and provides_tags
Graphic/tactile musical keyboard and nomographic music notation2010-03-23 00:00:00helps the player to locate and strike the correct key without visual reference to the keyboard, i.e. without requiring the player to look from the music to the keys. This is extremely beneficial to the novice keyboard player's development of that tactile sense of keyboard position which is essential to the achievement of an advanced level of skill.
A significant feature of this invention lies in its ease of application to existing, conventionally scored music. The diagonal slants " " (e.g., 38) through the notes and adjacent the key signature (e.g., 46, at 39) can be added manually, without requiring the score to be reprinted. This feature immediately distinguishes it from the "improved" notation systems which replace some or all of the conventional clefs, measures, notes, accidentals and phrasing marks. With my nomographic system of notation, the complete range of printed music is made more intelligible and thus more playable.
The preferred, second embodiment of the graphic/tactile keyboard
FIG. 4 shows a second graphic/tactile keyboard 110 according the present invention. Like the first embodiment of the keyboard 10, the second keyboard 110 comprises an upper row of keys 112 farthest from the player, a middle row 114 at an intermediate distance from the player, and a lower row 116 closest to the player. The keys of the second keyboard 110 play the same notes as corresponding keys of the first keyboard 10.
The F and G keys 120 in each octaval grouping 118, 118', 118" of the upper row 112 provide the player with graphic and tactile cues of his or her position on the keyboard. Unlike the first keyboard 10, the marked keys 120 of the second keyboard 110 do not correlate with the black keys of the conventional keyboard, but rather correlate with the second lines of the grand staff above and below middle C, i.e., the G line of the treble clef and the F line of the bass clef. The upper row F and G keys 120 are graphically and tactilely differentiated from the remaining upper row keys 122 by extending and bevelling the vertical surfaces of their front ends 124a toward the player by about one eighth inch (1/8"), by raising their top and front surfaces about one eighth inch (1/8"), and by bevelling the top surface and a selected side surface at the front end 124a of each marked key. Preferably, opposing side surfaces of the marked keys 120 are beveled, such as the left side of the F key and the right side of the G key adjacent said F key. As in the first keyboard 10, the upper row keys in the upper octaval groupings 118 of the second keyboard are preferably narrower than the upper row keys in the lower octaval groupings 118', 118", creating wider gaps 126 between the upper row keys in the upper octaval groupings 118.
In the middle row 114 of the second keyboard 110, the C keys 128 are graphically and tactilely differentiated from the other middle row keys 130 to provide the player with a keyboard position cue in the middle row.
The C keys 128 are tactilely marked by extending and bevelling their front ends 124b toward the player about one-eighth inch (1/8") and also by raising their top surfaces about one-eighth inch (1/8"). The C keys 128 are graphically marked by darkening their top and front surfaces. The keys of the middle row 114 are laterally offset from the keys of the upper row 112. All of the keys of the middle row 114 are equally wide.
Like the upper row 112, the F and G keys 132 of the lower row 116 are graphically and tactilely marked by darkening their top and front surfaces and raising the top surfaces about 1/8". No keys of the lower row 116 are extended because a player playing on the middle and lower rows 114, 116 will receive a tactile position cue from the extended C keys 128 of the middle row.
A significant feature of the present invention, and particularly the keyboards thereof, is that it provides a readily understandable indexing arrangement for major scale key signatures. The keyboard such as in FIG. 4 tactilely identifies the three major scales F, C and G,
and provides what may be termed an F-C-G Major Scale Index. This major scale index relates to the odd or even number of key signature symbols as found in the order of flats and sharps. C is the basi...
Electronic device to detect and generate music from biological microvariations in a living organism2010-03-02 00:00:002. For this embodiment of organism interface 3, excitation electronics 5 may comprise an oscillator circuit, such that the frequency of oscillation is a function of the capacitance of capacitor 43. In such an embodiment, ADC 6 may comprise a frequency counter.
A detailed schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d. FIGS. 5a and 5b together comprise the analog electronics of blocks 1 (signal processing electronics), 5 (excitation electronics), 13 (DAC), and 6 (ADC) of FIG. 1, as well as part of block 16 (power supply) of FIG. 1. FIGS. 5c and 5d comprise the digital circuitry of processor block 7 of FIG. 1, as well as the remainder of power supply block 16 of FIG. 1.
Dotted line 5 of FIG. 5a surrounds circuitry used to implement excitation circuitry block 5 in FIG. 1. The series combination of R39, D2, D3, D5 is connected between the 9V power supply rail and the Vh power supply rail. Current flowing through this series combination creates a voltage Ve approximately (1.8V above Vh) across capacitor C20. The series combination of R40, D6, D7, and D8 is connected between the Vh power supply rail and ground. Current flowing through this series combination creates a voltage Vb approximately (1.8V below Vh) across capacitor C21. The differential voltage between Ve1 and Ve2 is applied to the series combination of the organism under observation, and resistor R41 or R42 (depending on the position of range switch SW2), in a manner analogous to the resistive divider excitation circuit shown in FIG. 2a. Defining Vb and Ve as 3 diode voltage drops away from Vh guarantees that the ground referenced input voltages Va and Vb from the organism under observation are always within the linear range of the op amps used in the signal conditioning circuitry. The differential excitation voltage between Va and Vb is connected to the organism under observation through probe jack J2.
Dotted line 1 in FIGS. 5a and 5b surrounds circuitry used to implement signal conditioning circuitry block 1 in FIG. 1. Op amps U1a, U1b, U1c, and U1d (along with associated resistors R3, R4, R6, R38, R30, R1, R2, and R5) serve as a differential amplifier which serves to amplify the difference between level shifter feedback voltage Vs and voltage Va sensed from the organism under observation. Capacitors C1 and C2 serve to symmetrically provide pole-zero low-pass function to the gain path to limit responsiveness of the system to electromagnetic interference. Capacitor C18 adds another pole to the transfer function, creating a second-order low-pass circuit, to further limit susceptibility to electromagnetic interference.
Op amps U2a and U2d, in conjunction with resistors R8, R9, R7, and R10 serve as a differential-to-single-ended subtractor amplifier, amplifying the difference voltage between Vc and Vd by a factor of R9/R8 and producing a single-ended output voltage which is referenced to ground. The combination of R45, R13, and op amp U2d attenuates this voltage by a factor of R13/(R13 R45), and unity-gain buffers this voltage to provide input signal PROC_AD_0 for the ADC. Power supply circuitry in FIG. 5a comprising U9, C10, C14, C15, C16, and C17 is powered by power supply signal PLUS_V_IN from power supply circuitry in FIG. 5c,
and provides 9V regulated power for all circuitry in FIGS. 5a and 5b. Op amp U2b, in conjunction with R11, R12, and C23 provides a derived additional 4.5V power supply rail around which the afore mentioned excitation voltages Ve1 and Vb are defined.
Dotted line 13 in FIG. 5b surrounds circuitry used to implement DAC block 13 in FIG. 1. The DAC function in FIG. 5b may be implemented as a frequency to voltage converter (FVC). The FVC comprises U3, and associated discrete components C4, R14, C6, R20, C7, and R18. The output of the FVC is buffered through a unity-gain buffer comprising U2c, R21, and C8. Microprocessor U5 in FIG. 5d controls the FVC through digital signal PROC_OUT_SIG, which is AC coupled into the FVC through capacitor C5. During normal operation, the voltage Va sensed from the organism under observation has long-term large drift superimposed on top of the measured microvariations. To keep the voltage PROC_AD_0 within the range of the microprocessor's internal ADC, the processor occasionally adjusts the frequenc...
Multi-stage musical instrument amplifier having distortion modes2009-11-09 00:00:00 and provides an output signal. A second amplifier stage is driven by the output signal from the first amplifier stage as switch selectively connects an attenuator to the first amplifier stage to attenuate the output signal thereof and selectively connects a gain modifying circuit to the first stage. In a first mode, the attenuator is connected to the first amplifier stage and the gain modifying circuit is disconnected from the first amplifier stage. As a result, an output signal from the first amplifier stage has a level which drives the second amplifier stage to provide a substantially linear output signal therefrom. In a second mode, the attenuator is disconnected from the first amplifier stage and the gain modifying circuit is connected to the first amplifier stage. As a result, an output signal from the first amplifier stage has a level which will overdrive the second amplifier stage to provide a non-linear saturated signal therefrom having a first desired amount of increased harmonic saturation.ClaimsWhat is claimed is:
1. In a preamplifier for audio frequency electrical signals generated by a musical instrument such as a guitar:
a first amplifier stage for receiving electrical signals generated by the musical instrument and providing an output signal;
a second amplifier stage adapted to be driven by the output signal from the first amplifier stage;
means for attenuating the output signal of the first amplifier stage;
gain modifying means for the first amplifier stage; and
switch means for selectively connecting the attenuating means to the first amplifier stage and for selectively connecting the gain modifying means to the first amplifier stage to provide in a first mode an output signal from the first amplifier stage having a level which drives the second amplifier stage to provide a substantially linear output signal therefrom and to provide in a second mode an output signal from the first amplifier stage having a level which will overdrive the second amplifier stage to provide a nonlinear saturated signal therefrom having a first desired amount of increased harmonic content.
2. In the preamplifier of claim 1, said switch means comprising a first switch for selectively connecting the attenuating means to the first amplifier stage and a second switch for selectively connecting the gain modifying means to the first amplifier stage, and which further includes means for controlling said first and second switches whereby in the first mode the attenuating means is connected to the first amplifier stage and the gain modifying means is disconnected from the first amplifier stage and in the second mode the attenuating means is disconnected from the first amplifier stage and the gain modifying means is connected to the first amplifier stage.
3. In the preamplifier of claim 1, said first amplifier stage comprising an electron discharge device having a control grid, an anode, a cathode and a cathode resistor and wherein said gain modifying means comprises means for selectively shunt-connecting a capacitor across at least a portion of the cathode resistor.
4. In the preamplifier of claim 3, said attenuating means comprising a resistance adapted to be selectively connected across the output circuit of the first amplifier stage.
5. In the preamplifier of claim 1, further comprising means for modifying, for each mode of operation, the output level of the second amplifying stage.
6. In the preamplifier of claim 5, the modifying means comprising a first mode volume control and a second mode volume control; said switch means comprising a first switch for selectively connecting the attenuating means to the first amplifier stage, and a second switch for selectively connecting the gain modifying means to the first amplifier stage; which further includes a third switch for selectively activating the first mode volume control, and a fourth switch for selectively activating the second mode volume control, and which further includes means for controlling said first, second third and fourth switches whereby in the first mode the attenuating means is connected to the first amplifier stage, the gain modifying ...
