RU2438196C2 - Electric musical instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: electric musical instrument has a sound vibration synthesiser and contact sensors for controlling pitch of the synthesised sound. The sensors are in form of contacts formed by contact surfaces of the string core and the inner surface of the current-conducting outer casing of the string, also serving for protecting electric contacts from dirt. The casing is electrically insulated from the core by elastic insulators, and the strings are tied to the string musical instrument.

EFFECT: broader performance capabilities.

6 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of musical instruments, namely to electric musical instruments in which sound vibrations are synthesized from a data bank or generated by electronic generators.

Known electric musical instrument containing a synthesizer of sound vibrations, in which sound vibrations are generated by electronic generators, and contact sensors control the pitch of sound vibrations (see book: A.A. Volodin. Electronic musical instruments, M., "Energy", 1970, (Mass Library, issue 740) p. 29, fig. 12).

The disadvantage of this known electric musical instrument is that it does not realize the possibility of synthesizing sound vibrations from computer data banks.

Free of this drawback is an electric musical instrument containing a sound vibration synthesizer, which uses a personal computer that allows both generating sound vibrations and synthesizing them from data banks, and pitch control sensors for synthesized sound, for example, contact sensors in a computer keyboard ( see the book: Petelin Yu.V., Petelin R.Yu. Personal orchestra in a personal computer - St. Petersburg, Polygon, 1997, p. 155, paragraph 5.1.8). Using signals from keyboard sensors, the computer synthesizes sound vibrations from a data bank. This electric musical instrument is closest to the one offered.

The disadvantage of this known electric musical instrument is that the pitch control sensors of the synthesized sound are associated with the keys of the computer keyboard, therefore, when playing on this known electric musical instrument, the performance capabilities available in the process of playing stringed musical instruments cannot be realized.

The present invention solves the problem of providing an electric musical instrument with the performance capabilities available in the process of playing stringed musical instruments.

To achieve this technical result, in an electric musical instrument containing a sound vibration synthesizer, for example a computer, and tone control sensors for synthesized sound, for example contact sensors, are made on strings, for example, mounted on a stringed musical instrument.

A distinctive feature of the proposed electric musical instrument from the above, closest to it, is the implementation of the sensors for controlling the pitch of the synthesized sound on the strings, for example, mounted on a stringed musical instrument.

Due to the presence of this feature, the proposed electric musical instrument provides a combination of the possibilities of electric synthesis of sound vibrations and specific performing abilities that are characteristic for playing string musical instruments.

Figure 1-6 illustrates examples of the implementation of the proposed electric musical instrument.

Figure 1 shows an example implementation of the proposed electric musical instrument, in which the sensors are made on strings mounted on a fret string musical instrument, for example, an electric guitar.

Figure 2 shows the electrical circuit for connecting contact sensors to a sound vibrator (with one sensor turned on).

Figure 3 shows an example of the inclusion of one of the sensors when you press a finger on the string.

Figure 4 shows the electrical circuit for connecting a contact sensor made on one of the strings of a fretless string musical instrument to a sound vibration synthesizer.

Figure 5 shows an example of sensors on strings mounted on a fretless string musical instrument, such as a Hawaiian electric guitar.

Figure 6 shows an example of a sensor when a finger is pressed on a string of a fretless string musical instrument.

The proposed electric musical instrument in figure 1 contains a synthesizer of sound vibrations 1 (SZK), which is used, for example, a personal computer. On each string 2 of a stringed musical instrument, shown by contour 3, there are sensors for controlling the pitch of the synthesized sound in the form of contacts formed by the contact surfaces 5 of the core 6 of the string and the inner surface of the conductive outer casing 4 of the string, which also serves to protect electrical contacts from pollution. The casing 4 is electrically isolated from the core by elastic insulators 7 and is connected to the musical synthesizer by electrical connection 8. Each contact surface 5 is independently connected to the sound vibration synthesizer 1 of one of the isolated electrical connections 9. The sections of the connections 9 along the strings are made, for example, form of conductive printed circuits. Each pickup has its own pickup 10 connected to a musical synthesizer of one of the electrical connections 11. Each pickup is used only to generate the current amplitude of the synthesized sound in proportion to the current amplitude of the corresponding string. The pitch of the synthesized sound is determined by the included contact. Each contact is above the corresponding mode. The electrical circuit for connecting the contacts K ₁ , K ₂ , ..., K _{n is} shown in figure 2.

Since the pitch of the synthesized sound is determined only by the contact turned on and does not depend on the physical parameters of the vibrating string, the arrangement of frets along the length of the neck can be any: as traditional (the distance between frets is variable: decreases from the end of the neck to the deck), or otherwise, for example uniform, which facilitates the performance of music in the part of the neck that is closest to the deck.

The proposed device operates as follows, see figure 3. When you press the string with your finger over any fret, the casing 4 of the string and insulators 7 are elastically deformed at the point of pressing. This closes the electrical contact between the corresponding contact surface 5 and the casing 4 of the string, for example, contact K ₂ . When the pickups 10 are off, the signal from the closed contact generates a sound vibrator with a pitch corresponding to that contact. When the pickups 10 are on, sound generation occurs with an amplitude proportional to the current amplitude of the string vibrations. Sound is generated if the string oscillates after the pinch during contact and the amplitude of the oscillations is nonzero. If the vibration of the string is quiet or the vibration of the string is “muffled” by hand, i.e. the amplitude of the oscillations is zero, respectively, and the signal from the pickup 10 will be zero, then sound vibrations will be absent.

For a fret string musical instrument, if more than one contact on one string is connected at the same time, two modes of operation of the proposed device are possible. The first mode: the pitch of the generated sound corresponds only to the contact included on the string, which is closer to the deck than others (by analogy with acoustic string instruments, in which only part of the string above the deck sounds). The second mode: all tones are generated that correspond to all contacts on the string. The second mode allows you to take musical intervals and chords on separate strings.

When providing an electric musical instrument with the capabilities of fretless string musical instruments, for example, a ukulele, the pitch control sensors of the synthesized sound can be performed, for example, in the form of rheostats, the electrical circuit of which is connected by links 12 and 13 for an example for one string shown in Fig. 4.

In Fig.5. section AA is shown (on an enlarged scale) of a certain middle portion of the string above the fretboard of a fretless string musical instrument shown in FIG. 6. In contrast to the example in Fig. 1, where the contact surfaces 5 of the string core and elastic insulators 7 are made in the form of rings and bushings around the core of the string, in this case they are made in the form of strips longitudinally along the core of the string (indicated by the same positions 5 and 7 )

The role of the resistor of the rheostat (Fig. 4) can be performed, for example, by the electrical resistance R of the casing 4, and the core of the string contacting through the contact surfaces 5 in various places with the casing during the game (Fig. 6) will act as the slider of the rheostat. The pitch of the synthesized sound is proportional to the current value of the electrical resistance R of the casing (the proportional dependence can be set parametrically or programmatically using a computer). Tone generation begins after the closure of contact K _R , Fig.6. In this case, the contact position K _R determines the value of the current resistance of the rheostat R and, accordingly, the height of the generated tone, which allows you to play the proposed electric musical instrument, in particular, with the use of a smooth glissando, characteristic of a ukulele.

The strings made according to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 can also be used as part of fret string musical instruments, for example, in the example shown in FIG. 1. To do this, the tone generation by the sound vibration synthesizer when changing the resistance value R (Fig. 4, Fig. 6) of the casing 4 should not change continuously, but irregularly: if the contact point K _R (Fig. 6) is at any point above a certain fret, the pitch remains unchanged, and when K _R moves to another fret, the pitch changes in steps, the tone of the generated sound becomes corresponding to another fret.

Figure 1-6 shows examples of sensors for controlling the pitch of the synthesized sound on strings mounted on string musical instruments, and a computer is used as a synthesizer of sound vibrations. However, these conditions are not binding. For example, an electronic organ or a keyboard sampler with a bank of sound samples can be used as a synthesizer of sound vibrations, and strings with sensors can be installed on their bodies. At the same time, string sensors will perform the functions of the sub-keyboard sensors of these devices for controlling the pitch of the synthesized sound.

In addition to contact sensors, any other tactile sensitive sensors can be used as sensors in the string composition, the signals of which can be used to control the sound synthesizer, for example, strain gauge sensors, piezoelectric sensors, with the help of which electrical signals proportional to the magnitude of finger pressure on the strings can be obtained. These signals can be used to control the amplitude of the synthesized sound vibrations both in conjunction with the signals of the pickups 10, and without them.

Thus, the sensors mounted on the strings provide tactile sensitivity and the ability to directly convert performing efforts into electrical signals that control the synthesis of sound vibrations, for which both computer data banks and electronic generators can be used. This ensures the provision of an electric musical instrument with the performance capabilities of various fret and fretless string musical instruments.

Claims (1)

An electric musical instrument containing a sound vibration synthesizer and contact sensors for controlling the pitch of the synthesized sound, characterized in that the sensors are made in the form of contacts formed by the contact surfaces of the core of the string and the inner surface of the conductive outer casing of the string, which also serves to protect electrical contacts from pollution, casing it is electrically isolated from the core by elastic insulators, and the strings are mounted on a stringed musical instrument.

Images