Rhythm tempo control system

Claim 1

AN ELECTRONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT OF THE CONTINUOUS REPETITIVE RHYTHM TYPE USED TO ACCOMPANY AN INSTRUMENT UNDER PLAYER CONTROL COMPRISING A STATOR HAVING MULTIPLE SEGMENTS IN PREDETERMINED ARRAY, AN ELEMENT MOVABLE REPETITIVELY OVER SAID ARRAY AND OPERATIVE TO BE COUPLED TO SAID SEGMENTS IN SEQUENCE, CIRCUIT MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SEGMENTS AND SAID ELEMENT AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID ELEMENT COUPLING TO SELECTED ONES OF SAID SEGMENTS FOR PRODUCING A PULSE TRAIN CHARACTERIZED BY THE SEGMENTS SELECTED, A SECOND ARRAY OF SPACED PAIRS OF SEGMENTS WITH INDIVIDUAL SEGMENTS OF A PAIR LOCATED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF AN INDEX ON SAID STATOR, COUPLING MEANS MOVABLE IN FIXED RELATION TO SAID ELEMENT FOR TRAVERSING THE SEGMENTS OF SAID PAIRS IN SEQUENCE, A CIRCUIT COUPLED TO SAID SPACED PAIRS AND SAID COUPLING MEANS FOR DEVELOPING A BIDIRECTIONAL CONTROL SIGNAL, MEANS FOR DEVELOPING A CONTROL SIGNAL WITH A SIGNAL REPRESENTING THE TEMPO AT WHICH SAID INSTRUMENT IS PLAYED BY SAID PLAYER FOR SELECTING A DIRECTION OF SAID CONTROL SIGNAL, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SELECTED DIRECTION OF SAID CONTROL SIGNAL FOR ALTERING THE SPEED AT WHICH SAID MOVABLE ELEMENT AND SAID COUPLING MEANS ARE DRIVEN OVER SAID ARRAYS TO REDUCE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAID TEMPO AND THE TEMPO OF SAID REPETITIVE RHYTHM.