Electronic apparatus for teaching and reading music

Claim 1

An electronic apparatus for teaching and reading music, said apparatus comprising: a pluriaddress memory including an address input, a READ/WRITE control input, and plural input/output data channels each connected to a respective bidirectional data buss; a note keyboard and musical note symbols associated with keys of said keyboard, for selection of musical notes, said keys actuatable to output note data to a first bidirectional data buss; first switch means and associated symbols for selecting a time duration for the selected musical note and outputting time data, representative of the selected time duration, to a second bidirectional data buss; a plurality of AND gates, each gate having a TONE output, a SELECT input, and an ENABLE input, said TONE output fed to a speaker; a tone generator adapted to provide a plurality of tones to said TONE input; an address means for addressing said memory through said address input according to a clock input; a programmable counter/timer adapted to receive said time data from said first bidirectional data buss and, upon command, to clock said address means; a variable frequency generator adapted to drive said programmable counter/timer at a particular set frequency, upon command; a control gate having plural note data inputs and a control signal output, said control gate adapted to receive said note data from said keyboard and to provide a control signal to said output upon receiving said note data; and a mode selection means for receiving said control signal and for selecting a READ mode or a WRITE mode of operation of said apparatus; said mode selection means adapted to provide said control signal to said READ/WRITE control input of memory and to clock said address means when in said WRITE mode; said mode selection means further adapted to reset said address means and to enable said frequency generator when in said READ mode.