Electronic musical instrument

Claim 2

In an electrically keyed musical instrument, tone transposition apparatus comprising: means for generating two individual musical tones differing in pitch by a single semitone, first and second manually operated digitals, individual digitals playing individual ones of the musical tones, electrical switching means coupling the digitals to the tone generating means, the electrical switching means having first and second switch states, the difference between the switch states being an interchange of the tones played by the first and second digitals.

Claim 3

In an electrically keyed musical instrument, tone transposition apparatus comprising: electrical means for generating first and second individual musical tones, the second tone having a pitch one semitone above that of the first tone, electrical switching means coupled to the tone generator means, the electrical switching means having at least first and second electrical output leads, and first and second switch states, the difference between the two switch states being an interchange of the tones at the first and second electrical output leads, in the first switch state, the first output lead actuating the first musical tone, the second output lead actuating the second musical tone, in the second switch state, the first output lead actuating the second musical tone, the second output lead actuating the first musical tone.

Claim 4

In an electrically keyed musical instrument, tone transposition apparatus comprising: electrical means for generating first and second individual musical tones, the second tone having a pitch one semitone above that of the first tone, electrical switching means coupled to the tone generator means, the electrical switching means having at least first and second electrical output leads, and first and second switch states, the difference between the two switch states being an interchange of the tones at the first and second electrical output leads, in the first switch state, the first output lead actuating the first musical tone, the second output lead actuating the second musical tone, in the second switch state, the first output lead actuating the second musical tone, the second output lead actuating the first musical tone.

Claim 5

In an electrically keyed musical instrument, tone transposition apparatus comprising: means for generating twelve individual musical tones, the tones arranged in a single sequence in order of increasing pitch, with intertone intervals of a single semitone between consecutive members of the sequence, twelve manually operated digitals including first and second digitals, the digitals playing individual members of the sequence of musical tones, electrical switching means coupling the digitals to the tone generating means, the electrical switching means having at least first and second switch states, a difference between the switch states being the interchange of the tones played by the first and second digitals, in the first switch state, the second digital playing a tone one semitone above the tone played by the first digital, in the second switch state, the first digital playing a tone one semitone above the tone played by the second digital.

Claim 6

In an electrically keyed musical instrument, tone transposition apparatus comprising: means for generating twelve individual musical tones, the tones arranged in a single sequence in order of increasing pitch, with intertone intervals of a single semitone between consecutive members of the sequence, twelve manually operated digitals including first and second digitals, the digitals playing individual members of the sequence of musical tones, electrical switching means coupling the digitals to the tone generating means, the electrical switching means having at least first and second switch states, a difference between the switch states being the interchange of the tones played by the first and second digitals, in the first switch state, the second digital playing a tone one semitone above the tone played by the first digital, in the second switch state, the first digital playing a tone one semitone above the tone played by the second digital.

Claim 7

In a musical instrument, tone transposition apparatus comprising: electrical means for generating twelve individual musical tones, the tones arranged in a single sequence in order of increasing pitch, with intertone intervals of a single semitone between consecutive members of the sequence, electrical switching means coupled to the tone generator means, the electrical switching means having at least first and second electrical output leads, in the first switch state, the second output lead actuating a tone one semitone above the tone actuated by the first output lead, in the second switch state, the first output lead actuating a tone one semitone above the tone actuated by the second output lead.

Claim 8

In a musical instrument, tone transposition apparatus comprising: electrical means for generating twelve individual musical tones, the tones arranged in a single sequence in order of increasing pitch, with intertone intervals of a single semitone between consecutive members of the sequence, electrical switching means coupled to the tone generator means, the electrical switching means having at least first and second electrical output leads, in the first switch state, the second output lead actuating a tone one semitone above the tone actuated by the first output lead, in the second switch state, the first output lead actuating a tone one semitone above the tone actuated by the second output lead.

Claim 9

An electrically keyed keyboard musical instrument which plays in a diminished diatonic scale derived from the diatonic scale by the omission of at least one of its tones, the instrument comprising: electronic tone generator means for generating a set of at least twelve musical tones, a set of at least twelve manually operated digitals electrically coupled to said tone generator means, individual digitals playing individual musical tones, the set of digitals arranged in a single continuous keyboard and labeled in order of sequence in the keyboard by successively increasing ordinal numbers L, where L ranges from one to at least twelve, successive members of the sequence of digitals playing tones of successively higher pitch selected from said set of tones, an octave span of the keyboard containing exactly M of the digitals, where M is a whole number in the range five to six inclusive, each digital labeled by an ordinal number L which is greater than M playing a tone one octave above the tone played by the digital labeled L-M.

Claim 10

An electrically keyed keyboard musical instrument which plays in a diminished diatonic scale derived from the diatonic scale by the omission of at least one of its tones, the instrument comprising: electronic tone generator means for generating a set of at least twelve musical tones, a set of at least twelve manually operated digitals electrically coupled to said tone generator means, individual digitals playing individual musical tones, the set of digitals arranged in a single continuous keyboard and labeled in order of sequence in the keyboard by successively increasing ordinal numbers L, where L ranges from one to at least twelve, successive members of the sequence of digitals playing tones of successively higher pitch selected from said set of tones, an octave span of the keyboard containing exactly M of the digitals, where M is a whole number in the range five to six inclusive, each digital labeled by an ordinal number L which is greater than M playing a tone one octave above the tone played by the digital labeled L-M.

Claim 11

Tone transposition apparatus for a musical instrument comprising: means for generating at least twelve individual musical tones, the tones arranged in a nominally equitempered scale in order of increasing pitch, with musical intervals of a single semitone between consecutive tones of the scale. eight digitals for playing eight individual musical tones, the digitals arranged in a single predetermined sequence, successive members of the sequence playing a sequence of tones of successively higher pitch, selected from said tones of the nominally equitempered scale, the sequence of the eight relative tones being defined by the sequence of seven interdigital musical intervals between the tones played by consecutive members of the sequence of digitals, an electronic switching network coupling each of the eight digitals to the tone generator means, the switching network having at least first and second switch states corresponding to different sequences of interdigital musical intervals, for a selected pair of adjacent members of the sequence of eight digitals, the interdigital musical interval being at least a semitone greater in the second switch states than it is in the first switch state.

Claim 12

Tone transposition apparatus for a musical instrument comprising: means for generating at least twelve individual musical tones, the tones arranged in a nominally equitempered scale in order of increasing pitch, with musical intervals of a single semitone between consecutive tones of the scale. eight digitals for playing eight individual musical tones, the digitals arranged in a single predetermined sequence, successive members of the sequence playing a sequence of tones of successively higher pitch, selected from said tones of the nominally equitempered scale, the sequence of the eight relative tones being defined by the sequence of seven interdigital musical intervals between the tones played by consecutive members of the sequence of digitals, an electronic switching network coupling each of the eight digitals to the tone generator means, the switching network having at least first and second switch states corresponding to different sequences of interdigital musical intervals, for a selected pair of adjacent members of the sequence of eight digitals, the interdigital musical interval being at least a semitone greater in the second switch states than it is in the first switch state.

Claim 13

Key selector apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein: in the first switch state the sequence of interdigital musical intervals is selected from the group consisting of: 2--2--1--2--2--2--1 semitones, 2--1--2--2--2--1--2 -semitones 1--2--2--2--1--2--2 semitones, in the second switch state the sequence of interdigital intervals is selected from the group consisting of: -- -- -- -- -- -- 1semitones, 2--2--1--2--2--1--2 9 semitones, 2--1--2--2--1--2--2 semitones, 1--2--2--1--2--2--2 1- semitones.

Claim 14

Musical scale selector apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein: in the first switch state the sequence of interdigital musical intervals defines the diatonic scale, the sequence of interdigital intervals being selected from the group consisting of: 2--2--1--2--2--2--1 semitones, 2--1--2--2--2--1--2 2- semitones, 1--2--2--2--1--2--2 semitones, 2--2--2--1--2--2--1 semitones, 2--2--1--2--2--1--2 semitones, 2--1--2--2--1--2--2 semitones, 1--2--2--1--2--2--2 semitones, in the second switch state the sequence of interdigital intervals defines a diminished diatonic scale derived from the diatonic scale by the omission of at least one of its tones.

Claim 15

Musical scale selector apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein: in the second switch state the sequence of interdigital musical intervals defines a pentatonic scale, the interdigital intervals being selected from the group consisting of: 2--2--3--2--3--2--2 semitones, 2--3--2--3--2--2--3 semitones, 3--2--3 --2--2--2--2 semitones, 2--3--2--2--3--2--3 semitones, 3--2--2--3--2--3--2 semitones.