Electronic Rhythm Apparatus For A Musical Instrument

Abstract

A system for switching off an electronic percussion instrument from an electronic rhythm device and coupling it to the manual or pedal of an electronic organ, comprising a switch between each output of a programmer and a control input of the percussion instrument, the switch, in the off-condition, connecting the percussion instrument to an auxiliary circuit which is energized by a control pulse for the percussion instrument. The control pulse is derived from a signal coming from the manual or pedal, and a multiple switch in each auxiliary circuit has a closing contact for closing all auxiliary circuits of a plurality of such percussion instruments simultaneously.

Description

The invention relates to an electronic rhythm apparatus for a musical instrument, particularly for an electronic organ of the type that includes an electronic programmer having a plurality of outputs connected in predetermined programs according to various rhythms which via selection switches are connected with electronically imitated percussion musical instruments, the programmer being controlled by a pulse generator. Such an electronic rhythm apparatus is used in existing electronic organs, but can also be used independently or in a combination with other musical instruments. With such a rhythm apparatus a plurality of rhythms can be reproduced such as the rhythm of a samba, foxtrot, etc. In such apparatus, percussion musical instruments are electronically imitated and used to play said rhythms. Usual percussion instruments are the big drum, tom-tom-bongoes, string drum, cymbals, etc. The rhythm patterns are developed mostly over two measures which then constantly repeat themselves. The particular rhythm desired can be chosen by means of selecting switches. Such an apparatus has the possibility to switch out one or more percussion instruments from the chosen rhythm by means of a switch between the output of the programmer and the control input of the percussion instrument in question, which switch is consequently in series with the above-mentioned selecting switches. It is not possible, however, to sound one or more of the electronic percussion instruments which have been excluded from the rhythm.

On the other hand it is usual in an electronic organ to operate the electronically imitated percussion instruments from the manual and the pedal. From the manual and the pedal, then, a signal is obtained which must be converted into a control pulse for the percussion instrument in question. There is generally provided a conversion means for the manual and a conversion means for the pedal. Furthermore there are a plurality of switches to put one or more of the percussion instruments into operation when operating the pedal and/or the manual.

The system according to the invention makes it possible to utilize electronic percussion elements switched out of the rhythm of the electronic rhythm apparatus. Thus, an improvement is obtained over the above-mentioned prior art system while said utilization takes place with a single multiple switch which is a further improvement over four or more switches required in the above-mentioned known second system.

For that purpose the system according to the invention is characterized in that each such switch, when open, connects the corresponding percussion musical instrument to an auxiliary circuit which is fed by a control pulse, for the percussion musical instrument in question, derived from a signal coming from the manual or pedal, a multiple switch in each of said auxiliary circuits having a closing contact to close all auxiliary circuits simultaneously.

The invention will be further elucidated herebelow by means of an embodiment.

In the FIG. an electronic rhythm programmer 5 is seen with, as an example, four outputs U1, U2, U3 and U4 which via selecting switches 29, 30, 31 and 32 and leads 24, 23, 22 and 21 are connected with the contacts a of the switches 1, 2, 3 and 4. With the contact arms of said switches the imitated percussion instruments 8, 9, 10 and 11 are connected and their outputs are connected with each other to an amplifier which is connected to the loudspeaker 7 of, e.g., an electronic organ.

When the electronic rhythm programmer 5 is put into operation in the electric organ and the selecting switches 29-32 have been closed, pulses come from the outputs U1 up to U4 to have the percussion instruments 8 up to 11 sound which, e.g., may be the big drum, the cymbals, the string drum and the bongoes, respectively. Said percussion musical instruments come into operation in a certain rhythm from the electronic rhythm programmer 5, such as a foxtrot, when the contacts 1 up to 4 are on their contacts a.

Now it may be preferred to switch-out any given instrument, e.g., the big drum 8, from the rhythm in question. For that purpose the switch 1 is put on its contact b.

All contacts b of the switches 1 up to 4 are connected to auxiliary circuits 17, 18, 19 and 20. Said auxiliary circuits 17 up to 20 are connected with contact arms 13, 14, 15 and 16 of the multiple switch 12. Each of said contact arms 13 up to 16 can be on a rest-contact r or a closing contact s. All contact arms 13 up to 16 of the multiple switch 12 will be on the rest contact r in the rest position. When now, it is wanted, as said above, to have the big drum 8 (when the switch 1 is on contact b) sound, one or two times, during the rhythm coming from the rhythm apparatus, the multiple switch 12 is switched, so that all contact arms 13 up to 16 arrive on their closing contacts s.

A plurality of said closing contacts s is connected with a conversion means 25 converting a pedal signal to a control pulse 27. A plurality of other contacts s is connected to another conversion means 26 converting a manual signal into a control pulse 28.

When the switch 12 owing to a push on the button has all its contact arms 13 to 16 moved to the closing contacts s and when only the switch 1 is on its contact b and the other switches 2, 3 and 4 are on their contacts a, the player of the electronic organ can kick on a pedal and cause a pedal signal which, via the conversion means 25, to be converted to a control pulse 27. This control pulse is fed via the closing contact s and the contact arm 13 along the auxiliary circuit 17 to the contact b of the switch 1 and from there to the big drum circuit 8. Consequently during the rhythm from the rhythm apparatus 5 an output signal comes from said big drum 8 which signal also, via the amplifier 6 in the loudspeaker 7 produces the sound of a big drum.

It is clear, that if desired, others of the switches 1 up to 4 can be switched to their contacts b. When this is the case for switch 3 or switch 4, the manual must be operated to send a control pulse 28 via the auxiliary circuit 19 or 20 to the string drum circuit 10 or the bongoes circuit 11.

Furthermore it will be clear that a much greater plurality of electronically imitated percussion instruments can be similarly operated.

The player, when he has switched-out a few percussion instruments from the rhythm, by opening some of the switches 1 up to 4, nevertheless, has the possibility of having the switched-out percussion instruments sound, via the pedal or manual, with one additional switch 12.

In nonelectronic musical instruments use can be made of foot or hand operated switches, while application of the system also is possible to other electronic musical instruments, such as an amplified guitar or electronic accordion.

Claims

I claim:

1. In an electronic organ of the type that includes at least one manual and a pedal division, an electronic rhythm device which comprises:

1. an electronic rhythm programmer having a plurality of output leads, said programmer producing a series of timed output pulses on said leads in a predetermined sequence;

2. a plurality of electronic percussion generators connected, on a one-to-one basis, with the output leads of said programmer, each generator producing an output signal imitative of a particular percussion instrument in response to an output pulse from said programmer;

3. first switch means, interposed between the output leads of said programmer and said percussion generators, for selectively breaking the connection between particular ones of said output leads and the corresponding percussion generator, in accordance with the rhythm desired;

4. a second switch means associated with the input of each of said plurality of percussion generators, each said second switch means having a normally closed contact connecting, via said first switch means, with a corresponding output lead of said programmer, and a normally open contact;

5. a first pulse generator connected to the at least one manual of said organ and generating an output pulse in response to the actuation of any one of the keys of said manual;

6. a second pulse generator connected to the pedal division of said organ and generating an output pulse in response to the actuation of any one of said pedals;

7. a plurality of ganged, third switch means each having a normally closed and a normally open contact, said plurality of third switch means being functionally divided into a first group and a second group, the output of said first pulse generator being connected in common to all of the normally open contacts of said first group, and the output of said second pulse generator being connected in common to all of the normally open contacts of said second group;

8. a first plurality of leads interconnecting the normally open contacts of the second switch means associated with certain ones of said percussion generators to the armatures of the third switch means in said first group; and

9. a second plurality of leads interconnecting the normally open contacts of the second switch means associated with the remainder of said percussion generators to the armatures of the third switch means in said second group, whereby when a given one of said second switch means is moved from the normally closed to the normally open position the corresponding percussion generator no longer sounds under control of the rhythm programmer and if, in addition, the ganged, third switch means is moved to the normally open position, the said percussion generator will sound under control of the pedal division or manual, as the case may be.