Electronic wind instrument

Abstract

To solve a problem of musical instruments that add electronic functions to woodwind musical instruments such as saxophones, allowing players to choose between acoustic and electronic sounds, being proposed, in which woodwind musical instruments have many keys, and there has been no effective sensors or detection means for detecting finger movements, and pitch bend functions of electronic instruments have been unfamiliar and difficult to use for woodwind musical instruments players.SOLUTION: The present invention solves these problems by modulating light emission portion of a photosensor and performing pitch bending using keys used to determine scales.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tube instrument or a woodwind instrument (such as a saxophone) having a function of a tube instrument, which includes an instrument body and a plurality of operators provided on the instrument body, and determines musical sounds emitted from the instrument body according to single operations or combined operations of the plurality of operators.

Background Art

[0002] Some conventional tube instruments are provided with a pressure detector for detecting the player's breath pressure, a key switch for finger operations, a lip sensor, a pitch bend wheel, etc., and generate musical sounds by an electronic circuit (for example, Patent Document 2).

[0003] However, when a player who mainly plays a normal woodwind instrument such as a saxophone plays a conventional tube instrument, for example, when operating the key switch, there is a sense of discomfort due to a large difference from the stroke (variable range) and feel of the keys of a normal woodwind instrument. Also, regarding the pitch bend technique or vibrato technique by operating the lip sensor or pitch bend wheel, there are many differences such as having no relevance to the playing techniques of normal wind instruments. Therefore, there is a problem that the player cannot easily play a conventional tube instrument.

[0004] On the other hand, normal woodwind instruments such as saxophones have a large volume, and even in a house or apartment building without soundproof equipment for instrument playing, there is a desire to practice, but there is a problem that it is impossible to practice while muting the speaker like an electronic instrument and listening with headphones.

[0005] As a means of solving some of the above problems, there is a prior art described in Patent Document 1 in which a magnet is fixed to an operator and a Hall element is fixed to the peripheral surface of the musical instrument respectively, and the pressing operation of the operator arranged as a saxophone is detected, and musical sounds are generated by an electronic circuit according to the information. However, in order to ensure the output voltage from the Hall element while maintaining the structure required for a saxophone as a musical instrument, it is necessary to bring the distance between the magnet and the Hall element closer during the pressing operation. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange the magnet at a position away from the operator, and a plurality of arm parts (reference numeral 11a in Patent Document 1) that are unnecessary for an originally acoustic woodwind instrument are required, which deteriorates the appearance. In addition, since the members of the arm part, the attachment, and the adjustment of the distance between the magnet and the Hall element are required, there is a drawback that the manufacturing cost increases.

[0006] In addition, since the magnet is exposed on the peripheral surface of the musical instrument, if the magnet attracts various metal objects around it, such as a document clip, it may become an obstacle and there is a risk that normal operation cannot be performed. Also, even if the magnet could be arranged at the tampo 15 or the sound hole 6, since it is exposed when the lid portion 8 is open, the risk cannot be avoided.

[0007] Also, when a cover such as a magnetic shield is attached to the magnet and the movable region of the magnet to address the above risk, in a saxophone with a large number of operators, there is a drawback that the weight increases and it becomes difficult to use. In addition, there is a drawback that parts and attachments for the cover are required, resulting in a high manufacturing cost. Also, the aesthetics of the musical instrument as a saxophone are deteriorated.

[0008] In Patent Document 5, an operator is attached to a trumpet, which is a conventional wind instrument, as an attachment, and the mouthpiece is replaced with one equipped with a pressure sensor, and it is a device that generates musical sounds with an electronic sound source. As a position detection means, it is shown that a photosensor or a microswitch is used, or it is performed by a change in resistance value or a change in capacitance.

[0009] However, when a photosensor is used, since the detection unit is arranged inside the cylinder chamber (reference numeral 53 in Patent Document 5), by preventing stray light 90 from entering the light receiving unit of the photosensor due to the light shielding effect of the cylinder chamber, false detection can be avoided. However, the cylinder chamber or a light shielding portion replacing it is required. In the case of a saxophone, there are 23 operators as a standard, and each requires the cylinder chamber, resulting in a disadvantage of high manufacturing cost.

[0010] In addition, when a microswitch is used, there is a disadvantage that a mechanical load is applied to the operator, and there is a sense of discomfort due to the difference from the feel of a normal wind instrument.

[0011] In addition, when using a change in resistance value, for example, when a variable resistor is used, there is a disadvantage that a mechanical load is applied to the operator, and there is a difference from the feel of a normal wind instrument. Also, since it is frequently operated during performance, the life of the variable resistor is shortened, and there is also a disadvantage that the reliability is lowered.

[0012] In addition, when performing by changing the capacitance, a large electrode is required to ensure a sufficient capacitance change width, resulting in a disadvantage that the detection unit becomes large. Also, the distance between a plurality of electrodes for detecting capacitance needs to be at least the same length as the distance between the operators. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange the capacitance detection unit near each electrode, and a plurality of analog and digital electronic circuits and microcomputers for arithmetic processing and interfaces are required respectively. The scale of the electronic circuit becomes large, and the manufacturing cost of a plurality of integrated circuit chips integrating them is higher compared to the case of using a photosensor or the like. Also, when the communication speed of the interface becomes low, there is a disadvantage that a delay occurs between the finger pressure operation of the operator and the reception of the data output, causing discomfort to the performer. Also, since a high-frequency signal is applied to the electrode, there is a risk of causing electromagnetic interference, and implementation for preventing them and inspection tests for electromagnetic interference (EMI) are required, resulting in an increase in design constraints.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0013] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 4717042 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-085159 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application No. 11-338819 [Patent Document 4] U.S. Patent No. 2151337 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-055173 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0014] Provided is an electronic musical instrument that omits the arm part that is unnecessary for a natural wind instrument without using the magnet and the Hall element, reproduces the key stroke and feel similar to those of a natural woodwind instrument, and reliably detects the operations of a plurality of operators.

[0015] It becomes possible to switch between and use the natural sound of a natural woodwind instrument such as a saxophone and the electronic sound of an electronic musical instrument.

[0016] Eliminating the malfunction caused by stray light 90 incident on the photosensor and omitting a cylinder chamber or an equivalent light-shielding part and an accompanying mechanism for shielding the stray light 90 to reduce the manufacturing cost. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0017] A musical instrument body composed of a cylindrical body or a long bar shape, a plurality of operators provided on the musical instrument body, a plurality of reflecting surfaces that rotate about a plurality of fulcrums by pressing operations of the plurality of operators, a plurality of light-emitting elements that emit light and are arranged at positions facing the reflecting surfaces, a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements that detect a part of the light reflected by the reflecting surfaces, A plurality of modulators that modulate the emission intensity of the plurality of light-emitting elements with a signal having a specific period; from the output signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, a plurality of detectors that detect a signal to be modulated modulated by the signal having the specific period; a plurality of comparators that compare the intensities of the signals to be modulated with respective set values; comprising a pressure sensor that detects the breath pressure of a performer, either individually or in a plurality of combinations of the comparison results of the plurality of comparators, and means for generating musical sounds by an electronic circuit according to the breath pressure detected by the pressure sensor.

[0018] means for disposing the plurality of light-emitting elements and the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements in a plurality of sound holes of a saxophone, and using the surfaces of a plurality of resonators attached to a plurality of tampos that open and close the respective sound holes as the plurality of reflecting surfaces.

[0019] means comprising a plurality of detectors that sample and hold the output signals of the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements within a fixed time, and detect the intensities of the plurality of signals to be modulated by subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value.

[0020] continuously detecting the amount of displacement of a key due to a pressing operation of an operator that is not involved in determining a specific musical scale among the plurality of operators, means for changing the pitch of a musical interval according to the amount of displacement.

Advantages of the Invention

[0021] By adding the implementation of the present invention to an acoustic woodwind instrument (e.g., saxophone, etc.), the operating mechanism of the woodwind instrument can be maintained, and an electronic woodwind instrument that reproduces the key strokes and feel of the acoustic woodwind instrument can be realized. Further, the electronic woodwind instrument can function as an effective noise reduction means by muting the natural sound and using the musical sounds generated by an electronic circuit, reducing the volume, or listening through headphones, etc., and can be provided as an instrument that can be played in a practice environment not restricted by location, time zone, etc.

[0022] In addition, by changing the mouthpiece and the reed, it is possible to provide a saxophone that can be switched between producing sound as an acoustic instrument or producing electronic sound as an electronic instrument for performance respectively.

[0023] When the light-emitting element 1 and the light-receiving element 2 are arranged in the sound holes of the saxophone, the resonator (sound reflector) attached to the tampo 15 required when playing the saxophone with acoustic sound can be substituted as the reflecting surface 3. In addition, detected components such as magnets can be omitted, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0024] Omit the arm part that is unnecessary for acoustic woodwind instruments, and reduce the increase in the weight of electronic woodwind instruments. In addition, the aesthetic appearance can be maintained.

[0025] Since no magnet is used, there is no risk of malfunction due to adsorption of metal objects, and reliability can be ensured. Moreover, covers such as magnetic shields are not required, and the increase in the weight of the instrument can be reduced. In addition, the manufacturing cost for covers such as magnetic shields can be saved.

[0026] During the use of the instrument, stray light 90 using natural light or lighting etc. as the light source may enter the photoelectric conversion element. However, since the light emission intensity of the light-emitting element is modulated with a signal of a specific period and only the signal intensity from the light-emitting element is detected as the signal to be modulated, malfunction due to the stray light can be prevented. In addition, since a large number of the cylinder chambers or equivalent light-shielding parts for shielding the stray light are not required, the manufacturing cost for that part can be saved.

[0027] It is possible to provide an electronic instrument that reproduces the same operating mechanism as an acoustic woodwind instrument (for example, saxophone etc.) and has the same key stroke and feel.

[0028] By adding the implementation of the present case to the saxophone, the intensity of the pressure can be continuously detected as the displacement amount of the key, so that the mode during performance as an electronic musical instrument can be switched, and pitch bend corresponding to the pressing force can be achieved with the octave key or the trill key. As a result, it is possible to omit the lip sensor, pitch bend wheel, etc. provided in conventional electronic musical instruments. In addition, the octave key and the trill key are keys that are originally familiar to saxophone players, and have the advantage of being easier to handle than a lip sensor or a pitch bend wheel.

[0029] Since a large electronic circuit is not required for the detection unit, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030]

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Figure 15

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0031] [Embodiment 1] By additionally implementing examples based on the design of woodwind instruments such as saxophones, an electronic wind instrument is provided that has the same finger-operating operation and the same operating mechanism as the woodwind instrument, and has the same key stroke and feel as the woodwind instrument (a pseudo-woodwind instrument that cannot produce live sound).

[0032] Examples related to Embodiment 1 are Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, Example 5, Example 6, Example 7, Example 8, Example 10, and Example 11.

[0033] [Embodiment 2] By additionally implementing on woodwind instruments such as saxophones, an electronic instrument is provided that has the same finger-operating operation and the same operating mechanism as the woodwind instrument, and has the same key stroke and feel as the woodwind instrument. Also, by changing the mouthpiece and reed, an instrument that can switch to playing with the live sound of the woodwind instrument is provided.

[0034] Examples related to Embodiment 2 are Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4, Example 5, Example 6, Example 7, Example 8, and Example 10.

[0035] [Embodiment 3] There is a mechanism that reproduces the finger-operating function of woodwind instruments such as saxophones. An electronic wind instrument is provided that has the same finger-operating operation and the same operating mechanism as the woodwind instrument, and has the same key stroke and feel as the woodwind instrument. Also, an electronic wind instrument is provided in which a part or all of the element part of the cylindrical body necessary for an acoustic woodwind instrument is removed.

[0036] Examples related to Embodiment 3 are Example 1, Example 4, Example 5, Example 6, Example 7, Example 8, Example 9, and Example 10.

Example

Example

[0037] A perspective view of this example is shown in FIG. 1. The light 71 emitted from the light-emitting element 1 travels along the direction 4 toward the reflecting surface 3. The reflecting surface 3 reflects all or part of the emitted light 71 and travels along the direction 5 in which the photoelectric conversion element 2 is arranged. A part of the reflected light is incident on the photoelectric conversion element 2 and is converted into an electric signal 25 by the photoelectric conversion element 2. On the other hand, the lid portion 8 to which the reflecting surface 3 is fixed is coupled to the pipe portion 11 via the arm portion 42, and the shaft 12 is inserted into the pipe portion 11. The center fulcrum position of the shaft 12 is held by the bearing portion 9 and the bearing portion 13. Further, the lid portion 8 has an operator 7. When the operator 7 is pressed, the lid portion 8 and the reflecting surface 3 rotate about the shaft 12 as a fulcrum. By this rotation, the distance 24 between the light-emitting element 1 and the reflecting surface 3 becomes shorter, and the output 25 of the photoelectric conversion element 2 increases. The relationship between the distance 24 and the output 25 of the photoelectric conversion element 2 is the characteristic curve 73 shown in FIG. 3.

[0038] The reason for such a characteristic curve 73 can be explained with reference to FIG. 4. In FIG. 4(a), for example, when a light-emitting diode is used as the light-emitting element 1, the emitted light 71 becomes divergent light and is incident on the reflecting surface 3. According to the law of reflection, the traveling direction is reversed, but the divergent angle is maintained, and it becomes the reflected light 72 and a part of it is incident on the photoelectric conversion element 2. At this time, when observed from the side of the reflecting surface 3, the region irradiated with the reflected light 72 is approximately a circular surface 72a. In FIG. 4(b), when the distance 24 becomes longer, the irradiated region becomes a larger circular surface 72b compared to FIG. 4(a). Since the light-receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion element 2 has a constant area and the power of the light 71 emitted from the light-emitting element 1 is constant, naturally, the power density within the circular surface 72b is lower in the case of FIG. 4(b) than in the case of FIG. 4(a), and the output 25 of the photoelectric conversion element in FIG. 4(b) also decreases. In other words, when the distance 24 becomes shorter, the output 25 of the photoelectric conversion element 2 increases.

[0039] However, when the distance 24 becomes even shorter, the output 25 reaches a maximum value and then rapidly decreases. This phenomenon occurs because when the distance 24 is extremely short, the area of the circular surface 72a irradiated by the reflected light 72 becomes extremely small, and the circular surface 72a deviates from the light-receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion element 2. In this embodiment, the change range of the distance 24 is designed to be longer than the distance indicating the maximum value. Of course, conversely, a method of detecting the distance 24 in a range shorter than the distance 24 indicating the maximum value by changing the interval between the light-emitting element 1 and the photoelectric conversion element 2 can also be easily conceived.

[0040] In addition, although the irradiation region 72b of the reflected light is depicted as circular in Fig. 4(b), strictly speaking, it has an oval shape in the cross-section where the divergent light is cut obliquely. Even in that case, since there is no significant difference in the tendency of the characteristic curve 73, the figure is like this.

[0041] On the other hand, the intensity of the light 71 emitted by the light-emitting element 1 is optically modulated by a signal 56 of a specific period. For example, it is easy to perform ON-OFF modulation (ON-OFF modulation) of the light-emitting element 1 by a square wave. Even in that case, of course, the amplitude of the modulated signal 30 modulated by the signal 56 of a specific period included in the output 25 of the photoelectric conversion element 2 also changes depending on the distance 24 and has the same shape as the characteristic curve 73.

[0042] In this embodiment, an example is shown where the operating element 7 is fixed to the lid portion 8. For example, in a saxophone, there are multiple configurations where the lid portion is attached to the first rotation mechanism and the operating element is attached to the second rotation mechanism, and the first rotation structure and the second rotation structure are mechanically linked, and there is a part where the lid portion is opened and closed by pressing a single or multiple operating elements. (For example, Patent Document 4)

[0043] Separately from Fig. 1, an operation button is fixed to the second arm portion 18 (Fig. 2) on the side opposite to the lid portion 8 with the axis 12 as a boundary. Usually, there is a closed key where the lid portion 8 is closed and the lid portion is opened by pressing the operating element. In any case, the musical scale of the musical sound can be determined by detecting the opening and closing of multiple lid portions.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, the reflecting surface 3 is used in combination as a resonator (sound reflecting plate) attached to the saxophone tampo 15 necessary for performing with natural sound.

[0045] Examples of the light emitting element 1 include a light emitting diode, a laser diode, and the like.

[0046] Examples of the photoelectric conversion element 2 include a phototransistor, a photodiode, a photoconductor, a CCD, a solar cell, a light emitting diode (which can also be used as a light receiving element), and the like.

Embodiment

[0047] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a light emitting diode is used for the light emitting element 1, a phototransistor is used for the photoelectric conversion element 2, and a photo reflector (for example, Patent Document 3) in which each element is formed in the same package is provided. There is also a small photo reflector 21 with a surface area (package upper surface) on the side where the light emitting part and the light receiving part are located of 2.4 square millimeters or less (1.4 millimeters × 1.7 millimeters). When the small photo reflector 21 protrudes into the hole of the sound hole 6 of the printed circuit board 22 attached by surface mounting and the surface area of the protruding part is 9.8 square millimeters (1.4 millimeters × 7 millimeters) and it is attached to the tube body part 10, the diameter of the sound hole 6 in the highest pitch part of a general alto saxophone is 12 millimeters, the opening area of the sound hole 6 becomes about 108 square millimeters, and the decrease in the opening area is limited to about 9%. Also, there is a lid part and a sound hole that open and close by an octave key operation that is smaller than the sound hole in the highest pitch part, but the pressing operation can be detected by the method shown in Embodiment 3. By these implementations, a sufficient opening area of the sound hole is ensured so that musical sounds can be generated by the natural sound of the alto saxophone.

[0048] The same applies to the tenor saxophone and the baritone saxophone, where the opening area of the sound hole 6 in the highest pitch part is larger than that of the alto saxophone. In the case of a soprano saxophone where the diameter of the sound hole 6 in the highest pitch part is smaller than that of the alto saxophone, performing the method shown in Embodiment 3 at the sound hole 6 in the highest pitch part enables performance with natural sound.

Example

[0049] Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of Example 3. The saxophone also requires a small sound hole 6 with a diameter of about 2 to 3 millimeters for opening and closing the lid 8 by operating the octave key. In order to ensure the opening area of the sound hole 6, a reflecting surface 3 is arranged below the arm portion 42, a small photo-reflector 21 is arranged at a position facing the reflecting surface 3, and it is mounted on the surface of a flexible substrate 57 attached to the side surface of the tube body portion 10.

[0050] In this example, it is possible to detect the opening and closing of the lid while maintaining the opening area of the sound hole 6. However, in terms of design, it is effective when the distance between the arm portion 42 and the reflecting surface 3 is close, so it is mainly used for small sound holes such as the sound hole of the octave key.

[0051] In addition, in Fig. 9, the drawing of another rotating mechanism including an operator associated with the rotating mechanism of the lid and a mechanical structure portion (for example, Fig. 14 or Fig. 16 of Patent Document 4) connected thereto is omitted.

Example

[0052] Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the mouthpiece 33 and the reed 43. In a woodwind instrument such as a normal saxophone, one half of the reed 43 is attached to the mouthpiece 33 by ligature (46). The other half of the reed 43 is thinly shaved so that it can vibrate. In a conventional woodwind instrument such as a saxophone, this part vibrates to produce sound. However, when used as an electronic wind instrument, a sheet-like buffer member 44 such as rubber or resin having an anti-vibration effect is adhered to the reed 43 (45) to stop the vibration and only the breath pressure is sent in. In addition, in this example, a pressure sensor 27 is attached inside the mouthpiece 33, and the breath pressure is detected and input to the A / D converter built into the microcomputer 36 through the wiring cable 84.

Example

[0053] Example 5 shown in Fig. 5 is an example in which a modulated signal 30 modulated by a signal 56 of a specific period is selected and extracted from the output 25 of the photoelectric conversion element 2, and the process until the pressing operation information 53 of the operator 7 is output is shown in a block diagram. An oscillator 55 oscillates a signal 56 of a specific period (for example, a square wave or the like). The signal 56 of a specific period drives a modulator 54 to repeatedly turn on and off the current of a light emitting element 1 such as a light emitting diode with the signal 56 of a specific period, and perform on-off modulation (ON-OFF modulation). On the other hand, the output 25 of the photoelectric conversion element 2 passes through a low-pass filter 47 if necessary to prevent aliasing, and its output 28 is input to an A / D converter 48. The output of the A / D converter 48 becomes digital data, passes through a band-pass filter 49 (digital filter), allows only the modulated signal 30 by the signal 56 of a specific period to pass through, enters a detector 50, and the detector 50 detects the modulated signal 30. The detected signal 31 is input to a smoother 51, and its output 32 is the amplitude value of the modulated signal 30. As the output of an operation value indicating the pressing amount of the operator (7), it is input to a comparator 52, compared with a set value, and the comparison result is used as the opening / closing information 53 of the sound hole 6, and is used alone or by a plurality of opening / closing information 53 to determine musical sounds.

[0054] By modulating the light emitting element 1 with the signal 56 of a specific period and extracting only the modulated signal 30 of the signal 56 of a specific period, even if stray light 90 that enters from the gap between the lid portion 8 and the sound hole 6 is mixed into the photoelectric conversion element 2 and affects the output 25, it is equivalent to the case where only the light emitted from the light emitting element 1 is detected, and malfunction due to the stray light 90 can be prevented.

[0055] Note that the oscillator 55, modulator 54, band-pass filter 49, detector 50, smoother 51, and comparator 52 in the block diagram are examples implemented by digital circuits, but can also be implemented by software of a microcomputer.

Example

[0056] FIG. 10 shows a simplified case of Example 5 in which a high-pass filter 58 (analog filter) is used instead of the band-pass filter 49. The high-pass filter 58 is implemented in a simple first-order manner and does not use a digital filter, so less software processing is required and it can be provided using an inexpensive microcomputer.

Example

[0057] FIG. 11 uses a sample and hold device 1 (62a) and a sample and hold device 2 (62b) instead of the band-pass filter 49. The peak value 69 and the bottom value 70 of the modulated signal 30 by a signal 56 of a specific period are sampled from the digital data output 29 of the A / D converter by sampling, and the difference is calculated by a difference calculator 64 to determine the amplitude of the modulated signal 30.

[0058] FIG. 12 shows the waveform 68 of a virtual oscilloscope that simulates the signal relationship of this example. The signal 56 of a specific period becomes the output signal 67 by a quarter-period time-axis shift 66. The timing of the rising edge of the output signal 67, which is a square wave, exactly coincides with the peak value 69 of the modulated signal 30, and the timing of the falling edge of the square wave 67 coincides with the bottom value 70 of the modulated signal 30. The output signal 25 of the photoelectric conversion element 2 in FIG. 12 is superimposed with a signal due to the mixed stray light 90 in addition to the modulated signal 30, but it shows that only the amplitude of the modulated signal 30 can be selected and detected.

[0059] Blocks other than the low-pass filter in this example can also be implemented by a microcomputer and software.

Example

[0060] On the saxophone, the fingering of single or multiple operators determines the scale of the musical sound. However, there are multiple examples of such fingering for a specific scale, and there is fingering for alternative fingers that is rarely used in normal situations. Also, there is a specific operator that is used only when using the fingering for alternative fingers in particular, as a trill key. In this embodiment, the role of the specific operator is switched on the control program, enabling performance with a pitch bend effect that changes the pitch of the musical interval according to the pressing amount of the specific operator, that is, the angle of the lid portion 8, or performance with a vibrato effect. Since the pressing value output 32 of the operator outputs continuous values according to the pressing force, if the pitch is changed according to the pressing value output 32, performance with a smooth pitch bend effect or performance with a vibrato effect can be achieved.

[0061] Also, for example, in the case of the same fingering as the saxophone, the operator of the octave key is not normally used in fingering for scales lower than the low C♯ (76) in the first register. Therefore, performance with a pitch bend effect or performance with a vibrato effect can also be achieved by the operator of the octave key.

[0062] That is, it is an embodiment in which performance with a pitch bend effect that changes the pitch of the musical interval or performance with a vibrato effect is performed by the pressing force of an operator that is not included in the combination of operators that are minimally necessary to determine the musical interval. (Reference figures: Figures 13 and 14)

[0063] An example of applying this embodiment to the saxophone while considering the actual fingering is shown below. Note that the operator for performing performance with a pitch bend effect that changes the pitch of the musical interval or performance with a vibrato effect will be referred to by the name "pitch bent key".

[0064] The pitch bent key for scales below the low C♯ (76) in the first register 74 is the octave key 86.

[0065] The pitch bend keys for D77 in the first pitch range 74 and D sharp (D♯) 78 in the first pitch range shall be the side A sharp trill key 87.

[0066] The pitch bend keys for the scale from E79 in the first pitch range 74 to C sharp (C♯) 80 in the first pitch range shall be the side F sharp trill key 88.

[0067] The pitch bend keys for D81 in the second pitch range 75 and D sharp (D♯) 82 in the second pitch range shall be the side A sharp trill key 87.

[0068] The pitch bend keys for the scale above E83 in the second pitch range 75 shall be the side F sharp trill key 88.

[0069] The side A sharp trill key 87 of this embodiment is pressed near the proximal phalanx of the index finger of the right hand.

[0070] Players mainly playing wind instruments such as saxophones may not be able to perform well in playing with a pitch bend effect or a vibrato effect by a conventional electronic wind instrument (for example, Patent Document 2). Although it is possible to perform a performance with a pitch bend effect or a performance with a vibrato effect by a lip sensor or a pitch bend wheel equipped in an electronic wind instrument, it was not easy because it requires completely different operations from wind instruments such as saxophones. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since it can be performed by pressing a key that has been conventionally operated with a finger, there is a relevance in the operation method, and the operation can be performed more easily than a conventional electronic wind instrument.

[0071] Note that this embodiment is for the purpose of switching the performance mode in the performance as an electronic wind instrument in the embodiments to expand the expression method, and not for the purpose of reproducing and practicing an acoustic saxophone.

Example

[0072] FIG. 15 is an embodiment related to [Form 3]. The pipe portion 11 passing through the axis, the arm portion 42, the operator 7, and the reflecting surface 3 are integrally formed by injection molding or the like. Further, the bearing portions 9 and 13 are integrally formed on the long rod-shaped main body 85. Although the sound holes 6 and the pipe body portion 10 are deleted, the operator reproduces the same key stroke and touch as that of the saxophone. This is an embodiment for providing a pseudo-saxophone with low manufacturing cost. In this embodiment, although the sound hole 6 is deleted, information equivalent to the opening / closing information 53 of the sound hole 6 is obtained.

Embodiment

[0073] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the entire musical instrument. The output from the air pressure sensor 27 is connected to the electronic circuit unit 35 by the wiring cable 84 and input to the A / D converter built in the microcomputer 36. Further, the output 25 of the photoelectric conversion element 2 passes through the low-pass filter 47 and is input to the A / D converter 48 built in the microcomputer 36. The microcomputer 36 incorporates hardware and software that equivalently processes each function shown in FIG. 11. In addition, processing for generating music data 37 is also performed. Based on the music data 37, a music signal 39 is created by the sound source generation unit 38, and acoustic effects and the like are added by the sound system 40 to become an acoustic signal 41. The acoustic signal 41 generates music from the headphones 89 or the speaker.

Embodiment

[0074] In the case of a woodwind instrument without a lid and capable of opening and closing the sound holes with fingers, such as a clarinet or a recorder, the surface of the rotating finger functions as the reflecting surface, and this is achieved by arranging the light emitting element and the photoelectric conversion element at the sound hole positions.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0075] 1 Light emitting element 2 Photoelectric conversion element (light receiving element) 3 Reflecting surface 4 Direction of light emitted from the light emitting element (1) The direction of the light reflected by the reflecting surface (3) and advancing toward the photoelectric conversion element (2) 6 Sound hole 7 Operator 8 Lid for closing the sound hole (6) 9 First bearing portion 10 Tubular body portion 11 Pipe portion for passing the shaft 12 Shaft 13 Second bearing portion 14 Spring 15 Tamp 16 Cardboard portion of the tamp 17 Skin of the tamp 18 Second arm portion 19 Buffer material such as cork 20 Portion to which the spring is applied 21 Small photo interrupter 22 Printed circuit board with one end attached to the tubular body portion (10) 23 Diameter of the sound hole 24 Distance between the reflecting surface (3) and the light emitting element (1) 25 Electric signal output from the photoelectric conversion element (2) 26 Output for modulating the light emitting element 27 Pressure sensor 28 Output of the low-pass filter 29 Digital data output of the A / D converter 30 Modulated signal modulated by a signal (56) of a specific period 31 Detected signal 32 Amplitude value of the modulated signal (30) (output of the pressing value of the operator) 33 Mouthpiece 34 Instrument body 35 Electronic circuit unit 36 Microcomputer portion 37 Music data 38 Sound source generation portion 39 Music signal 40 Sound system 41 Acoustic signal 42 First arm portion 43 Lead 44 Buffer portion 45 Adhesion 46 Mounting 47 Low-pass filter 48 A / D Converter 49 Band - Pass Filter 50 Detector 51 Smoother 52 Comparator 53 Sound Hole Open / Close Information 54 Modulator 55 Oscillator 56 Signal of a Specific Period (Square Wave) 57 Flexible Substrate 58 High - Pass Filter 59 Output of High - Pass Filter 60 Adder 61 Bias Value 62a Sample and Hold Circuit 1 62b Sample and Hold Circuit 2 63a Peak Value of Signal of a Specific Period 63b Bottom Value of Signal of a Specific Period 64 Differential Operator 65 66 Time - Axis Shift 67 Output Signal of Time - Axis Shift 68 Virtual Oscilloscope Screen 69 Peak Value of Amplitude of Modulated Signal (30) 70 Bottom Value of Amplitude of Modulated Signal (30) 71 Light Emitted from Light - Emitting Element (1) 72 Light Reflected by Reflecting Surface (3) 72a Light - Projection Area of Light Reflected by Reflecting Surface (3) 72b Light - Projection Area of Light Reflected by Reflecting Surface (3) 73 Characteristic Curve 74 First Sound Range 75 Second Sound Range 76 Low C♯ in the First Sound Range 77 D in the First Sound Range 78 D♯ in the First Sound Range 79 E in the First Sound Range 80 C♯ in the First Sound Range 81 D in the Second Sound Range 82 D♯ in the Second Sound Range 83 E in the Second Sound Range 84 Output of Pressure Sensor (Wiring Cable) 85 long rod-shaped body 86 octave key 87 side A♯ trill key 88 side F♯ trill key 89 headphones 90 stray light 91 changeover switch 92 pitch variable section

Claims

1. A musical instrument body composed of a cylindrical body or a long rod shape, a plurality of operators provided on the musical instrument body, a plurality of detectors for detecting pressing operations of the plurality of operators, a plurality of comparators for comparing the outputs of the detectors with respective set values, a pressure sensor for detecting the player's breath pressure, in an electronic wind instrument that generates musical sounds by an electronic circuit according to a single one or a plurality of combinations of the respective comparison results of the plurality of comparators and the breath pressure detected by the pressure sensor, among the plurality of operators, the displacement amount of a key due to a pressing operation of an operator not involved in determining a specific musical scale is continuously detected, and the pitch of the musical scale is changed according to the displacement amount. An electronic wind instrument characterized by this.

2. The electronic wind instrument according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of detectors are arranged in a plurality of sound holes of a saxophone, and the pressing operation is detected at positions of a plurality of tampos that open and close the respective sound holes.

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