JPH08286661A - Keyboard musical instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To switch a normal performance, a weak-sound performance, and a mute performance without changing a key touch feeling. CONSTITUTION: A string depression unit 62 is arranged for strings 3 on the opposite side from an action mechanism 19 while facing the string strike point P of the strings 3 or its circumference. The string depression unit 62 is separated from the strings 3 at normal performance time and presses a cushion material 75 against the string strike point P or its circumference at mute performance time. The strings 3 are sandwiched between a hammer 38 and the cushion material 75 when struck, so vibrations are suppressed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a keyboard instrument having an action mechanism that works in conjunction with a keyboard and strikes a string, and particularly relates to normal playing in which a string is directly struck by a hammer and vibration of the string when the string is struck. The present invention relates to a keyboard instrument capable of selectively switching a weak performance (or a mute performance) that suppresses and softens a performance sound.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a keyboard musical instrument such as a grand piano or an upright piano that strikes a string with an action mechanism that operates in conjunction with a key depression operation on a keyboard, the playing volume is high, so the playing volume is selectively lowered. It is equipped with a sound reduction mechanism. As this weak sound mechanism, there is one in which a cushion material called a muffler felt is selectively interposed between a string and a hammer by pedal operation (hereinafter referred to as prior art 1).

Further, as another conventional example of the weak sound device, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-40013 (hereinafter referred to as prior art 2).
That is) is also known. In this prior art 2, a movable piece having legs projecting in the hammer direction from a plurality of stretched strings is provided corresponding to each pitch string, and each movable piece is attached in the hammer direction by a spring. In order to prevent the hammer from hitting the movable piece during normal play, keep the movable piece sufficiently away from the strings, and when playing a low note, project the legs of the movable piece from between the strings and hit the string through the movable piece with the hammer. By doing so, the hammer is decelerated and its striking force is weakened.

Further, recently, with the diversification of musical instruments, a keyboard musical instrument has been proposed which can switch between a normal performance and a performance in which no string striking sound is generated (silent performance).
In such a keyboard instrument, by incorporating a sensor such as a key sensor or a pedal sensor for detecting the movement of a key, a natural piano is played during a normal performance in which a string is vibrated to produce a sound. It is possible to perform a musical performance of an electronic piano in which a sensor controls a musical tone control circuit to generate an electronic tone without producing a string during a mute performance. Various methods have been proposed as specific methods for generating no string striking sound. As one example, a silencer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-347216 previously proposed by the present applicant (hereinafter referred to as prior art 3). ). The prior art 3 does not prevent a hammer from striking a string during normal playing, but a blocking mechanism that prevents the hammer shank from rotating immediately before the hammer hits a string when not hitting, and abutting / separating from the string. First sound reducing means which is freely arranged and is interposed between the string and the hammer during non-striking performance, and also from the opposite side of the first sound reducing means to the string during non-striking performance. And a second sound reducing means that is brought into contact with a portion different from the portion hit by the hammer. According to this sound deadening device, when the sound is muted, the hammer is decelerated to hit the string by blocking the rotation of the hammer shank, and the vibration of the string is suppressed by the first and second sound reducing means. It is possible to prevent the generation of pitched sounds.

Further, as another example of a specific method of not producing a string striking sound, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-28, which was previously proposed by the applicant of the present application.
There is a silencer (hereinafter referred to as Prior Art 4) as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 9393. In the prior art 4, a key to be pressed during normal playing enables sounding by separating the damper mechanism from the string, and at the time of mute playing, the damper mechanism does not separate from the string even if it is pressed, and a string striking sound is produced. I try not to generate it.

[0006]

However, the above-mentioned conventional keyboard instrument also has the following problems. That is, in the prior art 1, since the hammer hits the strings via the muffler felt, the sound can be weakened to a certain extent, but a pitched sound is faintly generated, or a pitched sound is completely pronounced. I couldn't prevent him from doing so. Further, in the prior art 2, since the hammer is decelerated by the movable piece, the sound can be weakened to some extent, but since it does not suppress the vibration of the string, a sound with a pitch feeling is weakly generated. Alternatively, it was not possible to prevent the pitched sound from being pronounced completely. Further, the prior art 3 has a problem that the touch of the key must be sacrificed to some extent because the rotation of the hammer shank is stopped immediately before striking the string by the blocking mechanism. That is, in order to prevent the string striking sound from being completely generated, the distance between the hammer and the string at the time when the rotation of the hammer shank is stopped by the blocking means is considered in consideration of the bending of the hammer shank,
For example, about 10 mm is necessary. In other words, it is necessary to provide a blocking mechanism to block the rotation of the hammer shank when the distance between the hammer and the string becomes about 10 mm. At this time, if the approach of the hammer is set to the same as that of a conventional piano (bass range 3 mm, middle range 2.5 mm, treble range 2 mm), before the jack escapes from the bottom of the bat, the jack and the blocking mechanism are used. Will be pinched and stopped, and will play like a piano (for example, continuous hits)
Can not be. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to shorten the distance between the small jack and the regulating button, adjust the escape timing of the jack early, and make the hammer approach wider than usual, for example, 10 mm or more. However, if the hammer approach is wider than usual, the touch of the key will feel light. In addition, since the energy supplied to the bat of the jack is reduced due to the early escape, the impact force of the hammer at the time of normal performance is also weakened, and the timbre caused by striking the strings changes. Further, it is necessary to provide the blocking mechanism and the first and second sound reducing means, which makes the structure large in size. Furthermore, in the prior art 4, since the key does not lift the damper mechanism when the key is pressed during mute performance, the load of the damper mechanism does not act on the key, and the touch feeling of the key becomes light. there were.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object thereof is a simple structure and a normal performance and a weak or muted performance without changing the key touch feeling. It is to provide a keyboard instrument that can be selectively switched.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a keyboard instrument having a keyboard and a hammer for striking a string in response to the operation of the keyboard, and a striking point of the string. Or, corresponding to the vicinity thereof, vibration suppressing means is provided on the side opposite to the hammer with respect to the string,
The vibration suppressing means is characterized in that it is separated from the strings during normal playing, and abuts on the string striking point of the strings or in the vicinity thereof, facing the hammer at the time of playing a soft or silent sound. Further, the present invention provides a muffler mechanism interposed between a string and a hammer at the time of playing a weak sound, and vibration suppressing means arranged on the opposite side of the hammer corresponding to the striking point of the string or its vicinity. The vibration suppressing means is separated from the strings during normal performance, and is brought into contact with the string striking point of the strings or in the vicinity thereof during weak or silent performance, and the strings are sandwiched by the muffler mechanism. And Further, in the present invention, the vibration suppressing means includes a pressing member that extends in common for a plurality of strings, a cushion material fixed to a surface of the pressing member facing the strings, and the pressing member on the strings. On the other hand, it is characterized in that it is provided with a switching means for moving between the normal playing state and the weak sound or mute playing state by moving in the direction of approaching and separating. Further, according to the present invention, the vibration suppressing means includes an expandable and contractible airbag fixed to the musical instrument body side and a cushion material fixed to the airbag, and the airbag is provided by supplying air when performing a low-pitched sound or muted sound. It is characterized by expanding and pressing the cushion material against the strings. Further, the present invention is characterized in that the muffler mechanism and the vibration suppressing means operate in conjunction with each other when playing a weak sound or muted sound. Further, the present invention is
It is characterized in that it is provided with a detecting means for detecting an operation of the keyboard and a musical tone signal generating means for electronically generating a musical tone signal according to the detection result of the detecting means.

[0009]

In the present invention, the vibration suppressing means presses the striking point of the string or its vicinity from the side opposite to the hammer when playing a weak sound. The hammer strikes the string in contact with the vibration suppressing means. The muffler mechanism is interposed between the hammer and the string when playing a weak sound to weaken the hammer striking force. By sandwiching the string between the vibration suppressing means and the muffler mechanism when playing a weak or muted sound, the striking force of the hammer is weakened and the vibration of the string is prevented at the same time. The switching means moves the pressing member toward and away from the string to switch between the normal playing state and the weak or muted playing state.
The air bag of the vibration suppressing means expands when air is supplied at the time of playing a low-pitched sound or muted sound, and presses the cushion material against the strings. The muffler mechanism and the vibration suppressing means operate in conjunction with each other during soft or muted performance, and switch from the normal playing state or the soft playing state to the muted playing state. The musical tone signal generating means electronically generates a musical tone signal when the operation of the keyboard is detected.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a keyboard and an action mechanism section in a low tone range (or middle tone range) showing a first embodiment when the present invention is applied to an upright piano, FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view in which a part of the vibration suppressing means is cut away. In FIG. 1, a keyboard reed 2 is fixed on a shelf 1, and a keyboard 4 is composed of a white key and a black key on the keyboard reed 8.
Eight keys 4A are supported by a balance key pin 5 in a substantially central portion so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and the strings 3 of each pitch are provided.
Are arranged side by side to correspond to.

A column assembly 6 is provided behind the shelf plate 1.
Are erected almost vertically. The strut assembly 6 includes a strut body 10 formed in a frame-like body by an upper girder 7, a middle girder 8, a large base (not shown), a girder back 9, and the like, and a pin plate 11 fixed to the front surface of the strut body 10. It is composed of the inner ring 12 and the like. The upper end of the frame 13 is fixed to the front surface of the pin plate 11. The inner ring 12 is formed in a frame shape, and the peripheral portion of the soundboard 14 is fixed to the front surface thereof. The frame 13 is made of a casting such as aluminum or cast iron, and integrally has a string receiving mountain 13a for supporting the upper and lower ends of the string 3,
Both side portions and the lower end portion are fixed to the inward turning portion 12 via a soundboard 14. The upper and lower ends of the string 3 are the frame 1
The tuning pin 16 and the frame pin (not shown) that are planted in FIG. On the front of the soundboard 14, the middle and high range strings 3
A long piece 17 that supports the middle portion of the string and a short piece (not shown) that supports the middle portion of the low-pitched string 3 are fixed. The structure of such a strut assembly 6 is similar to the strut assembly of a conventional upright piano.

A center rail 18 is provided above the keyboard 4 and in front of the strings 3 so as to extend commonly to all the strings 3. The center rail 18 is linked to each key 4A. Action mechanism 1 that operates and strikes the corresponding string 3
9 and the damper mechanism 20 are assembled. The center rail 18 is commonly fixed to 3 to 4 action brackets (not shown) arranged in parallel in the arrangement direction of the keys 4A.

The action mechanism 19 includes the wippen 2
2, a jack 23, a butt 24, a hammer assembly 25, a catcher 26 and the like.

The whip pen 22 has a rear end fixed to the lower end of the center rail 18 and a whip pen flange 27.
Is rotatably supported in the vertical direction via a pin,
Whipen heel 22A integrally provided on the lower surface of the front end side
Is a capstan 2 planted near the rear end of the upper surface of the key 4A
It is usually held substantially horizontally by being placed on top of 8. Further, a back check wire 29 and a bridle wire 30 are planted on the upper surface of the front end side of the whip pen 22 on the front side of the keyboard 4 at a predetermined angle. A back check 31 is attached to the upper end of the back check wire 29 to elastically receive the hammer assembly 25 which is rotated and returned by the repulsive force of the string 3 after the string striking operation and the force of the butt spring 32.

The jack 23 is formed in an L shape in a side view, and a bent portion at a lower end thereof is pivotally supported by a jack flange 33 projecting on the upper surface of the whip pen 22 through a pin so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. And jack spring 3
5, the habit of clockwise rotation in FIG. 1 is imparted. One arm extending above the jack 23 forms a large jack 23A, its top end surface abuts the lower front end of the bat 24, and the other arm extending forward forms a small jack 23B. It extends downward.

The butt 24 is the center rail 1
The butt flange 37 fixed to the shoulder portion 8 is provided rotatably in the front-rear direction through a pin, and the butt spring 32 imparts a counterclockwise returning habit in FIG.

The hammer assembly 25 comprises a hammer 38 and a hammer shank 39.
The hammer 38 is composed of a hammer wood 38A and a hammer head 38B made of an elastic member such as felt. The lower end of the hammer shank 39 is fixed to the butt 24, and the hammer shank 39 is normally held in contact with the hammer rail 40 via the felt 41 to be locked in the initial position.

The catcher 26 is attached to the front surface of the bat 24 via a catcher shank 42. The catcher 26 and the bridle wire 30 are connected to each other by a bridle tape 43, so that the rotation return of the hammer assembly 25 is followed by the rotation return of the whip pen 22.
The bounce of 5 and the double striking of the string 3 are prevented, and the return of the hammer assembly 25 to the initial position is accelerated.

The regulating assembly 36 is
The 88-key action mechanism 19 is grouped into a plurality of action mechanisms 19, and a plurality of regulating rails 45 extended for each section and the regulation rails 4 corresponding to the small jacks 23B of each jack 23 are provided.
5 is composed of a plurality of regulating buttons 47 arranged in parallel via a regulating screw 46, a plurality of regulating brackets 48 for holding the regulating rails 45, etc. It is fixed to the center rail 18.
The distance D between the small jack 23B and the regulating button 47 is set to a distance (about 3 to 5 mm) that the jack 23 escapes from the lower portion of the bat 24 when the hammer 38 approaches the string 3 by about 2 to 3 mm. Has been done. This distance D
Can easily be finely adjusted by rotating the regulating screw 46 and moving the regulating button 47 up and down, and when D becomes large, the jack 23
The escape time will be delayed, and on the contrary, it will be accelerated when it becomes smaller.

In such an action mechanism 19,
When the whip pen 22 is pushed up by the capstan 28 and rotated clockwise by the key depression operation of the key 4A, the jack 23 pushes up the bat 24 and rotates the hammer assembly 25 clockwise, whereby the hammer 38 depresses the key. Strike the string 3 corresponding to the operated key 4A. During the string striking operation, the jack 23 is in the middle of its ascent and the jack small 23B is in the regulation button 4
By abutting against 7 and blocking its upward movement, it is rotated counterclockwise against the jack spring 35. Therefore, the jack 23 temporarily escapes from the lower portion of the bat 24. This escape time is set when the hammer 38 approaches the string 3 by about 2 to 3 mm during normal playing. And Jack 23 is hammer 38
After the string striking action by the
By rotating and returning in conjunction with the downward movement of 2, the upper end thereof again enters the lower portion of the bat 24, and the next string striking operation is enabled.

The damper mechanism 20 is composed of a damper lever 51, a damper wire 52 planted on the upper surface of the damper lever 51, a damper 53 attached to the upper end of the damper wire 52, and the like. The damper lever 51 is rotatably supported by a damper lever flange 54 fixed to the upper surface of the center rail 18 in the front-rear direction via a pin, and is rotated clockwise by a damper lever spring 55. The habit is imparted, whereby the damper 53 is pressed against the string 3. In this state, when a certain key 4A is pressed, the damper spoon 56 planted on the upper surface of the rear end of the whip pen 22 corresponding to the key 4A presses the lower end of the damper lever 51, so that the damper lever 51 moves. The damper 53 is rotated against the damper lever spring 55 to separate the damper 53 from the string 3. And this damper 5
After the three are separated, the hammer 38 strikes the string 3 to enable normal playing.

The striking point P of the string 3 by the hammer 38
Is different depending on the strings 3a, 3b, 3c (see FIG. 2) of each range, and in the case of the low and middle strings 3a, 3b, the effective string length (the string portion from the upper string receiving mountain 13a of the frame 13 to the long piece 17). ) (From the string receiving mountain 13a side), and in the case of the high-pitched string 3c, the position is 1/20. Therefore, the hitting point of the high-pitch string 3c is higher than the hitting points of the low and middle-pitch strings 3a and 3b, and is located very close to the string receiving mountain 13a. In addition, the action mechanism 19 and the damper mechanism 20 described above.
Is exactly the same as the action mechanism and damper mechanism of the conventional upright piano.

Further, in the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned normal performance, the vibration suppressing means 6 is capable of weakening the string striking sound and playing a weak sound without impairing the key touch feeling during the normal performance.
2 is provided. The vibration suppressing means 62 corresponds to the striking point P of the string 3 when playing a weak tone, and the hammer 38 for the string.
It is arranged on the opposite side, that is, on the side of the pillar assembly 6,
The string 3 is pressed in the direction of the hammer when a weak sound is played, and the string 3 is inserted together with the hammer head 38B of the hammer 38. On the other hand, during the above-mentioned normal performance, the vibration suppressing means 62 is held in a standby state behind the strings 3.
When the key 4A in this state is depressed, the action mechanism 19 operates in conjunction with the key 4A and the hammer 38 directly strikes the string 3 corresponding to the depressed key 4A. Therefore, it is possible to perform with a loud performance sound.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vibration suppressing means 62 is fixed to a pressing member 74 extending in common for all strings 3 and a front surface of the pressing member 74 facing the strings 3. A cushion material 75 such as a felt, a plurality of shafts 76 that support the pressing member 74 to move back and forth, a compression coil spring 77 that biases the shaft 76 rearward, and a shaft 76 fixed to the strut assembly 6 to move back and forth. Bearing 78 that freely supports
The switching member 79 and the like selectively switch the pressing member 74 between the retracted position and the pressed position. The pressing member 74 is composed of first and second pressing portions 74a and 74b extending over the low sound range and the middle sound range, and a third pressing portion 74c extending over the high sound range. Cushion member 75 on the front side facing the
Is stuck. Further, the pressing member 74 is arranged in the gap between the string 3 and the soundboard 14, and the third pressing portion 74c is bent upward so that the first and second pressing members 74a and 74b.
Is higher than. This is because the pitches P of the low and middle strings 3a and 3b and the high string 3c are different in height. Axis 7
6 penetrates the insertion hole 80 formed in the soundboard 14, and the rear end projects to the rear of the strut assembly 6. Switching means 7
Reference numeral 9 denotes a rotary shaft 83, which is laterally bridged between a pair of left and right parent plates 82, both ends of which form the side surface of the piano body, and fixed to the rotary shaft 83. It is composed of a plurality of eccentric cams 84, a knob 86 arranged at the front end of the lower surface of the shelf board 1 via a holder 85, a wire 87 connecting the rotary shaft 83 and the knob 86, and the like.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment when playing a weak tone will be described. To switch from the normal playing state to the soft playing state, the knob 86 of the switching means 79 is operated to operate the wire 87.
Attract. As a result, the eccentric cam 84 rotates to rotate the shaft 7
6 is moved forward and the cushion member 75 is pressed against the string 3, so that the normal playing state is switched to the weak playing state. When a certain key 4A in the keyboard 4 is pressed in this state, the string 3 is sandwiched between the hammer head 38B of the hammer 38 and the cushion material 75 of the vibration suppressing means 62 when striking the string. As a result, the kinetic energy of the hammer 38 is generated by the hammer head 38B and the vibration suppressing means 62.
It is almost absorbed by the cushioning material 75 and the string 3 does not vibrate so much, which enables a weak sound performance. At this time, the first, second, and third pressing portions 74a, 74b, 74c of the pressing member 74 and the cushion material 75 fixed to the front surface corresponding to the strings 3 respectively extend over the low tone range and the middle tone range or the high tone range. Has been done. Therefore, the kinetic energy possessed by the hammer 38 that rotates in response to the key depression is the key 4
Not only is it absorbed by the pressing member 74 and the cushion material 75 at the location corresponding to the string 3 having the pitch corresponding to A, but the key pressing operation is performed in the extended pressing member 74 and cushion material 75. Since the kinetic (impact) energy of the hammer 38 is received over the region other than the region corresponding to the string having the pitch corresponding to the generated key 4A, the load capacity is large and the impact of the hammer 38 can be largely absorbed. Therefore, even if the hammer 38 collides with the string 3, the vibration is not transmitted to the string 3 and the vibration of the string 3 is suppressed.

Further, according to the present invention, since the load of the damper mechanism 20 acts on the key even when the key is depressed even in the weak tone playing state, the touch feeling of the key does not change unlike the prior art 4 described above. , You can get the same key touch feeling as when playing normally.

Here, in the case of the treble string 3c, the string receiving mountain 13a
Since the position of 1/20 of the effective string length is the string striking point P, which is extremely close to the frame 13, instead of pressing the string striking point P with the pressing member 74, the vicinity of the string striking point P is pressed. May be. In the treble part, the amplitude of vibration is small, and even in such a structure, the vibration of the strings 3 is suppressed, and a weak sound can be played.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a keyboard and an action mechanism section showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in addition to the piano having the same structure as that of the first embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned normal performance, a device capable of performing a weak performance for weakening the string striking sound without disturbing the key touch feeling during the normal performance. Equipped with 90. This device 90 is used for playing strings 3
Muffler mechanism 91 inserted between the hammer and the hammer 38
And the hammer 3 for the string 3 corresponding to the striking point P of the string 3.
8 is provided on the side opposite to 8, and includes vibration suppressing means 62 that presses the string 3 in the hammer direction during a low-pitched performance and sandwiches the string 3 together with the muffler mechanism 91. The configuration of the parts other than the muffler mechanism 91 is similar to that of the first embodiment,
The same reference numerals are attached.

The muffler mechanism 91 includes a muffler rail 93, a muffler felt 94 such as felt hanging from the muffler rail 93, a rotating arm 95 for supporting the muffler rail 93, and a rotating arm 95 in FIG. The spring 96 is provided with a counterclockwise return habit and the switching means 100 and the like. The muffler rail 93
It is formed in a reverse L-shape in a side view by a material having high rigidity such as metal, plastic, and wood.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the muffler rail 93 is formed so as to be divided into a low and middle tone range and a high tone range, and the muffler rail 93b in the high tone range is higher than the muffler rail 93a in the low and medium tone range. It is located in a position.
The reason is that, as described above, the striking points P of the low and middle tone strings 3a and 3b and the high tone string 3c are 1/8 and 1 of the effective string length, respectively.
This is because the string striking point of the high-pitched string 3c is higher than the string-striking point P of the low-medium tone strings 3a and 3c because the pitch is different from / 20. And these muffler rails 93a, 9
3b are configured to operate in conjunction with each other. Note that instead of forming the muffler rail 93 separately in the low, middle and treble ranges, the muffler rail 93 is formed separately for each treble range, or all the action mechanisms 19 are divided into a plurality of action mechanisms according to the action division. It may be formed by being divided into a plurality of sections grouped in 19.

An intermediate portion of the rotating arm 95 is rotatably supported in the vertical direction by a shaft 98, and the spring 96 is provided.
As shown in FIG. 3, the habit of returning in the counterclockwise direction is given, so that the lower surface of the front end portion is locked to the first stopper 99a in the normal playing state. In this state, the muffler felt 94 deviates from the turning path of the hammer 38 and is retracted above the part of the string 3 hit by the hammer 38, that is, above the string striking point P. Therefore, even if the action mechanism 19 is operated by pressing the key 4A in this state, the hammer 38 does not abut the muffler felt 94 and directly strikes the string 3 to emit a loud performance sound.

The switching means 100 is provided with a knob 1 at an appropriate position on the lower surface of the front end portion of the shelf board 1 via a holder 101.
02, a wire 103 for connecting the turning lever 95 and the knob 102, and the like. To switch from the normal playing state to the soft playing state, the knob 102 is operated to pull the wire 103 and the turning lever 95 is turned clockwise in FIG. 3 against the spring 96. As a result, the muffler felt 94 descends along the string 3 and moves into the rotation track of the hammer 38, and when the rotation lever 96 rotates a predetermined angle and comes into contact with the second stopper 99b, the normal performance is performed. The state switches to the soft playing state. Key 4 in this state
When A is pressed, the hammer 38 turns the muffler felt 9
Since the string 3 is hit through the string 4, the striking force on the string 3 is weakened. In this case, the switching means 79 of the vibration suppressing means 62 described above operates in conjunction with the muffler mechanism 91 at the time of playing a low-pitched sound, thereby causing the cushion material 75 to move to the strings 3.
Press on.

In the keyboard instrument having such a structure, by interlocking the muffler mechanism 91 and the vibration suppressing means 62, the hammer 38 directly hits the strings 3 in a normal performance, and the hammer 32, the muffler mechanism 91, and the vibration. With the string 3 sandwiched by the suppressing means 62, the hammer 38 can strike the string 3 to perform a soft performance. That is, in normal playing, when the muffler mechanism 91 is on standby at a standby position above the string striking point P and the vibration suppressing means 62 is on standby behind the string 3, when the key 4A is pressed,
The action mechanism 19 operates in conjunction with the key 4A, and the hammer 38 directly strikes the string 3 corresponding to the depressed key 4A. Therefore, it is possible to perform with a loud performance sound. Next, the switching means 100 is operated to lower the muffler felt 94 of the muffler mechanism 91 to the position of the string striking point P, and the switching means 79 (see FIG. 2) is operated in conjunction with the muffler mechanism 91 to operate the cushioning material. 75
When the string 3 is pressed against the string 3, the string 3 is sandwiched between the hammer head 38B, the muffler felt 94 of the muffler mechanism 91, and the cushion material 75.
Even if the hammer 38 hits the string 3 in this state, the string 3 hardly vibrates, and a weak sound can be played. Also, the muffler felt 94 reduces the striking speed of the hammer 38,
Since the energy applied from the hammer 38 to the strings 3 is absorbed, this also attenuates the sound.

In this case, as in the case of the prior art 3 described above, in the case of enabling the low-pitched performance by stopping the rotation of the hammer 38 immediately before striking the strings, the jack 23 is operated by the bat 24.
It is necessary to speed up the timing of escaping from the position, and the key touch feeling is different from that during normal playing. However, in the present invention, the rotation of the hammer 38 itself is not blocked at all, and the vibration of the string 3 itself does not occur. Since there is no need to adjust the timing at which the jack 23 escapes from the bat 24 early, it is possible to normally play with the same key touch feeling at any time of playing a weak sound. In addition, according to the present embodiment, the muffler felt 94 and the cushion material 75 are sandwiched between the muffler felt 94 and the cushion material 75 to suppress the vibration of the strings. In addition, even if the cushioning material 75 cannot press the string-striking point P in the treble part,
The muffler felt 94 can securely sandwich the strings.

The switching means 100 for the muffler mechanism 91
The present invention is not limited to the knob 102 and the wire 103, and various changes can be made. For example, the turning lever 95 can be directly turned by a pedal operation, or can be turned by a drive motor, a solenoid, or the like. . When a drive motor is used, the rotation of the motor may be transmitted to the shaft 98 by a gear or the like. In the case of a solenoid, a link may be used.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a keyboard and an action mechanism section showing a third embodiment when the present invention is applied to a grand piano, FIG. 6 is an external perspective view of a musical instrument body, FIG. 7 (a),
(B) is a sectional view of an operating state and a non-operating state of the vibration suppressing means. It should be noted that, in the drawings, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 to 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
In the grand piano, the strings 3 of each pitch are stretched substantially horizontally with a predetermined tension on a frame 13 horizontally installed above the action mechanism 110. A support rail 111 and a shank rail 112, which extend in common for all strings 3, are arranged above the rear end of the key 4A, and these rails 111 and 112 operate in association with the keyboard 4 and correspond. The action mechanism 110 for striking the string 3
Further, a damper mechanism 113 that normally blocks free vibration of the strings 3 and releases the strings 3 at the time of striking the strings is disposed behind the support rail 111.

A plurality of support rails 111 and shank rails 112 are arranged in parallel in the arrangement direction of the keys 4A on the shelf board 1 via an action table (not shown), for example, 3 to 3.
It is fixed to the four brackets 114 substantially horizontally. The bracket 114 is movable in the left-right direction together with the keyboard reed 2, and is arranged in parallel with the keyboard reed 2 by depressing a shift pedal (not shown) arranged below the musical instrument body 115 when playing a weak sound. It is configured to be moved in the direction.

The action mechanism 110 includes a whip pen 22 which is rotated by a key depression operation of the keyboard 4, a hammer assembly 25 for striking the strings 3, and a hammer assembly 25 which ascends together with the whip pen 22 in response to a key depression operation.
A jack 23 that pushes up the hammer, a repetition lever 116 that receives the hammer assembly 25 after the string striking operation and returns to the initial position, and the jack 2 when the string striking operation is performed.
It is composed of a regulating assembly 36 and the like for temporarily escaping 3 from the hammer assembly 25.

The rear end of the whip pen 22 is pivotally supported on the upper end of a support flange 121 fixed to the support rail 111 so as to be vertically rotatable through a pin, and the lower surface on the front end side is the rear of the keyboard 4. By being placed on the capstan 28 that is planted on the upper surface of the end portion, it is normally held substantially horizontally. Further, a hammer shank stop felt 122 that receives the hammer shank 39 is fixed to the upper surface of the rear end portion of the whip pen 22.

The lower end bent portion of the jack 23 is rotatably supported by the front end of the whip pen 22, and the repetition spring 123 imparts a turning tendency in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. The large jack 23A of the jack 23 is the repetition lever 116.
Is inserted from below into a long hole 125 formed of a through hole formed at the front end of the hammer shank 3
9 supports the lower surface of the hammer roller 126 fixed to the lower surface on the front end side of the roller 9. Further, a repetition button 127 is attached to the large jack 23A, and the button 127 is normally pressed against a jack stop 128 planted on the whip pen 22 by the spring force of the repetition spring 123, whereby the jack 23 is pressed.
Is restricted from rotating counterclockwise. Jack 2
The small jack 23B of 3 extends below the regulating assembly 36 at a predetermined distance D.

The repetition lever 116 is rotatably supported in the vertical direction by a pin at the upper end of a repetition lever flange 129 provided in a substantially central portion of the whip pen 22 so that the repetition spring can be rotated vertically. By 123, the turning habit of the counterclockwise direction is given in FIG. Repetition lever 116
The repetition spring 123 is usually provided at the rear end portion.
A repetition button 130, which is pressed against the upper surface of the rear end portion side of the wippen 22 by the spring force of, is provided, which restricts the rotation of the repetition lever 116 in the counterclockwise direction.

The hammer shank 39 of the hammer assembly 25 is rotatably supported in the vertical direction via a pin at the rear end of the shank flange 131 fixed to the upper surface of the shank rail 112. The roller 126 is held at the initial position by being supported by the repetition lever 116.

In such a structure, when the whip pen 22 is pushed up by the capstan 28 and rotated counterclockwise in response to the key pressing operation of the key 4A, the jack 23 pushes up the hammer roller 126 from below and the hammer assembly 25 is pushed up. Rotate clockwise. As a result, the hammer 38 directly strikes the string 3 corresponding to the depressed key 4A. During the striking operation, the jack 23 is rotated clockwise against the repetition spring 123 due to the small jack 23B coming into contact with the regulating assembly 36 to prevent its upward movement, and thereby the hammer roller. Temporarily escape from the bottom of 126. Then, after the string striking operation, the hammer assembly 25, which is rotated and returned by the repulsive force of the string 3 and its own weight, returns to the initial position by the hammer roller 126 being received by the repetition lever 116.
At this time, the repetition lever 116 is rotated clockwise against the repetition spring 123 due to the impact of the hammer assembly 25 dropping, thereby absorbing or mitigating the impact of the fall, and the hammer roller 126.
The bounce of the key is prevented, and quick hits with the same key 4A are possible. In addition, the jack 23 returns to the lower part of the hammer roller 126 by turning back in association with the turning down of the whip pen 22 accompanying the returning operation of the key 4A after the string striking operation by the hammer 38. Enables the next string striking action. Further, the hammer assembly 25 that returns by rotation is elastically received by the back check 133 provided on the upper surface of the rear end portion of the key 4A, and is prevented from rebounding.

The damper mechanism 113 is arranged on the damper lever rail 135 via the damper lever flange 136 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and has a front end extending above the rear end of the keyboard 4, and a damper lever 137. A damper block 138 provided on the front end side of the damper lever 137, a damper 140 arranged on the damper block 138 via a damper wire 139, and the like. The damper 140 normally presses the string 3 from above to prevent the string 3 from freely vibrating.
When the damper lever 137 is rotated counterclockwise by the key 4A during the key depression operation of A, the damper lever 137 is raised and separated from the string 3. After the damper 140 is separated, the hammer 38 strikes the string 3 to enable normal performance. The action mechanism 110 and the damper mechanism 113 described above are exactly the same as the action mechanism and the damper mechanism of the conventional grand piano.

Above the string 3, vibration suppressing means 1 is further provided.
50 are provided. The vibration suppressing means 150 is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a beam member 152 that is laterally bridged between the side plates 151 that form the musical instrument body 115 and that is located above the striking point P of the string 3, and the beam member 152. A plurality of airbags 153 that are divided and fixed to each section on the lower surface of the airbag
And a cushioning material 154 such as felt fixed to the lower surface of each airbag 153. The airbag 153 is connected to the air supply source 156 by a pipe 155.
It is connected to the. The air bag 153 does not receive air supply during normal playing, and maintains the contracted state to separate the cushion material 154 from the strings 3.
When air is supplied through the pipe 155 when playing a soft sound,
The airbag 153 expands and the cushion material 154 is attached to the strings 3.
Is configured to be pressed against the upper surface of the. Airbag 1
The reason why 53 is used is that the gap between the strings 3 and the upper lid (not shown) that covers the upper part of the strings 3 is narrow, and a sufficient stroke for moving the vibration suppressing means 150 cannot be secured by a cam mechanism or the like. It depends.

In such a structure, the air bag 153 expands and the cushion material 154 causes the strings 3 to play when playing a weak sound.
Is in contact with. The above-mentioned first embodiment and second embodiment
Similar to the embodiment, when the key 4A in the keyboard 4 is depressed in this state, the hammer head 38B of the hammer 38 and the cushioning member 154 of the vibration suppressing means 150 at the time of striking a string.
The string 3 is sandwiched between and. As a result, the strings 3 do not vibrate much even at the time of striking the strings, and a weak sound can be played.

Further, a muffler mechanism 161 is arranged below the striking point P of the string 3. Muffler mechanism 16
As shown in FIG. 8, 1 includes a muffler felt 164 made of felt, artificial leather, cloth, etc., one end of which is vertically rotatably held at the upper end of a bracket 163 fixed to the front surface of the middle frame 162. There is. Muffler felt 1
Similar to the muffler felt 94 of the muffler mechanism 91 (see FIG. 3) described above, the reference numeral 64 is formed by being divided into a low-pitched sound side, a mid-pitched sound side, and a high-pitched sound side (or every action split), and two points are set during normal playing. When the string 3 is held in a suspended state as shown by the chain line and is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 8 by the switching means 168 (see FIG. 5) composed of the wire 166, the knob 167, etc., when the weak tone is played, the string 3 is raised. The striking point P is touched from below.

In such a structure as well, as shown in FIG. 8, the vibration suppressing means 150 and the muffler mechanism 161 are selectively switched to contact and separate from the strings 3, whereby the hammer head 38B of the hammer 38 and the vibration suppressing means. 150
Which is a weak sound performance in which the string 3 is sandwiched by and to strike a string, or a weak sound performance in which the hammer 38 strikes the string 3 via the muffler mechanism 161 with the string 3 being sandwiched between the vibration suppressing means 150 and the muffler mechanism 161. But you can do it. Any soft tone performance can be performed without changing the key touch feeling. In addition, in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the strings may be sandwiched between the cushion material 154 and the muffler 38 without providing the muffler mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a keyboard and an action mechanism section showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The above-mentioned first to third embodiments have described the structure of the device for playing a low-pitched sound. However, if the hardness of the cushion material 75 and the strength of the compression coil spring 77 are appropriately changed, the strings 3 are hardly vibrated. It is also possible to perform a muted performance in which a sound having a pitch is not generated by striking a string in which a sound having a pitch is not generated at all.
Here, the mute refers to a state in which no sound having a pitch is generated even if a key operation is performed. Therefore, no sound having a pitch is generated, and the hammer 38 causes the vibration suppressing means 6 to operate.
The muffling sound that strikes the second cushion material 75 and the string 3 is included in the muffling sound.

In the keyboard musical instrument according to the fourth embodiment, at the time of mute performance, the musical tone control circuit is controlled by the output signals from the key sensor and the pedal sensor provided corresponding to the key and the pedal, and the electronic tone from the electronic sound source is controlled. I am trying to raise it. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
The fourth embodiment is based on an upright piano as in the first embodiment. Except for the tone control circuit 170, the piano part is common to the first embodiment, and the common elements are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

The tone control circuit 170 is a sample hold circuit (S / H) 17 for sampling the sensor signals output by the key sensor 171 provided under each key 4A and the pedal sensor 173 provided under each pedal 172.
4, an AD converter 175 for digitally converting the signal from the sample and hold circuit 174, an electronic sound source 176 in which a natural musical instrument such as a piano, a harpsichord, a harpsichord or an electronically synthesized musical tone is stored as electronic data, and tone color data and the like. A read-on memory (ROM) 177 for storing fixed data, a random access memory (RAM) 178 for temporarily storing data being played, and a CPU 179 for controlling these components are provided.
AD converter 175, electronic sound source 176, ROM1
77 and the CPU 179 are connected via a bus 180.

The tone control circuit 170 further includes a CPU 17
In order to output the signal processed in step 9 to the outside, a DA converter (DA converter for converting a digital signal into an analog signal
C) 181 is provided. The DAC 181 is the bus 180
Connected with. An amplifier 182 for amplifying a signal is connected to the DAC 181, and the amplified signal can be heard by headphones 183 connected to the amplifier 182.

Next, the operation of the keyboard musical instrument according to the fourth embodiment will be described. During the normal performance, the keyboard musical instrument of the first embodiment operates similarly to the normal performance. The key sensor 171 and the pedal sensor 173 do not operate during normal performance.

On the other hand, at the time of mute play, when the player switches the normal play to the mute play by operating the knob 86 of the switching means 79, as in the first embodiment, the eccentric cam 84 of the vibration suppressing means 62. Rotates integrally with the rotary shaft 83 and moves the shaft 76 to the string 3 side. Therefore, the pressing member 74
The cushioning material 75 comes into contact with the strings 3. Performer key 4A
When the key is pressed, the hammer 38 rotates and the hammer head 38B contacts the string 3. However, since the cushion material 75 of the pressing member 74 is already in contact with the string 3,
Does not vibrate. Therefore, no string striking sound having a pitch corresponding to the pitch name of the depressed key 4A is generated.

On the other hand, when switching to the mute performance, the key sensor 171 and the pedal sensor 173 are operating,
When the player presses the key 4A and depresses the pedal 172, detection signals are output from the sensors 171 and 173 to the tone control circuit 170. The detection signal is input to the ADC 175 via the sample hold circuit 174 and converted into a digital signal. The CPU 179 controls the electronic sound source 17 based on the detection signal converted into the digital signal.
6 is controlled to electronically generate a tone signal. The musical tone signal output from the electronic sound source 176 is output to the DAC 181 via the bus 180 and converted into an analog signal by the DAC 181. The tone signal converted into an analog signal is
The signal is amplified by the amplifier 182 and output as a sound signal from the headphones 183.

In this case, as in the prior art 3 described above, when the rotation of the hammer 38 is stopped immediately before striking the string to enable the mute performance, the jack 23 is operated by the bat 24.
It is necessary to speed up the timing of escaping from the position, and the key touch feeling is different from that during normal playing. However, in the present invention, the rotation of the hammer 38 itself is not blocked at all, and the vibration of the string 3 itself does not occur. Since there is no need to adjust the timing at which the jack 23 escapes from the bat 24 early, it is possible to normally play with the same key touch feeling during any mute performance.

Further, at the time of mute performance, the electronic sound is listened to by the headphones 183 instead of the string striking sound of the piano, so that noise is not transmitted to neighboring residents.

In the fourth embodiment, an upright piano is used for explanation, but a grand piano has a third
By providing the vibration suppressing means 150 as in the embodiment, the key sensor 171 and the pedal sensor 17 used in this embodiment are further provided.
3. A keyboard instrument capable of muting can be constructed by providing the tone control circuit 170 and the like. On the contrary, the key sensor 171 and the tone control circuit 170 may be provided in the weak sound playable structure of the first to third embodiments. Further, also in the fourth embodiment, the muffler mechanism 91 or 161 may be provided as in the second and third embodiments. Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, the normal performance and the soft performance can be switched, and in the fourth embodiment, the normal performance and the muted performance can be switched. However, the vibration suppressing means 62 or 150 is used. 3 for normal performance, low-pitched performance, and muted performance
It may be controlled in stages.

[0059]

As described above, in the keyboard instrument according to the present invention, the vibration suppressing means is brought into contact with the striking point of the string or in the vicinity thereof when playing a weak tone, so that when the hammer strikes the string, Since the strings are sandwiched by the hammer and the vibration suppressing means to prevent the vibration, it is possible to improve the weak sound performance and to perform the weak sound performance in which a pitched sound is not produced. In addition, since no change is made to the action mechanism, even if the normal performance is switched to the weak or muted performance state, the soft or muted performance can be performed without impairing the feeling of touching the keys during the weak or muted performance. .

Further, according to the present invention, since the strings are sandwiched between the muffler mechanism and the vibration suppressing means at the time of mute performance, the vibration of the strings can be more surely prevented.

If an air bag is used as the vibration suppressing means and the air bag is inflated by supplying air to press the cushion material against the strings, the vibration suppressing means can be arranged even in a narrow space, and the grand piano can be arranged. It is suitable when applied to.

Further, in the mute playing state, musical tones can be generated electronically, and no noise is given to the occupants in the neighborhood.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a keyboard and an action mechanism section during a normal performance, showing a first embodiment when the present invention is applied to an upright piano.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which a part of vibration suppressing means is cut away.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a keyboard and an action mechanism section of the second embodiment of the present invention during normal performance.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a muffler mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a keyboard and an action mechanism section showing a third embodiment when the present invention is applied to a grand piano.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a musical instrument body showing a mounting structure of vibration suppressing means.

7 (a) and 7 (b) are cross-sectional views of an operating state and a non-operating state of the vibration suppressing means.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a mounting structure of a muffler mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a keyboard and an action mechanism section showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 ... strings, 4 ... keyboard, 19 ... action mechanism, 20 ... damper mechanism, 25 ... hammer assembly, 38 ... hammer, 62 ... vibration suppressing means, 74 ... pressing member, 75 ... cushion material, 79 ... switching means, 91 ... Muffler mechanism, 94
... muffler felt, 150 ... vibration suppressing means, 153 ...
Air bag, 154 ... Cushion material, 170 ... Music generation circuit, 171 ... Key sensor, 173 ... Pedal sensor, 1
75 ... Electronic sound source.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A keyboard instrument comprising a keyboard and a hammer for striking a string in response to an operation of the keyboard, wherein the hammer is applied to the string at or near the striking point of the string. Is provided with a vibration suppressing means on the opposite side. The vibration suppressing means is separated from the string during normal playing and faces the hammer at the weak point or silent playing, or at or near the string striking point of the string. A keyboard musical instrument characterized by being abutted against. 2. A muffler mechanism interposed between a string and a hammer at the time of playing a weak sound, and a vibration suppressing means provided on the opposite side of the hammer corresponding to the striking point of the string or its vicinity. The vibration suppressing means is separated from the strings during normal playing, and is brought into contact with the string striking point of the strings or in the vicinity thereof during weak or silent playing, and the strings are sandwiched by the muffler mechanism. A keyboard instrument that 3. The keyboard musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein the vibration suppressing means is fixed to a pressing member that extends in common with respect to a plurality of strings, and a surface of the pressing member that faces the strings. A keyboard instrument comprising a cushion material and a switching means for moving the pressing member toward and away from a string to switch between a normal performance state and a soft or muted performance state. 4. The keyboard musical instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vibration suppressing means comprises a retractable airbag fixed to the instrument body side and a cushioning material fixed to the airbag, so A keyboard instrument characterized by inflating the airbag by supplying air during silence and pressing the cushion material against the strings. 5. The keyboard instrument according to claim 2, wherein the muffler mechanism and the vibration suppressing means operate in conjunction with each other when performing a low-pitched or muted sound. 6. The keyboard musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein a detecting means for detecting an operation of the keyboard, and a musical tone signal is electronically generated according to the detection result of the detecting means. A musical instrument having a musical tone signal generating means.