An input device for operating a musical instrument having musical behavior of string instruments, which comprises a key plate unit containing a set of input keys to be pressed by a player, in order to generate a first set of electric input signals, which emulate a combination of pressed keys of a musical instrument or a combination of pressed strings; a stick unit with variable tension of displacement including a stick to be moved by the player between predetermined discrete positions, which emulate a combination of strummed strings of a musical instrument.

The invention pertains to devices utilized by artists that produce musical sounds and aesthetic lights, including lights that correspond to the sounds. More specifically, the invention pertains to a modular system comprising modules of a play device, such as a smart phone, a fingerboard comprising a keyboard and lights corresponding to the keys and a docking station for mounting and joining the play device and fingerboard together. Using music and light control application software loaded on the play device and the keys of the fingerboard, the play device and fingerboard exchange and communicate sound and light information and instructions with each other. The play device plays sounds and the fingerboard displays lights.

A training device for acquiring or maintaining muscle memory and fingertip callouses of a stringed instrument player. The device includes an elongated base plate structure having a width dimension like that of a neck of a stringed instrument and a length dimension configured to accommodate a plurality of fret-like lateral spaced protrusions extending above a top surface of the base plate. First and second sets of string supports are arranged respectively at the longitudinal ends of the base plate and arranged to hold device strings in tension above the top surface. An attachment structure may be provided for attaching the device to the person of the player in a ready-to-use position. The device is configured so that the player can strum the device strings to develop or maintain muscle memory and/or fingertip callouses.

An input device for operating a musical instrument having musical behavior of string instruments, which comprises a key plate unit containing a set of input keys to be pressed by a player, in order to generate a first set of electric input signals, which emulate a combination of pressed keys of a musical instrument or a combination of pressed strings; a stick unit with variable tension of displacement including a stick to be moved by the player between predetermined discrete positions, which emulate a combination of strummed strings of a musical instrument.

An accessory for modifying sound output of a musical instrument. The body of the instrument has a soundboard. The accessory includes a sound sensor, an actuator, a fastener, and a controller. The sound sensor engages the body and senses vibration of the body representing the sound output of the musical instrument. The actuator engages the soundboard and deforms the soundboard of the musical instrument so as to modify the sound output of the musical instrument. The sound sensor is preferably arranged distally to the actuator. The fastener engages the accessory to the musical instrument, to locate the actuator against the soundboard of the musical instrument. The controller is connected to the actuator and the sound sensor for receiving and analysing the sound output sensed by the sound sensor, and controlling the actuator in dependence on the sound output sensed by the sound sensor.

A training device for acquiring or maintaining muscle memory and fingertip callouses of a stringed instrument player. The device includes an elongated base plate structure having a width dimension like that of a neck of a stringed instrument and a length dimension configured to accommodate a plurality of fret-like lateral spaced protrusions extending above a top surface of the base plate. First and second sets of string supports are arranged respectively at the longitudinal ends of the base plate and arranged to hold device strings in tension above the top surface. An attachment structure may be provided for attaching the device to the person of the player in a ready-to-use position. The device is configured so that the player can strum the device strings to develop or maintain muscle memory and/or fingertip callouses.

An apparatus for selecting between sets of pickups for a stringed musical instrument including a top plate with two sets of pickups embedded therein that is rotationally attached to a back plate. The apparatus includes an electrical connector that enables electrical connection between the pickups and the instrument. The apparatus further includes attachment structure enabling fastening of the instrument to a backside of the instrument. The apparatus is configured to extend through a body of the instrument such that the top plate is adjacent strings of the instrument.

A capacitive musical instrument includes an instrument body having a space, the space including at least one plate to separate the space into at least two areas for holding ingredients of a food object, a plurality of inputs that each receive a capacitive signal from a corresponding one of the ingredients of the food object when the ingredients are touched by a user, a touch capacitive shield connected to the plurality of inputs, a memory that stores audio signal data that corresponds to each of the plurality of inputs, a controller that receives the capacitive signals from the plurality of inputs, converts the capacitive signals into audio signals based on the audio signal data stored in the memory, and outputs the audio signals to an output that generates sound based on the audio signals.

A guitar multi-effects pedalboard is provided. The pedalboard has one or more footswitches, an electronic display, and a memory storing guitar-effect presets for processing an inputted guitar signal when the processing is triggered by pressing a footswitch. The presets include signal chains with two or more guitar-effect pedal simulators that simulate two or more guitar-effect pedals. The pedalboard also has one or more processors coupled to the electronic display and the memory. The processors are configured to process an inputted guitar signal when the processing is triggered by pressing a footswitch. The processors are also configured to display, on the electronic display, an image of the signal chains, which includes an image of pedals and an image of existing simulated connections between pedals. Signal routing in the signal chain may be changed by touching the image of a pedal and dragging the image to a destination position.

This invention eliminates most mechanical switching in vibrational pickup circuits by using variable gains to combine signals of sensors in differential amplifiers as J1 humbucking pairs for J>1 number of sensors, with the sensors matched to produce the same level and phase of unwanted hum from external sources. It can also combine J>1 number of matched sensors with K>1 number of dissimilar sensors which are matched only to each other in the same manner. This produces not only all the possible mechanically switched humbucking signals, but all the continuously-varying combinations of humbucking signals in between.