A platter based electronic musical instrument is operable to shift the frequency of a sound sample as a function of a rotational position of the platter and a scale selection signal. The electronic musical instrument is further operable to render the frequency shifted sound sample. A scale of the electronic musical instrument is selected via a leash. The leash determines the selected scale of the electronic musical instrument as a function of input provided by (e.g., a chord played on) a controlling musical instrument.

An information reception device is provided with: operation surface which is adjusted to produce a characteristic index vibration by an object contact; a storage device stores candidate information (candidate information is related with the index vibration) which serves as a candidate of input information; a microphone which acquires observation information according to observation of the actual vibration arising in the surrounding environment; and a CPU. The CPU (selecting part) judges whether or not the index vibration exists in the observation information acquired. When the CPU judges that the index vibration exists, the CPU selects the candidate information which is related with the index vibration as the input information.

A chord judging apparatus for judging chords of a musical piece, is provided with a processor and a memory for storing data of the musical piece, wherein the processor specifies plural segments in the data of the musical piece, estimates a tonality of each of the specified segments based on component tones included in the segment, and judges a chord of the plural segments of the musical piece based on modulation in tonality, when modulation is introduced in the estimated tonalities of the plural segments.

A smart music device and process provide users with an interface to play a selected song in the correct song key. The device includes a graphical user interface with areas demarcated by translucent conductive ink printed on the layer's underside. A layer of force sensor resistors (FSRs) are under the areas. Touching one of the areas closes a circuit between then conductive ink and FSR triggering a note to be played. The demarcated areas are illuminated to guide the user on scale and root node position. Metadata in memory storage includes the song key which is used during song playback to trigger assignment of the key correct scale across the FSRs and illuminate its root position of musical notes. Touching an area triggers a signal sent to a connected musical instrument to play the note.

A digital sight-singing piano is disclosed with a fixed-solfge keyboard, continuous keys and adjustable tones by kneading piano keys, wherein the key can be varied continuously and the frequency of a piano key can be slightly adjusted by kneading the piano key during playing. The keyboard of the digital sight-singing piano has fixed solfge, wherein no matter what key is used for playing, the piano keys in a solfge key set always have the same correspondence to the solfge syllables of the numbered musical notation in one octave. A color graphic vector numbered musical notation is also disclosed, wherein extended solfge is used to describe pitch, different colors are used to indicate the positions of the piano keys to press, notation frames with fixed width are used to represent the beat unit, and font (i.e., bold or not) of musical notes are used to show the strength of pressing piano keys. The color graphic vector numbered musical notation is suitable for computer-aided notation. It can be exhibited in several different types and provide multi-dimension playing information. The color graphic vector numbered musical notation can also be combined with the fixed-solfge keyboard to facilitate sight-singing and make it easy to learn to play the piano.

An electronic mallet controller includes a plurality of bars representing musical notes. Each bar active produces a signal indicative of the respective musical note when struck by an implement, and all adjacent bars are spaced apart with the same spacing. A first user input permits a user to select a lowest diatonic natural note of the range of the musical instrument to thereby define a location of dead notes. A processor circuit interprets each signal as an outputted musical note. Based on the first user input, the processor circuit shifts mapping between the bars and the musical notes to be outputted, causing the dead note locations to be associated with certain of the bars, and wherein the bars at the dead note locations are inactive bars. An indicator is associated with the inactive bars to indicate the location of the dead notes to the user.

An electronic mallet controller includes a plurality of bars representing musical notes. Each bar active produces a signal indicative of the respective musical note when struck by an implement, and all adjacent bars are spaced apart with the same spacing. A first user input permits a user to select a lowest diatonic natural note of the range of the musical instrument to thereby define a location of dead notes. A processor circuit interprets each signal as an outputted musical note. Based on the first user input, the processor circuit shifts mapping between the bars and the musical notes to be outputted, causing the dead note locations to be associated with certain of the bars, and wherein the bars at the dead note locations are inactive bars. An indicator is associated with the inactive bars to indicate the location of the dead notes to the user.

The present invention relates to an overlay for a touchscreen piano keyboard implemented on an iPad or similar touchscreen device. It includes a screen covering sheet, that has a top surface pitted with hollows, such that it blocks activation of the touchscreen piano keys when lightly pressed, but not when more firmly pressed, thereby emulating the pressing of physical piano keys.

A digital sight-singing piano is disclosed with a fixed-solfge keyboard, continuous keys and adjustable tones by kneading piano keys, wherein the key can be varied continuously and the frequency of a piano key can be slightly adjusted by kneading the piano key during playing. The keyboard of the digital sight-singing piano has fixed solfge, wherein no matter what key is used for playing, the piano keys in a solfge key set always have the same correspondence to the solfge syllables of the numbered musical notation in one octave. A color graphic vector numbered musical notation is also disclosed, wherein extended solfge is used to describe pitch, different colors are used to indicate the positions of the piano keys to press, notation frames with fixed width are used to represent the beat unit, and font (i.e., bold or not) of musical notes are used to show the strength of pressing piano keys. The color graphic vector numbered musical notation is suitable for computer-aided notation. It can be exhibited in several different types and provide multi-dimension playing information. The color graphic vector numbered musical notation can also be combined with the fixed-solfge keyboard to facilitate sight-singing and make it easy to learn to play the piano.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can provide systems, methods, and computer-readable medium for implementing user interfaces and user interface elements for interacting with a virtual instrument. For example, a user interface for a virtual instrument may be presented on a display of a device. The user interface may have any suitable number of strings having a first spacing. Each string may correspond to an associated audio file. User mode input may be received at the user interface. In response to receiving the user mode input, a user interface element (e.g., a corresponding enhanced selection area) may be presented. The presented user interface element may include a subset of the plurality of strings and may have a second spacing that is greater than the first spacing. By utilizing the user interface element, a user is enabled to make more accurate input than conventional techniques allow.