String instruments and program

Abstract

This provides a new technology that allows for the tuning of stringed instruments. [Solution] A stringed instrument according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of strings including a first string, a soundboard, an exciter for vibrating the soundboard, a guide sound generation unit that generates a signal indicating a guide sound based on a first frequency determined in correspondence with the first string for a predetermined period of time, and a drive signal generation unit that generates a first drive signal for driving the exciter so that the guide sound is generated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a stringed instrument and a program for tuning a stringed instrument.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a tuning fork has been used for tuning a stringed instrument. Currently, in addition to tuning with a tuning fork, a clip tuner, a tuning app, etc. may also be used for tuning a stringed instrument. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a tuning device that identifies the reference pitch of a plucked string based on pitch data obtained by plucking the string by a user and displays the deviation between the pitch data and the reference pitch. Also, it is known to provide a vibrator to an instrument, and Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration having a vibrator for a guitar.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] One object of the present invention is to provide a new technology capable of tuning a stringed instrument.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a stringed instrument including a plurality of strings including a first string, a soundboard, a vibrator that vibrates the soundboard, a guide sound generation unit that generates a signal indicating a guide sound based on a first frequency defined corresponding to the first string for a predetermined period, and a drive signal generation unit that generates a first drive signal for driving the vibrator so that the guide sound is generated.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a program is provided for a computer to perform the following actions: acquire information indicating a vibrating string among the vibrations of a plurality of strings; generate a signal indicating a guide tone based on a frequency determined in relation to the string identified based on the information for a predetermined period of time; and generate a first drive signal for driving an exciter that excites a soundboard so that the guide tone is generated.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a stringed instrument is provided which includes a plurality of strings including a first string, a soundboard, an exciter for vibrating the soundboard, a guide sound generation unit for generating a signal indicating a guide sound, and a drive signal generation unit for generating a first S drive signal for driving the exciter so that the guide sound is generated. The instrument provides a program for causing the guide sound generation unit to generate a signal for a predetermined period of time for generating the guide sound based on a first frequency determined in correspondence with the first string. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, a novel technology can be provided that enables tuning of stringed instruments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is an external view showing a stringed instrument according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a side view showing the guitar body. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a plan view of the inner surface of the back plate of the guitar body, as seen from a direction perpendicular to the inner surface. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a functional block diagram of the control unit of a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is an external view showing a guitar according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a functional block diagram of the control unit of a control device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device and the functional configuration of the control unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This is a functional block diagram of the control unit of a control device according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In the drawings referenced in this embodiment, the same parts or parts having similar functions are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals (simply a number followed by A, B, etc.), and repeated descriptions may be omitted. In order to clarify the explanation, the drawings may be schematic in which dimensional ratios differ from actual ratios, or some parts of the configuration may be omitted from the drawings.

[0011] A stringed instrument in one embodiment of the present invention includes an exciter that vibrates a soundboard. The exciter is driven based on a signal indicating a guide tone determined for a given string. The user can tune the stringed instrument based on the guide tone.

[0012] <First Embodiment> [String instrument configuration] Figure 1 is an external view showing a stringed instrument 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the stringed instrument 100 is a guitar. Hereinafter, the stringed instrument 100 will be referred to as the guitar 100.

[0013] The guitar 100 includes a guitar body 10, a vibrator 30, and a control device 50. In this embodiment, the guitar body 10 is an electric acoustic guitar. The vibrator 30 is attached to the guitar body 10.

[0014] The guitar 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the guitar body 10 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the inner surface of the back plate 15 of the body 11 of the guitar body 10 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the inner surface.

[0015] [Configuration of Guitar Body] The guitar body 10 includes a body 11, a neck 12, and a plurality of strings 13. The body 11 is formed in a box shape having a cavity inside. The body 11 has a front plate 14, a back plate 15, and side plates 16. The front plate 14, the back plate 15, and the side plates 16 constitute the body 11 having a cavity inside. The front plate 14, the back plate 15, and the side plates 16 constitute the soundboard of the guitar 100. In the following description, the direction (Z-axis direction) in which the front plate 14 and the back plate 15 are arranged may be referred to as the vertical direction.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, four sound bars 24 are attached to the inner surface 15a of the back plate 15 at predetermined positions. The shape, number, position, etc. of the sound bars 24 shown in FIG. 3 are examples and can be changed as appropriate. The vibrator 30 is installed so as to contact the inner surface 15a of the back plate 15. The vibrator 30 will be described later.

[0017] [[ID=​​​​​​

[0019] The neck 12 extends from the body 11 in a direction roughly perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). A head 19 is provided at the end of the neck 12, and a peg 22 for winding the second end of the string 13 in the longitudinal direction is provided on the head 19. In the following description, the direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and in which the neck 12 mainly extends (Y-axis direction) may be referred to as the front-to-back direction. Also, the direction perpendicular to both the vertical and front-to-back directions may be referred to as the left-to-right direction (X-axis direction).

[0020] Multiple strings 13 are stretched across the body 11 and neck 12 in the front-to-back direction. Specifically, the first end of each of the multiple strings 13 is attached to the bridge 18 of the body 11, and the second end is wound up by a peg 22 at the head 19. As a result, the multiple strings 13 are stretched between the bridge 18 and the head 19. Each of the multiple strings 13 vibrates in response to the user's playing. In this embodiment, as an example, the multiple strings 13 include six strings (strings 1 to 6). Hereafter, when no distinction is made between the multiple strings 13, each of the multiple strings 13 will be referred to as string 13. A vibration transmission part 20 (saddle) is provided between the strings 13 and the outer surface of the soundboard 14.

[0021] The pickup (vibration detection unit) 21 detects the vibration of the string 13 and outputs vibration information indicating the vibration of the string 13. In Figure 1, the pickup 21 is positioned between the bridge 18 and the vibration transmission unit 20 so as not to interfere with the vibration of the soundboard 14 accompanying the vibration of the string 13. However, the position in which the pickup 21 is installed is not limited to this. For example, the pickup 21 may be positioned on the surface of the soundboard 14 facing the backboard 15. The vibration information output from the pickup 21 is supplied to the control device 50. In this embodiment, the vibration information is audio data (waveform data).

[0022] The guitar body 10 may also have a communication unit (not shown). The guitar body 10 can send and receive signals with an external device via the communication unit. If the control device 50 is located outside the guitar body 10, the guitar body 10 sends and receives signals with the control device 50 via the communication unit.

[0023] The control device 50 outputs a drive signal to the exciter 30. The drive signal is generated based on a frequency determined for each of the multiple strings 13.

[0024] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 50. The control device 50 includes a control unit 51, a memory unit 53, an operation unit 54, an equalizer 55, and a communication unit 57. The control device 50 is connected to the main body 31 of the vibrator 30 by wire or wireless. Here, the control device 50 is mounted on the body 11 of the guitar body 10.

[0025] The control unit 51 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU, and a storage device such as RAM and ROM. The control unit 51 executes the control program stored in the memory unit 53 using the CPU to realize various functions. The memory unit 53 is a storage device such as non-volatile memory. The memory unit 53 stores the control program executed by the control unit 51. The control unit 51 realizes various functions by executing the control program.

[0026] Furthermore, the memory unit 53 stores information necessary for the control unit 51 to perform processing. The memory unit 53 includes a waveform memory 531 that stores waveform data indicating guide tones, which will be described later. The waveform data is stored in the waveform memory 531 in association with each string 13 of the guitar body 10. In this embodiment, six waveform data corresponding to each of the six strings are stored in the waveform memory 531.

[0027] The operation unit 54 includes one or more setting controls for controlling various functions implemented by the control unit 51. These setting controls include operation buttons, touch sensors, and sliders. If the control device 50 has a display unit (not shown), at least a portion of the operation unit 54 may be provided as an operator image on the user interface displayed on the display unit. The operation unit 54 outputs an instruction signal in response to user operation. The instruction signal is output to the control unit 51.

[0028] The instruction signal includes a string specification instruction. The string specification instruction is information for specifying the string 13 corresponding to the guide tone generated from the guitar body 10 by the vibrator 30. For example, the string specification instruction is the string number (1st string, 2nd string, ..., 6th string) of the string 13 that the user wishes to tune. The user specifies the desired string 13 via the operation unit 54. The string specification instruction indicating the string 13 requested by the user is transmitted to the control unit 51.

[0029] The equalizer 55 adjusts the frequency characteristics of the vibration information supplied via the pickup 21, and then outputs the vibration information to the control unit 51. The communication unit 57 communicates with external devices by wire or wireless.

[0030] Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 51. The control unit 51 includes a guide sound generation unit 510, a drive signal generation unit 512, and a performance sound generation unit 514. The guide sound generation unit 510 generates a guide sound generation signal. The guide sound generation signal is a signal indicating a guide sound based on a frequency (first frequency) determined for a predetermined string 13 (for example, the first string). The guide sound is a sound with a predetermined frequency for each string 13 (each of the six strings). In other words, in this embodiment, there are six guide sounds with different pitches corresponding to each of the six strings. The guide sound is a reference sound (reference tone) that serves as the tuning reference for each string 13. In this embodiment, as an example, the guide sound is a sound corresponding to the pitch of each string 13 in its open state.

[0031] The guide sound generation unit 510 receives a string selection instruction from the user via the operation unit 54, which indicates a predetermined string 13. The guide sound generation unit 510 reads waveform data of a frequency determined in accordance with the string 13 indicated by the string selection instruction from the waveform memory 531 of the storage unit 53, and outputs it to the drive signal generation unit 512 as a guide sound generation signal.

[0032] The guide tone generation unit 510 continues to read waveform data from the waveform memory 531 for a predetermined period. The predetermined period may be a predetermined period or a period specified by the user. Specifically, the predetermined period is defined by a start time and an end time. The start time is, for example, immediately after a string selection instruction is input to the operation unit 54 or a few seconds later, or immediately after the user plays the desired string 13 of the guitar body 10 after a string selection instruction has been input to the operation unit 54. The end time is, for example, after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start time, or when the sound of the string being tuned 13 matches the guide tone. The end time may also be immediately after the user instructs the end of waveform data reading via the operation unit 54. While the predetermined string 13 is being tuned, the guide tone generation unit 510 continues to read waveform data, and after the tuning of the predetermined string 13 is complete, it stops reading waveform data. In other words, the guide tone generation unit 510 generates a guide tone generation signal for a predetermined period.

[0033] The drive signal generation unit 512 generates a drive signal for driving the vibrator 30. The drive vibration generation unit 512 receives a guide sound generation signal from the guide sound generation unit 510. Based on the guide sound generation signal, the drive signal generation unit 512 generates a drive signal for driving the vibrator 30. The drive signal generation unit 512 supplies the drive signal to the vibrator 30. Hereinafter, the drive signal generated based on the guide sound generation signal will also be referred to as the first drive signal.

[0034] The performance sound generation unit 514 acquires vibration information indicating the vibration of the vibrating string 13. Based on the acquired vibration information, the performance sound generation unit 514 generates a performance sound signal indicating the sound of the performance. The performance sound generation unit 514 can process the generated performance sound signal to add acoustic effects. The performance sound generation unit 514 outputs the performance sound signal to the drive signal generation unit 512. The drive signal generation unit 512 generates a drive signal based on the performance sound signal so as to generate the sound of the performance from the guitar body 10. The drive signal generation unit 512 outputs the generated drive signal to the vibrator 30. Hereinafter, the drive signal generated based on the performance sound signal will also be referred to as the second drive signal.

[0035] [Vibrator Configuration] The vibrator 30 comprises a vibrator body 31 (hereinafter referred to as the body 31) and a support part 32. The body 31 is connected to the control device 50. As shown in Figure 3, the support part 32 supports the body 31 and is fixed to two adjacent sound bars 24 in the front-rear direction on the inner surface 15a of the back plate 15. The body 31 may be, for example, a voice coil type actuator.

[0036] The main unit 31 vibrates the back plate 15 (soundboard) of the body 11 according to the drive signal. If the drive signal is the first drive signal, a guide tone is generated from the guitar body 10. If the drive signal is the second drive signal, a playing tone is generated from the guitar body 10.

[0037] The user tunes the strings 13 based on a guide tone generated from the guitar body 10. At this time, the user tunes the string 13 corresponding to the guide tone signal generated by the guide tone generation unit 510. While listening to the guide tone, the user adjusts the peg corresponding to the string 13 being tuned so that the sound of the string 13, i.e., the playing sound, matches the guide tone.

[0038] After tuning a predetermined string 13 is complete, the user can supply a new string specification instruction to the control unit 51 via the operation unit 54 to generate a guide tone corresponding to another string 13 (for example, a second string). The guide tone generation unit 510 reads waveform data of the frequency (second frequency) corresponding to the string 13 (second string) indicated by the new string specification instruction from the waveform memory 531 of the storage unit 53 for a predetermined period of time and outputs it to the drive signal generation unit 512 as a guide tone generation signal.

[0039] In this embodiment, a guide tone based on a frequency determined for each string 13 is emitted from the guitar body 10, making it easier to tune each string 13 than with conventional tuning using a tuning fork. Furthermore, even if the pitch of a string 13 before tuning is significantly different from the pitch of the guide tone based on the frequency determined for that string 13, a guide tone corresponding to a different string 13 will not be emitted from the guitar body 10. Therefore, each string 13 can be tuned accurately.

[0040] <Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, string selection instructions are supplied to the control unit 51 via the operation unit 54 of the control device 50. However, some of the functions of the operation unit 54 of the control device 50 can be performed by an external device. This embodiment describes a configuration in which string selection instructions are input to the control device 50 via an external device.

[0041] Figure 6 is an external view of the guitar 100A according to this embodiment. Although not shown in Figure 6, the guitar 100A is equipped with a control device 50A, similar to the guitar 100 according to the first embodiment. The configuration of the guitar 100A, excluding the control device 50A, is the same as that of the guitar 100 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, a detailed explanation of the configuration of the guitar 100A, excluding the control device 50A, will be omitted below.

[0042] [Device Configuration] In this embodiment, the guitar 100A can communicate with the terminal 200. The terminal 200 will be described below. The terminal 200 is an electronic device that can communicate wirelessly over short distances with an effect device 40, such as a smartphone, laptop PC, or desktop PC. The terminal 200 can communicate with the control device 50A of the guitar 100A, for example, using Bluetooth®.

[0043] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of terminal 200. Referring to Figure 7, terminal 200 includes a control unit 201, a storage unit 203, a communication unit 205, an operation unit 207, and a display unit 209. Each component of terminal 200 is connected to the others via a bus 211.

[0044] The control unit 201 includes an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU, and memory devices such as RAM and ROM. The control unit 201 implements various functions by executing control programs stored in the memory unit 203 using the CPU. Furthermore, the control unit 201 provides a user interface to the display unit 209, which will be described later, to receive input for processing desired by the user.

[0045] The memory unit 203 is a storage device such as non-volatile memory. The memory unit 203 stores control programs executed by the control unit 201. The memory unit 203 also stores information necessary for the control unit 201 to execute processing. The functions of the memory unit 203 may be implemented by an external device that can communicate via the communication unit 205.

[0046] The communication unit 205 can communicate wirelessly with the control device 50A of the guitar 100A. The communication unit 205 can also communicate with external devices via a network. The operation unit 207 includes one or more setting controls for controlling various functions implemented by the control unit 201. These setting controls include operation buttons, touch sensors, and sliders. At least a portion of the operation unit 207 is provided as an control control image on the user interface displayed on the display unit 209. The operation unit 207 outputs an instruction signal in response to user operation. This instruction signal is output to the control unit 201.

[0047] The instruction signal includes a string selection instruction. In this embodiment, the user selects a desired string 13 via the operation unit 207 of the terminal 200. The string selection instruction input from the user is transmitted from the control unit 201 to the control device 50A via the communication unit 205.

[0048] The display unit 209 displays an image based on the control of the control unit 201. The display unit 209 is provided with a user interface that receives input for processing desired by the user. The user interface includes at least a portion of the operation unit 207 described above as an operator image.

[0049] The configuration of the control device 50A is substantially the same as that of the control device 50 in the first embodiment shown in Figure 4, and is therefore omitted. Figure 8 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 51A of the control device 50A. In this embodiment, the guide sound generation unit 510A obtains a string specification instruction from the terminal 200 via the communication unit 57. Similar to the guide sound generation unit 510 in the first embodiment, the guide sound generation unit 510A reads waveform data of the frequency corresponding to the string 13 indicated by the string specification instruction from the waveform memory 531 for a predetermined period of time based on the string specification instruction.

[0050] Similar to the first embodiment, this embodiment also allows for easier and more accurate tuning of each string 13 than conventional tuning using a tuning fork.

[0051] <Third Embodiment> In the second embodiment, the control unit 51A of the control device 50A reads predetermined waveform data from the waveform memory 531 based on a string specification instruction. However, some of the functions of the control unit 51A can be performed by an external device. This embodiment describes a configuration in which waveform data is input to the control device via a terminal.

[0052] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of terminal 200B according to this embodiment. Unlike terminal 200 in the second embodiment, terminal 200B includes a waveform memory 291 in which the storage unit 203B stores waveform data indicating a guide tone.

[0053] In this embodiment, when a string selection instruction is input from the user via the operation unit 207, the control unit 201B reads waveform data of a frequency determined to correspond to the string 13 indicated by the string selection instruction from the waveform memory 291 of the storage unit 203B for a predetermined period of time. The control unit 201B outputs the read waveform data as a guide sound generation signal to the control device 50B via the communication unit 205.

[0054] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 50B and the control unit 51B of the guitar body according to this embodiment. Note that the operation unit 54 of the control device 50B is not shown in Figure 10.

[0055] In this embodiment, a guide sound generation signal is supplied from terminal 200B to the drive signal generation unit 512 via the communication unit 57. The drive signal generation unit 512 generates a drive signal based on the guide sound generation signal supplied from terminal 200B. Therefore, unlike the first and second embodiments, the guide sound signal generation units 510 and 510A are omitted from the control unit 51B.

[0056] Similar to the first and second embodiments, this embodiment also allows for easier and more accurate tuning of each string 13 than conventional tuning using a tuning fork.

[0057] <Fourth Embodiment> When tuning using a guide tone generated from the guitar body 10, the guide tone can be compared with the sound of the string 13 being tuned by the user and the user can be notified. This allows the user to recognize the tuning result. In the fourth embodiment, a configuration in which the control device has a notification unit that compares the guide tone with the sound of the string 13 being tuned by the user and outputs the comparison result will be described. Below, as an example, a case in which the control device 50 of the first embodiment has a notification function that outputs the above-described comparison result will be described.

[0058] Figure 11 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 51C of the control device 50 according to this embodiment. The control unit 51C includes a guide sound generation unit 510, a drive signal generation unit 512C, a performance sound generation unit 514, and a notification unit 516C. The guide sound generation unit 510 and the performance sound generation unit 514 are the same as those in the first embodiment, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0059] In this embodiment, the pickup 21 also outputs vibration information indicating the vibration of the string 13 to the notification unit 516C. When tuning the guitar 100, the user plucks the string 13 that is being tuned in time with the guide sound generated from the guitar body 10. The pickup 21 outputs vibration information indicating the vibration of the string 13 that is being tuned by the user, i.e., the vibrating string 13, to the notification unit 516C. In this embodiment as well, the vibration information is audio data (waveform data).

[0060] When the notification unit 516C acquires vibration information, it compares the frequency corresponding to the acquired vibration information with the frequency corresponding to the guide sound (first frequency) and generates notification information indicating the comparison result. The notification information is, for example, information to instruct the user to raise or lower the pitch of the string 13 being tuned in order to match the sound of the string 13 to the guide sound. Alternatively, if the sound of the string 13 being tuned matches the guide sound, the notification information may be information to inform the user that the sound of the string 13 being tuned has matched the guide sound. For example, the notification information may be a sound different from the guide sound (an intermittent sound or voice with a different pitch than the guide sound).

[0061] In this embodiment, the notification unit 516C outputs the generated notification information to the drive signal generation unit 512C. The drive signal generation unit 512C generates a drive signal based on the notification information and outputs it to the vibrator 30. Hereinafter, the drive signal generated based on the notification information will also be referred to as the third drive signal.

[0062] In this embodiment, notification information is output from the guitar body 10. In other words, the notification information is generated from the guitar body 10 as a notification sound that changes according to the comparison result between the frequency corresponding to the vibration information and the frequency corresponding to the guide sound (first frequency).

[0063] The user listens to a guide tone and adjusts the peg corresponding to the string 13 being tuned based on the notification information to tune the string 13. By obtaining notification information to match the sound (played sound) of the string 13 being tuned to the guide tone, it is possible to tune each string 13 more easily than tuning using only the guide tone.

[0064] [Differentiation] The following describes some variations of the present invention. The variations described below can be appropriately applied to each of the embodiments described above.

[0065] [Example 1] In the embodiments described above, a guitar with six strings was used as an example. However, the string instrument is not limited to a guitar; the number of strings can be two or more.

[0066] [Differentiation 2] In the embodiments described above, the case where the guide tone corresponds to the pitch of each string 13 in its open state was explained. However, the guide tone is not limited to this. The guide tone may also correspond to a preset pitch of each string 13.

[0067] [Difference 3] The guide tone can be any sound of a specified frequency, and its timbre is not limited. For example, the guide tone may be a sampled reference tone corresponding to each of the 13 strings.

[0068] [Differentiation Example 4] The guide tone may include not only a single reference tone based on a predetermined frequency, but also tones based on frequencies that are integer multiples of that frequency. In other words, the guide tone may include the reference tone and its harmonics.

[0069] [Difference 5] In the fourth embodiment, the notification information was a notification sound that changed according to the comparison result between the frequency corresponding to the vibration information and the frequency corresponding to the guide sound (first frequency). However, the notification information is not limited to a notification sound. For example, if the control device 50 is provided with a display unit, the notification information may be display information for displaying the comparison result between the frequency corresponding to the vibration information and the frequency corresponding to the guide sound on the display unit. In this case, the notification unit 516C supplies the display information to the display unit for display. The comparison result may be displayed on the display unit as waveforms of the frequency corresponding to the vibration information and the frequency corresponding to the guide sound.

[0070] Furthermore, if the display unit has a light source that emits at least two or more colors, the comparison result may be communicated to the user with two different colored lights. For example, to match the sound of the tuning string 13 to the guide tone, a first color of light may be output from the light source to instruct the user to raise the pitch of the string 13, and conversely, a second color of light different from the first color of light may be output from the light source to instruct the user to lower the pitch of the string 13. Also, to inform the user that the sound of the tuning string 13 has matched the guide tone, a third color of light different from the first and second colored lights may be output from the light source.

[0071] [Modification 6] In the fourth embodiment, it was explained that the notification information is a sound different from the guide sound (an intermittent sound or voice with a different pitch from the guide sound). However, the notification information may also be information for processing the guide sound. For example, the notification information may be information specifying the volume of the guide sound, information specifying the interval between the generation of the guide sound, etc. In this case, the drive signal generation unit 512C generates a first drive signal based on the guide sound generation signal and the notification information.

[0072] For example, the drive signal generation unit 512C may generate a first drive signal such that when the sound of the tuning string 13 approaches the guide sound, the volume of the guide sound decreases, and conversely, when the sound of the tuning string 13 moves away from the guide sound, the volume of the guide sound increases. Alternatively, for example, the drive signal generation unit 512C may generate a first drive signal such that when the sound of the tuning string 13 approaches the guide sound, the guide sound becomes intermittent.

[0073] [Difference 7] In each of the embodiments described above, the user listens to a guide tone and tunes the string 13 being tuned, i.e., the playing sound, so that it matches the guide tone. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the volume of the guide tone generated by the guitar body 10 may be adjusted, and the tuning peg corresponding to the string 13 may be adjusted so that the string 13 being tuned resonates with the guide tone. Therefore, the user does not necessarily need to play the string 13 being tuned when tuning.

[0074] [Differentiation 8] In the embodiments described above, the vibration information was audio data (waveform data), but the vibration information is not limited to this. The vibration information may also be information indicating which of the multiple strings 13 is vibrating (for example, a string number), or it may be a digitized sound signal.

[0075] [Modification 9] In each of the embodiments described above, the control device is attached to the body 11 of the guitar body 10. However, the control device may be an external device capable of communicating with the guitar body 10. In this case, the control device communicates with the guitar body 10 via a communication unit 57, either by wire or wirelessly.

[0076] [Example 10] In the embodiments described above, examples were shown in which the vibrator 30 vibrates the back plate 15, but the location of vibration is not limited to the back plate 15. For example, the body 31 of the vibrator 30 may vibrate the front plate 14, or it may vibrate both the back plate 15 and the front plate 14. Alternatively, the body 31 of the vibrator 30 may vibrate the side plate 16, or it may vibrate the side plate 16, the front plate 14 and / or the back plate 15.

[0077] [Example 11] In each of the embodiments described above, a performance sound signal is generated based on vibration information. However, the generation of the performance sound signal may be omitted. In this case, the second drive signal for generating the sound of the string 13 that the user is tuning from the guitar body 10 is not generated.

[0078] [Example 12] The notification function described in the fourth embodiment may also be applied to the second and third embodiments. In this case, the notification function may be performed by the control devices 50A and 50B of the kitter body 10, or by the terminals 200 and 200B.

[0079] [Modified example 13] In each of the embodiments described above, waveform data is read from the waveform memory based on the string selection instruction. However, the data read based on the string selection instruction is not limited to waveform data. For example, data indicating a preset pitch corresponding to each string 13 of the guitar body 10 may be stored in the storage units 53, 53A of the control devices 50, 50A or the storage unit 203B of the terminal 200B, associated with each string 13. In this case, data indicating the pitch corresponding to the string indicated by the string selection instruction is read. Based on this pitch data, the guide sound generation units 510, 510A generate a guide sound generation signal. That is, the guide sound generation units 510, 510A generate waveform data corresponding to the pitch based on the pitch data and output it to the drive signal generation unit 512 as a guide sound generation signal. Furthermore, when a guide sound generation signal is generated based on pitch data, in the third embodiment, the control unit 51B has a guide sound generation unit, similar to the first and second embodiments.

[0080] [Example 14] In each of the embodiments described above, a string selection instruction is input by the user. However, the input of a string selection instruction may be omitted. In this case, the string 13 that the user is tuning may be identified based on vibration information indicating the vibration of the string 13, and waveform data corresponding to the identified string 13 may be read out. Alternatively, instead of vibration information indicating the vibration of the string 13, the string 13 that the user is tuning may be identified by detecting the peg 22 that the user is touching. In this case, each peg 22 is provided with a sensor to detect the user's contact. Capacitive sensors, acceleration sensors, pressure sensors, etc., can be used as such sensors. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1: Guitar body, 11: Body, 12: Neck, 13: Strings, 14: Top plate, 15: Back plate, 16: Side plates, 17: Soundhole, 18: Bridge, 19: Head, 20: Vibration transmission unit, 21: Vibration detection unit, 22: Pegs, 30: Vibrator, 31: Main unit, 32: Support unit, 50, 50A, 50B: Control device, 51: Control unit, 53: Memory unit, 54: Operation unit, 55: Equalizer, 57: Communication unit, 200, 200B: Terminal, 201: Control unit, 203: Memory unit, 205: Communication unit, 207: Operation unit, 209: Display unit, 510: Guide sound generation unit, 512: Drive signal generation unit, 514: Performance sound generation unit, 516C: Notification unit

Claims

1. Multiple strings, including the first string, The soundboard and A vibrator for vibrating the soundboard, A guide tone generation unit generates a signal indicating a guide tone based on a first frequency determined in correspondence with the first string for a predetermined period of time, A drive signal generation unit generates a first drive signal for driving the vibrator so that the aforementioned guide sound is generated, Stringed instruments, including those mentioned above.

2. The stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the guide tone has the first frequency, or the first frequency and a frequency that is an integer multiple of the first frequency.

3. The stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the guide sound is a sound sampled from the vibration of the first string.

4. A vibration detection unit that outputs vibration information indicating the vibration of a vibrating string among the plurality of strings, A notification unit that acquires the vibration information, compares the frequency corresponding to the vibration information with the first frequency, and generates and outputs notification information indicating the comparison result, The stringed instrument according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. The notification information is a notification sound that changes according to the comparison result. The stringed instrument according to claim 4, wherein the drive signal generation unit generates a third drive signal such that the notification sound is generated together with the guide sound.

6. Further including a display unit, The aforementioned notification information is display information, The stringed instrument according to claim 4, wherein the notification unit displays the display information on the display unit.

7. A vibration detection unit that outputs vibration information indicating the vibration of a vibrating string among the plurality of strings, A performance sound generation unit generates a performance sound signal indicating a performance sound based on the vibration information, It further includes, The stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the drive signal generation unit generates a second drive signal based on the performance sound signal in order to generate the performance sound.

8. The stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the guide tone generation unit generates a signal indicating a guide tone based on a second frequency determined to correspond to the second string for a predetermined period of time.

9. On the computer, We obtain information indicating which string is vibrating among the vibrations of multiple strings. Based on the information described above, a signal indicating a guide tone based on a frequency determined for the string identified is generated for a predetermined period of time. A first drive signal is generated for driving an exciter that vibrates the soundboard so that the aforementioned guide sound is generated. A program to perform a task.

10. A stringed instrument comprising: a first string; a soundboard; an exciter for vibrating the soundboard; a guide sound generation unit for generating a signal indicating a guide sound; and a drive signal generation unit for generating a first drive signal for driving the exciter so that the guide sound is generated. A program for causing the guide sound generation unit to generate a signal for a predetermined period of time for generating the guide sound based on a first frequency determined in correspondence with the first string.

11. The stringed instrument further includes a vibration detection unit that outputs vibration information indicating the vibration of a vibrating string among the plurality of strings, and a notification unit that acquires the vibration information. The program according to claim 10, which causes the notification unit to perform the following actions: compare the frequency corresponding to the vibration information with the first frequency, generate notification information indicating the comparison result, and output it.

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