101 is supplied with a note-on event and a key pressure event, the key driving unit 109 drives the key designated by the fingering data included in the key pressure event to the depressed state. On the other hand, when the note-off event and the key pressure event are supplied, the key driving unit 109 drives the key specified by the fingering data included in the key pressure event to the released state.

  By performing such processing by the sound source 106 and the key driving unit 109, the key to be pressed in the right hand playing unit 12 is automatically driven, and the musical sound of the right hand part is output from the speaker 107. The performance is executed.

  On the other hand, since the model performance process for the right-hand part is performed in this interrupt process, the process corresponding to the practice mode flag PM (R) in step S304 during the keyboard process shown in FIG. 7 is as shown in FIG. 8 (d). Nothing is done. In addition, when the right-hand part is set to the key drive mode, the process for muting the musical tone is also performed in the above-described interrupt process, so that it is not necessary to perform the process for muting in the keyboard process. That is, in the keyboard process shown in FIG. 7, after the determination in step S310, the keyboard process is terminated without performing the processes in steps S311 and S312.

(5) When the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the percussion instrument mode (part flag PF = 0, practice mode flag PM (R) = 4)
In this case, the processing during the interrupt processing shown in FIG. After performing the automatic performance process of the left hand part, the process of c. The right hand part register is set. Specifically, it is as follows.

  After the processing a is executed as in (1) above, the registers ADG (R) and DUG (R) are set at the timing when the register DUG (R) becomes “0” (steps S107 and S108). The CPU 101 determines whether or not the performance mode flag PM (R) is “4” (step S109). Here, the performance mode flag PM (R) is set to “4”. That is, the right hand part is set to the percussion instrument mode. In this percussion instrument mode, since it is not necessary to turn on the LED, the process b is terminated without outputting the key pressure event (step S110). Thereafter, the CPU 101 executes the process c in the same manner as (1) described above, and ends the interrupt process.

Next, keyboard processing in this case will be described. If it is determined in the keyboard process shown in FIG. 7 that a key included in the right hand playing unit 12 has been pressed (step S303), the CPU 101 performs a sound generation process shown in FIG. That is, the CPU 101 gives an instruction to the sound source 106 to output a percussion instrument sound previously associated with the pressed key (step Se10). The sound source 106 outputs a percussion instrument sound according to this instruction. Thus, in the percussion instrument mode, a percussion instrument sound corresponding to the depressed key is output. When the instruction described above is output, the CPU 101 ends the process shown in FIG. 8E and returns to the keyboard process.
The above is the operation when the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the right hand part is set to the practice mode.

Here, when the right hand part is set to the automatic performance mode and the left hand part is set to the practice mode, that is, when “1” is set to the part flag PF, the following processing is performed. Is executed.
That is, during the interrupt process shown in FIG. 6, it is determined in step S103 that the value of the part flag PF is “1”. In this case, the automatic performance process similar to the process a is performed for the right-hand part (step S120), and the processes shown in the processes b and c, that is, the LED lighting process and the register setting process are performed for the left-hand part. Perform (Steps S121 and S122). That is, in the interrupt processing in the case of (1) above, processing is performed in which “R” and “L” attached to the flags and registers are respectively replaced.

  On the other hand, in the keyboard process shown in FIG. 7, it is determined in step S302 that the value of the part flag PF is “1”. In this case, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the pressed key is a key included in the left-hand performance unit 11 (step S305). If the key is not included in the left-hand performance unit 11, that is, the right-hand performance unit 12 is determined. If the key is included in the key, the process proceeds to the mute process (steps S310 to S312) without performing any process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the key included in the left hand performance unit 12 has been pressed, the CPU 101 determines which value is set in the practice mode flag PM (L) for the left hand part, Of the sound generation processes shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E, the sound generation process corresponding to the practice mode flag PM (L) is executed for the left hand part (step S306). Thereafter, the CPU 101 performs a process for muting (steps S310 to S312), and ends the keyboard process.

Next, when both the right hand part and the left hand part are set to the practice mode, that is, when “2” is set in the part flag PF, the following processing is executed.
That is, during the interrupt process shown in FIG. 6, it is determined in step S103 that the value of the part flag PF is “2”. In this case, the automatic performance process shown in the process a is not performed, the LED lighting process (steps S130 and S131) shown in the process b, and the register setting and model performance process shown in the process c ( Steps S132 and S133) are performed for both the right hand part and the left hand part.

On the other hand, in the keyboard process shown in FIG. 7, it is determined in step S302 that the value of the part flag PF is “2”. In this case, the CPU 101 determines whether the pressed key is a key included in the right hand performance unit 12 or a key included in the left hand performance unit 11 (step S307). As a result of this determination, the right hand performance is performed. If it is determined that the key included in the unit 12 has been pressed, the sound generation process corresponding to the practice mode flag PM (R) is performed as the right-hand part among the sound generation processes shown in FIGS. (Step S308). On the other hand, if it is determined that the key included in the left-hand performance unit 11 has been pressed, the pronunciation process shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E corresponds to the practice mode flag PM (L). The sound generation process is executed for the left-hand part (step S309). When these sound generation processes are completed, the CPU 101 performs a process for muting (steps S310 to S312) and ends the keyboard process.
The above is the operation of the performance practice device according to the present embodiment.

  A conventional keyboard instrument has a configuration in which each key and each musical tone correspond to each other on a one-to-one basis, and thus has a large number of keys corresponding to the musical tone. Therefore, beginners who have just started practicing performance may be confused as to which of the many keys corresponds to which musical tone, and it takes a considerable amount of time to improve the performance. was there. On the other hand, the performance practice device according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which each key and each finger are in one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, a musical piece can be played by pressing a key with a finger indicated by the lighting of the LED without considering which musical tone each key corresponds to. Therefore, even a beginner or a person with a finger movement disorder can easily play music.

  In addition, beginners often have awkward finger movements, but when practicing performance using conventional keyboard instruments, any of the many keys corresponds to any musical tone. I was distracted by the fact that I was doing, and I could not practice enough finger movements. On the other hand, the performance practice device according to the present embodiment can perform exercises with emphasis on fingering, so that it is possible to effectively practice smooth fingers to master the movement. There is. In addition, after performing fingering-centric practice and smooth fingering, it is more effective to practice the above-mentioned conventional keyboard instruments. It is thought that performance practice can be performed.

  Further, in the conventional performance support apparatus, it is necessary to display a finger number by an LED or the like in order to display fingering. However, according to the keyboard instrument according to the present embodiment, a key and a finger are paired. Since it corresponds by 1, it is not necessary to display a finger number. That is, by designating a key by turning on an LED, a finger to press the key can be designated.

Moreover, since the practice mode can be selected, it is possible to practice according to the proficiency level of each player.
For example, in the example of the above embodiment, it is considered that the key driving mode is the easiest, and then the difficulty increases in the order of the any key mode, the fingering direction matching mode, and the fingering matching mode. Therefore, if you get used to the finger movement of the keyboard instrument playing at first by the key drive mode and then change the mode such as the any key mode, fingering direction matching mode, fingering matching mode, etc., you can practice more effectively be able to.

  In the performance practice device according to the present embodiment, the practice mode can be set independently for the right hand part and the left hand part. Therefore, it is possible to practice according to the level of skill of each performer, such as performing practice intensively on the parts that are not good. If either the right hand part or the left hand part is set to the automatic performance mode or practice mode, and the other part is set to the percussion instrument mode, the melody can be played with one hand and the other hand. A performance mode of performing accompaniment with percussion instrument sounds can also be realized.

  Furthermore, according to the performance practice device according to the present embodiment, since the number of keys is small, the size and weight can be greatly reduced as compared with conventional keyboard instruments. There is an advantage that it is excellent.

B: Second Embodiment In the above embodiment, as a practice mode, a. Fingering match mode; b. Fingering direction matching mode, c. Any key mode, d. Key-driven mode, and e. One of the percussion instrument modes can be selected. In this embodiment, modes similar to these can be selected as practice modes for practicing the performance of a conventional keyboard instrument. In the keyboard musical instrument according to the second embodiment shown below, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are used for the parts common to the performance practice device according to the first embodiment. A description thereof will be omitted.

B-1: Configuration of Second Embodiment FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the appearance of a keyboard instrument according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, this keyboard instrument is similar to a conventional keyboard instrument in that it includes a keyboard composed of a black key and a white key, and an LED section 201 composed of a plurality of LEDs arranged at positions corresponding to the keys. It is comprised including. The keyboard musical instrument according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which each key and a musical sound have a one-to-one correspondence, unlike the performance practice apparatus according to the above-described embodiment in which each finger and each key have a one-to-one correspondence. ing. That is, when any key is pressed, a musical sound corresponding to the key is output. Although only a part of the keys is shown in FIG. 9 for the sake of convenience, in reality, 88 keys are provided for each natural musical instrument piano. Further, in the keyboard musical instrument shown in FIG. 9, symbols such as “C4” and “D4” assigned to each key are the names of musical tones corresponding to the keys.

  In such a configuration, when a performance operation is started, any one of the LEDs 201 in the LED unit 201 is sequentially lit as the music progresses. As in the first embodiment, when the key instructed by the lighting of the LED and the key actually pressed by the performer satisfy a predetermined condition, the musical tone in the music is output. It has become. The predetermined condition varies depending on the set performance mode.

B-2: Performance Mode In the first embodiment, the performance practice apparatus in which 10 keys and each finger correspond one-to-one is configured to select five practice modes. The keyboard musical instrument has a configuration in which each key and each musical tone have a one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, when the practice mode in the above embodiment is applied to the keyboard instrument according to this embodiment, the performance mode is slightly different from the practice mode in the above embodiment. The performance mode of this conventional keyboard instrument will be described below.

a. Pitch matching mode A tone corresponding to the key is output only when the key specified by the lighting of the LED matches the actually pressed key, and the key specified by the lighting of the LED is actually If the key pressed does not match, no musical tone is output.

b. Music pitch matching mode When the pitch of the musical tone to be pronounced this time is higher than the pitch of the musical tone that should have been generated immediately before (previous pitch), the pitch is higher than the previous pitch. When a key corresponding to one of the high musical tones is pressed, the musical tone to be generated this time is output. In addition, when the pitch of the musical tone to be pronounced this time is lower than the previous pitch, the key corresponding to any musical tone whose pitch is lower than the previous pitch is pressed. In this case, the musical sound that should be pronounced this time is output.

For example, it is assumed that the musical sound that should have been generated immediately before is “G3 (see FIG. 9)” and the musical sound that should be generated this time is “C4”. In this case, since the pitch of the musical tone “C4” to be generated this time is higher than the pitch of the previous musical tone “G3”, the musical tone having a higher pitch than the previous musical tone “G3”, that is, the musical tone. When a key corresponding to a musical tone of “G # 3”, “A3”, “A # 3”, “B3”, “C4”,. The musical tone “C4” is pronounced. Also, for example, if the previous musical sound is “F # 3” and the musical sound to be generated this time is “D3”, the musical sound to be generated this time compared to the pitch of the previous musical sound “F # 3”. Since the pitch of “D3” is low, the musical tone having a lower pitch than the previous musical tone “F # 3”, that is, the musical tone “F3”, “E3”, “D # 3”,. When a key corresponding to any of the musical tones is pressed, the musical tone “F # 3” to be generated this time is generated.

c. Any Key Mode In this any key mode, the musical sound to be generated this time is output regardless of which key is pressed by the performer.

d. Key Drive Mode In this key drive mode, the key corresponding to the musical tone specified by the information in the music data is automatically driven to the depressed or released state, and the music is automatically played. That is, a model performance of the music is performed.

e. Percussion instrument mode In this percussion instrument mode, when any key is pressed, a percussion instrument sound pre-assigned to the key is output.

The above is the details of the practice modes that can be selected in the conventional keyboard instrument. Here, as in the first embodiment, any one of the practice modes and the automatic performance modes may be set independently for the right hand part and the left hand part. Here, as in the first embodiment, each of the modes that can be selected as the automatic performance mode and the practice mode corresponds to a “learning mode” in the claims.
Note that the operation in this embodiment is substantially the same as the operation in the above embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

C: Third Embodiment In the first embodiment, the performance practice device 1 includes 10 keys, and these 10 keys correspond to each finger on a one-to-one basis. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a keyboard instrument having a plurality of keys (for example, 88 keys) similar to a normal keyboard instrument is used, and a part of the plurality of keys (for example, 10 keys) and each finger can be associated one-to-one.

  In the present embodiment, a keyboard instrument having a keyboard having 88 keys, for example, is provided instead of the performance practice apparatus 1 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. That is, the LEDs driven by the LED driver 108 are provided corresponding to each of the 88 keys of the keyboard instrument. The key driving unit 109 can drive any one of these 88 keys to a depressed state or a released state. Further, when any one of the 88 keys is pressed, the key press detection unit 110 outputs a signal representing the key to the CPU 101. Here, as the keyboard instrument, for example, an electronic keyboard instrument, a mute piano capable of performing a mute performance, a mute performance, a performance with a large number of tones, and a mute automatic performance piano capable of performing automatically can be used. .

In such a configuration, the keyboard instrument according to the present embodiment has a mode (normal mode) in which performance is performed using 88 keys in the same manner as a normal keyboard instrument, and any 10 of 88 keys. The player can arbitrarily select a mode (fingering learning mode) in which performance is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment using only the keys. Further, in the fingering training mode, it is possible to select the five performance modes in the first embodiment.
The operation in this embodiment will be described below.

  When the normal mode is set, the CPU 101 determines which key is pressed or released based on a signal from the key press detection unit 110, and generates a musical sound corresponding to the key. A corresponding note-on event or note-off event is output to the sound source 106. Thus, when the normal mode is set, the same performance as a conventional keyboard instrument can be performed.

On the other hand, when the fingering training mode is set, the operation of the keyboard instrument according to the present embodiment is as follows.
First, the performer selects any 10 keys out of the 88 keys constituting the keyboard. For example, ten keys pressed after the performer performs a predetermined operation on the operation unit 105 are selected. Here, the 10 keys selected may be 10 adjacent keys, or 10 keys selected at an arbitrary number interval (for example, 10 keys selected every other key). It may be.

  The CPU 101 (corresponding means) associates the ten keys thus selected with the fingers of both hands on a one-to-one basis. That is, for example, among the ten selected keys, five keys located on the left are associated with each finger of the left hand, and five keys located on the right are associated with each finger of the right hand. It is. In this case, the five keys associated with each finger of the left hand correspond to the five keys of the left hand playing unit 11 in the first embodiment, and the five keys associated with each finger of the right hand. Corresponds to the five keys of the right-hand playing unit 12 in the first embodiment. The CPU 101 associates the ten keys thus selected with the identification numbers of the fingers and writes them in the RAM 103.

  Thereafter, using these ten keys, the same operation as that in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 is performed. However, in the present embodiment, after determining whether any key is pressed in step S301 during the keyboard processing shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 101 identifies the ten keys written in the RAM 103. With reference to the information, it is determined whether the pressed key is any one of the ten previously selected keys. If it is determined that the key is one of the ten keys, the CPU 101 proceeds to the process of step S302 in FIG. 7 as it is. On the other hand, if it is determined that the pressed key is not one of the ten keys, it is not necessary to perform any sound generation processing, and the keyboard processing is immediately terminated.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, a performance as a normal keyboard instrument using 88 keys, and a performance and selection in which only 10 of all keys are associated with each finger on a one-to-one basis. Therefore, it is possible to perform performance practice suitable for the skill level of the performer. That is, at the beginning of the practice, it is possible to perform a fingering lesson using only 10 keys, and after using to a certain extent, practice using 88 keys.

  Here, when a mute piano having a hammer action mechanism (a mechanism for striking a string with a hammer and generating a sound by this) and a mute automatic performance piano are used as the keyboard instrument, the fingering training mode is set. Alternatively, the hammer may not be struck by a well-known silencer mechanism, thereby preventing the hammer from being struck by a key pressed by a player.

  Note that a new program may be installed in a commercially available keyboard instrument or the like so that the keyboard instrument functions according to the third embodiment can be retrofitted to the keyboard instrument. In this way, the user who has the keyboard instrument does not need to purchase a special device like the performance practice device 1 in the first embodiment.

D: Fourth Embodiment Next, a keyboard instrument according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the performance practice device according to the first embodiment, it is possible to set a plurality of performance modes, so that the performance beginner is trained. However, the present invention provides an apparatus for such performance practice. The present invention can be implemented not only as a keyboard instrument. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an appearance of a keyboard instrument 2 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention based on such a viewpoint.

  In the performance practice device 1 according to the first embodiment, a total of ten keys 11a to 11e and 12a to 12e corresponding to one-to-one are provided on each finger of the right hand and the left hand. In the keyboard instrument 2 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a total of five keys 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d corresponding to each finger of either the left hand or the right hand, one to one, 12e (corresponding to the “first key” in the claims) is provided. In addition, a fingering display unit 14 including five LEDs corresponding to each key is provided, and which key should be pressed to the performer by lighting these LEDs (or which key should be pressed) The point of instructing whether or not to perform is the same as in the performance practice device according to the first embodiment.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, various performance modes for performance practice are prepared. However, in the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of a keyboard instrument for enjoying performance, Only the fingering coincidence mode in the embodiment is prepared. That is, when the LED corresponding to the finger (key) specified by the fingering data included in the key pressure event in the music data is turned on and the key corresponding to the lighted LED is pressed, the music Musical sounds are output based on the corresponding performance events in the data. In other words, it can be said that the pitch of the musical sound assigned to each key dynamically changes as the music progresses. The specific operation of the keyboard instrument according to the present embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  According to the keyboard instrument according to the present embodiment, each key and each finger have a one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, even a beginner who is not used to playing a keyboard instrument can easily enjoy the performance. In general, in order to improve the performance of beginners, it is considered important to recognize each finger in a one-to-one correspondence with each key, that is, a so-called home position. Since a keyboard instrument has a large number of keys, there is a problem that recognition of such a home position may be hindered. On the other hand, according to the keyboard instrument according to the present embodiment, since only five keys corresponding to each finger are provided, the home position is immediately recognized even by a beginner. There is an advantage that you can.

E: Modifications Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications can be made to the above embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. . As modifications, for example, the following can be considered.

<Modification 1>
In the first embodiment, the performance practice apparatus having ten keys has been described, but the number of keys is not limited to this. For example, in the performance practice apparatus according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, two sets of the left-hand performance unit 11 and the right-hand performance unit 12 are arranged so that the total number of keys is 20, and two players perform repetitive. It may be possible to perform. That is, one performer performs using the ten keys provided in the performance practice device, and the other performer performs using the other ten keys.

  The total number of keys may be five. In this case, it is possible to select which one of the right-hand part and the left-hand part to practice, and only the selected part is subjected to performance practice in the practice mode in the first embodiment and the selection is performed. For the parts other than the played part, no performance is performed or automatic performance is performed. That is, it is only necessary to select only “0” or “1” as the value of the part flag PF in the above embodiment. By doing so, there is an advantage that the keyboard instrument can be miniaturized.

  As described above, the number of keys provided in the performance practice device according to the present invention is 5n (n is a natural number) so that one or more fingers of one or more performers have a one-to-one correspondence with each key. It is preferable that it is a piece.

  On the other hand, in the third embodiment, any 10 keys out of the 88 keys included in the keyboard instrument are selected, and these 10 keys are made to correspond to the fingers of both hands on a one-to-one basis. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and 5n (n is a natural number) keys may be selected so that a plurality of players can perform repetitive shots or perform with only one hand.

  In the third embodiment, the selected key and each finger are associated with each other on a one-to-one basis. However, for example, a plurality of keys may be associated with each finger. A plurality of keys may be associated with some of the fingers, and one key may be associated with the other fingers. For example, select 7 keys corresponding to the right hand, 2 of these keys from the left to the right thumb, 2 keys from the right to the little finger of the right, and the remaining 3 keys Correspond to the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the right hand, respectively. By doing so, it is possible to practice the performance in more various modes, such as practicing the performance with a wide interval between the fingers.

  Furthermore, in the first and third embodiments, performance practice is performed using all five fingers. However, the practice is not limited to this. For example, performance can be performed without using some fingers. May be. For example, since beginners of performance are often not good at playing with the ring finger, it may be possible to practice without using the ring finger. In this case, the following configuration may be adopted. That is, the fingering data in each piece of music data shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) is designed to designate one of all five fingers. In addition, for example, fingering data that specifies a finger other than the ring finger (that is, fingering data that does not include the finger number “4”), or another fingering data that specifies only the index and middle fingers (that is, the finger number “ Fingering data including only “2” and “3”). Then, one of these fingering data is selected and used according to the player's designation. In this way, for example, beginners can practice using only the index and middle fingers, intermediate can practice using fingers other than the ring finger, and advanced users can practice all five fingers. You can practice using the. In other words, there is an advantage that the practice according to the skill level of the performer can be performed.

<Modification 2>
In each of the above embodiments, any one of the LEDs is turned on so that the key to be pressed is recognized by the player's vision. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The key to be pressed may be recognized by smell, taste, touch, or the like. Note that a technique for allowing a player to recognize a key to be pressed by each of these senses is disclosed in detail in Japanese Patent Application No. 11-13418, which is a prior application of the present applicant. Specifically, for example, by recording the voice of the key to be pressed next and the voice instructing the finger to be pressed, for example, the “right thumb”, and reproducing these voices. The finger to be pressed may be instructed to the performer.

  In addition, various methods are possible as a method for instructing the player to press any key, but any two or more of these methods may be used simultaneously. That is, for example, the key to be pressed next may be instructed by using both the lighting of the LED and the sound reproduction.

  Further, a finger to be pressed is instructed by turning on the LED, and a tone corresponding to the note number and velocity included in the performance data (hereinafter referred to as “regular note guide sound”) is generated by the sound source. Good. In this way, the player can recognize the finger to be pressed, and can also recognize what kind of musical sound is generated by the key pressing, so that the learning effect can be improved.

  In this case, while the regular note guide sound is sequentially generated as the music progresses, a musical sound is generated when the performer presses the key. It may be possible to distinguish the musical sound generated by. That is, for example, one tone is output from the headphones and the other tone is output from the speaker, each tone is output from the right output and left output of the headphones, or the tone of each tone is made different. In this way, the regular note guide sound and the musical sound generated in response to the key depression may be distinguished.

  Further, for example, the player may be instructed to press the key to be pressed next by slightly driving the key prior to the timing to press the key next. Specifically, it is as follows.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in steps S107 to S110 (processing b) in FIG. 6, the timing at which the LED should be turned on (that is, the register DUG (R or L) becomes “0”. When (timing) arrives, the CPU 101 reads out the key pressure event in the music data and outputs it to the LED driver. On the other hand, in the present modification, the CPU 101 may output a key pressure event to the key driving unit 109 (notifying key driving means). Then, the key driving unit 109 drives the key specified by the received fingering data in the key pressure event, and returns the key to the non-driven state after a certain time (for example, 0.5 seconds) has elapsed. . By doing so, it seems to the performer that the next key to be pressed has moved “pick”. The performer can play the music piece by sequentially pressing the keys thus designated.

  It should be noted that the drive amount of the key for instructing the key to be pressed next only needs to be such that no sound is generated by the drive of the key, and is compared with the drive amount of the key when the player presses the key. And it may be slight. That is, the drive amount of the key for instructing the key to be pressed next may be a slight drive amount that is visible to the performer, for example, about 5 mm. In addition, after the key is driven to indicate the key to be pressed, the key is not returned to the non-driven state after a certain period of time, but the driven state is maintained until the performer presses the key. You may make it do.

<Modification 3>
In each of the above embodiments, the address of the event data is sequentially set in the registers AD (R or L) and ADG (R or L) at the timing specified by the time data in the music data. The music may advance after the key is pressed by the person. That is, for example, for the part set as the practice part, the performance stored in the address set in the register AD (R or L) at the timing when the key is actually pressed regardless of the time data. The event is read from the RAM 103 and output to the sound source 106, and the address of the next event data is set in the register AD (R or L). That is, every time a key is pressed, the next musical sound is output sequentially. By doing so, there is an advantage that the performer can perform at his / her own pace.

  Further, in this case, when one part is set to the automatic performance mode, the performance of the part set to the automatic performance mode is advanced regardless of the progress of the performance of the part set to the practice mode. For example, the automatic performance of the automatic performance part may be advanced in accordance with the progress of the performance of the practice part. In this case, for example, when the music is divided into predetermined sections and the performance of the automatic performance part is temporarily stopped at the end time of any section, and the performance of the practice part reaches the end time of the section, A configuration may be adopted in which the performance of the automatic performance part is advanced to the next section. In this way, the performance of the practice part cannot be performed with respect to the automatic performance of the automatic performance part, so that the performer does not become impatient to match the performance of the automatic performance part.

<Modification 4>
In the above embodiment, the music data divided into the right-hand music data and the left-hand music data is used as the music data. If the music data is not divided in this way, for example, the applicant It is only necessary to divide the music data for the right hand and the music data for the left hand by using the “automatic performance device in an electronic musical instrument” disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-40474, which is the prior application of the above.

  In the first embodiment, the music includes information for specifying the key to be pressed, that is, information for specifying with which finger the key should be pressed (fingering information). When the data is used but the music data does not include this fingering information, for example, the “fingering information analysis apparatus and the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-261750, which is a prior application of the present applicant,” The fingering information may be generated and used by using an “electronic musical instrument to which the apparatus is applied” or the like.

<Modification 5>
In the first embodiment, the performance is performed by simply placing the finger on the keyboard, but as shown in FIG. 11, the finger clamp 300 for supporting each finger on each key is provided with each key. It is good also as a structure arrange | positioned on an upper surface. The finger clamp 300 is formed by, for example, forming a rectangular cloth or the like into a cylindrical shape having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the finger and fixing the finger on the surface of each key. Each finger can be supported by each key by being inserted into 300 cylindrical portions. By doing so, for example, when practicing in the key driving mode of each of the above embodiments, the finger is forcibly moved in accordance with the driving of the key. Accordingly, a person who has just started practicing a keyboard instrument and has not yet smoothly moved his / her finger, etc. can practice to get used to the movement of the finger in the performance of the keyboard instrument.

  Here, the finger clamps 300 may be arranged in a line in the direction in which the keys are arranged. However, as shown in FIG. 11, the finger clamps 300 are arranged at positions corresponding to the positions of the fingertips of the fingers. It is good also as a structure to arrange. In this way, each finger can be supported by each key without difficulty. Further, the position of the finger clamp 300 may be arbitrarily adjusted by the performer, or each finger clamp 300 may be arbitrarily removable by the performer. In this way, for example, the level of proficiency of each player is such that, at the beginning of the practice, practice is performed using the finger clamp 300, and the practice is performed with the finger clamp 300 removed when getting used to the movement of the finger. There is an advantage that you can practice according to.

  The means for supporting the finger on the key is not limited to the finger clamp 300 described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a hole 301 having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the finger of the hand is provided in the vicinity of the end of each key, and the player inserts his finger into this hole 301 to A finger may be supported by a key. In this case, the length of the key may be adjusted to the length of each finger so that each finger can be easily inserted into the hole 301. That is, the length of the key corresponding to the middle finger is shortened, and the length of the key corresponding to the thumb and little finger is increased. In this way, each finger can be inserted into the hole 301 without difficulty.

<Modification 6>
In the first embodiment, the main body 10 is provided with the left-hand playing unit 11 and the right-hand playing unit 12, but this is not the case. For example, as shown in FIG. A left main body 10a and a right main body 10b having a divided shape are provided, a left hand playing unit 11 and a left hand fingering display unit 13 are provided on the left main body 10a, and a right hand playing unit 10b and a right hand fingering display unit 14 are provided on the right main body 10b. It is good also as a structure. By doing so, the performer can arbitrarily set the interval between the right hand and the left hand at the time of performance, so that each performer can perform in a manner suitable for him. The left main body 10a and the right main body 10b may be detachable.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the left main body 10a and the right main body 10b may be connected via a connecting portion 302 so that the connecting portion 302 can be rotated as an axis. With such a configuration, the performance practice device can be folded, which is convenient for carrying.

<Modification 7>
In the third embodiment, the player can arbitrarily set the keys used in the fingering training mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, any 10 keys out of 88 keys can be used. May be selected in advance and a performance using these ten keys may be performed in the fingering training mode. By doing this, it is only necessary to provide each part for instructing fingering, such as LEDs, in the number corresponding to the above ten keys, and it is not necessary to provide all the 88 keys, so the configuration can be simplified. can do.

  In the third embodiment, no musical sound is generated when a key other than the ten keys specified in the fingering training mode is pressed. When a key other than the ten keys is pressed, a musical tone having a pitch associated with the pressed key may be generated.

  In the third embodiment, only five keys out of the 88 keys of the keyboard instrument are set to correspond to each finger on a one-to-one basis, and these five keys are assigned to one hand. The fingering lesson shown in the first embodiment is used, and the pitch lesson shown in the second embodiment can be performed on the other hand using a key other than the five keys. It may be. By doing so, it is possible to perform more various performance exercises.

  In the third embodiment, when any key is depressed in the fingering training mode, the performance data corresponding to the depressed key is output to the built-in sound source 106, and the sound source 106 The musical sound is generated, but the performance data is transmitted to an electronic sound source provided outside the keyboard instrument or an automatic performance piano other than the keyboard instrument, and the electronic sound source or automatic performance is generated by the performance data. A piano or the like may be driven.

  Furthermore, when a fingering lesson is performed using an automatic performance piano having a key drive function, a mute automatic performance piano, or an electronic keyboard instrument as a keyboard instrument, a key that is not often used in normal performance (for example, both ends of the keyboard) A key located in the vicinity may be associated with each finger on a one-to-one basis. In parallel with the performance practice in the fingering training mode using these keys, automatic performance or key driving according to the music data is performed with other keys (other than the keys associated one by one with each finger). Key) may be used. In addition, a keyboard instrument is known in which it is possible to set for each key included in the keyboard instrument whether to perform stringing with a hammer or to prevent stringing with a hammer. Such a keyboard instrument is used. In this case, hammering is prevented only for keys corresponding to the above-mentioned fingers in a one-to-one correspondence, and for other keys (keys for automatic performance or key driving), hammering is performed. May be performed.

<Modification 8>
In one keyboard instrument, both the performance practice in the second embodiment and the performance practice in the third embodiment can be performed, and the performer can select one of the performance practice. May be.

<Modification 9>
In each of the above embodiments, part or all of the functions can be realized by a personal computer. That is, for example, the CPU of the personal computer is caused to execute the same control as the CPU 101 described above, and each key provided on the keyboard of the personal computer is used in place of each key in each of the above embodiments, or A musical sound signal may be generated by a built-in sound source or software (so-called software sound source).

<Modification 10>
In the first and fourth embodiments, each of the plurality of keys is configured to correspond one-to-one with each finger of both hands or one hand. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each key includes a plurality of keys. It is good also as a structure matched with the finger | toe.
FIG. 15A is a perspective view showing an external appearance when the present modification is applied to the keyboard musical instrument according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the keyboard musical instrument according to this modification, only two keys (left key 400a and right key 400b) are provided, and LEDs (right LED 410a and left LED 410b) corresponding to each key are provided. ) Is provided. Of these two keys, the left key 400a corresponds to the thumb of the right hand, while the right key 400b corresponds to fingers other than the thumb, that is, the four fingers of the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger. It becomes the composition. That is, the performer performs the performance with the thumb of the right hand placed on the left key 400a and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the right hand placed on the right key 400b.

  The operation in this modification is as follows. That is, when the finger specified by the fingering data included in the key pressure event is a thumb, the left LED 410a is turned on, while the finger specified by the fingering data is one of the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger. In either case, the right LED 410b is turned on. When the left LED 410a is turned on, the musical tone designated by the performance data in the music data is output on condition that the left key 400a is pressed. On the other hand, when the right LED 410b is lit, a musical tone designated by the performance data in the music data is output on condition that the right key 400b is pressed. Since the specific control content in this modification is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  In this way, if only two keys are provided, there is an advantage that even a novice beginner can enjoy playing a keyboard instrument very easily. In the above-described example, the case where the performance is performed using the right hand has been described, but it is needless to say that the present modification can also be applied to the case where the performance is performed using the left hand. However, in this case, the left key 400a is associated with the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the left hand, while the right key 400b is associated with the thumb of the left hand.

  In the above example, a keyboard instrument having only two keys has been described as an example. However, the number of keys is not limited to this, and a configuration in which three or four keys are provided. Also good. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 15B, the left key 401a associated with the thumb of the right hand, the center key 401b associated with the index finger, middle finger and ring finger of the right hand, and the little finger of the right hand The right key 401c and the three LEDs (left LED 411a, center LED 411b, and right LED 411c) corresponding to each of these three keys may be provided.

  Needless to say, the correspondence between each finger and each key is not limited to that shown in the above example, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 15A, the right thumb and index finger may correspond to the left health 400a, while the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger of the right hand may correspond to the right health 400b.

<Modification 11>
In the first and fourth embodiments described above, only a key corresponding to each finger is provided in a one-to-one manner. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a key other than a key corresponding to each finger and one-to-one. May be provided. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 16 (a), keys (hereinafter referred to as “auxiliary keys”) 402a and 402b are provided on both sides of five keys that correspond one-to-one with each finger. The functions shown in the following a and b may be given to 402a and 402b. These auxiliary keys 402a and 402b correspond to the “second key” in the claims.

a. Function as a controller of a keyboard instrument A player can give various instructions to the keyboard instrument by pressing these keys. For example, the start of the performance can be instructed by pressing the left auxiliary key 402a, and the stop of the performance can be instructed by pressing the right auxiliary key 402b. In addition, Japanese Patent Application No. 11-318653, which is a prior application of the present applicant, discloses a performance data editing device for inputting finger information with respect to performance data. An operation element corresponding to one-to-one and an operation element for determining information input by each operation element are provided in the operation element device. When the keyboard musical instrument according to this modification is used as the performance data editing device, each auxiliary key 402a and 402b has a function as an operator for determining information input by each operator. It may be.

b. Function as a key used for performance in finger-opening performance mode Here, the finger-opening performance mode is a thumb rather than a home position (that is, a state in which each finger has a one-to-one correspondence with each key). A mode in which performance is performed with the little finger open. That is, the two auxiliary keys 402a and 402b provided on both sides of the five keys corresponding to each finger in a one-to-one manner are shown in a state where the thumb and the little finger are opened from the home position in the finger opening performance mode. Used to perform.

Specifically, when the performance mode is set to the finger-opening performance mode, the performer 3 corresponds to the left auxiliary key 402a, the right auxiliary key 402b, and the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the right hand. The performance is performed using the individual keys 12b, 12c and 12d. In other words, when the performance mode is set to a normal performance mode (for example, the fingering matching mode described above), the player is required to press the key associated with the thumb at the timing when the key pressing with the thumb of the right hand is required. When the performance mode is set to the finger-opening performance mode, the key 12a corresponding to the thumb is requested at the timing when the key pressing with the thumb of the right hand is required.
Instead, the left auxiliary key 402a is pressed. Similarly, when the performance mode is set to the normal performance mode, the key 12e associated with the little finger is pressed at the timing when the key press with the little finger of the right hand is requested. Is set to the finger opening performance mode, the right auxiliary key 402b is pressed instead of the key 12e corresponding to the little finger at the timing when the key pressing with the little finger of the right hand is requested. In the above description, the case of performing with the right hand has been described as an example, but it goes without saying that the same configuration can be applied to the case of performing with the left hand.

  Generally, it is considered that beginners of performance are difficult to perform with their fingers open, but with the above configuration, even such beginners opened their fingers more than the home position. There is an advantage that performance in the state can be trained very easily.

  When the performance mode is set to the finger-open performance mode, at the timing when the left side auxiliary key 402a is to be depressed with the thumb, for example, the LED of the key 12a associated with the thumb is lit to turn on the right hand. It is preferable to provide some notification means for notifying the player that the key should be pressed with the thumb of the player and also notifying the player that the finger opening performance mode is in effect. That is, for example, display means such as a liquid crystal display may be provided, and the display means may be used to indicate that the finger-opening performance mode is used, or the finger-opening performance mode may be provided by outputting some sound. May be notified to the performer.

  Furthermore, you may comprise so that the load with respect to the key press of each auxiliary key 402a and 402b may differ from the load with respect to the key press of the other 5 keys 12a-12e. For example, the load for pressing the left auxiliary key 402a and the right auxiliary key 402b is made larger than the load for pressing the other five keys 12a to 12e, and when the left auxiliary key 402a and the right auxiliary key 402b are pressed, It is good also as a structure which requires big force compared with the key pressing of the other 5 keys 12a-12e. By doing this, the performer can grasp forcibly that the performer is performing out of the home position, so that the auxiliary keys 402a other than the one-to-one keys and the auxiliary keys 402a and Despite the provision of 402b, there is an advantage that recognition of the home position is not hindered.

  In addition, the shapes of the left auxiliary key 402a and the right auxiliary key 402b may be different from the shapes of the other five keys. For example, as shown in FIG. 16B, the thickness of the portion on which the left auxiliary key 402a and the right auxiliary key 402b are placed may be thinner than the thickness of the other five keys 12a to 12e. . Even in such a case, the player can visually or tactilely recognize the home position despite the fact that auxiliary keys 402a and 402b other than the one-to-one keys are provided. There is an advantage.

  Further, in the above example, the keys 12a and 12e are not used in the finger opening performance mode, but these keys may be used as follows. That is, in the finger-opening performance mode, as in the case of the normal performance mode, as a rule, performance using the keys 12a to 12e is requested, but the left side auxiliary key 402a or right side auxiliary key is used only when the finger should be opened. The key press of 402b may be requested. Specifically, it is as follows.

  For example, in the performance of a normal keyboard instrument, if there is a pitch difference of more than a predetermined level between the tone corresponding to the previous key press and the tone corresponding to the current key press, the performer opens his finger. Need to play. In this modification as well, in principle, a performance using the keys 12a to 12e is requested, while a predetermined tone is output between the musical tone output corresponding to the previous key pressing and the musical tone to be output by the current key pressing. If there is such a pitch difference, it is determined that the key should be pressed with the finger open, and the player is requested to press the left auxiliary key 402a or the right auxiliary key 402b. is there.

<Modification 12>
In the modification 11, the pair of auxiliary keys is provided on both sides of each of the five keys corresponding to each finger. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. There may be a configuration in which four black keys 403a, 403b, 403c and 403d similar to those of a normal keyboard instrument are provided between the keys. Each black key 403a to 403d may have a function as a key used for performance in the black key performance mode in addition to the function as the operation element shown in a of Modification 11 above. Here, the black key performance mode means that the four keys 12a to 12d on the left side of the five keys (white keys) 12a to 12e associated with each finger on a one-to-one basis are described above. In this mode, performance is performed using the individual black keys 403a to 403d. Specifically, when the black key performance mode is set, the performer performs using the black keys 403a to 403d and the white key 12e associated with the little finger.

  That is, when the performance mode is set to the fingering coincidence mode described above, the performer is associated with each finger at the timing when the key press with the thumb, index finger, middle finger and ring finger of the right hand is requested. The keys (white keys) 12a to 12d are pressed. When the performance mode is set to the black key performance mode, the performance is performed at the timing when the key pressing with the thumb, the index finger, the middle finger and the ring finger is required. The person presses the black keys 403a, 403b, 403c, and 403d instead of the white keys 12a to 12d associated with each finger. In general, beginners who are not accustomed to playing are often not good at playing with black keys, but the above configuration has the advantage that performance using black keys can be trained very easily. is there.

  When the black key performance mode is set, at the timing when the first black key should be pressed with the thumb, for example, by turning on the LED of the key (white key) 12a associated with the thumb, In addition to notifying the player that the key should be pressed with the thumb, it is also possible to notify the player that the black key playing mode is to be performed (the black key should be pressed) by some notifying means. Good. That is, for example, a black key performance mode may be notified by lighting an LED provided separately from the LED associated with each key, or in the black key performance mode by displaying on a liquid crystal display. You may make it alert | report that there exists, and you may make it alert | report that it is black key performance mode by outputting a some audio | voice.

  In this modification, in the black key performance mode, the performance is performed using the black keys 403a to 403d instead of the white keys 12a to 12d. You may make it provide the white key black key mixed mode which performs using the keys 403a-403d together. In this white key / black key mixed mode, when the white keys 12a to 12e are to be depressed, the LEDs associated with the white keys are turned on as in the normal performance mode, while the black keys 403a to 403d are turned on. When a key is to be pressed, a finger to press the key is designated by lighting of each of these LEDs, and the player is notified that the black key should be pressed by using some notification means. That's fine. By doing so, there is an advantage that it is possible to practice performance using both the white key and the black key.

<Modification 13>
In each of the above embodiments, a fingering display unit (left hand fingering display unit 13 and right hand fingering display unit 14) having a plurality of LEDs is provided in the vicinity of each key. As shown in FIG. 18, the fingering display unit 13 is provided in a box separate from the performance training device or the keyboard instrument, and the performance training device and the fingering display unit 13 are signals of an appropriate length. A configuration in which the lines 420 are connected may be employed. With this configuration, the position of the fingering display unit 13 can be arbitrarily changed to a position that is easy for the player to see. For example, a beginner may look at the keyboard during performance, but if the fingering display unit 13 is arranged at a position away from the performance practice device or the keyboard of the keyboard instrument with the above configuration, the keyboard is not viewed. It is also possible to train to perform.

<Modification 14>
In the performance practice device according to the first embodiment or the keyboard instrument according to the fourth embodiment, the load on each key press of a plurality of keys may be varied for each key. For example, beginners of performance are often not good at playing with the little finger or ring finger. In view of such circumstances, the load on the key corresponding to the little finger and ring finger is lighter than that on other keys. It is good also as a structure. Further, the player may arbitrarily set the load of each key for each key. By doing this, for example, you can first practice the performance by lightly setting the key load corresponding to the little finger or ring finger, and when you get used to the performance, increase the load on these keys to further press the key with the little finger or ring finger. Practice such as training is also possible.

<Modification 15>
In the first embodiment, instead of pressing a key corresponding to a musical tone to be generated as in a conventional keyboard instrument, for example, in the fingering coincidence mode, fingering by the performer is preset. If it matches the fingering, the musical sound in the song is output. A similar idea can be applied to typing practice as described later. That is, as shown below.

  Various software for practicing keyboard typing for personal computers and word processors has been provided. In these software, an exemplary character is displayed on the monitor, and whether the exemplary character matches the character input by the user, that is, the user selects a key corresponding to the displayed character. In general, it is determined whether or not (key) is pressed. Therefore, the user needs to press a key corresponding to the displayed character among a large number (for example, 40) of keys, which is difficult for a beginner.

  Here, FIG. 19 is a plan view showing an appearance of a typing practice device (fingering practice device) according to this modification. As shown in the figure, the typing practice device is similar to the performance practice device according to the first embodiment, and is for the right hand corresponding to the left hand key 11 'corresponding to each finger of the left hand and the right finger. A key 12 'is provided. Then, characters are sequentially displayed on a monitor (not shown), and the user presses any one of the ten keys in response to this.

  Here, generally, for each key on the keyboard, a finger to be pressed is determined. For example, the letters “Y”, “H”, “U”,... Are pressed with the index finger of the right hand, and the letters “I”, “K”,... Are pressed with the middle finger of the right hand. Therefore, in the typing practice apparatus according to this modification, data for designating a finger to press a key corresponding to each character designated by the data (character data) designating the character to be displayed. (Fingering data) is stored in an internal storage device. The control unit in the typing practice device reads the character data from the storage device, displays the character specified by the character data on the monitor, and if the key is pressed by the user, the key is pressed. It is determined whether or not the finger corresponding to the key and the finger specified by the fingering data match, and if they match, a message that the typing is appropriate is displayed on the monitor.

By doing this, even beginners who have just started typing are confused as to which of the many keys like the original keyboard is the key corresponding to the displayed character. There is also an advantage that typing practice can be performed.

  In this modified example, the typing practice apparatus provided with 10 keys has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in Modified Example 1, 5n keys are provided. It may be a typing practice device. In addition, as in the third embodiment, the same function as the typing practice device can be obtained by associating only five or ten keys of the conventional keyboard with each finger on a one-to-one basis. It may be realized.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Performance practice apparatus, 2 ... Keyboard instrument, 10 ... Main body, 10a ... Left side main body, 10b ... Right side main body, 11 ... Left-hand performance part, 12 ... Right-hand performance part, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, 400a, 400b, 401a, 401b, 401c... Key, 13... Left hand finger display (notification means), 14. Means), 101... CPU (control means, tone signal generation means, judgment means, corresponding means), 102... ROM, 103... RAM (storage means), 104... External storage device (storage means), 105. ... operation unit (learning mode selection means), 106 ... sound source (musical sound signal generation means), 107 ... speaker, 108 ... LED driver (notification means), 109 ... key drive part (key drive means, notification key) Driving Means), 110... Key depression detecting part, 111... Bus, 200 .. keyboard, 201... LED part, 300 .. finger clamp (support means, cylindrical member), 301. 302... Concatenated part, 402 a, 402 b .. Auxiliary key (second key), 403 a, 403 b, 403 c, 403 d... Black key (third key)

Claims (7)

A plurality of first keys arranged in one direction at positions where the keys can be pressed in a state in which all or some of the fingers of the performer's hand are associated with one or more keys;
Storage means for storing music data including performance data for designating a musical sound and fingering data for designating a finger to be depressed and a key to be depressed;
Control means for reading out music data stored by the storage means;
Notification means for notifying a player of a finger specified by fingering data in the music data output by the control means or the first key associated with the finger;
Detecting means for detecting a depressed first key of the plurality of first keys;
When the first key detected by the detection means is the first key associated with the finger specified by the fingering data in the music data output by the control means, the first key is output by the control means. And a musical tone output means for outputting a musical tone specified by the performance data in the music data.   The keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first keys are five keys corresponding to each finger.   The keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first keys are two to four keys each corresponding to one or more fingers.   The keyboard includes a plurality of second keys arranged on both sides of the plurality of first keys so as to form a line with the plurality of first keys. The keyboard instrument according to claim.   The keyboard instrument according to claim 4, wherein the shape of each second key is different from the shape of each first key.   The keyboard instrument according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a load on the key press of each second key is different from a load on the key press of each first key.   The keyboard instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the keyboard includes a plurality of third keys arranged between each of the plurality of first keys.

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