Electronic Music Laboratories, Inc.

Norman L Milliard

Jeffrey J Murray

Jeffrey L Bachiochi

An electronic music system includes a voltage controlled tone generator, or synthesizer, and an input device, in the form of a guitar or other fretted stringed instrument and associated electronic circuitry, for sequentially providing voltage signals, selected from a set of discretely different voltage levels each analogously related to a musical tone, for driving the tone generator. Each string-fret pair of the stringed instrument is assigned a given musical tone, preferably in accordance with normal tuning of the instrument, and means are provided for producing a corresponding voltage when a string-fret pair is closed by pressing the string against the fret. When two or more string-fret pairs are simultaneously closed, the output voltage corresponding to the highest frequency musical tone associated with the closed string-fret pairs is produced. In particular, different electrical voltages are applied to the instrument frets so as to apply such voltages to the strings when the strings are pressed into contact with the frets. A multiplexing system repetitively samples the string voltages, adds to each string voltage an offset voltage compensating for the musical intervals between the open strings, and processes the highest summed voltage for output to the tone generator.

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Stafford, CT, United States of America

Norman L Milliard