Keyboard-type musical instrument

Claim 1

A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING: A CONTINUOUS KEYBOARD HAVING A PLURALITY OF MANUALLY ACTUATED ALTERNATELY DISPOSED UPPER AND LOWER DIGITALS, A PLURALITY OF TONE ACTUATOR MEANS RESPECTIVELY ARRANGED TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS SEQUENCE OF TONES HAVING PITCHES PROCEEDING FROM LOW TO HIGH IN AN APPROXIMATELY EQUITEMPERED SCALE FORMING AT LEAST ONE OCTAVE OF TWELVE SEMITONES; AND SWITCHING MEANS HAVING AT LEAST FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS; AND SWITCHING MEANS IN SAID FIRST POSITION THEREOF RESPECTIVELY COUPLING SUCCESSIVE ONES OF SAID DIGITALS TO SUCCESSIVELY HIGHER PITCHED ONE OF SAID TONE ACTUATOR MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME THEREBY TO PROVIDE A UNIFORM KEYBOARD ARRANGEMENT HAVING TWELVE ALTERNATING UPPER AND LOWER DIGITALS PER OCTAVE AND WITH EACH SUCCESSIVE LOWER AND UPPER DIGITAL ACTUATING A RESPECTIVE TONE ACTUATOR MEANS OF SUCCESSIVELY HIGHER PITCH; SAID SWITCHING MEANS IN SAID SECOND POSITION THEREOF RESPECTIVELY COUPLING SUCCESSIVE ONES OF SAID LOWER DIGITALS TO SUCCESSIVELY HIGHER PITCHED ONES OF SAID TONE ACTUATOR MEANS AND PRESELECTED SUCCESSIVE ONES OF SAID UPPER DIGITALS TO OTHER SUCCESSIVELY HIGHER PITCHED ONES OF SAID TONE ACTUATOR MEANS IN A SUCCESSIVE PATTERN OF FIRST GROUPS OF TWO ADJACENT UPPER DIGITALS AND SECOND GROUPS OF THREE ADJACENT UPPER DIGITALS SPACED FROM THE ADJACENT FIRST GROUPS BY ONE INTERMEDIATE UPPER DIGITAL, SAID INTERMEDIATE UPPER DIGITALS BEING DECOUPLED FROM SAID TONE GENERATOR MEANS IN SAID SECOND POSITION OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS THEREBY TO PROVIDE A CONVENTIONAL KEYBOARD ARRANGEMENT WITH FOURTEEN ALTERNATING LOWER AND UPPER DIGITALS PER OCTAVE AND WITH EACH SUCCESSIVE LOWER DIGITAL AND UPPER DIGITAL OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND GROUPS ACTUATING A RESPECTIVE TONE ACTUATOR MEANS OF SUCCESSIVELY HIGHER PITCH.