Arrangement of musical notes, keyboard having said arrangement and musical instrument having said keyboard

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

One first part of the present invention refers to an arrangement of musical notes, a second part refers to a keyboard having said arrangement and the last part refers to a musical instrument having said keyboard, being applicable to the industry of musical instruments, facilitating fingering patterns and key-stroke sequencies as well as musical learning.

BACKGROUND ART

Bisonoric keyboard instruments are those instruments which alternately produce different musical notes at each touch point or key, depending on the direction of air flow which is the normal means used to produce each musical note. Amongst these kinds of instruments are harmonicas, in which blowing out air or drawing in air at the same touch point, allows two different musical notes to be played.

Likewise, amongst these kinds of musical instruments are those that have a bellows to generate air flow to produce notes, for example some accordions.

On this kind of bisonoric bellows instrument, when a same touch point is pressed, two different notes are produced depending on the direction of the bellows.

Bisonoric keyboards generally consist of two or three rows of diatonic scales arranged so that the three notes of the major triad chord of the scale are obtained closing the bellows and the other four notes of the scale are obtained opening the bellows, ascending from left to right through three consecutive octaves. The interval between the scales of each row produces very different lay outs each with its respective advantages and disadvantages.

One kind of bisonoric diatonic scale keyboard has an interval of two and a half tones between the scales of each row and generally has two or three rows, although instruments having four or five rows also exist. These keyboards enable an open fingering style, simple and comfortable, in which the finger preparing to play the next note stays next to or moves away from the finger that is playing. Although the fingering style is open and relatively easy in the home keys of the instrument, pieces of music in other musical keys not striclty related to the home keys are difficult to play. This is because each adjacent row only introduces one new different musical note and does not introduce the notes necessary to play in other keys. That is to say, they are not chromatic, as they do not have the twelve notes of the chromatic scale.

Several different models try to give a solution to the drawback described in the previous paragraph. Some keyboards of this kind have one or two touch points at the bass end of each row, configured to play accidental notes. The required "leap" of the hand is very difficult. Another solution consists of having a third row, generally a partial or half row, containing all the accidental notes of the octaves in the range of the instrument. There are several different configurations depending on the manufacturer and, often, on the musician's personal choice and playing style. These models may be considered chromatic as all twelve notes of the chromatic scale in the tempered system are available, making it easier to play in any key. However, a same piece of music would have different fingering and key-stroke sequencies in each musical key.

There is another kind of bisonoric keyboard that has two or three rows of diatonic scales separated by a semitone. These are considered chromatic as they have all twelve notes of the chromatic scale in at least two octaves. However, not all notes are available in both directions, which has several drawbacks. Firstly, the lay outs of these instruments do not offer many fingering or key-stroke alternatives. Morevoer, fingering and key-stroke sequencies require many changes of bellows' direction, that is opening and closing the bellows, in order to play any melody. Although three row lay outs of this kind lessen these drawbacks considerably, there are still three notes that are not repeated, not even in the same direction, and consequently fingering and key-stroke sequencies are more complicated.

Furthermore, this kind of lay out requires what shall be referred to as cramped fingering, whereby in order to change from one musical note to another consecutive note, a finger must pass over or under the finger already playing. Cramped fingering is much more difficult, uncomfortable and less agile.

There also exists a kind of hybrid instrument that tries to lessen the drawbacks described above by combining both previous types of keyboard in one. Between one outer row and the middle row there is an interval of a semitone and between the other outer row and the middle row there is an interval of two and a half tones. The advantage of this kind of instrument is that it is completely chromatic and enables playing any piece with less changes of direction in the bellows.

However, the lay outs thus far described all have the same serious disadvantage that makes transposing between different musical keys more difficult, namely that they are not neutral. That is to say that the same action of the hand or fingers does not always produce the same musical result. This is due to several factors.

Firstly, the musical interval between touch points that have the same separation is not regular on all the keyboard. For example, between adjacent touch points there may be an interval of a major third at some places on the keyboard, whereas at other places on the keyboard there may be an interval of a minor third, a perfect fifth or a major second.

In addition, the musical interval between the note produced on the push of the bellows and the note produced on the pull at any same touch point is also different at different touch points, as it may be a semitone, a whole tone or more. Moreover, in every change of octave the notes produced on the pull of the bellows are displaced one touch to the right in relation to the notes obtained closing the bellows.

Keyboards having neutral arrangements, are usually unisonoric and arrange the musical notes, at touch points, in such a way that any two touch points that have the same spacial relation to each other are always separated by the same musical interval at any place on the keyboard. For example, the musical notes at adjacent touch points in the same row, usually straight, are separated by the same musical interval at any place on the keyboard.

Consequently, when playing the instrument the same fingering patterns are used in different musical keys, depending on the number of touch points. Generally, musical keys are grouped so that one same fingering pattern is used for each group of musical keys in a smaller area of keyboard.

In order to embody this kind of arrangement in musical instruments, musical notes are usually arranged at staggered touch points forming sequencies of musical intervals, each ascending along the same row or line. The best known example is the continental chromatic accordion. Other examples include United Kingdom Patent N°. GB 10041, Swiss Patent N°. CH 13329, N°. United Kingdom Patent GB 2131592, German Patent N°. DE 337361, United Kingdom Patent N°. GB 102552, United Kingdom Patent N°. GB 208274 and European Patent N°. EP 1282111, as well as the keyboards known as Janko keyboards.

The main advantage of this kind of keyboard is the reduction of memorisation of scales, chords, arpeggios etc. as the same action always produces the same result. As a result the musicain spends lees time overcoming the idiosyncracies of the instrument and, consequently, the process of learning, not only the instrument but music in general, is greatly accelerated.

There are disadvantages to this kind of keyboard. Fingering patterns can be complicated, unnatural or uncomfortable because of the distance between touch points that produce the notes of the same scale. On the other hand, the fact that all notes of the chromatic scale are available so as to be able to play in any musical key results in a bigger keyboard than that of a bisonoric instrument having only two or three home keys.

The only arrangement know that produces neutral, bisonoric, chromatic keyboards is described in the patent application PCT N°. WO 2005/041168. In said arrangement of musical notes the interval between the two notes obtained at the same touch point in different directions of the bellows is a whole tone and a semitone, that is a minor third.

One drawback of intruments having the arrangement of notes described in the previous paragraph is that, in practice, such instruments are neither manufactured nor used. This is due to the difficulty of manufacturing and using such instruments, which would be too large and too heavy. The touch points that are in different rows but produce the same musical note in the same direction of the bellows cannot use one same lever and one same set of reeds as they are too far displaced from the same axis. This means that each new row, fourth and fifth, needs a complete reed block and a set of reeds for each touch point, which greatly increases the size and weight of the instrument. The greater the number of voices per note the more accute is the problem, where the number of voices is the number of reeds that are set in vibration at the same time to produce a musical note.

This arrangement requires a minimum of five rows to enable playing with the same fingering patterns. However, four or five voice instruments are completely unfeasible.

Three rows are the minimum required to obtain the twelve notes of the chromatic scale if PCT N°. WO 2005/041168 is applied arranging the intervals of a minor third from side to side, enabling one same fingering pattern for each group of four musical keys resulting from all keys bunching into three different groups. The fingering patterns of each group, for example, scale patterns, have little in common. One group would have less difficult fingering patterns and the other two groups of four musical keys each would each have more complicated patterns. This disadvantage is a direct consequence of the fact that the interval between the two notes obtained at any same touch point in opposite directions of the bellows is a minor third. This produces a series of other drawbacks.

Firstly, any note is only repeated in the same row, with the result that consecutive notes that, in one direction of the bellows, are obtained at touch points that are far apart from each other, remain far apart from each other in the opposite direction.

In addition, a keyboard using this arrangement of notes would be incomplete as it would not have all the notes of the chromatic range of said keyboard. It would lack the note a semitone above the lowest note of the arrangement and the note a semitone below the highest note or would have irregular intervals at the extremes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention refers to an arrangement of musical notes at numerous touch points that can be played on bisonoric instruments, having a bellow.

Each touch point, key or button, is the part of a musical instrument that can be touched or pressed, usually using the digits of the hand, to cause a musical note or sound.

Each touch point may have any shape that allows it to be activated by the person playing the instrument, preferably circular and of an adequate size and adequately spaced in order to be pressed or touched using the digits of the hand.

Each touch point is configured to alternately cause two different musical notes, not at the same time, separated by an semitone interval, that is a minor second, and said touch points are arranged in at least three staggered rows parallel to each other.

The rows can be straight or curved and the touch points are at the same time lined up in a plurality of primary lines, parallel to each other, and a plurality of secondary lines, likewise parallel to each other, where, in the same direction of the bellows, an interval of a whole tone and a semitone, that is a minor third, exists between adjacent touch points in any same row. The musical interval between two adjacent touch points in any same primary line in either same direction of the bellows is made up of two tones and a semitone, that is a perfect fourth; and the interval between two adjacent touch points in any same secondary line in either same direction of the bellows is made up of a whole tone, that is a major second, and the intervals ascend in one same direction in each row or line.

In this manner, in either same direction of the bellows, each row of adjacent touch points forms a sequence of minor third intervals. Diagonally, along primary lines, adjacent touch points form sequencies of major second intervals, and in another opposite diagonal direction, along secondary lines, adjacent touch points form sequencies of perfect fourth intervals, and said intervals can ascend in either direction, towards the left or towards the right, either from the inner row, usually the one closest to the bellows, or from the outer row, usually furthest from the bellows, giving rise to a total of eight possible embodiments of the arrangement of the invention.

The arrangement obtained in this invention, and principally the particular characteristic of a melodic interval of a semitone between the notes produced at any same touch point in different directions of the bellows, has several advantages over other known arrangements.

The main advantage is that the arrangement gives rise to keyboards, and consequently musical instruments, where notes are repeated in different rows, always in the opposite direction of the bellows, so no note is repeated in any same row. Notes repeated in the same row occur in the arrangement of the background art mentioned above and described in the patent application PCT N°. WO 2005/041168.

This advantageous characteristic multiplies fingering pattern alternatives of any piece of music, as it makes it possible for the same musical interval to exist between touch points at different locations in each direction of the bellows, and consequently, notes that are obtained at widely spaced touch points in one direction of the bellows are brought closer together in the opposite direction of the bellows. This groups musical keys together so that the keys in a group share the same fingering patterns, making learning and playing the instrument easier. Moreover, all major and minor chords in all musical keys can be played with the same fingering pattern, operating the bellows in one direction for eight musical keys, and in the other direction for the remaining four keys. The semitone interval between notes at the same touch point makes better use of the bisonoric nature of the arrangement and instrument.

Said semitone interval arranges all the notes of the chromatic range of any instrument having an arrangement of this invention, without needing to modify the intervals between touch points located at the extremes of the keyboard, such as happens in PCT N°. WO 2005/041168. Only one note would be missing in cases where the row that has the touch point that produces the highest notes or the lowest notes in the arrangement extends beyond the adjacent row in said treble or bass end, such as on a keyboard having rows of ten, eleven and twelve touch points. Said note is always at a whole tone interval below the highest note of the arrangement or at a whole tone interval above the lowest note.

As any same note is repeated in different rows and not in the same row, unlike other arrangements and keyboards of the background art, key-stroke and fingering sequencies are made easier.

The arrangement of the invention produces three row keyboards where the same fingering patterns and key-stroke sequencies, such as musical scales, are used for each musical key of a total of three groups, making it possible to use the same respective chord shapes for all major and minor chords and the same fingering patterns and key sequencies for their respective arpeggios and, for example, grades II, III, IV and V of musical scales in all keys of the temperate system. The repetition of the great majority of notes in different rows and in both directions of the bellows offers many key-stroke and fingering alternatives.

Whilst it is possible, using the arrangement of the invention, to obtain keyboards having four or five rows, the arrangement preferably has three rows consisting of an inner row, a middle row and an outer row.

So as to make playing more comfortable, the rows and primary and secondary lines are preferably straight.

Another aspect of the invention refers to a keyboard for musical instruments that have any of the arrangements of musical notes described earlier.

In order to obtain keyboards that are simple to manufacture, the inner and outer rows of the keyboard preferably have the same number of touch points, and the middle row has one touch point more than the inner row, or the outer row.

The invention also contemplates keyboards having three rows, each row having a different number of touch points but not more than one touch point more than the adjacent row, as well as keyboards where all the rows have the same number of touch points.

Similarly, four row keyboards could be obtained, although the weight of the instrument would increase considerably, as well as two row keyboards, which would present some limitations in playing chords and would require more frequent opening and closing of the bellows.

A final aspect of the invention refers to a musical instrument having at least one of any of the keyboards described herein.

Said instrument preferably has a bellows that is used to produce a different note in each direction of said bellows when a touch point is activated. As previously described, the musical interval between the two different notes produced at the same touch point in opposite directions of the bellows is a semitone.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to complete the present description and to facilitate a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention as found in the preferred embodiment of the invention, a set of drawings is included as part of said description. Said drawings are for illustrative purposes only, are non-limiting and represent the following:

• Figure 1.- Illustrates a schematic view of a basic unit of a preferred embodiment of the arrangement of the invention, showing two touch points on the same row and two touch points on an adjacent row, as well as the musical intervals existing between said touch points, with arrows marking the direction of ascent.
• Figure 2.- Shows a shcematic view of a variation of the embodiment of the basic unit shown in figure 1.
• Figure 3.- Illustrates a shcematic view of a bisonoric keyboard having the arrangement shown in figure 1, showing example musical notes that can be played at each touch point, where the notes shown on the left are produced when the bellows is operated in one direction and the notes shown on the right are produced when the bellows is operated in the opposite direction.
• Figure 4.- Illustrates a shcematic view of a variation of the embodiment of the bisonoric keyboard shown in figure 3, showing a keyboard having the arrangement shown in figure 2.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In the figures indicated above it will be observed that a first aspect of the invention refers to an arrangement of musical notes at a plurality of bisonoric touch points that are usually activated using the digits of the hand.

Each touch point is configured to produce two different musical notes whose melodic musical interval is a semitone and said touch points are arranged in at least three staggered rows parallel to each other.

The touch points are at the same time arranged in a plurity of primary lines, parallel to each other, and a plurality of secondary lines, similarly parallel to each other.

In either same direction of the bellows, the musical interval between the notes produced at adjacent touch points in any same row is one whole tone and a semitone, that is a minor third. In either same direction of the bellows, the musical interval between the notes produced at adjacent touch points in any same primary line is two whole tones and a semitone, a perfect fourth; and the musical interval between the notes produced at adjacent touch points in any same secondary line is one whole tone, a major second, and the intervals ascend in the same direction in each row and each primary and secondary line.

Represented in figures 1 and 2 are two embodiments of the basic unit of arrangement of musical notes, out of eight different embodiments that are possible using the arrangement of notes proposed by the invention. Arrows indicate the direction of ascent of each interval. The notes shown on the left are produced when touch points are activated while a bellows is closing, and the notes shown on the right are produced when touch points are activated while said bellows is opening.

In the notation used in the figures, each letter represents a musical note, with corresponding alterations, shown only using sharps. The numbers next to each note indicate the musical register of said notes.

It will be seen from the figures that the intervals of a major second and a perfect fourth ascend from the inner row to the outer row. In these arrangements notes are arranged so that triad chords can be played more comfortably, coinciding more naturally or closer to the position of the fingers on the hand. Whether the thumb or the index finger or the little finger is used to play the tonic note of a chord, the tips of the other fingers will be over an adjacent inner row, and consequently the third and the fifth of the chord are closer and more comfortably played.

The basic unit of arrangement shown in figure 1 is used to obtain keyboards ascending from left to right, like the keyboard shown in figure 3, that can be played with either the left or the right hand. Figure 2 shows a basic unit of arrangement that ascends from right to left, producing arrangements like the one shown in figure 4, that is characterised by being appropriate for the left hand, being a mirror arrangement of the right hand, and enabling the same fingers of each hand to play the same notes on the same respective touch points in each arrangement.

In the preferred embodiment, the note produced at each touch point whilst the bellows is opening is a semitone higher than the note produced at the same touch point whilst the bellows is closing, so that while the bellows is opening, the third and fifth of any major chord are found in the same row as the tonic note of the same said chord and on touch points that are adjacent to the touch point that causes said tonic note whilst the bellows is closing.

The arrangement has three rows consisting of an inner row, a middle row and an outer row that are all straight, as are the primary and secondary lines of touch points.

Another aspect of the invention refers to a keyboard for musical instruments that uses the arrangement of notes described above to obtain bisonoric, fully chromatic and neutral keyboards.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner and outer rows have the same number of touch points, and the middle row has one touch point more than the innner or outer row. The middle row preferably has twelve touch points, though it can have more or less touch points, for example, thirteen or eleven touch points.

In the preferred embodiment, a keyboard has a plurality of touch points arranged in three staggered, preferably straight, rows, so that the middle row has one touch point more than the inner and outer rows and so that in either same direction of the bellows, intervals of a minor third ascend in the same direction between adjacent touch points along the same row, and major second intervals and perfect fourth intervals ascend from the inner row to the outer row along adjacent touch points, and the note caused at any touch point whilst the bellows is opening is a semitone higher than the note caused at same said touch point whilst the bellows is closing.

A final aspect of the invention refers to a musical instrument having at least one of any of the previously described keyboards. Said musical instrument has a bellows that serves to alternately produce two different musical notes when a given touch point is activated, causing one said note whilst the bellows is closing and the other said note whilst the bellows is opening. As previously described, the melodic interval between said musical notes is a semitone.

From the description and the set of drawings, an expert in the matter will understand that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be combined in sevaral ways as part of the object of the invention. The invention has been described using some of the preferred embodiments of the same, but to an expert in the matter it will be evident that multiple variations can be introduced in said preferred embodiments without exceeding the object of the invention.