2426results about "Percussion musical instruments" patented technology

A pedal board for releasably retaining a plurality of foot pedal operated sound effect generators used in conjunction with musical instruments, such as guitars. The pedal board comprises an upper plate having a surface constructed to releasably hold a plurality of foot pedal operated sound effect generators. The pedal board is provided with an internal wiring harness and external jacks for connection of the sound effect generators in a desired array and which enable connection to the musical instrument as well as to an auxiliary sound generating component used with the musical instrument.

A linked progressive gaming system and method of operation is disclosed that is capable of accepting wagers in different currencies and different denominations of the same currency and allowing players in diverse locations to play for common progressive prizes. The system periodically computes each current prize value using the data acquired from each gaming device, and displays the values at each location where participating gaming devices are located, in the currency used at each particular location. Multiple prizes may be supported simultaneously. Each gaming device may be linked to one or more prizes. Progressive prize award events may be triggered by random events associated with play based on wagers made on gaming devices or by the central system based on prize criteria exceeding a boundary limit. A Free Play apparatus is disclosed that allows non-progressive gaming devices, as well as other traditional games, to participate in progressive play.

A percussion controller comprises an instrumented striker including devices for obtaining inertial measurements and a wireless transmitter, a sensor-enabled striking surface that receives an impact from the instrumented striker, and a data processing system that receives the inertial measurements and predicts at least one of the force or location of impact of the instrumented striker on the sensor-enabled striking surface before impact actually occurs.

An electroacoustically-amplified drum assembly consists of a hollow drum shell with a drumhead closing one or both end thereof and an acoustical air vent in the wall thereof. An acoustical microphone is positioned in the drum shell spaced from and free from any connection to the drumhead and has leads for connection through the acoustical vent to an external amplifier and speaker. An adjustable mount is secured on the interior surface of the drum shell without any break in the wall of the drum shell for supporting the microphone. The adjustable mount may be adjusted and set to establish a position for the microphone for minimizing microphone interference and optimizing proximity effect and sound quality. The drum may have air vent hardware positioned in the acoustical air vent opening and including electrical connections for connection to the external speaker and amplifier. The microphone mount may be supported by nuts on the inner ends of lug bolts extending through the drum shell wall for supporting the head tensioning lugs on the outer surface of the drum shell. An alternative embodiment uses magnets one the outer surface of the drum shell cooperating with magnets inside the drum to support the mount adjustably on the drum shell.

An electronic percussion instrument includes input means, comparison means, and musical tone generation control means. The input means allows for the input of a vibration of a head section and a vibration of a rim section that have been detected by a striking detection section. The comparison means allows for a comparison of a size of the vibration of the head section and a size of the vibration of the rim section. The musical tone generation control means allows for controlling a generation of a musical tone based on a result of a comparison by the comparison means such that the musical tone corresponds either to the vibration of the head section or to the vibration of the rim section. In those cases where the musical tone corresponds to the vibration of the rim section, the generation of the musical tone can be further controlled.

An electronic percussion instrument that allows for a performance sensation that is similar to that of an acoustic HiHat cymbal. A sliding mechanism of a top cymbal pad section and a bottom cymbal pad section of an electronic HiHat cymbal where the top cymbal pad section and the bottom cymbal pad section are both fixed so that they can swing together when the top cymbal pad section is struck. Even when the first cymbal pad is struck and swings coming into contact with the second cymbal pad, the gliding contact between the first pad and the second pad is carried out smoothly and allows for a natural striking sensation comparable to that of an acoustic HiHat cymbal.

A portable electronic drumhead includes a sensor responsive to drumstick impacts in producing electrical signal pulses input to headphones to thereby simulate sounds of an acoustic drumhead. The sensor includes a Force Sensing Resistor (FSR) lamination coated with an electrically conductive polymer ink, a spacer lamination, and a flexible electrode lamination having on an inner surface thereof a pair of interdigitated electrodes, the electrode lamination elastically contacting the FSR lamination in response to drumstick impacts on the outer surface of the electrode lamination or FSR lamination to thus momentarily reduce electrical resistance between the electrodes. Resilient batter pads overlying the laminations muffle sounds produced by drumstick impacts. Optionally, the sensor may have an annular ring shape which may be placed concentrically on the head of an acoustic drum, the sensor having an upwardly protruding resilient bumper strikable to produce electronically synthesized rim shot sounds.

The present invention includes an electronic cymbal assembly including a hi-hat clutch for mounting a hi-hat to a hi-hat stand post; a top cymbal; a self dampening trigger system attached to the underside of the top cymbal; a bottom cymbal; an input jack box mounted to the underside of the bottom cymbal; and a hi-hat cymbal mounting post. The cymbal assembly may be mounted using a magnetic ring configuration or a threaded pole configuration.

An electronic synthesized steelpan drum resembling a conventional steelpan drum and featuring the same shallow cylindrical shape with a sunken concave playing surface. The steelpan drum includes a central processor chip and associated memory chips for providing a variety of synthesized steelpan and a full range of musical, orchestral, and symphonic instrumental sounds, including tenor, double-seconds, guitar, cello, quadraphonic, tenor-bass, and bass steel drums. The concave playing surface is comprised of a series of rubber striking pad areas, which can be arranged in a conventional or other unique pattern typical of a tenor pan. The striking pad areas will be played with a pair of pansticks. Attached under each pad is a pressure sensor, which will detect the amount of force applied when a pannist strikes a pad and provide a signal to the central processor for controlling the synthesized sound. The steelpan has various control functions including speakers, volume control, function selection buttons, and a control display panel.

An object of the present invention is to provide a percussion detecting apparatus, which is excellent in percussion feeling, and the percussion sounds of which are very small, in electronic percussion instrumental system. The percussion detecting apparatus is provided with a head prepared from a net-like raw material composed of a first net and a second net, the net-like raw material being obtained by such a manner that both the nets having been woven in accordance with plane weaving manner wherein the longitudinal and transverse fibers cross at right angles are laminated in such a way that the weave pattern directions thereof intersect obliquely with each other; and a head sensor which is in contact with the center position of the under side in the head and detects percussion with respect to the head as electric signal.

An electronic drum 30 comprises a hollow body part 10 having an opening side, a drum head stretched over the opening side of the hollow body part 10 and having a stroked surface, an elastic cushion part 40 arranged to touch with a reverse side of the stroked surface of the drum head 30, a vibration absorber 43 that is arranged inside the body part 10 and absorbs a vibration transmitted from the body part 10, and a sensor 41 that is arranged in the vibration absorber 43 to touch with the elastic cushion part 40 and outputs a result of detecting a stroke on the drum head 30 transmitted by the elastic cushion part 40. The drum head 30 is made of a lamination of a plurality of elastic films and has a plurality of holes 30h pierced thorough all layers of the laminated films.

A guide is disclosed with vertical numerically color coded lines on it. The guide can then be moved along the space between the keys and the fallboard of the piano, so that the keys can be played by anyone placing their fingers on the keys indicated by the lines on the guide.Sheet music is prepared with numbers and colors juxtaposed to the notes corresponding to the lines, so that the piano student will know which keys to stroke.

The invention concerns a tip structure for a support leg for a stand. The stand may be used for supporting a musical instrument. The support leg has a main part with a bottom end. A bar receiving opening opens into the bottom end of the main support. An elongated hole is formed in the side of the support leg and communicates into the bar receiving opening. An end cap is fitted over the bottom end of the leg. The cap has a bottom opening that is aligned with the bar receiving opening at the bottom of the support leg. The cap has an adjustment groove along the side of the cap which overlies the elongated hole in the leg. A tip bar is inserted in the bar receiving opening in the leg and is projectable through the opening in the cap. A clamping screw extends through the adjustment groove in the side of the cap and through the elongated hole in the side of the leg and into the bar receiving opening inside the leg for being tightenable to clamp the bar at a selected position beyond the end of the cap and loosenable to permit adjustment of the clamping of the bar with respect to the cap. The musical instrument stand may include two of the support legs supported on a support for the musical instrument, which may be a cymbal.

A snare drum strainer mountable to the shell of a drum comprises a piston and an actuator. The piston has an axis and a surface curved about an axis generally parallel to the piston axis, and the piston is operatively connected to snares. The actuator and the curved surface rotate one with respect to the other about an axis generally parallel to the piston axis to reciprocate the piston and to tension and untension the snares. In another embodiment, the piston includes a generally cylindrical surface with a generally helical groove, the piston is operatively connected to snares, and the actuator includes a follower insertable into the generally helical groove. The follower and the generally cylindrical surface rotate one with respect to the other to reciprocate the piston and tension and untension the snares.

A drumstick tether is disclosed for rotatably securing a drumstick to a finger of a drummer comprising a first elongate strip of flexible material adapted to wrap around the finger of the drummer and a second elongate strip of flexible material adapted to wrap around the drumstick. The first elongate strip of flexible material is secured to a first swivel part of a swivel member for securing the drumstick tether to the finger of the drummer. The second elongate strip of flexible material is secured to a second swivel part of the swivel member for securing the drumstick tether to the drumstick. The swivel member has a transverse swivel length greater than an axial swivel length for positioning the drumstick in close proximity to the finger of the drummer for enabling a closed hand of the drummer to hold the drumstick in a conventional manner and for enabling an opening hand of the drummer to theatrically twirl the drumstick about the swivel member.

An electronic percussion instrument that detects vibrations due to a hit and outputs a corresponding signal where the head of the instrument is held in place independent of a rim part. The independence stops vibrations originating from a hit of the rim from traveling to the head and interfering with the proper signal detection of hits to the head part.

Described is a bass drum foot pedal having a variable drive lever linkage with variable arc ratios connecting the foot pedal to a beater bracket. The beater bracket is formed with a mounting surface that tips a beater shaft forward to create a forward beater angle that maximizes the beater impact against a bass drum.

A body support system having a frame with a vertical section that couples with a shoulder section and a hip section that are flexible and configured to fit over the shoulders and around a user's hips. The hip elements are coupled to the vertical section and allow limited pelvic rotation around vertical axis orthogonal to the vertical section. The hip elements are configured to use a latching hip strap to couple hip padding to the hip elements. The vertical section may have spinal padding for the thoracic portion of the spine. The shoulder section has shoulder elements are curved and coupled to form a yoke that fits over the shoulders. The yoke may couple to lifting straps. The vertical section may be curved to conform to the shape of a user's back.

A drum with a vibrating membrane for producing sounds in a range of low to high resonant frequencies including a drum shell with a first open end and a second open end, a drumhead, including a vibrating membrane, covering said first open end, a cover with a threaded opening extending across and secured to said second end, and a resonant member having a first end and a second end, with the first end having a threaded means for detachable coupling with the threaded opening in the cap in airtight relation to enhance and manipulate the low resonant frequencies independent of the high resonant frequencies upon the striking of the membrane.

A musical effects pedal retaining unit comprising a retaining body, a retaining means affixed to said retaining body by retaining means connectors and an attachment surface fixed to said retaining body. This pedal retaining unit is preferably used with a pedal board system to secure at least one musical effect pedal while simultaneously preserving the effects pedal.

A combination guitar arm rest and leg rest for attachment to a portion of a body of a guitar and holding the guitar away from a guitar player's arm or elbow and above the player's leg. The combination includes an arm rest pad and a leg rest pad. The arm rest pad and the leg rest pad are pivotally attached to a tang. The tang is pivotally mounted on a yoke. The yoke is pivotally attached to one end of a pair of struts. An opposite end of the struts is pivotally mounted on a suction cup pivot pin. Opposite ends of the pivot pin are attached to a pair of suction cups. The suction cups are adapted for releasable attachment to the body of the guitar. The tang, the yoke and the struts allow the arm rest pad and the leg rest pad to be pivoted in an “XY” vertical plane, a “YZ” vertical plane and a “XZ” horizontal plane for infinite adjustments by the guitar player.

A sound pickup device, which is arranged in proximity to a percussion instrument (e.g., a bass drum), comprises a diaphragm stretched under tension over an opening of a shell having a cylindrical shape, and an electroacoustic transducer arranged inside of the shell. The electroacoustic transducer comprises a magnetic transducer or a speaker unit. Herein, the percussion instrument is played to produce the low-pitch sound, which is transmitted to the diaphragm to vibrate so that the electroacoustic transducer is activated to convert the low-pitch sound into an electric signal, based on which the low-pitch sound is reproduced by a sound system with a high fidelity to the original sound.

Collectable fingerprinted items, and methods of making such fingerprinted items, including original and simulated fingerprints for application to an item to create a collectable item. The processes may be used to create a variety of collectable items, such as instrument picks, pendants, key fobs, charms, and other collectables. The process includes taking an original fingerprint impression, using the original impression to create a simulated fingerprint impression. The methods optionally include altering at least one identifying characteristic in a manner that prevents identity theft of other misuse of the fingerprint impression. The process optionally includes applying the simulated fingerprint impression to an item, such as by making a mold incorporating the simulated fingerprint, such as by using CAD / CAM technology and molding an item using the created mold.

A body support system (100) having a frame with a vertical section (108) that couples with a shoulder section and a hip section that are flexible and configured to fit over the shoulders and around a user's hips. The hip elements are coupled to the vertical section (108) and allow limited pelvic rotation around vertical axis orthogonal to the vertical section (108). The hip elements are configured to use a latching hip strap to couple hip padding to the hip elements. The vertical section (108) may have spinal padding for the thoracic portion of the spine. The shoulder section has shoulder elements (101) are curved and coupled to form a yoke that fits over the shoulders. The yoke may couple to lifting straps. The vertical section (108) may be curved to conform to the shape of a user's back.

A removable electronic drum head for an acoustic drum is disclosed. The electronic drum head includes an elastic strike layer, a rigid plate centered below the elastic strike layer. A first sensor is attached to a bottom surface of the rigid plate. A structural body supports the elastic strike layer, rigid plate and first sensor. The structural body is further adapted to attach to an acoustic drum. Other optional foam layers may be included above and below the rigid plate.

To connect a large and a small diameter pipe, a pipe connector has a tightening bush with a cut through it and is compressed around the pipe and has a main body with a receptacle for the tightening bush. The tightening bush has first axial ribs on a circumferential region of the periphery. The main body receptacle has cooperating complementary second internal ribs engaged by the first ribs so that as the bush is tightened, it does not rotate in the receptacle. A large pipe holder extends down from the receptacle for the bush and receives the large diameter pipe. An auxiliary bush may be disposed inside the large pipe in the radial space between the large and small diameter pipes.