EP1005014A2

EP1005014A2 - Electronic keyboard instrument with halved key travel

Info

Publication number: EP1005014A2
Application number: EP99811012A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Claudio Ferrari
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-11-26
Filing date: 1999-11-04
Publication date: 2000-05-31
Also published as: EP1005014A3

Abstract

An electronic instrument (1) with a keyboard (8), characterized in that it comprises a minimum of 46 to a maximum of 160 white keys (2) and black keys (3), and in that the distance travelled (5) by each white key (2) and each black key (3) from the point (4) at which it is struck and the point (5) at which it stops is equal to approximately half that of a piano keyboard, and the dimensions of each of the said white keys (2) and black keys (3) are identical to those of the corresponding white and black keys of a piano accordion.

Description

This invention relates to the field of musical instruments, and more particularly the part thereof relating to electronic keyboard instruments known also as Keyboards, in which a complete octave comprises seven white keys and five black keys, as in a piano.
Because the design of these instruments derives directly from pianos, they have hitherto been constructed with keys whose dimensions and travel when depressed are exactly the same as those of a piano.
This brings about considerable disadvantages, including, firstly, appreciable difficulty for those individuals who, like e.g. children, have hands with a reduced spread, and therefore find it particularly tiring to practice with the instrument.
Secondly, among the disadvantages mention may be made of the fact that even an adult who plays an instrument constructed in accordance with the current state of the art is appreciably restricted in his performance by the fact that moving over the keyboard with its present dimensions still requires an appreciable time, which is likely to have an adverse effect on the rhythm with which notes are struck.
Furthermore, because the travel of each key when it is depressed in existing instruments is identical in length to that of the pianoforte this substantially increases the striking time, and therefore the speed of striking, especially in pieces with a fast beat.
To eliminate all these disadvantages the inventor of this invention has conceived an electronic keyboard instrument comprising between 46 and 160 keys in which the size of the keys (both white and black) and their travel when depressed are appreciably less than that of those currently in use which, as mentioned, correspond to those of a piano.
The said key size and travel in an instrument according to this invention are on the other hand identical to that of those used for piano accordions.
The subject matter of this invention in fact comprises an electronic keyboard instrument according to the present state of the art as described in the precharacterizing clause of appended Claim 1, but characterized by the characterizing part of the said claim.
Some embodiments of an instrument according to the invention will now be described and reference will also be made in the course of the description to the appended drawings which show:

In Figure 1, a plan view of an instrument according to the invention,
In Figure 2, a side view of any key in the position in which it is struck (that is at the start of its depressive travel),
In Figure 3, a side view of the key in Figure 2 at the point at which it stops (that is at the end of its depressive travel),
In Figure 4, a plan view of the keys of an instrument according to the invention forming two consecutive octaves,
In Figure 5, a plan view of the keys making up one octave in an instrument according to the invention in which the keys have rounded ends.

With reference to Figure 1, this shows an embodiment of the instrument according to the invention comprising 86 keys and in which, as mentioned, the white keys 2 and black keys 3 are of smaller size than those currently used.
To provide a better illustration of the advantages offered by the invention reference should be made to Figure 4, which shows the keys forming two consecutive octaves; as a result of the smaller size of the keys it is easy for a musician having good technical training to use intervals of an "eleventh", that is to cover a range comprising 11 notes with the hand, that is e.g. those lying between DO 15 in the first octave and FA 16 in the second octave.
In the instrument according to the invention, this extraordinary possibility of covering the keyboard is also combined with improved speed in the striking of individual keys; see in fact Figures 2 and 3: the travel S performed by a key 2 or 3 from the point 4 at which it is struck until it reaches the point 5 at which it stops, which is the difference between segments P and Q, is in the instrument according to the invention approximately half the travel of the piano keys which are currently used in electronic keyboards.
As already mentioned, this offers particular ease in performing fast pieces.
In the instrument according to the invention a sensor 7 of a known type which controls the "dynamics" of a key's sound, correcting its duration and/or intensity according to the length of the distance travelled when the key is struck and/or the speed with which it is struck, is attached to every key from LA in the second lower octave 9 (Figure 7) to DO in seventh octave 10.
Figures 2 and 3 show a sensor fitted centrally beneath a key, but other types of sensors, including those of the known spring type, in which the spring/sensor unit is connected to one end of the corresponding key may also be used. (An arrangement not shown in the figures).
In order to make use of the instrument according to the invention even easier the inventor has envisaged rounding the edges 6 of the white keys (see Figure 5), as is the practice for piano accordions, but other different embodiments of keys 2, 3 and/or other component parts of the instrument may be achieved by using the teaching contained in appended Claim 1 as a basis.
These embodiments also fall within the scope of the protection conferred by this patent application.

Claims

Electronic instrument (1) with a keyboard (8), characterized in that it comprises a minimum of 46 to a maximum of 160 white keys (2) and black keys (3) and in that the travel (5) of each white key (2) and each black key (3) from the point (4) at which it is struck to the point (5) at which it stops is equal to about half that of a piano keyboard, and the dimensions of each of the said white keys (2) and black keys (3) are identical to those of the corresponding white and black keys of a piano accordion.
Electronic keyboard instrument (10) according to Claim 1, in which the intensity and/or duration of the sound produced by the keys (2, 3) is regulated by means of a sensor (7) connected to each key in proportion to the distance travelled by the said key and/or the speed of its travel.
Electronic keyboard instrument according to Claim 2, in which a sensor (7) is fitted to each key from note LA in the lower second octave (9) to the note DO in the seventh octave (10).