JP2006058443A - Electronic musical instrument of stringed instrument type - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To constitute an electronic musical instrument of a stringed instrument type having a light emission function with visually attractive light emission control. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic musical instrument is constituted by incorporating light emitting parts 10a (LEDs) into high tone assignment switches 10 arranged in a column on a neck 2. The each high tone assignment switch 10 itself can discretely emit light. The light emission control of the electronic musical instrument can be set at a light emission mode to perform light emission demonstration. A speed setting means can variably set the progression speed of the light emission control in the light emission mode. The light emission control means controls the progression of the light emission complying with the prescribed light emission patterns corresponding to the light emission mode so as to change over according to the speed set by the speed setting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a stringed electronic musical instrument constructed by simulating an acoustic stringed instrument having a structure such as a guitar or ukulele, and more particularly to one having a light emitting function.

  Conventionally, a stringed electronic musical instrument (electronic stringed musical instrument) constructed by simulating a natural guitar is known. As an example, a guitar-type electronic musical instrument has a plurality of pitch designation switches for designating pitches at positions corresponding to the frets on the neck, and is located at a position corresponding to a plucked position on a natural musical instrument guitar. Has a plurality of pronunciation instruction operators (six for a guitar type) configured to simulate strings. A pitch is designated by the operation of the pitch designation switch, and a musical tone having the designated pitch is generated at a timing corresponding to the operation of the pronunciation instruction operator (= string operation) (for example, Patent Document 1 below) reference).

  The guitar-type electronic musical instrument disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a light emitting unit in each of the plurality of pitch designation switches, and the light emission based on automatic performance data serving as a performance model as a performance guide function. By selectively controlling the lighting of the section, it was possible to present the performance operation to be performed to the user.

However, in the guitar-type electronic musical instrument disclosed in Patent Document 1, the light emitting portion provided in each pitch designation switch is used only as a performance guide, and thus light emission is controlled only during performance. there were. Therefore, for example, there was no function for causing the light emitting unit to emit light during the demonstration performance (automatic reproduction) of the music. Further, even in the light emission control during performance, since the performance guide function is assumed, only light emission dependent on the progress of the performance music is performed. For this reason, the light emission control is monotonous and has little visual interest.
JP 2002-258866 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a stringed instrument type electronic musical instrument capable of visually interesting light emission control in a stringed instrument type electronic musical instrument having a light emitting function. .

  The present invention relates to a stringed instrument-type electronic musical instrument having a fingerboard structure in which a plurality of performance operators having a light-emitting section are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, and a mode for setting the operation mode of the electronic musical instrument to a predetermined light-emitting mode A setting unit; a speed setting unit capable of variably setting a progress speed of light emission control in the light emission mode; and a position of the light emitting unit to emit light according to a predetermined light emission pattern corresponding to the light emission mode set in the mode setting unit. Comprises light emission control means for controlling switching according to the speed set by the speed setting means.

  According to the present invention, the mode setting means sets the operation mode of the electronic musical instrument to the predetermined light emission mode, and the speed setting means variably sets the progress speed of the light emission control in the light emission mode. The light emission control unit controls the position of the light emitting unit to emit light according to the speed set by the speed setting unit according to a predetermined light emission pattern corresponding to the light emission mode set by the mode setting unit. Thus, for example, even when the speed setting means sets the speed according to the performance tempo of the automatic musical piece at the time of executing the reproduction of the automatic musical piece, the light emission pattern is irrelevant to the progress of the automatic musical piece. Since the light emission of the light emitting unit proceeds, it is possible to perform light emission control that is visually interesting. In addition, when the speed setting means performs independent speed setting that does not depend on the performance tempo of the automatic musical piece, light emission control that does not depend on the performance tempo can be performed. There is an excellent effect that light emission control with enhanced effect can be performed. As a result, it is possible to add a light emission demonstration function to the stringed electronic musical instrument. For example, by performing light emission control according to the light emission mode when not playing, an illumination effect such as a Christmas tree is produced. The stringed musical instrument can be used as an electric decoration. Further, the light emission control and performance (automatic performance according to automatic performance data or manual performance by the performer) according to the present invention may be combined.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, as an example of the electronic musical instrument according to the present invention, a ukulele type electronic musical instrument simulating a natural musical instrument ukulele is shown.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram functionally showing the electrical hardware configuration of the ukulele-type electronic musical instrument according to this embodiment. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the appearance of the ukulele-type electronic musical instrument according to this embodiment as viewed from above, and FIG. 2B is a view of the ukulele of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electrical hardware configuration of the ukulele-type electronic musical instrument according to this embodiment includes a CPU 20 (a part of light emission control means), a ROM 21, a RAM 22, a sound source 23 (musical sound generation means), an interface 24, 25, a function setting operator 26, a display device 27, a storage device 28, an external interface 29, and the like, and the devices are connected to each other via a bus 30. The interface 24 is connected to a pitch designation switch 10 and a tone generation instruction operator 11 which will be described later. The interface 25 is connected with a light emitting unit 10a and a light emitter 7a, which will be described later. The CPU 20 is connected to a timer 20a for measuring various times, and the timer 20a generates a tempo clock for setting a performance tempo for automatic performance. The frequency of the tempo clock pulse can be adjusted by a tempo setting switch included in the function setting operator 26.

  Various control programs are executed by a signal processing system including the CPU 20, the ROM 21, and the RAM 22, and the overall operation of the electronic musical instrument, such as operation detection processing of various operators, parameter setting processing, musical tone sound generation control, light emission control, etc. Take control. Various control programs may be stored in an appropriate storage medium such as the ROM 21, the RAM 22, or the storage device 28. The control program includes a program for executing light emission control according to this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the overall external shape of the ukulele-type electronic musical instrument according to this embodiment is a simulation of a normal acoustic ukulele. A neck 2 is projected from one end of the body 1, and a head 3 is formed at one end of the neck 2. The shape and size of each member of the body 1, the neck 2 and the head 3 are substantially the same as those of an acoustic ukulele.

  At the approximate center of the body 1, four sounding instruction operators 11 are provided corresponding to the four strings of the acoustic ukulele. Each sound generation instruction operator 11 is formed of a metal wire member that simulates a ukulele string, and includes a sensor mechanism that detects vibration (touch data) according to a string operation on the member by the player. The sensor mechanism may be configured by an appropriate vibration detection sensor such as a piezo sensor provided for each sound generation instruction operation element 11, and may be configured to distinguish the direction of the string operation (down stroke or up stroke). The CPU 20 (see FIG. 1) controls the tone generation timing and tone volume of the musical sound based on the detection signal.

  Each tone generation instruction operator 11 becomes an operator for low sounds in order from an operator for high sound toward an upward position from the one positioned on the lower side when the performer is ready to play the instrument. In general, strings of stringed instruments are given string numbers of 1st string, 2nd string, 3rd string, etc. in order from the highest to the lowest range, and in this embodiment, the names of the string numbers are also adopted. . That is, the string numbers of the sound generation instruction operators 11 are the first string, the second string, the third string, and the fourth string in order from the lower one in the figure.

  In FIG. 2A, twelve frets 4 are arranged on the surface of the neck 2 (that is, the fingerboard referred to as an acoustic ukulele). The member of each fret 4 does not serve as a ukulele fret in a natural musical instrument that defines the length of the vibrating string, but serves as a guide for the operation position of the pitch designation switch described below. The frets are generally referred to as a first fret, a second fret, a 12th fret in order from the one arranged on the head 3 side toward the body side, and the designation is used in this specification. .

  A plurality (48 in this example) of pitch designation switches (pitch instruction means) 10 are arranged on the neck 2. Each pitch designation switch 10 is switched on in response to a pressing operation by the user, and is turned off when the pressing is released. In response to the depression operation of the pitch designation switch 10, a key code corresponding to the operated pitch designation switch 10 is generated, and the pitch of a musical tone to be generated is designated based on the generated key code. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the plurality of pitch designation switches 10 includes four “rows” along the arrangement direction of the first to twelfth frets (the horizontal direction in the figure) and four sound generation instruction operations. Arranged in a matrix form consisting of four rows of “rows” along the arrangement direction (vertical direction in the figure) of the children 11. That is, one row of the pitch designating switch 10 that is a set of 12 is associated with a certain sound generation instruction operator 11, and the generated musical sound is the string operation of the sound generation instruction operator 11. This is determined according to the combination with the pressing operation state of the pitch designation switch 10 in the row corresponding to the sound generation instruction operator 11. As with the performance of a natural instrument ukulele, the performer designates a pitch by pressing an arbitrary fret (pitch designation switch 10) with one hand, and plays the pronunciation instruction operator 11 with the other hand. A musical tone having a pitch assigned to the pressed pitch designation switch 10 can be generated at the timing when the string is operated. Setting of pitch assignment for each pitch designation switch 10 will be described later.

  In this specification, each column of the pitch designation switch 10 corresponding to each of the four sound generation instruction operators 11 may be referred to as a “string” for convenience. Further, the term “row” of the pitch designation switch 10 indicates four pitch designation switches 10 belonging to a certain fret.

  The surface of each pitch designating switch 10 is made of a transparent member, and a light emitting unit 10a made of, for example, an LED is incorporated in each switch 10. By turning on the light emitting portion 10a, the pitch designation switch 10 itself can emit light. CPU20 (refer FIG. 1) implement | achieves the light emission control which concerns on this invention by switching-controlling the position of the pitch designation | designated switch 10 to light-emit according to the predetermined light emission pattern according to the mode setting mentioned later. The light emission control according to the present invention does not depend on the user's musical instrument performance or automatic performance according to the automatic performance data, and the visual interest and decorative effect mainly due to the lighting of the LED is the purpose of the light emission control according to the present invention. As a matter of fact, it is characterized by some sort of demonstration. In this specification, this light emission control mode is referred to as an “illumination mode”. In this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, the setting of “illumination mode” is instructed by simultaneously pressing a plurality of pitch designation switches 10 in a specific combination.

An outline of the “illumination mode” according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams schematically showing the fret 4 and the pitch designating switch 10 in the neck 2 of FIG. 2A. In the figure, the pitch designation switch 10 (light emitting unit 10a) in a light emitting state is represented by a shaded display. FIG. 3A illustrates a pattern in which the position of the pitch designation switch 10 that emits light is randomly switched according to a predetermined light emission switching timing as the first light emission pattern. If this 1st light emission pattern is followed, the pitch designation | designated switch 10 (light emission part 10a) will be light-controlled at random as time passes.
The predetermined light emission switching timing for switching the position of the pitch designation switch 10 to emit light can be varied in time according to a predetermined tempo clock that defines the light emission switching speed. The tempo clock period (tempo value tempo) can be adjusted by a tempo setting switch included in the function setting operator 26 (see FIG. 1). When the electronic musical instrument is turned on, a predetermined initial value, for example, “tempo value tempo = 100”, that is, a tempo value of 100 beats per minute is set as the tempo value. This tempo value may be arbitrarily changed by the user.

  As an example of the light emission switching timing in the first light emission pattern shown in FIG. 3A, the light emission switching timing can be set to arrive at a rate of once every two beats of a quarter note. According to this example of the light emission switching timing, the position of the pitch designation switch 10 to emit light is randomly switched every two beats. In FIG. 3A, in the neck 2 drawn on the upper side, the pitch designation switch 10 (light emitting unit 10a) located at the third fret of the third string emits light, and at the next light emission switching timing, As shown in the drawn neck 2, an example is shown in which the position of the pitch designation switch 10 that emits light is switched to that of the 9th fret of the 2nd string. In the example shown in (a), it is illustrated that one pitch designation switch 10 emits light at one light emission switching timing. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of sounds are displayed at one light emission switching timing. The high designation switch 10 may emit light in a random combination.

  FIG. 3B shows an example of the second light emission pattern. The pitch designation switch 10 (light emitting unit 10a) emits light for each “row”, and the light emission position of the “row” of the pitch designation switch 10 The pattern which shifts sequentially along the arrangement direction is shown. According to the second light emission pattern, the pitch designation switch 10 (light emitting unit 10a) is sequentially controlled to light along the fret arrangement direction (the neck longitudinal direction) as time elapses.

  As an example of the light emission switching timing in the second light emission pattern, the light emission switching timing can be set to arrive at every beat of a quarter note. According to this example of the light emission switching timing, the position of the “row” of the pitch designation switch 10 that emits light sequentially moves to the adjacent fret for each beat. In the light emission pattern illustrated in FIG. 3B, the rows of the pitch designation switches 10 at a plurality of places (three places in the figure) are simultaneously illuminated at one emission switching timing, and the pitch designation switches 10 that emit light are simultaneously emitted. An example is shown in which the row position reciprocates between 1st and 12th frets as time passes. In FIG. 3B, in the neck 2 drawn on the upper side, the third, sixth and ninth fret pitch designation switches 10 (light emitting units 10a) emit light, and at the next light emission switching timing, As in the neck 2 drawn on the side, the row of each pitch designation switch 10 that emits light is shifted to the left one (switched), and the pitch designation switches 10 of the fourth, seventh, and tenth frets are switched. This shows an example in which the row is emitted. In the case of reciprocal movement, for example, when the row of the pitch designation switch 10 in the light emitting state reaches 12 frets, at the next timing, the 12 fret rows are emitted as they are, and at the next timing, FIG. ) To move to the 11th fret on the right, and then move toward the 1st fret. When the first fret is reached, reciprocating movement can be realized by controlling the moving direction to be reversed in the same manner as described above.

In the second light emission pattern shown in FIG. 3B, an example in which the rows of the pitch designation switches 10 at a plurality of places (three places in the figure) are simultaneously emitted at one light emission switching timing is shown. The pitch designation switch 10 in one row may be caused to emit light at the light emission switching timing. Moreover, although the example which moves to the next fret at one light emission switching timing was shown, the movement amount per one light emission switching timing is not limited to the above, for example, it jumps to two frets next. It may be set as appropriate. Moreover, the number of pitch designation switches to be emitted at one time can be changed as appropriate, not limited to the pattern in which the pitch designation switches in one line (four switches for each string) are collectively emitted. The number of pitch designation switches to be lit at each timing may be different. The row position of the pitch designation switch 10 that emits light is not limited to the example of reciprocating between the 1st fret and the 12th fret over time, and the moving direction may be unidirectional. Further, the movement of the light emission position is not limited to movement in the direction along the line (lateral movement). For example, if the pitch designation switch emits light for each column or emits light one by one, movement in the direction along the row (vertical movement) is possible, and oblique movement is also possible. As an example of the oblique movement, considering the case where one pitch designation switch emits light, it is moved to the adjacent string and the adjacent fret at one light emission switching timing (for example, from the 1st fret of the 4th string to the 3rd string). Or move to 2 frets). In addition to linear movement of the light emission position, for example, one or more specific pitch designation switches may be selectively controlled to emit light in order to express an elephant such as a certain pattern or character string. .
In other words, the first light emission pattern is a pattern in which the position of the pitch designation switch for emitting light is switched randomly, whereas the position of the pitch designation switch for light emission is switched in accordance with some rules in the second light emission pattern. It may be said that it is a pattern. In any of the first and second light emission patterns, various variations can be taken for specific control. In the second pattern, the user may arbitrarily set the switching rule.

  Note that the tempo value defining the light emission switching timing may be set separately from the performance tempo when the electronic musical instrument performs automatic performance. It may be linked to the tempo setting. For example, when automatic reproduction (automatic performance) of music data is executed, or after automatic reproduction of music data, the tempo for illumination (tempo for switching light emission) follows the tempo for automatic performance. You may do it.

  Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, the display device 27 is arranged on the surface of the head 3 as shown in FIG. 2A in this embodiment. The display device 27 may be constituted by, for example, a 7-segment display device for three digits, and can display the setting state of various parameters such as a tempo value and the performance state according to the control of the CPU 20.

The function setting operator 26 in FIG. 1 corresponds to the four dial switches 5a to 5d shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the four dial switches 5 a, 5 b, 5 c and 5 d simulate a ukulele bobbin (peg) and are arranged on the back surface of the head 3. The dial switches 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are configured to include a rotary encoder and are rotated by a user, and a setting signal corresponding to the rotational operation state is given to the CPU 20. These dial switches 5a to 5d function as operators for switching various operation modes, mode settings such as tone color setting (musical instrument type selection), volume setting, and tempo value setting. That is, the user can arbitrarily set the tempo value by operating the dial type switch (any of 5a to 5d) assigned for setting the tempo value.
Further, according to the timbre setting (instrument type selection), a timbre corresponding to an arbitrarily selected instrument type is set, and each column (each string) of the timbre designation switch 10 is set according to the selected instrument type. The pitch of open strings can be set in a lump. Here, “the pitch of the open string of each string” is the pitch when each string is played without pressing the timbre designation switch 10. In the standard ukulele setting, the pitch name “A”, the pitch name “E”, the pitch name “C”, and the pitch name “G” are set in order from the 1st string to the 4th string.

  The dial switches 5a to 5d function as operating elements for individually adjusting the pitch (tuning) for each row (each string) of the pitch designation switch 10 in the “free tuning mode”. The “free tuning mode” is a term used in this specification as a name of a mode in which tuning for each string is performed individually. In the “free tuning mode”, each dial switch 5a to 5d is assigned to each row (open string 1 to 4) of the pitch designation switch 10, and by operating each dial switch 5a to 5d individually, Depending on the amount of operation, the pitch of the open string in the corresponding row can be individually changed. The pitch setting for each string is performed using, for example, a table in which parameter values corresponding to the operation state for each dial switch 5a to 5d are associated with pitch data to be set for each string. it can. As described above, the pitch adjustment (tuning) for each column (each string) can be freely changed using the rotary operation element, so that tuning can be performed with an operation feeling and an adjustment feeling like an acoustic instrument. It becomes like this. In this embodiment, the setting of the “free tuning mode” is instructed by simultaneously pressing a plurality of pitch designation switches 10 in a specific combination.

  1 and 2, the storage device 28 stores various control programs for operating the electronic musical instrument, music data for automatic performance, etc., or stores user settings for various parameters. The user settings of various parameters stored in the storage device 28 may be arbitrarily read and rewritten. The storage device 28 is, for example, a hard disk, a flexible disk or a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a compact disk (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk (MO), a ZIP disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a semiconductor memory, etc. It may be composed of a storage medium.

The sound source 23 generates performance data read from the storage device 28 and digital audio signals representing musical sounds corresponding to the operation of the pitch designation switch 10 and the sound generation instruction operator 11 by the user. As a sound source method of the sound source 23, any conventionally known method such as a waveform memory may be used. The sound source 23 can generate a musical tone for each sound generation channel in the four sound generation channels corresponding to the four sound generation instruction operators 11 respectively. The sound system 23a converts the digital audio signal supplied from the sound source 23 into an analog audio signal, amplifies the analog audio signal, and causes the speaker to produce sound.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A, the speaker is built in a position corresponding to the sound outlet 7 (sound hole). A light emitter 7a made of, for example, an LED is provided around the sound outlet 7 (sound hole). The light emitter 7a is controlled to blink according to the light emission speed set by the user or the tempo speed of the automatic performance data, and indicates the performance timing by the light emission, illuminates the player's hand, or It emits light in an illumination manner (that is, with visual interest).

  The recess 1a formed on the end of the back surface of the body 1 is provided with a power switch, a volume knob, a headphone / external output terminal, an external input terminal, a USB standard, and other various signal input / output interfaces that are not shown. ing. This corresponds to the external interface 29 in FIG. It can be connected to appropriate external devices via the external interface 29, and various data such as automatic performance data and control programs can be transmitted and received, and automatic performance data and the like can be transmitted via a communication network such as the Internet. Various data and control programs can be downloaded. Note that it is possible to store the automatic performance data received from the outside in the storage device 28, or to perform sound generation based on the received automatic performance data in the sound source 23. Moreover, in FIG.2 (b), the code | symbol 6 shown on the back surface of the body 1 is a cover part of a battery box, and a battery can be accommodated in this battery box.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the main routine of the ukulele-type electronic musical instrument. When power is applied to the ukulele-type electronic musical instrument, a predetermined initialization process (step S1) is performed, followed by a function setting process (step S2), an “illumination” process (step S3) according to this embodiment, and The performance process (step S4) is repeatedly executed. The performance process in step S4 is a process for executing an automatic performance according to the automatic performance data, an instrument performance according to the user performance, and the like. Note that the switch emission control as the performance guide function is included in the performance processing in step S4.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the function setting process shown in step S2 of FIG. First, in steps S10 and S11, a mode setting instruction is received by operating a specific combination of pitch designation switches 10. That is, the presence / absence of operation of the pitch designation switch 10 is determined (step S10), whether or not the specific combination pitch designation switch 10 is a simultaneous press operation is determined (step S11). The mode is switched according to the combination of the designated pitch designation switches 10.

  In this embodiment, it is possible to instruct the setting of the following two types of modes by the simultaneous pressing operation of a specific combination of pitch designation switches 10: “illumination mode” and “free tuning mode”. It is. In FIG. 5, for convenience of explanation, the combination of the pitch designation switches 10 for instructing the “illumination mode” is “combination A”, and the combination of the pitch designation switches 10 for instructing the “free tuning mode” is “ “Combination B”.

  First, the setting of the illumination mode in step S12 will be described. In this embodiment, the illumination mode has the following three modes. That is: 1) flashing control mode of the light emitting body 7a provided around the sound emission port 7 (sound hole), 2) illumination mode A according to the first light emission pattern, and 3) illumination mode according to the second light emission pattern. B. The illumination mode A is a mode in which light emission control is performed with the first light emission pattern illustrated in FIG. 3A, and the illumination mode B is light emission with the second light emission pattern illustrated in FIG. 3B. This is the mode to control.

These three illumination modes are switched and set by the simultaneous pressing operation of the pitch designation switch 10 of the same combination. The illumination mode is set every time the pitch designation switch 10 of the combination is simultaneously pressed. The state is switched sequentially by a tap type. For example, the flashing control mode of the light-emitting body 7a is set at the first time, the illumination mode A is set at the second time, the illumination mode B is set at the third time, and the setting of the illumination mode is turned off at the fourth time. The combination of the pitch designation switches 10 that are simultaneously pressed to change the illumination mode may be a combination of switches that is not performed in a normal performance operation. For example, the first, second, third, and fourth switches It may be a combination of simultaneously pressing the pitch specification switch 10 of the first fret and the twelfth fret pitch specification switch 10 of the first and fourth strings in each row corresponding to the string. As described above, according to this embodiment, since the illumination mode can be set by using the pitch designation switch 10 (performance operator), it is not necessary to provide special mode setting switches. It is also preferable in that the switch installation space can be made more efficient and the overall appearance of the stringed electronic musical instrument can be more approximate to that of a natural musical instrument by not providing redundant switches.
The setting state of the illumination mode may be displayed on the display device 27 (see FIG. 2A), and the user can check the type of the illumination mode currently set on the display device 27. In accordance with the illumination mode set here, light emission control is performed by an “illumination” process (step S3 in FIG. 4) described later.

  The setting of the “free tuning mode” in step S13 is instructed by the simultaneous pressing operation of the pitch designation switch 10 of a combination different from the combination of the pitch designation switch 10 instructing the “change of illumination”. For example, a combination of pressing a switch of the first, second, third and fourth frets and a switch of the twelfth fret in a row corresponding to the first string. The setting of the “free tuning mode” is switched on and off in a tap manner according to, for example, the simultaneous pressing operation of the pitch designation switch 10 of the above combination.

  In step S14, it is determined whether any of the dial switches 5a to 5d has been rotated, and if there is an operation (in the case of yes), the process proceeds to step S15. When the “free tuning mode” is set in step S13 (yes in step S15), in step S16, the string corresponding to the operated dial-type switch 5a to 5d (row of pitch designation switch 10). Then, the tuning (pitch value) currently set for each string is read, and in step S17, the pitch value of the string is changed based on the direction and amount of the rotary operation of the operated dial switches 5a to 5d. Thus, the tuning of the open string of the string is changed. In step S18, the note name newly set in step S17 is displayed on the display 27. Thus, tuning can be performed individually for each string.

    On the other hand, if the “free tuning mode” is not set (no in step S15), processing corresponding to the function assigned to the operated dial switch is executed in step S19. Functions assigned to the operated dial type switch include, for example, “song selection”, “tone color selection (instrument type selection)”, “tempo change”, or “volume balance setting”. In step S19, the tempo value defining the light emission switching timing in the illumination mode can be arbitrarily changed according to the operation of the dial switch assigned for “tempo change”. If there is an input from another operation element, processing according to the executed operation input is performed in steps S20 and S21.

Next, the light emission control procedure in the illumination mode A and the illumination mode B executed by the “illumination” process (step S3 in FIG. 4) will be described with reference to the flowcharts in FIGS. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing for measuring the “count value Y” of the light emission switching timing in the illumination mode A and the “count value X” of the light emission switching timing in the illumination mode B. This process is a timer interrupt process that is executed every tempo clock period based on the tempo value. That is, a timer interrupt instruction is given to the CPU 20 at every tempo clock generated by the timer 20a shown in FIG. 1, and is executed according to the timer interrupt instruction. The interrupt time interval based on the timer interrupt command can be changed by, for example, a dial type operator (any one of 5a to 5d).
In step S30, the count value X and the count value Y are respectively added with a numerical value “1”, thereby incrementing the count values X and Y. As a result, the count value X and the count value Y are incremented by “1” every time the timer interrupt process is activated.

  In step S31, it is determined whether the count value X has reached the tempo value (tempo). If, for example, the value 100 is set as the initial setting value in the tempo value, the process branches to “yes” in the 100th timer interrupt process. When the count value X reaches the tempo value (tempo), the value of the count value X is reset to 0 in step S32. The fact that the count value X has reached the tempo value (tempo) means the arrival of the light emission switching timing in the illumination mode B, so the value of the count value X is reset to 0 at this time.

  In step S33, it is determined whether the count value Y has reached A times the tempo value (tempo). Here, the count value Y is compared with A times the tempo value (tempo) because the light emission switching timing in the illumination mode B comes once every A beat (A times 1 beat). This is because it is assumed. According to the first light emission pattern (illumination mode A) described with reference to FIG. 3A, since the light emission switching timing is described every two beats, A = 2. In this case, if, for example, a value 100 is set as the initial setting value in the tempo value, the process branches to “yes” in the 200th timer interrupt process. When the count value Y reaches A times the tempo value, the count value Y is reset to 0 in step S34. The fact that the count value Y has reached A times the tempo value means the arrival of the light emission switching timing in the illumination mode A, so the count value Y is reset to 0 at this point. In this embodiment, the value A is initially set to “2”. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be set to other appropriate values, or may be changed by the user.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a light emission control procedure in the illumination mode A and the illumination mode B.
First, the control in the illumination mode A will be described. When the illumination mode A is set in step S12 of the function setting process shown in FIG. 5, step S40 in FIG. 7 is branched to yes, and measurement data of the current count value Y is acquired in step S41. As described above, the count value Y is added and measured by the timer interrupt process shown in FIG. 6 every time the tempo clock is activated. If the acquired count value Y is “0” (yes in step S42), the process proceeds to step S43. In this embodiment, the opportunity for the count value Y to be reset to 0 is set in units of two beats, and this time is the arrival of the light emission switching timing in the illumination mode A. If step S42 is no, the process returns to wait for the light emission switching timing to arrive.

In step S43, a process of randomly determining the position of the pitch designation switch 10 to be newly emitted is performed. This may be realized by, for example, a process of randomly generating 48 numerical values corresponding to each of the 48 pitch designation switches 10. In step S44, the pitch designating switch 10 (light emitting unit 10a) that is currently emitting light is extinguished, and the pitch designating switch 10 (light emitting unit 10a) randomly determined in step S43 is newly controlled to emit light. To do.
This realizes light emission control (illumination mode A) in which the position of the pitch designation switch that emits light at a timing of once every two beats is switched randomly.

  Next, illumination mode B control will be described. When the illumination mode B is set in step S12 of the function setting process shown in FIG. 5, step S45 of FIG. 7 is branched to yes, and in step S46, measurement data of the current count value X is acquired. As described above, the count value X is added and measured by the timer interrupt process shown in FIG. 6 every time the tempo clock is activated. If the acquired count value X is “0” (yes in step S47), the process proceeds to step S48. In this embodiment, the opportunity for the count value Y to be reset to 0 is set in units of one beat, and this point in time is the light emission switching timing in the illumination mode B. If step S47 is no, the process returns to wait for the light emission switching timing to arrive.

In step S48, a process for determining a line to be newly emitted based on the line (fret position) of the pitch designation switch currently emitting light is performed. If this is an example of shifting by one fret, for example, if the light emission movement is from 1 fret to 12 fret, a fret number that is one greater than the current fret position is set and the movement direction is reverse. On the contrary, a number one smaller than the current fret position may be set. As described above, the amount of movement at one time is not limited to one fret. In step S49, the pitch designation switches 10 (light emitting units 10a) in the currently emitting row (fret) are controlled to be extinguished, and the pitch designation switches 10 (light emitting units) in the fret determined in step S48 are controlled. 10a) is newly controlled for light emission.
This realizes light emission control (illumination mode B) in which the row of pitch designation switches that emit light every beat shifts by one fret.

  If another illumination mode (flashing control mode of the light emitter 7a around the sound hole) is set (step S50: yes), processing according to the other illumination mode that has been set is executed in step S51. In the blinking control mode of the light emitter 7a, for example, every time the light emission switching timing arrives, control to switch on / off the light emitter 7a, or control to switch the intensity (lightness / darkness) of the light intensity of the light emitter 7a is performed. Can be.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to perform light emission control that is visually interesting without depending on performance, and it is possible to emit light even when not playing. The ukulele-type electronic musical instrument can produce an illumination effect as an electric decoration such as a Christmas tree. Further, the effect is further enhanced by combining the light emission control in the illumination mode and the performance (automatic performance according to automatic performance data or manual performance by the performer).

  In the above example, a ukulele-type electronic musical instrument having four string-like operators and a pitch designation switch array corresponding to each operator (string) has been described as an example. The present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to other stringed musical instruments (for example, a six-stringed guitar). The configuration of the housing portion of the main body is not limited to the above example, and the present invention can be applied to any electronic musical instrument provided with at least a large number of switches having a light emitting function in a predetermined arrangement.

The block diagram which shows the electrical hardware constitutions in the ukulele type | mold electronic musical instrument which concerns on one Example of this invention. The external appearance structure of the ukulele type | mold electronic stringed instrument which concerns on the Example is shown, (a) is the top view seen from the upper surface, (b) is the top view seen from the back surface. It is a figure which shows notionally an example of the light emission pattern by the light emission control which concerns on this Example, (a) is a 1st light emission pattern, (b) is a 2nd light emission pattern. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the main routine in the ukulele type | mold electronic musical instrument which concerns on the same Example. The flowchart which shows an example of the function setting process of the ukulele type | mold electronic musical instrument which concerns on the same Example. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a timer interrupt process for measuring a count value of light emission switching timing in the illumination mode according to the embodiment. The flowchart which shows an example of the procedure of the light emission control by the illumination mode which concerns on the Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 body, 2 neck, 3 heads, 4 frets, 5a to 5d dial type switch, 6 battery box lid, 7 sound outlet, 7a light emitter, 10 pitch designation switch, 10a light emission unit, 11 sound indication operation element, 20 CPU, 21 ROM, 22 RAM, 23 Sound source, 24, 25 interface, 26 Function setting operator, 27 Display, 28 Storage device, 29 External interface

Claims (3)

In a stringed instrument type electronic musical instrument having a fingerboard structure in which a plurality of performance operators having a light emitting portion are arranged in a predetermined arrangement,
Mode setting means for setting the operation mode of the electronic musical instrument to a predetermined light emission mode;
Speed setting means capable of variably setting the progress speed of light emission control in the light emission mode;
Light emission control means for controlling the position of the light emitting section to emit light according to the speed set by the speed setting means according to a predetermined light emission pattern corresponding to the light emission mode set by the mode setting means; An electronic musical instrument of the stringed instrument type characterized by comprising.   2. The stringed instrument type electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the light emission control unit includes a unit that switches a position of the light emitting unit to emit light according to the predetermined light emission pattern along a predetermined arrangement of the plurality of performance operators. Musical instrument. Means for supplying automatic musical composition data to be reproduced according to a certain performance tempo, and reproducing means for reproducing the automatic musical composition based on the automatic musical composition data;
The speed setting means includes means for setting a speed in accordance with a performance tempo of the automatic performance data to be reproduced when an instruction to reproduce the automatic performance music is given by the reproduction means. A stringed electronic musical instrument.

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