JP2009025430A - Performance technical support device of keyboard instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a performance technical support device of a keyboard instrument capable of improving the performance technique by enabling a key touch strength to be confirmed visually. <P>SOLUTION: A performance technical support device 20 of a keyboard instrument 2 for generating musical sound at a volume according to a touch strength when depressing a key 5 is provided with a touch strength detection means 21 for detecting the touch strength and a display device 23 for visually displaying the detected touch strength. Also, the touch strength detection means is comprised of a piezoelectric sheet 21 attached on an upper surface of the key 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is applied to, for example, a keyboard instrument such as an acoustic piano or an electronic piano, or a composite piano such as a mute piano, and a keyboard instrument that generates a musical tone with a volume corresponding to the touch strength when the key is pressed. The present invention relates to a performance technology support apparatus.

  As a conventional keyboard instrument, for example, one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This keyboard instrument is a mute piano and includes a control device. This mute piano has a normal performance mode for generating acoustic musical sounds and a mute performance mode for generating electronic musical sounds by a control device as performance modes. In this mute piano, a pair of left and right gloves are used in the mute performance mode. This glove is formed with five fingers, and a pressure sensor is provided at the tip of each finger. In the mute performance mode, when a glove is worn on both hands and the key is pressed, the pressure sensor is pressed between the key and a detection signal corresponding to the touch strength is output from the pressure sensor to the control device. The In response to the detection signal, the control device sets the tone volume to be higher as the detected touch strength is higher.

  However, with this conventional mute piano, the volume is only set according to the touch strength detected by the pressure sensor, and the touch strength cannot be confirmed. That is, in order to improve the performance technique, it is important to obtain a desired volume for each key, and the volume depends on the touch strength of the key. In particular, in the case of an acoustic piano, a hammer that rotates as a key is pressed produces a sound by striking a string while freely rotating while being separated from the key in the middle of the rotation. Therefore, the volume of the musical sound cannot be controlled after the key is pressed, and is almost determined by the touch strength when the key is pressed. If the playing technique is immature, when playing chords or arpeggios, even if you intend to press the key with the same touch strength, the touch strength may vary depending on the finger you press, and the volume of the musical tone tends to vary. . For example, the touch strength tends to be strong in the case of the thumb or forefinger, weak in the case of the ring finger or the little finger, and the non-dominant hand tends to be weak between the two hands. On the other hand, a conventional mute piano cannot confirm the touch strength, and thus does not lead to improvement in performance techniques.

  In addition, since the conventional mute piano is performed with a glove attached to both hands, not only is it difficult to perform, but the performer may feel uncomfortable and is not practical.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and is capable of visually confirming the touch strength of a key, thereby improving the performance technique of a keyboard instrument. The purpose is to provide.

JP 2000-322056 A

  In order to achieve this object, the invention according to claim 1 is a performance support apparatus for playing a musical instrument of a keyboard instrument that generates a tone having a volume corresponding to the touch strength when a key is pressed, and detects the touch strength. Touch strength detecting means for displaying and a display device for visually displaying the detected touch strength.

  According to this keyboard musical instrument performance technology support device, the touch strength when the key is pressed is detected by the touch strength detection means, and the detected touch strength is visually displayed on the display device. Thereby, the touch strength of the key can be easily confirmed only by looking at the display device. As a result, when the desired touch strength is not obtained, the performance technique can be improved by correcting it.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the keyboard musical instrument performance technology support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the touch strength detection means is composed of a piezoelectric sheet affixed to the upper surface of the key. .

  According to this configuration, since the piezoelectric sheet is attached to the upper surface of the key, the touch strength is appropriately detected by converting the distortion of the piezoelectric sheet generated according to the touch strength when the key is pressed into a voltage. be able to. In addition, since the piezoelectric sheet is thin and light, even if it is attached to the upper surface of the key, the performance can be performed without any trouble. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to attach the piezoelectric sheet to the upper surface of the key, it can be easily attached to an existing piano key by retrofitting.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the keyboard musical instrument performance technology support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the key is composed of a plurality of keys, and the display device displays the touch strength for each of the plurality of keys. It is characterized by that.

  According to this configuration, since the touch strength is displayed for each key, it is possible to clearly check which key is pressed with what touch strength. For example, when performing a chord performance or an arpeggio performance, the suitability of the touch strength can be checked with each finger.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a grand piano 2 (keyboard instrument) to which a performance technology support device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached. In the following description, when the grand piano 2 is viewed from the performer, the front side (right side in FIG. 2) is “front”, the back side (left side in FIG. 2) is “rear”, and the left side and right side are further The description will be given as “left” and “right”, respectively.

  The grand piano 2 is of an acoustic type that generates a piano sound by hitting the string S with a hammer 13 when the key 5 is pressed. The grand piano 2 includes a side plate 3 that forms its outer shape, a horizontal shelf plate 4 that is fixed between the lower portions of the front portion of the side plate 3, and a column assembly that supports a string S (see FIG. 2) that is stretched. (Not shown).

  On the shelf board 4, a plurality of (for example, 88) keys 5 including white keys 5a and black keys 5b are provided. The white key 5a includes a wooden key body 5c and a white key cover 5d attached to the front surface of the key body 5c. Similarly, the black key 5b has a wooden key body 5e and a black key cover 5f attached to the front portion of the upper surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 2, the key 5 is rotatably supported by a balance pin 6 erected on the collar 4a through a balance pin hole (not shown) formed at the center thereof. Further, an action 7 is arranged above the rear portion of the key 5, and a hammer 13 is provided for each key 5 above the action 7.

  The action 7 is for rotating the hammer 13 in response to pressing of the key 5. The whippen 9 mounted on the rear part of each key 5 via the capstan screw 8 and attached to the whippen 9. A repetition lever 10 and a jack 11 are provided.

  The whippen 9 extends in the front-rear direction, and is rotatably attached to the whippen flange 12 at the rear end portion thereof. The repetition lever 10 extends obliquely forward and backward in the front-rear direction, and is attached to the whippen 9 so as to be rotatable at the center thereof. A jack guide hole 10 a penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the front portion of the repetition lever 10.

  The jack 11 is formed in an L shape from a protruding portion 11a extending in the vertical direction and an engaging portion 11b extending substantially perpendicularly forward from the lower end portion thereof, and is rotatable to the whippen 9 at the corner portion. Is attached. The upper end portion of the push-up portion 11 a is accommodated in the jack guide hole 10 a of the repetition lever 10. Moreover, the front-end | tip part of the engaging part 11b has opposed the regulating button 17 from the lower side.

  On the other hand, the hammer 13 is composed of a hammer shank 13a extending in the front-rear direction and a hammer head 13b attached to the rear end portion of the hammer shank 13a. The hammer shank rail 14 is rotatably supported. A cylindrical shank roller 13d is attached to the front end of the hammer shank 13a. 2, the hammer 13 is placed in the vicinity of the jack guide hole 10a of the repetition lever 10 via the shank roller 13d, and the protruding portion 11a of the jack 11 is spaced from the shank roller 13d by a small distance. Are facing each other.

  With the above configuration, when the key 5 is pressed, the key 5 rotates about the balance pin 6 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2, and the whippen 9 rotates upward along with this rotation. As the whippen 9 rotates, the repetition lever 10 and the jack 11 move upward together with the whippen 9, and the push-up portion 11a of the jack 11 pushes up the hammer 13 via the shank roller 13d. Rotate clockwise. In the middle of this rotation, the engaging portion 11b of the jack 11 comes into contact with the regulating button 17, so that the jack 11 rotates clockwise with respect to the whippen 9 and comes out of the shank roller 13d. While the hammer 13 is freely rotated, the string S is struck by the hammer head 13b. Thereby, a piano sound having a volume corresponding to the touch strength of the key 5 is generated.

  The performance technique support device 20 is used to improve the performance technique of the performer, and includes a piezoelectric sheet 21, a microphone 22, and a display device 23 as shown in FIG.

  The piezoelectric sheet 21 is composed of a piezoelectric element formed in a thin plate shape. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the piezoelectric sheet 21 includes a white key piezoelectric sheet 21a and a black key piezoelectric sheet 21b. The white key piezoelectric sheet 21a has the same shape and size as the upper surface of the white key cover 5d of the white key 5a, and is adhered thereto by adhesion. The black key piezoelectric sheet 21b has the same shape and size as the upper surface of the black key cover 5f of the black key 5b, and is adhered thereto by adhesion. The piezoelectric sheet 21 is configured to output a voltage proportional to a strain generated when an external force is applied to the piezoelectric sheet 21 in the vertical direction, thereby detecting the touch strength of the key 5.

  The voltage signal SV output from the piezoelectric sheet 21 is output to the display device 23 via the cable 35. One end of the cable 35 is connected to the rear end of each piezoelectric sheet 21, extends between the keyboard lid 15 and the key 5, extends inside the piano body, and is bundled by a binder (not shown). Yes. The other end of the cable 35 passes between the music stand assembly 16 and extends to the outside of the piano body, and is connected to the display device 23 via the connector 36.

  The microphone 22 collects the piano sound generated from the grand piano 2 and converts it into an analog musical sound signal SM, and is attached to a column (not shown) of the column assembly. The microphone 22 is composed of a dynamic microphone, for example, and includes an electromagnetic coil and a diaphragm (both not shown) connected to the electromagnetic coil. The diaphragm vibrates due to the generated piano sound, and an electromotive force proportional to the amplitude is generated in the electromagnetic coil, and this electromotive force is output to the display device 23 as a musical sound signal SM.

  The display device 23 is integrally incorporated in a box-like case C, and this case C is arranged near the performer, for example, on the main support plate 16a of the music stand assembly 16 (see FIG. 1). . The display device 23 displays the touch strength of the key 5 detected by the piezoelectric sheet 21 in real time during performance, and records and reproduces the touch strength together with the musical tone signal SM. As shown in FIG. 3, the display device 23 includes a scan circuit 24, an amplifier 25, a piezoelectric sheet A / D converter 26, a microphone A / D converter 27, a processing circuit 28, a drive circuit 29, and a display unit. 30, a D / A converter 31, a speaker 32, a recording switch 33, a reproduction switch 34, and the like.

  The recording switch 33 is turned on when the touch strength and the musical tone signal SM are recorded, and outputs a signal representing the ON / OFF state to the processing circuit 28. The reproduction switch 34 is turned on when reproducing the recorded touch strength and the musical tone signal SM, and outputs a signal indicating the ON / OFF state to the processing circuit 28.

  Based on the voltage signal SV from the piezoelectric sheet 21, the scan circuit 24 detects on / off information of the key 5 and key number information that identifies the key 5 that is turned on or off, and turns on the key 5. / Off information and key number information are output to the processing circuit 28 as key press data DT of the key 5. The key numbers are numbers assigned consecutively from the lowest sound toward the higher sound side to each key 5. The lowest sound key 5 is set to "1" and the highest sound key 5 is set to "88". Has been.

  The amplifier 25 amplifies the voltage signal SV with a predetermined gain, and then outputs it to the A / D converter 26. The A / D converter 26 converts the amplified voltage signal SV from analog to digital and then outputs it to the processing circuit 28.

  The A / D converter 27 for the microphone converts the musical sound signal SM from analog to digital and outputs it to the processing circuit 28.

  The processing circuit 28 calculates the touch strength of the key 5 for each key number based on the key pressing data DT from the scan circuit 24 and the voltage signal SV from the piezoelectric sheet 21. Then, predetermined graphic processing is performed on the level signal representing the calculated touch strength, thereby generating a display signal SLV for display and outputting it to the drive circuit 29.

  The drive circuit 29 outputs a drive signal SD for each LED, which will be described later, of the display unit 30 to the display unit 30 in accordance with the display signal SLV.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the display unit 30 includes a display panel 30 a provided in the case C, and a plurality of LED arrays arranged on the display panel 30 a. The LED array is composed of 88 columns of LEDs corresponding to the key number of the key 5 arranged in the left-right direction. Each LED array is composed of a large number of LEDs arranged in the vertical direction, and each LED has a horizontally long rectangular shape. Each LED is composed of a pn-junction diode, and emits light when a voltage is applied to its anode. The application of the voltage to each LED array is controlled by a drive signal SD from the drive circuit 29. . For example, when the key number of the pressed key 5 is “4”, the number of LEDs in proportion to the touch strength in the LED array in the fourth column is given priority from the lower one to the voltage as needed. Are applied in synchronization with each other to cause the LEDs to emit light. By the control as described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the touch strength of the key 5 is visually displayed in a bar graph form for each key 5 in real time as needed.

  The processing circuit 28 includes a storage circuit 28a. When the recording switch 33 is turned on, the display signal SLV is output to and stored in the storage circuit 28a in addition to the drive circuit 29. At the same time, the musical tone signal SM from the microphone 22 is also stored. Further, when the reproduction switch 34 is turned on, the processing circuit 28 sequentially reads out the display signal SLV and the musical sound signal SM from the storage circuit 28a in synchronization with each other, and respectively reads them to the drive circuit 29 and the D / A converter 31. Output. The drive circuit 29 generates the drive signal SD from the display signal SLV as described above and outputs it to the display unit 30. Thereby, the touch strength is reproduced and displayed for each key 5 on the display unit 30.

  The D / A converter 31 converts the musical sound signal SM from digital to analog and then outputs it to the speaker 32. The speaker 32 amplifies the musical sound signal SM with a predetermined gain, reproduces it, and emits it as a piano sound. As described above, when the playback switch 34 is turned ON, the recorded display signal SLV and musical tone signal SM are played back, so that the touch strength of the key 5 is displayed on the display unit 30 and is synchronized therewith. Then, the piano sound is simultaneously emitted from the speaker 32.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the touch strength of the key 5 detected by the piezoelectric sheet 21 is visually displayed on the display unit 30, so that not only the performer but also the instructor can display the display unit 30. The touch strength of the key 5 can be easily confirmed simply by looking. As a result, when the desired touch strength is not obtained, the performance technique can be improved by correcting it.

  Moreover, since the touch strength is displayed for each key 5 on the display unit 30, it is possible to clearly confirm which key 5 is pressed with what touch strength. For this reason, for example, when performing a chord performance or an arpeggio performance, it is possible to finely check whether or not the touch strength is appropriate for each finger. As a result, when the performance technique is immature, it becomes possible to press keys with uniform touch strength. In addition, for better performance expression, if you want to intentionally increase or decrease the touch strength between the left and right hands or fingers, you can check whether the desired touch strength is obtained. It is also possible to learn more advanced performance techniques.

  Furthermore, since the piezoelectric sheet 21 is attached to the upper surface of the key 5, the touch strength can be detected appropriately. Further, since the piezoelectric sheet 21 is thin and light, even if it is attached to the upper surface of the key 5, it is possible to perform without any trouble. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to attach the piezoelectric sheet 21 to the upper surface of the key 5, it can be easily attached to an existing piano key by retrofitting.

  Further, by reproducing the recorded display signal SLV, the performer can repeatedly confirm the touch strength of the key 5 after the performance. In this case, the musical tone signal SM is also reproduced in synchronization with the display signal SLV, so that the touch strength can be confirmed while listening to the piano sound.

  In addition, this invention can be implemented in various aspects, without being limited to the described embodiment. For example, in the embodiment, the piezoelectric sheet is used as the key touch strength detection means, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other appropriate detection means, for example, an optical sensor used to detect the velocity of the key. The key pressing sensor may be used. In this case, the velocity is displayed as the touch strength.

  In the embodiment, the touch strength is always displayed as needed, but instead of or together with this, the key pressing section is specified, and the average value of the touch strength in the key pressing section or The maximum value may be displayed. In this case, the average value or the maximum value may be displayed digitally.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment, the LED is used as means for displaying the touch strength. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any device that can visually display the touch strength may be used. For example, an LCD may be used.

  In the above description, the performance technology support apparatus has been described as being used to check the performance of the performer himself. However, the performance technology is not limited to this, and for example, performance technology such as a famous performer is used. The touch strength may be recorded and played back using the support device, and the performance technique can be improved by using the touch strength as a model.

  Furthermore, the embodiment is an example in which the keyboard instrument is an acoustic piano. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied not only to an upright piano but also to other types of keyboard instruments such as an electronic piano. is there. In addition, details can be appropriately changed within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the grand piano which attached the performance technique assistance apparatus by embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of a grand piano. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a performance technique support apparatus. It is a figure which shows the piezoelectric sheet for white keys and black keys. It is a front view of the display part of a performance technique assistance apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

2 Grand piano (keyboard instrument)
5 Key 20 Performance Technology Support Device 21 Piezoelectric Sheet (Touch Strength Detection Means)
23 Display device

Claims (3)

A keyboard musical instrument performance technical support device that generates a musical sound with a volume corresponding to the touch strength when a key is pressed,
Touch strength detecting means for detecting the touch strength;
A display device for visually displaying the detected touch strength;
A performance support apparatus for playing a keyboard instrument, comprising:   2. The keyboard musical instrument performance technique support device according to claim 1, wherein the touch strength detection means comprises a piezoelectric sheet affixed to an upper surface of the key. The key is composed of a plurality of keys,
The keyboard musical instrument performance technique support device according to claim 1, wherein the display device displays the touch strength for each of the plurality of keys.

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