Electronic musical instrument

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide an electronic musical instrument that allows anyone, including those who cannot play conventional musical instruments such as the piano, to easily enjoy music because it can change the voice by humming only by moving the face. 【Solution means】A mask-shaped electronic musical instrument worn by the user on the face acquires the voice by humming as the basic melody. Further, by combining the direction of the tilt of the face and the force of biting with the teeth, the scale and pitch of the acquired basic melody are richly changed in expression. The changed voice is converted into a MIDI signal and output from a MIDI sound source device with a realistic tone like a real musical instrument for performance. Even a user who cannot play a conventional musical instrument such as a piano can perform as if playing a real musical instrument with only humming that anyone can sing without using their hands and simple face movements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument that can be easily played by anyone, even without musical instrument playing experience, by changing the pitch and interval according to the direction of the face tilt and the biting force based on the pitch of the nasal singing sound collected and processed by a microphone.

Background Art

[0002] Music is enjoyable for everyone. Moreover, being able to play a musical instrument increases the things one can do and makes it even more enjoyable. However, many musical instruments require repeated practice to acquire the ability to play, and not everyone can easily play them in a short period of time. Therefore, many people give up halfway. If there were an electronic musical instrument that uses nasal singing, which anyone can sing, and sounds like playing a real musical instrument, there would be no need to spend a long time acquiring the skill, and children, the elderly, and anyone else could easily enjoy playing musical instruments.

[0003] Patent Document 1 proposes a device that converts voice such as nasal singing into music like that of playing a musical instrument. It has a structure in which a microphone is placed near the inside of the part that holds it with a flute-shaped mouth so as not to pick up voices other than nasal singing. It analyzes the frequency and sound length of nasal singing, converts them into electrical signals, converts them into a completely different sound quality, and outputs them from a speaker. As an example, a modified device of an electronic organ is used as the sound source, and three timbres similar to those of a violin, a piano, and a saxophone are respectively assigned to individual switches, and the timbre selected by the switch operation is output.

[0004] However, in the example of Patent Document 1, since the timbre is selected by individual switches, a large number of switches are required to create a musical instrument with rich timbres, and there is a problem that the switch operation becomes complicated.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Since the present invention can change the voice by humming only by moving the face, it provides an electronic musical instrument that allows anyone, even those who cannot play conventional musical instruments such as the piano, to easily enjoy and play music rich in variations.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention is (1) An electronic musical instrument that changes the voice generated by the user, comprising: a mounting part that is mounted on the user's face and covers the user's mouth; a voice acquisition unit that is provided on the mounting part and is arranged around the user's nose when the mounting part is mounted on the face, and acquires the voice generated by the user; An electronic musical instrument characterized in that the voice acquired by the voice acquisition unit is changed according to the movement of the user's face (2) Further comprising a tilt detection unit provided on the mounting part for detecting the tilt of the mounting part, and a voice generation unit that generates a changed voice in which the pitch of the voice acquired by the voice acquisition unit is changed according to the tilt detected by the tilt detection unit. The electronic musical instrument according to (1) (3) Further comprising a pressure detection unit that is arranged in the mouth and detects the biting pressure applied by the user, and The voice generation unit generates a changed voice in which the pitch of the voice acquired by the voice acquisition unit is changed according to the magnitude of the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit. The electronic musical instrument according to (2) is.

[0008] The appearance of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The wearing part of the present invention is in the form of a mask, and the mask that covers the lower half of the face from the nose or the entire face is defined as the wearing part 1. During the performance, since the user will clench their teeth, the mask is designed to cover the face so that the user will not feel embarrassed when their face is seen by others. As for the material, general-purpose plastics such as ABS resin, polyethylene, and polypropylene can be used, but it is preferable to use ABS resin in terms of surface hardness. When the wearing part 1 is worn on the face, it is preferably fixed to the face with materials such as thick and strong cloth rubber or a belt with a hook-and-loop fastener so that it will not shake even when the face moves. For the voice acquisition part of the present invention, for example, a microphone 2 can be used, and it is arranged around the nose on the inner surface of the wearing part 1. The voice mainly refers to nasal singing, but singing is also acceptable. It is preferably small and lightweight so that the face can be easily moved even when the wearing part 1 is worn. For the inclination detection part of the present invention, for example, an acceleration sensor 3, an inclination switch, etc. can be used, but it is preferable to use the acceleration sensor 3 in terms of chattering and electrical noise resistance. It is preferably arranged at a position and in a direction where the horizontal level of the wearing part 1 can be detected. Similar to the microphone 2, it is preferably small and lightweight. For the pressure detection part of the present invention, for example, a combination of a mouthpiece 4 and a pressure sensor 5 can be used. The pressure sensor 5 is preferably built into the mouthpiece 4, and the material of the mouthpiece 4 is preferably one that can protect the pressure sensor 5. For example, the same ABS resin as the wearing part 1, or polypropylene, silicon, etc. can be used, but it should be safe to put in the mouth, have a certain degree of elasticity to be easy to bite, have little deformation even when bitten strongly and be easy to return to its original shape, and it is preferable to use silicon from the perspective of hygiene. The mouthpiece 4 is preferably removable from the wearing part 1, so that it can be washed with water or a neutral detergent and kept clean. The pressure sensor 5 is preferably thin, light, and waterproof. The pressure detection part is preferably arranged around the mouth on the inner surface of the wearing part 1 (a position where it is easy to hold in the mouth when the wearing part 1 is worn on the face). For example, the voice generation unit of the present invention can use the control circuit 6, and it is preferably arranged around the jaw on the inner surface of the wearing part 1, and is preferably small and lightweight. Alternatively, it may be taken out of the wearing part 1 and housed in a separate case, and connected to the sensors using wiring, cables, etc. Combining the above components results in the electronic musical instrument of the present invention. During performance, it is preferably to additionally use a USB cable 7, a sound source device 8, and a voice output device 9.

[0009] The overall system configuration of the present invention is shown in FIG. 2. For the microphone 2, a normal condenser microphone or a silicon microphone can be used. The frequency and input volume of the voice can be obtained. The power supply is preferably one that can be supplied from the control circuit 6. Silicon microphones have output formats of analog output and digital output, and either one is acceptable as long as it has excellent electrical noise resistance. For the acceleration sensor 3, a normal three-axis acceleration sensor can be used. The direction of the tilt of the face when the wearing part 1 is worn on the face can be obtained. The power supply is preferably one that can be supplied from the control circuit 6. The output formats are analog output and digital output, and either one is acceptable. For the pressure sensor 5, a normal thin-film pressure sensor can be used. It is preferably one that can measure up to 50 kg, which can cover the range of the biting force. The power supply is preferably one that can be supplied from the control circuit 6. For the control circuit 6, a normal microcomputer can be used. It is equipped with ports that can input the outputs of the sensors used in the present invention (when the sensor has an analog output, it is equipped with an analog input port). During performance, connect the control circuit 6 and the sound source device 8 with the USB cable 7. The power supply of the control circuit 6 is preferably USB power supply from the sound source device 8. A general USB cable that can perform USB power supply and USB communication can be used. As the sound source device 8, a device equipped with a MIDI sound source close to the timbre of a real musical instrument is used. A MIDI sound source device or synthesizer commercially available from a musical instrument manufacturer, or a personal computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. installed with a DAW application and MIDI sound source software can be used. In the case of a smartphone or tablet, an OTG cable may be required separately depending on the model. Also, in the case of a commercially available synthesizer or the like, it is connected to the control circuit 6 according to its specifications. Depending on the model, a separate power supply may be required for the control circuit 6. In that case, power supply to the control circuit 6 is performed using the power input port. As the voice output device 9, a normal speaker or earphone can be used. The number of timbres follows the specifications of the sound source device 8, and the selection of timbres is operated through the user interface of the sound source device 8. Since it is not the timbre selection by switch operation of the electronic musical instrument of the present invention, there is no such thing as the switch operation becoming complicated as in Patent Document 1, and even a beginner can quickly get used to it and play easily and enjoyably.

[0010] The following shows the flow of processing executed by the voice generation unit. (a) Obtain voice (nasal singing) from the microphone 2, perform conversion from frequency to musical scale, and analyze the input volume. (b) Change the musical scale in (a) according to the direction of the face tilt obtained from the acceleration sensor 3. As an example of the function, it is changed to the musical scale of the key one octave above the key of the nasal singing. (c) Transmit the generated MIDI data to the sound source device 8 from the musical scale of the voice after the change in (b) and the input volume of the voice. The melody as sung in the nasal singing is output from the voice output device 9 as the voice after the change with the output volume changed according to the input volume of the nasal singing. (d) Change the pitch in (b) according to the magnitude of the pressure (biting force) obtained from the pressure sensor 5. For example, if the pressure detection unit bites in small increments, it becomes a wave of periodic pressure change, which is directly reflected in the pitch change. The MIDI data generated from the pitch of the voice after the change of (Ho) and (Ni) is transmitted to the sound source device 8. A voice after change that continuously changes so as to bend the pitch is output from the voice output device 9. Expressive performances such as vibrato and choking can be realized.

Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, since the voice by humming can be variously changed only by moving the face, it is possible to provide an electronic musical instrument that anyone can easily enjoy music, even those who cannot play conventional musical instruments such as the piano.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] The present invention will be described with reference to examples.

Example

[0014] The electronic musical instrument of the present invention was manufactured with an appearance as shown in FIGS. 3 to 4. As the mounting part 1, the mask "Hannya mask (half-face guard)" of ATAIRSOFT was used. This product is a set consisting of a face guard made of ABS resin, an inner mask for attaching the face guard to the face, and a hook-and-loop tape attached to the inner surface of the face guard for connecting the face guard and the inner mask. The face guard and the inner mask are connected by a hook-and-loop fastener, and two belts with hook-and-loop fasteners on the inner mask are connected behind the head and worn on the face. The periphery of the mouth of the inner mask is made of a mesh material. The face guard was used as the mounting part 1, the inner mask as reference numeral 12, the hook-and-loop fastener sewn on the inner mask as reference numeral 13, and the hook-and-loop tape as reference numeral 14. As the microphone 2, a 20mm×8mm module substrate using the small silicon MEMS microphone "SPV1840LR5H-B" manufactured by Knowles was used. It was placed around the bridge of the nose on the inner surface of the mounting part 1. As the acceleration sensor 3, a DIP8 module substrate using the 3-axis acceleration sensor "KXR94-2050" of Kionix was used. It was placed around the root of the nose on the inner surface of the mounting part 1. As the mouthpiece 4, the "Sensory Biting Necklace" of KEENSO was used. It is a silicon chewing toy with a diameter of 3 cm and a total length of 6 cm with feet, which is designed to relieve and improve autism, ADHD, etc. and calm the mind. It was originally designed to be put in the mouth and is a washable product. The string hole was cut, and a part of the upper circular part was left and processed into thin slices. As the pressure sensor 5, a thin-film pressure sensor with a pressure-sensitive part in the shape of a circle with a diameter of 25 mm and capable of measuring up to 50 kg was used. The pressure-sensitive part is sealed inside the resin and has waterproof properties. Wiring of about 10 cm each was connected to the two electrodes and pin connectors 10 and 11. As the wiring material, heat-resistant electronic wire AWG24 was used, and as the pin connector, a QI connector was used. As shown in Fig. 3, it was fixed by sandwiching it between the cuts of the mouthpiece 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the pin connectors 10 and 11 were passed through the gaps in the mouthpiece mesh part on the inner surface of the inner mask 12 toward the opposite side (the inner surface side of the mounting part 1). By connecting the pressure sensor 5 with a connector, it was made removable from the mounting part 1. As the control circuit 6, the microcontroller board "Arduino Micro" manufactured by Arduino was used. As the USB cable 7, a general type A - type B USB cable with a length of 1 m was used. The type B connector was connected to the control circuit 6 and arranged around the jaw on the inner surface of the mounting part 1.

[0015] The electronic musical instrument of the present invention was implemented with the following system configuration. Programming development was carried out using the development environment "Arduino IDE" of the control circuit 6. The FFT library for frequency analysis and the MIDI data communication library provided by Arduino were used. The VIN, GND, and OUT of the microphone 2 were respectively wired and connected to the 3.3V power supply, GND, and analog input port A5 of the control circuit 6. The Vdd, GND, X-axis output, Y-axis output, and Z-axis output of the acceleration sensor 3 were respectively wired and connected to the 3.3V power supply, GND, analog input ports A2, A3, and A4 of the control circuit 6. The pin connectors 10 and 11 of the pressure sensor 5 were respectively connected to the GND and analog input port A0 of the control circuit 6. As the power supply, a 10 kΩ carbon resistor was connected between the 3.3V power supply of the control circuit 6 and A0. After the wiring connection to the control circuit 6 was completed for all the sensors, as shown in Fig. 4, the inner mask 12 was coupled to the mounting part 1 using the hook-and-loop fasteners 13 and 14. A personal computer was selected as the sound source device 8, and a notebook computer with a CPU: AMD Ryzen 2GHz, RAM: 16GB, and OS: Windows 11 was used. The DAW application "Cubase 13 AI" and the MIDI sound source software "HALion Sonic" were installed and used. The Type A connector of the USB cable 7 was connected to the USB port (USB-powered to the control circuit 6). As the voice output device 9, the built-in speaker of the sound source device 8 was used.

[0016] The performance was executed according to the flowchart of the process as shown in FIG. 5. (1) With the control circuit 6 pre-connected to the sound source device 8, the DAW application of the sound source device 8 was started, and the timbre of the tenor saxophone was selected. The mounting part 1 was worn on the face, and the pressure detection part was held in the mouth to start. (2) The control circuit 6 was started with the power on for initial settings. After the initial settings were completed, an infinite loop of the process was entered, and (3) to (13) were repeatedly executed until the power was turned off. (3) The control circuit 6 acquired the user's voice (nasal singing) from A5, and performed the conversion from frequency to musical scale and the analysis of the input volume. (4) From the direction of the inclination of the user's face acquired by the control circuit 6 from A2, A3, and A4, when the face is facing up: raise by 1 octave, when the face is facing down: lower by 1 octave, when the face is tilted to the right: raise by a semitone, when the face is tilted to the left: lower by a semitone, otherwise: no change, the musical scale in (3) was changed in this way. (5) The musical scales in (4) of the previous loop and the current loop were compared, and conditional branching was performed as follows. · If the musical scales of the previous loop and the current loop are different: proceed to (6). · If there is no musical scale in the previous loop: proceed to (7). · If the musical scales of the previous loop and the current loop are the same: proceed to (8). (6) The MIDI data (note-off) generated from the musical scale of the previous loop was output and proceeded to (7). At this time, the voice of the musical scale of the previous loop being output from the voice output device 9 stopped. (7) Output the MIDI data (Note On) generated from the scale of the current loop and proceed to (8). At this time, the voice of the scale of the current loop was output from the voice output device 9. The saxophone sound flowed as if singing a tune, and it sounded as if a real saxophone was being played. (8) Output the MIDI data (Control Change: Expression) generated from the input volume in (3). At this time, the volume of the output voice changed and was output from the voice output device 9. Since the saxophone volume increases when singing loudly, a feeling similar to playing a real saxophone was realized. (9) When the user bites the pressure detection unit, the control circuit 6 compares the pressure (biting force) acquired from A0 with a preset pressure threshold. If the pressure is less than the threshold, it returns to (3), and if it is greater, it proceeds to (10). (10) Output the MIDI data (Pitch Bend) generated from the pressure in (9) and return to (8). At this time, the pitch of the output voice continuously changed as if bending, and was output from the voice output device 9. An expressive performance like applying vibrato to a saxophone was realized.

Industrial Applicability

[0017] The electronic musical instrument of the present invention allows even those who cannot play musical instruments to easily enjoy music. Therefore, it can be utilized in places where people rarely have the opportunity to come into contact with music but are preferably actively involved in music. For example, it can be expected to prevent dementia by being utilized in music recreation for the elderly in nursing care facilities. Since it can be played only by facial movements without using hands during performance, it can be played even by people with limited hand mobility. Also, since it can perform the biting action while enjoying music, it can be utilized as an enlightenment activity and an educational tool in the dental medical field. By being used by people with a habit of biting due to autism or ADHD, it can be expected to have the effect of calming the mind while enjoying music. If the aesthetic design of the wearing part is made stylish, it is easy to feel like wearing it, so the number of users can be increased, and an increase in sales can be expected for mask creators and designers.

Explanation of Symbols

[0018] 1 Mounting part ※The aesthetic design is not limited to this 2 Microphone (voice acquisition part) 3 Acceleration sensor (tilt detection part) 4 Mouthpiece (pressure detection part) 5 Pressure sensor (pressure detection part) 6 Control circuit (voice generation part) 7 USB cable 8 Sound source device 9 Voice output device 10 Pin connector (pressure sensor GND) 11 Pin connector (pressure sensor output) 12 Inner mask (mask belt for mounting the mounting part on the face ※Accessory of the mounting part in Example 1) 13 Hook and loop fastener (inner mask side) 14 Hook and loop fastener (mounting part side ※Accessory of the mounting part in Example 1)

Claims

1. 1. An electronic musical instrument for modifying user-generated sounds, comprising: A mounting part that is mounted on a user's face and covers the user's mouth; a voice acquisition unit that is provided in the mounting unit, that is placed around the user's nose when the mounting unit is mounted on the face, and that acquires voice generated by the user; An electronic musical instrument comprising: a detector provided in a mounting part for detecting a facial movement of a user so as to change the voice acquired by the voice acquisition part in accordance with the facial movement of the user.

2. a tilt detection unit provided in the mounting unit and configured to detect a tilt of the mounting unit; 2. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a sound generating unit that generates a changed sound by changing the scale of the sound acquired by the sound acquiring unit in accordance with the tilt detected by the tilt detecting unit.

3. A pressure detection unit is disposed in the mouth and detects a biting pressure by a user.

3. The electronic musical instrument according to claim 2, wherein the sound generation unit generates a changed sound by changing the pitch of the sound acquired by the sound acquisition unit in accordance with the magnitude of the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit.

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