A handheld musical instrument for generating percussion sounds, the handheld musical instrument includes a body part with one or more sensors, a set of control buttons to select a type of audio output to be generated by said handheld musical instrument, and a handle part coupled to said body part, the handle part including the set of control buttons and operable between a first position and a second position.

A handheld musical instrument for playing a variety of audio program, the handheld musical instrument includes a main body portion with one or more sensors, a handle portion engaged with said main body portion, wherein said handle portion includes one or more control buttons to select a type of program to be played by said handheld musical instrument and a gesture detection module for detecting gestures associated with said handheld musical instrument and controlling a tempo associated with said program played by said handheld musical instrument based on said detected gestures.

Hexagonal keyboards, key support plates therefor, and methods of manufacture of hexagonal keyboards are described. An example hexagonal keyboard includes a plurality of hexagonal keys and a frame including a key support plate to support the plurality of hexagonal keys. A plurality of axle supports is molded into the key support plate. Each respective axle support of the plurality of axle supports is to pivotally support a respective hexagonal key about a respective hinge. The hexagonal keys are supported in a stepped hexagonal lattice arrangement.

A musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) device includes a base that houses electronic circuitry. The base has a top portion with a top surface and a bottom portion configured to contact a surface when in use. A plurality of buttons are arranged on the top surface of the top portion of the base and in electronic communication with the electronic circuitry. The plurality of buttons each have a unique MIDI note number and are arranged in a pattern to facilitate visualization of intervals. An output device is configured to communicate with an external computing device.

The invention relates to a user interface for a musical instrument, in particular an electronic or virtual musical instrument, for playing combined sequences of chords and tunes, comprising a key matrix (1) having a plurality of zones 111, 121, . . . ; 112, 122, . . . ; 11n, 12n, . . . that can be activated, these zones being arranged in columns and rows, each row of activatable zone 111, 121, . . . ; 112, 122, . . . ; 11n, 12n, . . . forming a region 101, 102, . . . , each region 101, 102, . . . being associated with a basic chord that preferably is a chord of a scale, preferably of a diatonic scale, the chord being specific of the scale, and each zone 111, 121, . . . ; 112, 122, . . . ; 11n, 12n, . . . being associated with a musical tone of the tune, which is preferably a musical tone of the tune of the scale. The user interface is designed to produce, when a zone 111, 121, . . . ; 112, 122, . . . ; 11n, 12n, . . . in a region 101, 102, . . . is activated, a musical tone-producing command in accordance with the activated zone 111, 121, . . . ; 112, 122, . . . ; 11n, 12n, . . . and region 101, 102, . . . , and the musical tone-producing command comprises at least one basic chord note command of a pitch that is contained in the basic chord associated with the activated region 101, 102, . . . and comprises a tune note command the pitch of which corresponds to the musical tone of the tune of the activated zone 111, 121, . . . ; 112, 122, . . . ; 11n, 12n, . . . . The invention also relates to a musical instrument, a method for producing combined sequences of chords and tunes, and a computer-readable storage medium.

A controller device for the production of electronic music includes multiple control surfaces, including a touch sensitive display and a matrix of actuator pads, each of which are capable of operating in different modes simultaneously.

Hexagonal keyboards, key support plates therefor, and methods of manufacture of hexagonal keyboards are described. An example hexagonal keyboard includes a plurality of hexagonal keys and a frame including a key support plate to support the plurality of hexagonal keys. A plurality of axle supports is molded into the key support plate. Each respective axle support of the plurality of axle supports is to pivotally support a respective hexagonal key about a respective hinge. The hexagonal keys are supported in a stepped hexagonal lattice arrangement.

A controller device for the production of electronic music includes multiple control surfaces, including a touch sensitive display and a matrix of actuator pads, each of which are capable of operating in different modes simultaneously.

A step sequencer with a four by sixteen grid of buttons is disclosed. The sequencer is used to generate patterns of sounds on different channels. The sequencer can be used as a hardware controller to control music production software. The grid of the sequencer emulates the virtual grid generated in a graphical user interface by the music production software. The grid of the hardware controller is used to control the corresponding grid on the graphical user interface.

A keyboard apparatus includes a plurality of keys, a frame supporting the plurality of keys arranged in a first direction, a first member, a longitudinal direction of the first member being along the first direction, and a second member including a first section, a second section, and a third section, the first section, the third section, and the second section being arranged in this order in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first section being a plate-shaped member sandwiched between the first member and the frame, the second section being connected to the first member at a position away from the first section, the third section being separated from the first member between the first section and the second section, and a longitudinal direction of the second member being along the first direction.