Provided is a musical instrument controller capable of accurately controlling a musical sound parameter. This musical instrument controller includes: a reception means for receiving, from a musical performance device, a sound emission start signal transmitted on the basis of a musical performance operation; a sensor for detecting an amount of displacement from a reference position; and a control means for generating a control signal on the basis of the amount of displacement from the reference position and transmitting the control signal to a sound generation device. The control means sets the reference position on the basis of the sound emission start signal received from the musical performance device.

A system is described for an enhanced bow piece of a stringed musical instrument. The enhancement includes a visual display element attached to the bow. The appearance of the display changes in response to bow motion, bow position, and one or more user-supplied inputs (e.g. buttons). The system can be entirely self-contained and used as a normal instrument bow, providing a light-up/responsive effect while the user plays their instrument in an otherwise normal way. There is some capability for multiple self-contained units to be locally synchronized, providing group-based visualizations. Alternatively, these devices can be monitored and controlled by an external control system.

An audio hub is disclosed including a plurality of daughterboards and a mainboard communicatively coupled to each of the plurality of daughterboards. Each of the plurality of daughterboards is associated with an audio channel and each audio channel is independent from the other of the audio channels associated with the other ones of the plurality of daughter boards. Further, each daughterboard includes at least one wireless transceiver operably configured to wirelessly transmit an audio signal associated with the corresponding audio channel from a musical instrument over a network to the audio playback device. The mainboard is configured so that, for each of the plurality of daughterboards, the mainboard is operable to independently modify at least one characteristic of the audio signal from the musical instrument before the audio signal is transmitted to the audio playback device.

A wireless pocket transmitter having a rear side, a front side and a receiving compartment for a rechargeable battery. The receiving compartment has a rear wall which at least partially forms a part of the rear side, two side surfaces and a connecting portion with electrical contacts. The two side surfaces are each coupled with a first side to the rear wall and with a first end to the connecting portion. The second ends of the side surfaces each have a respective guide for the battery. The guides do not extend along the entire length of the side surface and the guide has two projections and a passage therebetween.

A musical instrument activity monitoring system having a tracking and monitoring assembly including a microcontroller with non-volatile memory, an accelerometer, at least one sensor, and an antenna each in communication with the microcontroller, a power source, and a coupler. In-use parameters of musical instrument activity is tracked and monitored by the tracking and monitoring assembly. The microcontroller with non-volatile memory stores data. The data relates to values and timestamps retrieved from use of the at least one musical instrument and environmental conditions at least one musical instrument is in to analyze performance of the at least one musical instrument.

A method for online music learning of playing a musical instrument, that may be a string instrument, a woodwind instrument, a brass instrument, a percussion instrument, or vocal (singing) is described. A client device, such as a smartphone or a tablet notifies a person, such as visually by a display or audibly by a sounder, of a sequence of musical symbols that may be part of a musical piece to be played on the musical instrument. The pace or tempo of the notified sequence is adapted according to a stored skill level value of the person and the pace or tempo associated with the musical piece. The client device, monitors, using a microphone(s) in the client device, the errors in the playing of the sequence, and using a predefined accordingly updates the stored skill level value, and accordingly changes the arrangement, pace and/or tempo of the next sequence of musical symbols.

A optoelectronic pickup for a musical instrument includes at least one light source which directs light to impinge a string of the musical instrument in at least one photoreceiver located to detect the reflected light, so as to generate an electrical signal that is responsive to string vibrations. A number of dissimilar filter approaches are included to control undesired effects of spurious light, the filter approaches may be structure-based, signal processing-based, and/or optics-based.

This present invention relates to a stringed musical instrument with an integrated touch video screen allowing a user to play the instrument while singing along with a variety of pre-recorded songs. The video screen displays the words and other information of a user selected song. More specifically, the stringed musical instrument has built in karaoke components and the strings of the instrument can be strummed by the user to play a melody, or the user may mimic playing the instrument strings, wherein the sounds emitted from the strings can be muted.

A method creates a virtual ensemble file by receiving, at a central assembler node, recorded performance files from a recording node(s). The recording nodes generate a respective one of the performance files concurrently with playing a backing track and/or nodal metronome signal. Each performance file includes audio and/or visual data. The assembler node generates the ensemble file as a digital output file. Another method creates the ensemble file by receiving input signals inclusive of the backing track and/or metronome signal at the recording node(s), and generating the performance files at the recording node(s) concurrently with playing the backing track and/or metronome signal. The performance files are transmitted to the assembler node. A computer-readable medium or media has instructions for creating the ensemble file, with execution causing a first node to generate the performance files, and a second node to receive the same and generate the ensemble file.

An apparatus, system, and method for an electronic handheld musical instrument that generates electronic signals for processing by a processor-based module to generate musical sounds adapted to replicate non-electronic traditional hand percussion and other handheld instruments, is provided. A piezoelectric-based trigger is secured in an enclosed volume or enclosure formed in the electronic handheld musical instrument. When manipulated by a musician in a normal fashion, freely moving beads float or travel within the enclosure of the electronic handheld musical instrument and strike against a sensitive face of the piezoelectric transducer device to create a desired sound effect.