(19) & (11) EP 2 528 055 A2 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (43) Date of publication: (51) Int Cl.: 28.11.2012 Bulletin 2012/48 G10H 1/34 (2006.01) (21) Application number: 12168651.3 (22) Date of filing: 21.05.2012 (84) Designated Contracting States: (71) Applicant: Alesis, L.P. AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB Cumberland, RI 02864 (US) GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TR (72) Inventor: Shim, Brian R. Designated Extension States: Providence, RI Rhode Island 02903 (US) BA ME (74) Representative: Hofstetter, Schurack & Partner (30) Priority: 25.05.2011 US 201161489876 P Patent- und Rechtsanwälte 03.05.2012 US 201213463462 Balanstrasse 57 81541 München (DE) (54) Keytar controller with percussion pads and accelerometer (57) A keytar is disclosed. The keytar has a keyboard face of the keyboard body. A microprocessor is electri- body having a front face, left side, right side and rear cally connected to the drum pads. The microprocessor face. A piano-style keyboard with a number of keys is on is configured and arranged to scan the state of each of the front face of the keyboard body. A neck extends from the drum pads and generate a MIDI note signal corre- either the left or the right side and the left side of the sponding to the state each drum pad. The keytar may keyboard body. A number of drum pads are on the front further include an accelerometer to provide music effects and an internal sound engine to generate analog audio. EP 2 528 055 A2 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) 1 EP 2 528 055 A2 2 Description trol possibilities. The included percussion pads enable drum sounds that can be more easily played on the in- CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION strument. Furthermore, the placement of the drum pads has been optimized to permit "slap bass" style of playing, [0001] This patent document claims priority to earlier 5 which musicians find intuitive, and leads to dynamic per- filed U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/489,876, formances. Specifically, these drum pads allow the mu- filed May 25, 2011, the entire contents of which are in- sician to trigger drum sounds in a more natural and re- corporated herein by reference. alistic way than using piano keys. The triggering method is very similar to how a bass player slaps the strings with BACKGROUND 10 his thumb and plucks with this fingers on a bass guitar. Thus, it is a very natural way of triggering percussive 1. Technical Field sounds. [0010] Also, included is an accelerometer to determine [0002] The present patent document relates generally if the instrument is tilted relative to the horizontal, in which electronic music instruments and controllers, and more 15 case a MIDI continuous control is generated to modulate particularly to an improved electronic keyboard instru- or affect the sound. For instance, the MIDI continuous ment, called a "keytar". control signal can be set to change the timbre, volume, or other parameter of a sound, offering new performance 2. Background of the Related Art possibilities. As can be readily understood, the use of an 20 accelerometer frees the musician to concentrate on play- [0003] The "keytar" is a musical instrument with a pi- ing the keytar. A side-effect of the accelerometer is also ano-style keyboard that is worn with a strap like a guitar. that it forces the musician to rock and tile the keytar which It can have a built-in sound generator, or merely be a leads to a more physically expressive style of playing that controller for an external sound generator. entertains live audiences. [0004] The keytar is a relatively obscure but still estab- 25 lished music instrument. A history of it can be found on BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keytar. [0005] Although keytars have all the versatility of a syn- [0011] These and other features, aspects, and advan- thesizer, many musicians find using a keyboard to gen- tages of the present invention will become better under- erate other types of sounds awkward. Because the key- 30 stood with reference to the following description, append- board keys abut one another, it is easy to strike multiple ed claims, and accompanying drawings where: or the incorrect key. So, for instance, if a musician desires to play percussive sound using the keyboard keys, using Fig. 1 is a front view of an improved keytar; a slap-style of play similar to a bass player is impractical. [0006] Also, many keyboards include function con-35 Fig. 2 is a front and right-side perspective view of trols, like a pitch-bend control, to apply effects to the the improved keytar; sound of the keyboard. However, these controls require the use of two hands to operate the controls. Keytars Fig. 3A is a diagram of the electrical operation of a suffer a disadvantage to typical synthesizer keyboard be- first embodiment of the improved keytar with a mi- cause keytars are played with one hand, like a guitar is 40 croprocessor that may have an optional integrated strummed. Although the musician’s second hand is free sound generator with analog audio outputs; and to operate other functions controls, many musicians find this arrangement awkward at best. Fig. 3B is a diagram of the electrical operation of a [0007] Therefore, there is a perceived need in the in- third embodiment of the improved keytar having an dustry for an improved keytar that provides the ability to 45 optional and separate internal sound generator that generate a wider range of sounds and provide better eas- receives input from the microprocessor. ier controls to operate the keyboard functions, which can lead to better showmanship for stage acts. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT SUMMARY 50 [0012] Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, an embodiment of the improved keytar is shown generally at 10. The im- [0008] The present invention solves the problems of proved keytar10 includes a piano- style keyboard 12 in a the prior art by providing an improved keytar that includes keyboard body 14. The keyboard body 14 generally in- a series of optimally placed drum pads and may also cludes a top 16, bottom 18, left side 20, right side 22, include an accelerometer configured to generate MIDI 55 front 24 and back. For purposes of orienting the reader, continuous controller values. the keyboard body 12 is described in relationship to a [0009] The improved keytar adds additional function- musician wearing the keytar 10. Thus the front 24 of the ality to this instrument for greater performance and con- keyboard body 14 faces outwards from the musician, the 2 3 EP 2 528 055 A2 4 back of the keyboard body 14 rests against the musician, a USB interface106), and/or may be used by the key- and the left side 20 and right side 22 of the keyboard tar’s10 internal sound generator, if included, which may body 14 are on the left hand and right hand sides, re- be integrated with the microprocessor 102. spectively, of the musician. [0018] To measure the tilt of the keytar 10, an accel- [0013] The keytar10 may include an internal sound 5 erometer 108 is read by the microprocessor102 through generator, which generates and plays sound in response an analog to digital converter 110. The value of the ac- to presses on the keyboard keys, and as will be further celerometer 108is converted into a MIDI continuous con- described below, sounds from the drum pads. In addition, troller value which is outputted from the keytar10 to con- the keytar10 may be configured to be a MIDI controller. trol an external synthesizer or computer. Also, the value That is, the keytar10 will generate MIDI note data and 10 of the accelerometer 108 may be used inside the transmit it to a computer, which will generate the sound. keytar10 to control an internal sound generator if includ- As a MIDI controller, the keytar10 need not include an ed, which the sound would be routed through an audio internal sound generator. MIDI outputs 26 are included output 114, such as a built-in speaker or audio output on the keytar10 to permit MIDI note data to be outputted connectors that may be connected to external amplifiers. to a computer, or other device that accepts MIDI inputs. 15 An amplifier 116 with optional volume control may be [0014] The keyboard body 14 includes a neck28 ex- included on the audio output 114. tending from the left side 20 of the keyboard body 14, [0019] The analog to digital converter 110 and USB which functions as a handle for the musician’s left hand interface 106 might also be physically integrated on the and includes additional controls to change the functions same chip as the microprocessor 102, as is known in the of the keytar 10. A fastening point for a guitar strap to 20 art. make the keytar10 easier to carry may be located on the [0020] Referring now to Fig. 3B, a second embodiment neck 28 or back of the keyboard body 12 as is known in of the electrical operation of the keytar is shown generally the art. The second fastening point30 for the strap is lo- at 300. The second embodiment generally describes the cated on the right side 20 of the keyboard body 14. It is instance where a microprocessor 302 provides control important to note that the keytar10 described and shown 25 inputs for an internal sound generator 318.