Keyboard Percussion Hammer Position Adjustment for Soft Tone Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Keyboard-type tone plate percussion instruments struggle to produce soft tones as they lack a mechanism to reduce the number of tone plates struck by the hammer, making it difficult for players to achieve a soft tone without finely adjusting key depression force.
Innovation Solution
A keyboard-type percussion instrument with a pedal that adjusts the positions of hammers when the keys are in a standby state, allowing for a reduction in the number of tone plates struck, thereby controlling the volume of the tone generated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If only one tone plate is provided for each key (similar to grand piano construction), then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to produce soft tones by reducing the number of tone plates struck is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The sounding member is divided into multiple independent tone plates (first tone plate and second tone plate) for each key, allowing selective striking of different numbers of plates to produce varying volumes, including soft tones
Solution Approach 2:
The hammer position is made adjustable relative to the tone plates through the standby position adjusting unit, enabling dynamic control of which tone plates are struck and how many, thereby controlling the volume of produced tones
2Device complexity
If players must finely adjust key depression force to produce soft tones, then the device complexity remains simple, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in producing soft tones during performance
Solution Approach 1:
The hammer standby position is made adjustable via the standby position adjusting unit in response to pedal operation, allowing players to easily produce soft tones by changing hammer position rather than relying on precise key depression force control
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the hammer is changed in response to pedal operation, transforming the hammer to a position where it strikes fewer tone plates or with less force, thereby enabling easy production of soft tones during performance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances musical performance by enabling players to produce soft tones more effectively by adjusting hammer positions relative to the tone plates, improving control over tone volume without requiring precise key depression force adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
a hammer adapted to strike a corresponding one of the sounding members in accordance with a motion of a corresponding one of the keys
Implementation Method 2
the tone plate vibrates to generate a musical tone
Data Source
AI summary
A keyboard-type percussion instrument having sounding members arranged to correspond to respective ones of keys and capable of improving musical performance in soft tone. When a soft pedal is stepped on, a pedal connecting rod is moved upward to move an arm portion of a lifting arm upward, whereby the lifting arm is pivoted to cause capstan screws to be inserted into through holes of a key frame, thus moving a lifting bar upward so that an upper surface of the lifting bar projects from the key frame to push rear end portions of all the keys upward. As a result, standby positions of hammer felts are moved toward the sounding members, whereby the volume of a tone generated by a sounding member struck by a hammer felt corresponding to a depressed key is decreased.