GB2405986A

GB2405986A - Electronic melodeon

Info

Publication number: GB2405986A
Application number: GB0317423A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Rouse
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-07-25
Filing date: 2003-07-25
Publication date: 2005-03-16
Also published as: GB0317423D0

Abstract

An electronic melodeon or button accordion has operating buttons 6 which actuate electrical switches connected to an electronic tone generation, control and amplification circuits. The notes are generated by electronic means rather than by the vibration of acoustic reeds and are outputted through an amplification circuit (12, fig 2) and a loudspeaker 8 or headphones 9. The control circuit may include a microprocessor (10, fig 2) and the tone generation circuit may consist of a synthesiser. The melodeon may be retuned to a different musical key by using the control panel 7 to reconfigure the software.

Description

MELODEON

The invention relates to a melodeon, a melodeon being a musical instrument of the type which produces musical notes by the operation of a bellows in conjunction with finger-operated buttons, the combination of which forces air past tuned metal reeds causing them to vibrate, the particular musical note sounded being determined by both the button pressed and the direction of bellows operation; either press (push) or draw (pull). Melodeons are sometimes also known as button accordions.

These instruments are well-known but suffer two distinct disadvantages, both of which are addressed by this invention. The first disadvantage is that melodeons are diatonic in that they typically have two distinct rows of buttons, each row producing a major scale, with the rows, hence scales, being a musicalffh apart. This restricts the instrument to being played in two musical keys, hence to play in a wider range of keys the musician must carry two or more separate, differently tuned melodeons. The second disadvantage is that melodeons, by their nature, cannot be played quietly thus rendering them a nuisance to those in, say, the same dwelling who do not wish to be disturbed whilst the musician is practicing.

An object of this invention is to provide a melodeon which can be retuned to allow the musician to play in any desired musical key, and the same melodeon which produces sound that can be heard only by the musician playing said melodeon.

Accordingly, this invention provides a melodeon in which the buttons are represented by electrical switches connected to an electronic system, said electronic system allowing the musician to predetermine the musical notes that said switches will cause said melodeon to produce when operated, and the same melodeon in which the reeds are represented by an electronic system consisting of a tone generator whose input consists of note information from said switches and whose output is connected to an amplification system and sound output transducer.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagram in which: FIGURE 1 shows a pictorial view of the melodeon; FIGURE 2 shows a system block diagram of the electronics contained within the melodeon.

As shown in Figure I, the melodeon consists of a bellows 1 of known design with two cases 2,3 fabricated from a low density material such as plywood. The cases are airtight and there are airtight seals 4 between the bellows 1 and the cases 2,3.

The right-hand case 3 has a keyboard 5 attached which houses electrical switches 6. A control panel 7 allows the musician to configure the tuning of the melodeon. A loudspeaker 8 and a headphone socket 9 allow the melodeon to produce sounds.

As shown in Figure 2, the electronic system within the melodeon consists of electrical keyboard switches 6 connecting to a processor 10 which may consist of a microcontroller. The processor sends musical note, volume and other control signals via connection to a tone generator 11 which may consist of a synthesiser. The musical audio signal from the tone generator 11 is sent via connection to an audio amplifier t2. The amplified audio signal is sent via connection to a loudspeaker 8 and a headphone socket 9. The headphone socket 9 allows the musician to direct the sound output of the melodeon to headphones thus allowing only the musician to hear the melodeon. The retuning of the melodeon may be achieved by configuring the software within the processor 10 using the control panel 7.

Claims

1. A melodeon comprising a bellows and two cases, one of the cases containing electrical switches, a control panel, an electronic tone generation system, an amplification system and a sound output transducer.

2. A melodeon as claimed in Claim 1 where operation of the electrical switches in conjunction with operation of the bellows and direction of operation of said bellows determines the musical note produced.

3. A melodeon as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 where the musical note is produced by the electronic tone generator controlled by the electrical switches and the bellows.

4. A melodeon as claimed in Claim 3 where the musical note is sounded by means of the amplification system and the sound output transducer.

5. A melodeon as claimed in any preceding claim where the musical key of said melodeon is configured by selection of said musical key through operation of the control panel.

6. A melodeon sustantially as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.