JPH09152868A - Keyboard musical instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the keyboard musical instrument having a key depression indicating device which allows a user to smoothly shift to a performance without the key depression indication device by providing a display means, a driving means, and a display control means. SOLUTION: The emitter voltage of a transistor(TR) 21 is so controlled as to nearly equal the output voltage at a movable contact terminal. When the user rotates the knob of a variable resistor 20 clockwise from 0, a light emitting diode(LED) begins to illuminate at the position where the emitter voltage of the TR 21 exceeds its forward voltage drop and reaches maximum luminance where the knob is rotated fully to the right. Therefore, a beginner can easily recognize key depression positions by setting the knob to the maximum luminance and can easily play the instrument. As a practice advances, the luminance is decreased and the key depression display becomes inconspicuous, so the player can play the instrument by attention to the keyboard without depending upon the display, so that the user can smoothly shift to a practice without the key depression indication.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a keyboard musical instrument, and more particularly to a keyboard musical instrument having a key depression indicating device for displaying key depression position information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional keyboard instrument such as a piano and an electronic piano, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-12362 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-21903.
In some cases, an indicator is provided on the surface of the key or in the vicinity of the key to display the key depression position based on the performance data. In these key depression instruction devices, the indicator of the key position to be pressed at the timing of key-on is turned on, or the indicator of the key position to be pressed next when the previous key is pressed is turned on. Was configured into. The brightness did not change during display and remained constant.

[0003]

In the conventional key depression indicating device for a keyboard instrument, there is no means for adjusting the visibility of the indication of the key depression position, and when practicing using the key depression indicating device, Since the display of the key depression instructing device is clear, it is difficult to see the keyboard itself because the display is followed by the eyes. Therefore, when the operation of the key depression instructing device is stopped, it becomes unclear which key should be depressed, and there is a problem that the player cannot play. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to provide a keyboard instrument having a key depression indicating device capable of smoothly shifting to a performance without a key depression indicating device.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a display means for displaying a key depression position on a keyboard, a driving means for driving a display element corresponding to each key of the display means based on performance information, and the display element. Display control means for controlling the visibility at the time of key press display is provided. The present invention has such a configuration that, for example, the brightness, brightness, and color change degree of the display element can be adjusted, and a beginner can clearly display the key press display by increasing the brightness, brightness, and color change degree. In addition to facilitating the performance, the person who has practiced to some extent can practice the performance without depending on the key press display as much as possible by lowering the brightness, for example. Also,
The display is configured so that changes in brightness and color gradually increase from the start of display, and the rate of increase in brightness and the like is slowed down as the practice progresses, so that performance can finally be performed without relying on display.

[0005]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of a key depression instruction device when the present invention is applied to a normal piano. The CPU 1 is a central processing unit that controls the entire key depression instructing device based on a control program stored in the ROM 2. In addition, it has a built-in timer circuit that interrupts the CPU 1 at a predetermined cycle. The ROM 2 stores a control program, performance data, and the like. RAM3 is used as a work area and a buffer. Further, it may be backed up by a battery or the like.

The panel circuit 4 comprises a switch for selecting a musical composition, a display device for displaying characters and the like by a liquid crystal or an LED, and an interface circuit for them. The floppy disk drive FD5 is composed of a floppy disk drive and its interface circuit, and reads and writes performance data. The keyboard display device 7 is a display device which is arranged on the keyboard or in the vicinity of the keyboard and includes light emitting diode (LED) elements corresponding to each key.
The display is controlled by the CPU 1 via the driver circuit 6.

The tone generator circuit 8 is a circuit for generating a tone signal by, for example, a waveform reading method, and sequentially generates tone waveforms at an address interval proportional to the pitch to be sounded from a waveform memory in which digital tone waveform information is stored. Reading, interpolation calculation, etc. are performed to generate a tone waveform signal. Further, it has an envelope signal generating circuit, multiplies the musical tone waveform signal by the envelope signal generated based on the set envelope parameter to give an envelope, and outputs the musical tone signal. The tone generator circuit 8 has a plurality of tone generation channels, but in reality, it is configured such that a plurality of tone signals can be independently generated at the same time by operating one tone generation circuit in a time division multiplex operation. There is.

The D / A converter 9 converts the digital tone signal into an analog signal, and the tone signal amplified by the amplifier 10 is sounded by the speaker 11. The configuration from the sound source circuit 8 to the speaker 11 in FIG. 1 is not always necessary for implementing the present invention, and may be omitted. The bus 12 connects each circuit in the keyboard instrument. If necessary, the memory card interface circuit, MI
A DI interface circuit or the like may be provided.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the LED driver circuit 6 shown in FIG. Multiple LEs
D22 and D23 are display elements of the keyboard display device 7 arranged at positions corresponding to the respective keys. In series with each LED,
A plurality of resistors 24 for limiting the current flowing through the LED,
25 are connected, and each resistor is composed of a plurality of transistors 2
It is connected to the collectors of 6, 27. The emitters of the transistors 26 and 27 are grounded, and the bases are the decoder 2
8 output terminals. The register 29 is, for example, an 8-bit register, and L to be lit by the CPU 1
The ED number (which may correspond to the MIDI standard key number) is set. The decoder 28 decodes the LED number, outputs the H level only to the terminal corresponding to the number, turns on the corresponding transistor, and turns on the LED. When the LED is not turned on, a number not connected to any LED, for example, FFH is set in the register.

The transistor 21 forms an emitter follower circuit which controls the voltage on the anode side of the LED in order to regulate the current flowing in the series circuit of the LED and the resistor. The variable resistor VOL20 is arranged, for example, on a panel so as to be manually adjustable, and its movable contact terminal is connected to the base of the transistor 21. Therefore, the emitter voltage of the transistor 21 and the like is controlled to be substantially equal to the output voltage of the movable contact terminal.

When the user turns the knob of the variable resistor 20 from 0 to the right, the emitter voltage of the transistor 21 becomes LED.
From the position where the forward voltage drop of
The maximum brightness is reached at the fully turned position. In the case of a beginner, the key depression position can be easily recognized and can be easily played by adjusting the maximum brightness to use. In addition, by decreasing the brightness as the practice progresses, the key press display becomes inconspicuous, and the player can focus on the keyboard without depending on the display, and can smoothly perform the performance without key press instructions. be able to.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the LED driver circuit 6 shown in FIG. 2 that are the same as those in FIG. 2 are given the same numbers. The feature of the second embodiment is that the brightness of the LED is configured to be controllable by the CPU 1, and further, the brightness is changed with time by a method described later. 3 is different from the configuration in FIG. 2 in that a register 31 and a D / A converter 30 are provided to control the base voltage of the transistor 21. 8-bit data corresponding to a desired voltage value is set in the register 31 from the CPU 1, the data is output to the D / A converter 30, and the desired voltage is applied to the base of the transistor 21 forming the emitter follower circuit. Is applied. Therefore, the CPU 1 can arbitrarily control the brightness by controlling the current flowing through the LED.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the main processing and timer interrupt processing of the CPU 1 according to the present invention. When the power is turned on in the main processing of FIG. 7A, in step S1, the tone generator circuit 8 and the RAM 3 are generated.
Initialize the data in. In step S2, changes in the states of various switches on the panel are detected, and processing corresponding to operations such as selection of a musical piece, setting of tempo data, automatic performance (key pressing display) start / stop, and the like are performed.
Step S3 is a process required when the present invention is applied to an electronic musical instrument, and is a process unnecessary for a normal piano. In step S3, a key-on or key-off of the keyboard is detected, and when the key is on, the sound generation circuit 8 is assigned a sounding channel to start sounding, and when the key is off, sounding is ended.

In step S4, it is determined whether or not the automatic performance is currently being performed. If the result is affirmative, step S5
Move to In step S5, it is determined whether or not the performance data processing timing has been reached. This determination is made by comparing the value of the timing counter, which is incremented by a value proportional to the tempo data, at predetermined intervals with the timing information of the performance data. And
If the determination result is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, it is determined whether or not the performance data is key-on information. If the result is negative, step S1
If it is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, for example, key number data in the key-on information is written in the register 29 of the LED driver circuit 6 as LED designation data. In step S8, the LED voltage initial value V is stored in the register 30.
Write L. This initial value VL is a value corresponding to the lowest voltage at which a current starts to flow in the LED. For example, if the total forward voltage drop of the LED and the transistor is 3V, the value of 3V from the D / A converter 30 is set. The value VL at which a voltage is output is written in the register 31. Step S
In 9, it is determined whether or not to sound according to the performance information by referring to the information preset from the panel,
If the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S10, and the tone generation process is performed in the same manner as the key event process.

If the result of the determination in step S6 is negative, that is, if the key-off processing has been performed, the process proceeds to step S11, and in step S11, it is determined whether or not the key currently displayed is depressed. If the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S12, 0 is written in the register 31,
Turn off the display. In step S13, well-known key-off processing is performed, and if there is a corresponding sounding channel, the level is attenuated and the channel is opened.

FIG. 7B is a flow chart showing the interrupt processing of the CPU 1. This process is activated each time the built-in timer circuit interrupts the CPU 1 in a predetermined cycle. In step S20, it is determined whether or not the automatic performance is being performed, and if the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the timing of the automatic performance is updated by adding a value proportional to the tempo data to the timing counter value.

In step S22, the register 31
It is determined whether or not the LED set voltage value set to is greater than 0, and if the result is affirmative, it is considered that the key pressing operation is currently being performed, and the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, it is determined whether or not the LED setting voltage set in the register 31 is equal to the settable maximum value VH. If the result is negative, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, a predetermined value preset from the panel is added to the LED setting voltage value, and the addition result is written in the register 31. This step S24
By the process of, the LED setting voltage value in the register 31 gradually increases at a predetermined speed, and the brightness of the LED gradually increases.

FIG. 5 is a waveform diagram showing the output voltage waveform of the D / A converter 30 corresponding to the performance data. When the key-on information of the key A is processed at time t1, the number corresponding to the key A is registered in the register 29 in step S7.
And the initial voltage value V is set in step S8.
L is set in the register 31. Therefore, the output voltage of the D / A converter 30 changes from 0 to VL, and then the output voltage increases at a predetermined speed. And D / A converter 3
When the output voltage of 0 reaches VH, it remains VH and becomes constant thereafter. When the key-off data of the key A is processed at time t3, the output voltage of the D / A converter 30 becomes 0 by the processing of step S12. When the key-on information of the key B is processed at time t4, the number corresponding to the key B is set in the register 29, and thereafter the output voltage of the D / A converter 30 is controlled like the key A.

It should be noted that, like the electronic musical instrument,
If the key-off information is available, the key-depression display corresponding to the key may be erased when the correct key is key-on for the key-depression display. For example, when a key-on is detected at time t2 with respect to the key depression display of the key A in FIG. 5, the setting of the register 29 is rewritten to a non-display number or the setting of the register 31 is set to 0 to press the key. Erase the key display. In this way, if the key to be pressed is pressed at the correct timing, the key pressing display hardly emits light, and only when the key is mistaken or the timing is shifted, the key pressing display lights up with high brightness. Because
You can smoothly move to practice without the need to display key presses.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a temporal change in the brightness (luminance) of the key-pressed LED when the output voltage of the D / A converter 30 is controlled as shown in FIG. Step S
When the value added in the process of 24 is increased, the brightness increases rapidly after the start of display as shown in FIG. 4A, but when the added value is decreased as shown in FIG. The rate of increase in brightness becomes slow. Therefore, if the predetermined value in step S24 can be set from the panel, the rate of increase in brightness can be arbitrarily adjusted.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the brightness of the key-pressed LED and the key-on timing. In the first and second embodiments, the example in which the display operation is started at the key-on timing, that is, the case where the key-on information is processed at time t11 in FIG. 6, is disclosed. Is easier to play when the position of the key to be pressed next is displayed before pressing. Therefore,
For example, the key depression display may be performed at a timing at which the key-on information is processed at or after time t13. In this case, the start time (t1
1) may be set a predetermined time before t13, or if the key-on / key-off information of the keyboard is available as in the case of an electronic musical instrument, the The key depression display of may be started.

Further, when practice is carried out to some extent, the time from the start of display to the key-on timing is gradually shortened so that the key-on timing comes at time t12 in FIG. Simultaneously with key depression display (t11) or after key-on (t10)
It may be adjusted so that the key depression display is started. At this time, the rate of increase in the brightness of the key depression display is adjusted so as to gradually decrease as it increases, and the maximum value of the brightness, that is, V
You may adjust so that the value of H may also become small gradually, so that it may improve. The adjustment of VH can be carried out by configuring the value of VH to be compared in step S23 from the panel.

Although the embodiment has been described above, the following modifications are also possible. In the first embodiment, the example in which the brightness is adjusted using the variable resistor is disclosed, but the brightness is adjusted by setting the output voltage of the D / A converter from the panel using the circuit configuration of FIG. May be adjusted. Further, in the circuit configuration of FIG. 2, the transistor 21 and the variable resistor 20 are omitted, the anode side of the LED is directly connected to the power source, and the desired number and the non-displayed number are alternately written in the register 29 in a short cycle. , Pulse drive the LEDs. The brightness can be controlled by controlling the driving time (duty ratio) by software.

Although an example in which an LED is used as the display element has been disclosed, any display element capable of controlling the brightness such as a light bulb, an EL light emitting element and a fluorescent display tube can be used. An element that controls the amount of transmitted light or reflected light, such as a liquid crystal display, can be used as well. The present invention is applicable not only to a piano but also to any keyboard instrument having a performance keyboard.

[0026]

As described above, the present invention is provided with the display control means for controlling the visibility at the time of key press display.
For example, by configuring the display device so that the brightness, brightness, and color change degree can be adjusted, a beginner can clearly recognize the key press display by increasing the brightness, brightness, and color change degree, and the performance is easy. In addition, a person who has practiced to some extent can practice the performance by reducing the brightness as much as possible without depending on the key press display. In addition, by configuring the brightness and color changes to gradually increase from the start of display and slowing down the rate of increase in brightness as the practice progresses, it is possible to play without relying on the display at the end. effective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a key depression instruction device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of an LED driver circuit.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of an LED driver circuit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a change over time in the brightness of an LED that is key-pressed and displayed.

5 is a waveform diagram showing an output voltage waveform of the D / A converter 30. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between LED brightness and key-on timing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a main process and a timer interrupt process of the CPU 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... CPU, 2 ... ROM, 3 ... RAM, 4 ... Panel circuit, 5 ... Floppy disk circuit, 6 ... LED driver circuit, 7 ... Keyboard display device, 8 ... Sound source circuit, 9 ... D / A converter, 10 ... Amplifier, 11 ... Speaker, 12 ... Bus

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. Display means for displaying a key depression position on a keyboard,
A keyboard instrument comprising drive means for driving a display element corresponding to each key of the display means based on performance information, and display control means for controlling the visibility of the display element when a key is pressed. 2. The keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein the display control means adjusts a degree of change in brightness or color of the display element during driving. 3. The keyboard instrument according to claim 1, wherein the display control means increases a change in brightness or color with time in a predetermined period from the start of display.