Electronic percussion instrument - Patent Review 4995294

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

a stick-shaped striker which is operated in a striking manner or swinging manner;

musical sound initiating command signal generating means provided in said stick-shaped striker and including switching means for performing switching actions each time said striker is operated in the striking manner or in the swinging manner, and a signal generator for generating a musical sound initiating command signal each time said switching means performs a switching action; and

a musical sound producing unit for producing a musical sound with a preset timbre each time the musical sound initiating command signal is generated by said command signal generating means,

wherein said musical sound-initiating command signal generating means comprises:

a conductive member held rigidly within the striker;

a plurality of insulating members securely fitted on the outer surface of said conductive member at a predetermined distance; and

an elastic and conductive member arranged in such a manner that its middle portion is separated from said conductive member by said plurality of insulating members when the striker is not used, and comes into electrical contact with said conductive member when the striker is striking or swinging.

2. The electronic percussion instrument according to claim 1, wherein said conductive member is an elongated rigid conductive member arranged within the striker, in alignment with the longitudinal axis thereof.

3. The electronic percussion instrument according to claim 1, wherein said elastic and conductive member is either a helically wound conductive spring or a cylindrical elastic and conductive tube.

4. The electronic percussion instrument according to claim 1, wherein said elastic and conductive member is either a rod-like thick wire or a coil spring.

5. An electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

a stick-shaped striker which is operated in a striking manner or swinging manner;

musical sound initiating command signal generating means provided in said stick-shaped striker and including switching means for performing switching actions each time said striker is operated in the striking manner or in the swinging manner, and a signal generator for generating a musical sound initiating command signal each time said switching means performs a switching action; and

a musical sound producing unit for producing a musical sound with a preset timbre each time the musical sound initiating command signal is generated by said command signal generating means,

wherein said musical sound-initiating command signal-generating means has a timbre-selecting means, for providing a desired timbre to the musical sound which is produced when the striker is striking or swinging.

6. An electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

a stick-shaped striker which is operated in a striking manner or swinging manner;

musical sound initiating command signal generating means provided in said stick-shaped striker and including switching means for performing switching actions each time said striker is operated in the striking manner or in the swinging manner, and a signal generator for generating a musical sound initiating command signal each time said switching means performs a switching action;

a musical sound producing unit for producing a musical sound with a preset timbre each time the musical sound initiating command signal is generated from said sound-initiating command signal generating means; and

timbre selecting means for selecting a timbre of a musical sound to be produced from said musical sound producing unit in accordance with the musical sound initiating command signal when the striker is struck or swung,

wherein said timbre-selecting means comprises:

a first contact member which is electrically connected with said musical sound-initiating command signal-generating means;

one or more second contact members arranged, with respect to the first contact member, to be electrically connected to said musical sound producing unit; and

a a manually operated member provided on said striker, for selectively establishing an electrical connection between one of said second contact members and said first contact member.

7. An electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

a stick-shaped striker which is operated in a striking manner or swinging manner;

musical sound initiating command signal generating means provided in said stick-shaped striker and including switching means for performing switching actions each time said striker is operated in the striking manner or in the swinging manner, and a signal generator for generating a musical sound initiating command signal each time said switching means performs a switching action;

a musical sound producing unit for producing a musical sound with a preset timbre each time the musical sound initiating command signal is generated from said sound-initiating command signal generating means; and

timbre selecting means for selecting a timbre of a musical sound to be produced from said musical sound producing unit in accordance with the musical sound initiating command signal when the striker is struck or swung, wherein said striker comprises a hollow stick-shaped body, and said timbre-selecting means comprises:

a circuit substrate provided inside of the stick-shaped body with a first contact member which is connected to said musical sound-initiating command signal-generating means and one or more second contact members arranged, with respect to said first contact member, to be connected with said musical sound producing unit;

guiding-and-holding means for guiding and holding the lateral edges of said circuit substrate in said stick-shaped body; and

a manually operated member having one end protruding from the surface of said stick-shaped body, and the other end depressibly located within said stick-shaped body, in a position where it faces both said first and second contact members, to selectively establish electrical connection between said first contact member and one of said second contact members.

8. An electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

a stick-shaped striker which is operated in a striking manner or swinging manner;

musical sound initiating command signal generating means provided in said stick-shaped striker and including switching means for performing switching actions each time said striker is operated in the striking manner or in the swinging manner, and a signal generator for generating a musical sound initiating command signal each time said switching means performs a switching action;

a musical sound producing unit for producing a single musical percussion note sound in accordance with the musical sound initiating command signal; and

chattering preventing means for transmitting to said musical sound producing unit only a first musical sound initiating command signal in response to a striking or swinging operation of said striker so that a musical sound is produced according to the first musical sound initiating command signal.

9. The electronic percussion instrument according to claim 8, wherein said switching means includes a pair of conductive members and an insulating member for insulating said conductive members with each other, and wherein said pair of conductive members are spaced apart with each other while said striker is not operated in the striking or swinging manner, and the pair of conductive members are contacted with each other when said striker is operated in the striking or swinging manner, whereby the switching action of said switching means is performed to generate musical sound initiating command signals in response to the switching action.

10. An electronic percussion instrument according to claim 8, wherein said chattering-prevention means comprises:

temporary storage means which temporarily stores the musical sound-initiating command signal generated by said musical sound-initiating command signal-generating means; and

initializing means for outputting an initializing signal, to initialize the data temporarily stored in said storage means, when a predetermined chattering time has elapsed after receiving said musical sound-initiating command signal.

11. The electronic percussion instrument according to claim 10, wherein said temporary storage means comprises a bistable element, which enters a first state when a musical sound-initiating command signal is received from said musical sound-initiating command signal-generating means, and enters a second state when an initializing signal is received from said initializing means.

12. An electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

a stick-shaped striker which is operated in a striking manner or swinging manner;

musical sound initiating command signal generating means provided in said stick-shaped striker and including switching means for performing a switching action when said striker is operated in the striking manner or in the swinging manner, and a signal generator for generating a musical sound initiating command signal in accordance with the switching action;

a musical sound producing unit for producing desired musical sounds in accordance with the musical sound initiating command signal;

wherein said musical sound initiating command signal generating means also includes

a conductive member held rigidly within the striker,

a plurality of insulating members securely fitted on the outer surface of said conductive member at a predetermined distance, and

an elastic and conductive member arranged so that its middle portion is separated from said conductive member by said plurality of insulating members when the striker is not used, and comes into electrical contact with said conductive member when the striker is striking or swinging,

said elastic and conductive member is either a helically wound conductive spring or a cylindrical elastic and conductive tube; and

wherein said musical sound-initiating command signal-generating means includes timbre-selecting means, for providing a desired timbre to the musical sound that is produced when the striker is striking or swinging.

13. An electronic percussion instrument according to claim 12, wherein said timbre-selecting means comprises:

at least two contact members held rigidly within the striker; and

a conductive member arranged, with respect to said at least two contact members, so that it can selectively establish an electrical connection with one of said at least two contact members, by rotating the striker about its longitudinal axis, to move the position where the striker strikes or swings.

14. The electronic percussion instrument according to claim 13, wherein said at least two contact members are diagonally arranged with said conductive member located at the center.

15. The electronic percussion instrument according to claim 13, wherein said at least two contact members are located with a longitudinal half portion of the stick-shaped body.

16. The electronic percussion instrument according to claim 13, wherein said conductive member is either a conductive thick wire or a coil spring.

17. An electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

a stick-shaped striker which is operated in a striking manner or swinging manner;

musical sound initiating command signal generating means provided in said stick-shaped striker and including switching means for performing a switching action when said striker is operated either in the striking manner or in the swinging manner, and a signal generator for generating a musical sound initiating command signal in accordance with the switching action;

a musical sound producing unit for producing desired musical sounds in accordance with the musical sound initiating command signal; and

timbre selecting means for selecting a timbre of a musical sound to be produced from said musical sound producing unit in accordance with the musical sound initiating command signal when the striker is struck or swung;

wherein said timbre-selecting means comprises

a first contact member electrically connected with said musical sound-initiating command signal-generating means,

one or more second contact members arranged, with respect to the first contact member, to be electrically connected to said musical sound producing unit, and

a manually operated member provided on said striker, for selectively establishing an electrical connection between one of said second contact members and said first contact member.

18. An electronic percussion instrument, comprising:

a stick-shaped striker which is operated in a striking manner or swinging manner;

musical sound initiating command signal generating means provided in said stick-shaped striker and including switching means for performing a switching action when said striker is operated either in the striking manner or in the swinging manner, and signal generator for generating a musical sound initiating command signal in accordance with the switching action;

a musical sound producing unit for producing desired musical sounds in accordance with the musical sound initiating command signal; and

timbre selecting means for selecting a timbre of a musical sound to be produced from said musical sound producing unit in accordance with the musical sound initiating command signal when the striker is struck or swung;

wherein said striker comprises a hollow stick-shaped body, and said timbre-selecting means comprises

a circuit substrate provided inside of the stick-shaped body with a first contact member which is connected to said musical sound-initiating command signal-generating means and one or more second contact members arranged, with respect to said first contact member, to be connected with said musical sound producing unit,

guiding-and-holding means for guiding and holding the lateral edges of said circuit substrate in said stick-shaped body; and

a manually operated member having one end protruding from the surface of said stick-shaped body, and the other end depressibly located within said stick-shaped body, in a position where it faces both said first and said second contact members, to selectively establish electrical connection between said first contact member and one of said second contact members.

Description Submit all comments and votes

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electronic percussion instrument of the type in which a desired musical sound is produced by striking or swinging a stick-shaped striker or a drumstick against a drum or the like.

An electronic percussion instrument of this type is already known from the Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5912/59. In this known electronic percussion instrument, a number of piezo-electric elements are embedded in the tip of each of the associated drumsticks used with the instrument, to convert a drumstick's vibrations, caused by striking it against a drum or the like, into electric signals, so that the musical sound which corresponds to a drumstick vibrating will be emitted from one or multiple loudspeakers.

The aforementioned known electronic percussion instrument is, however, accompanied with certain drawbacks. One of the drawbacks lies in the fact that an instrument which uses piezo-electric elements to generate the electric signals necessary for producing desired musical sounds, is quite expensive. Not only are such piezo-electric elements relatively expensive, they are also prone to degradation with time, consequently prohibiting the generation of electric signals of a required level and, therefore, the production of desired musical sounds, after a long perid of use. Another drawback of the known electronic percussion instrument is that since electric signals are detected and desired musical sounds are produced only when the drumstick strikes where piezo-electric elements are embedded, variegated playing performances, for example using the tail of the drumsticks or swinging them, cannot be achieved.

The drumstick of the above-described known electronic percussion instrument is provided with a plurality of piezo-electric elements having different stress sensitivities and frequency characteristics, in order that a musical sound can be generated selectively with a number of different timbres. With this known electronic percussion instrument, however, since different timbres of a musical note are produced by providing a corresponding number of piezo-electric elements having different stress sensitivities and frequency characteristics, the number of different timbres is, nevertheless, limited by the number of the piezo-electric elements which can be incorporated in the drumstick, and thus, a wide variety of timbres beyond that limit cannot be obtained for a given musical note. While it is conceivable for someone skilled in the art to produce an electronic percussion instrument in which a striking or swinging action of a striker or drumstick triggers a switching action of a musical sound-initiating command signal generator, which in turn generates a predetermined musical sound-initiating command signal, a striking or oscillating action by a striker of such a percussion instrument may, however, be accompanied by chattering which may produce undesired musical sounds in the musical sound generating unit. Therefore, preventive measures against such chattering should be provided for this type of electronic percussion instrument.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic percussion instrument which has a relatively simple construction and can be manufactured at a low cost, but which ensures the generating of correct electric signals and of desired musical sounds without degradation, even after a long period of use, and also permits variegated playing performances.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic percussion instrument which can selectively generate a variety of different timbres for a given musical note, by means of simple switching operations which can be performed without interfering with a player's music playing activities, when a striking or swinging of the striker is being performed by the player.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electronic percussion instrument which, even if chattering are produced in the course of striking or swinging a striker, can prevent the production of undesired musical sounds arising from such chattering.

These objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an electronic percussion instrument comprising a pair of stick-shaped strikers which are operated in a striking or swinging manner, a musical sound-initiating command signal generator having a switching system incorporated in the stick-shaped strikers, this switching system performing a switching action when the strikers are operated either in a striking manner or in a swinging manner, to generate musical sound-initiating command signals in accordance with the switching action, and a musical sound producing unit which produces desired musical sounds in accordance with the musical sound-initiating command signals transmitted from the musical sound-initiating command signal generator.

The objects of the present invention are also achieved by providing an electronic percussion instrument comprising a pair of stick-shaped strikers, a musical sound-initiating command signal generator, a musical sound producing unit, and signal transmitter for transmitting the signals generated by the musical sound-initiating command signals generator when the strikers are made to strike or are swing against the musical sound producing unit.

In addition, the objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an electronic percussion instrument comprising a pair of strikers, a musical sound-initiating command signal generator, a musical sound producing unit, and a timbre selection unit for selecting the timbre of the musical sound to be produced by the musical sound producing unit, in accordance with the musical sound-initiating command signals transmitted from the musical sound-initiating command signal generator, when the strikers are striking or swinging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the electronic percussion instrument according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively show an enlarged longitudinal cross section and an enlarged transverse cross section of the principal part of the musical sound-initiating command signal generator of the above embodiment;

FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively show an enlarged longitudinal cross section and an enlarged transverse cross section of the principal part of the timbre selecting unit of the above embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view along the VI--VI line of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 shows a circuit diagram of the electric circuit to be used in the above embodiment;

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged cross section of an alternative conductive elastic member to be used in the above embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows a cross section of an alternative circuit substrate holding mechanism to be used in the above embodiment;

FIG. 10 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows an alternative conductive elastic member to be used in the second embodiment;

FIGS. 12 and 13 respectively show an exploded perspective view and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view along line XIV--XIV of FIG. 13;

FIGS. 15 and 16 respectively show an exploded perspective view and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 shows a cross-sectional view along line XVII--XVII of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 shows a cut-out perspective view of a striker with which four timbres are selectively provided;

FIG. 19 shows alternative tone selector;

FIG. 20 shows a longitudinal cross section of a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 shows a cross-sectional view along line XXI--XXI of FIG. 20; and

FIGS. 22 to 25 show further embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIG. 1, which is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention, the striker is illustrated in a disproportionally large scale as compared with that of the musical sound generating unit. As is shown in FIG. 1, striker 1, which is made to strike or swing to produce sound during a musical performance, has a size, appearance, and shape similar to a conventional drumstick.

Striker 1 comprises an elongated cylindrical stick-shaped body 2, a head portion 3 located at the front end of body 2, and a cap 4 located at the rear end thereof. As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, musical sound-initiating command signal generator 5 and a circuit substrate 6 are provided inside the stick-shaped body , as well as a timbre selecting switch SSW which is located in the center of the stick-shaped body.

Stick-shaped body 2 is a hollow cylinder made from ABS resin, formed by injection molding, whose inner wall defines a cavity with a cross section having a rectangular upper half portion and a crescent lower half portion which are separated by a pair of rectangular guiding-and-holding grooves 2a formed, at the time of injection molding, to guide and hold the lateral edges of a circuit substrate 6, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Stick-shaped body 2 has a radial hole 2b which is located at the middle of its length, so that push-button may be freely inserted therein, and a grip 2c is provided on the surface area beyond the hole, nearer to the rear end of the body.

Head 3, which has a oval tip portion 3c and a rear end portion 3a with a cross section identical to that of stick-shaped body 2, is made from hard resin such as ABS resin, and is designed to transmit the vibration of the striker, which is produced when it is struck or oscillated against a drum, a book, a desktop or the like, to musical sound-initiating command signal generator 5. Except for its rear end portion, head 3 is covered with a protective cover 3b made of soft resin, such as urethane resin.

Musical sound-initiating command generator 5 performs a switching action when head 3 strikes or oscillates, to transmit a predetermined musical sound-initiating command signal, so as to produce a desired musical sound from a musical sound producing unit 11, and comprises, as can be seen most clearly from FIGS. 2 and 3, a conductive member 5b securely fitted on a support base 5a, insulating member 5c securely fitted around the conductive member 5b, and a conductive coil spring 5d whose lower extremity is securely fitted on the outer circumference of the insulating member 5c. In other words, support base 5a is an elongated plate of hard resin, such as ABS resin, having a column-shaped fitting member 5a.sub.1 standing at the middle of its length. One end of support base 5a (the leftside end in FIG. 2) is securely held on head 3 by means of a screw 5a.sub.2, while its other end is securely held on circuit substrate 6 by means of a screw 5a.sub.2. Conductive member 5b is a metal rod and is fitted to the center of support base 5a, in alignment with the longitudinal axis of stick-shaped body 2, with one of its ends horizontally extending toward the front end of the body, and its other end extending toward the rear end of the body to be soldered to connector chip 6a of circuit substrate 6. Insulating member 5c has a tubular configuration and is securely fitted to the circumference of one end of conductive member 5b. Coil spring 5d, which is made from conductive metal, is designed to be flexibly deformed in accordance with vibration of head 3, and detachably in contact with the pole of conductive member 5b. The rear end portion of coil spring 5d helically surrounds the circumference of insulating member 5c and then extends further, through a notch formed on the top of fitting member 5a.sub.1, to connector chip 6a of circuit substrate 6, where the very end of the coil is soldered thereto.

As is shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, circuit substrate 6 is an elongated plate, on the upper surface of which are provided connector chip 6a and electronic parts (not shown), as well as contact plates 8 and 9 of timbre selecting switch SSW. Circuit substrate 6 is introduced into stick-shaped body 2 from the front end (the leftside end in FIG. 2), with its lateral edges being guided along guiding-and-holding grooves 2a, which are formed on the inner surface of body 2, to predetermined positions, so as to be securely fitted thereto.

Timbre selecting switch SSW is designed to shift the timbre of the sound to be produced by the instrument and, as is shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, comprises a pushbutton 7a and first and second contact plates 8 and 9. Pushbutton 7a has the configuration of an inverted bucket, and comprises a central depressor portion 7a.sub.1 and a number of peripheral elastic hoods 7a.sub.2 . . . provided to prevent the pushbutton from coming off from hole 2b, so that when depressed, it will smoothly enter stick-shaped body 2, to push down second contact plate 9 and return to its original position relative to the outer surface of body 2, when it is released. First and second contact plates 8 and 9 are metal leaf springs, comprising respective contact chips 8a and 9a at their opposed front ends, and respective longitudinal legs 8b and 9b and radial legs 8c and 9c at their remote ends, which are soldered onto circuit substrate 6. Thus, contact plates 8 and 9 are electrically connected to substrate 6. The front end of first contact plate 8 is located laterally apart from pushbutton 7a, whereas the front end portion of second contact plate 9 passes under pushbutton 7a and reaches the lower surface of first contact plate 8, thereby to come permanently into contact with the latter, so long as the former is not pushed down. When pushbutton 7a is depressed, second contact plate 9 is pushed down by depressor 7a.sub.1, via a felt chip 9d, and contact chip 8b comes into contact with stationary contact point 6b located on circuit substrate 6. Circuit substrate 6 is electrically connected with a flexible cord 10 via a connector (not shown). Flexible cord 10 extends from body 2, through cap 4, which is located at the rear end of body 2, to musical sound producing unit 11, which produces desired musical sounds. Musical sound producing unit 11 can produce a musical sound not only when striker 1 is made to strike, but also when any of a plurality of drum pads 12 provided on the upper section of the unit is depressed and when any bar of keyboard 13 is depressed, in the latter case the keyboard being able to be operated like any other ordinary keyboard instrument.

The above-described components are assembled to form a striker 1 in the following manner:

Rod-shaped conductive member 5b, insulating member 5c, and coil spring 5d of musical sound-initiating signal generator 5 are fitted to support base 5a, prior to the assembly operation. One end of the aggregate of the signal generator 5 is then rigidly fitted, by means of a screw 5a.sub.2, to rear end portion 3a having a diameter of stick head 3, and its other end is rigidly fitted, also by means of a screw 5a.sub.2, to the end of circuit substrate 6, while conductive member 5b and coil spring 5d of signal generator 5 are electrically connected to circuit substrate 6. First and second contact plates 8 and 9 are fitted to circuit substrate 6, prior to the assembly operation.

Circuit substrate 6, to which musical sound-initiating command signal generator 5 and stick head 3 are mechanically and electrically connected, is then introduced into stick-shaped body 2, from its front end (the leftside end in FIG. 2), by sliding the lateral edges of head 3 along guiding-and-holding grooves 2a, until rear end portion 3a of head 3 is completely concealed within body 2, where musical sound-initiating signal generator 5 and circuit substrate 6 reach their respective proper locations and second contact plate 9 of timbre selecting switch SSW, provided on circuit substrate 6, faces radial hole 2b of body 2 of pushbutton 7a.

When circuit substrate 6 is placed in this location, pushbutton 7a of timbre selecting switch SSW is introduced into button hole 2b. Then, central depressor portion 7a.sub.1 is positioned, with respect to felt chip 9d on contact plate 9, so that it comes into contact therewith, and is constantly pushed upward by plate 9. Nevertheless, pushbutton 7a will not come out through button hole 2b, because it is anchored by elastic hooks 7a.sub.2 to the periphery thereof. Then, cord 10 is attached to the rear end of circuit substrate 6, and the rear end plug (not shown) of cord 10 is inserted into the jack of musical sound producing unit 11, to establish an electrical connection between circuit substrate 6 and the sound source-driving device and two loudspeakers SP of musical sound producing unit 11.

Now, by referring to FIG. 7, the circuit configuration used in the embodiment will be described below.

As is shown in FIG. 7, musical sound producing unit 11 comprises a flip-flop circuit of RS type 18 (hereinafter referred to as "RS F/F)", which is placed in a "set" condition when its set-input terminal S receives a musical sound-initiating command signal generated in response to a switching-on action of musical sound-triggering switch TSW, which occurs when striker 1 is made to strike while timbre selecting switch SSW remains undepressed. Output terminal Q of RS F/F 18 is connected to a timer circuit 19 which starts measuring the elapse of a predetermined time period, the so-called chattering reference time (t), when the first key-on signal is transmitted from output terminal Q, in response to the switching-on action of triggering switch TSW, and with CPU (central processing unit) 121, which controls musical sound producing device 20 in such a manner that the latter always produces a musical sound in response to a key-on signal. The output terminal of timer circuit 19 transmits a carry signal (reset signal) when a predetermined time period, or so-called chattering reference time, has elapsed after the generating of the first key-on signal in response to the first strike or oscillation of striker 1, in order to prevent any possible production of undesired sounds arising from chatterings which may occur when striker 1 strikes and coil spring 9 is consequently caused to vibrate. The carry signal is then sent to reset-input terminal R of RSF/F 18, to place it in a "reset" condition, where it is then ready to accept another signal output from switch TSW. As has been described above, timer circuit 19 measures the elapse of chattering reference time (t), after the generation of the key-on signal, in response to the first strike of striker 1, the reference time being determined on the basis of preset time value data supplied by CPU 121, with due regard to both the time interval elapsing between any two successive strikes of a given barrage of strikes by striker 1, and the actual elapse of time from the first strike to the occurrence of chattering after the strike. If the chattering reference time (t) is set to be sufficiently long, without considering the time interval which will elapse between two successive strikes of striker 1, the "set" condition of RSF/F 18, which is established in accordance with the first key-in signal generated for a strike by striker 1, also becomes long enough to prevent transmission, to CPU 121, of a second key-on signal which may be accidentally generated as a result of chattering occurring shortly after the first key-on signal is generated and, consequently, the producing of an undesired sound by musical sound producing device 20 is prevented. On the other hand, if the reference time (t) is set too long, a second key-on signal, which may be generated before the elapse of the time (t), because two successive strikes by striker 1 occur in quick succession, i.e. with a very short time interval therebetween, will not be transmitted to CPU 121, and the desired musical sound corresponding to the second key-on signal will not be produced. Therefore, the reference time (t) is set to a value which is greater than the longest possible time interval (t.sub.1) between a first strike and a first chattering and less than the shortest possible time interval (t.sub.2) between a first strike and a second strike of a barrage of strikes by striker 1.

Now, any musical sound-initiating command signals which are generated while timbre selecting switch SSW is kept depressed, are supplied to the set-input terminal of RSF/F 122, which is incorporated in musical sound producing unit 11, in order to place circuit RSF/F 122 in a "set" condition. RSF/F 122 also comprises a timer circuit 123 which is connected thereto, and circuits RSF/F 122 and timer circuit 123 cooperate to prevent any chatterings, by nullifying the possible effects created by any unintended movement of musical sound-triggering switch TSW.

Thus, the timbre selecting operation performed in this embodiment is effected by means of timbre selecting switch SSW. That is, when striker 1 is made to strike while timbre selecting switch SSW is depressed, CPU 121 triggers the generation of one of the timbres, whereas when striker 1 strikes while switch SSW is not depressed, CPU 121 triggers the generation of another timbre.

In the present embodiment, it should be noted that a switch 24 is provided in CPU 121, so that the player can, either manually or by operating a pedal, variably control the reference time (t) of the two timer circuits 19 and 123, according to his or her own wishes.

Musical sound producing device 20, which is essentially a pulse code-modulation (PCM) system, comprises a PCM sound source ROM 125 which permanently stores data for a plurality of percussive musical sounds, sampled musical sounds and other sounds, an address controller 126 which, according to the control data from CPU 121, controls the operation of reading out the sound source data stored in PCM sound source ROM 125, to be performed in response to the key-on signals which are generated when striker 1 is made to strike, and an acoustic system 127 which produces musical sounds in response to the sound source data read out from PCM sound source ROM 125, in accordance with the control data transmitted from address controller 126.

The operation of the striker of the above-described electronic percussion instrument will now be described in detail.

Prior to the instrument being played, two different timbres, for example, a bass-drum timbre and high-hat timbre, are selected by using the timbre-select buttons 23A located on musical sound producing unit 11.

When tip portion 3c of striker 1 strikes, it produces a musical sound having one of the preselected timbres (the bass-drum tone, for example) if timbre selecting switch SSW (pushbutton 7a) is not depressed, and a musical sound having the other timbre (consequently, the high-hat timbre), if timbre selecting switch SSW (pushbutton 7a) is depressed.

Let us look more closely into the case where striker 1 strikes while timbre selecting switch SSW (pushbutton 7a) remains undepressed.

If tip portion 3c of striker 1 strikes under this condition, coil spring 5d is caused to vibrate and its free end 5d.sub.1 comes into electrical contact with conductive member 5b. This electrical contact causes a switching-on of musical sound-triggering switch TSW, which consists of coil spring 5d and conductive member 5b, and which transmits, in its turn, a corresponding musical sound-initiating command signal. The musical sound-initiating command signal transmitted from switch TSW goes into set-input terminal S of RSF/F 18 located within musical sound producing unit 11, shown in FIG. 7, via cord 10 connecting striker 1 and sound producing unit 11, to place RSF/F 18 in a "set" condition. This "set" condition causes a key-on signal to be transmitted from output terminal Q of RSF/F 18, the signal being received by timer circuit 19 and, at the same time, by CPU 121. When CPU 121 proceeds to a data-processing procedure for production of a musical sound upon receiving the key-on signal, it checks RSF/F 18 to find out if the signal was generated while timbre selecting switch SSW was depressed or not and, upon finding that the latter is the case, specifies a bass-drum timbre as the musical sound to be produced. CPU 121 then combines the timbre-specifying data with the musical sound control data, and sends them to address controller 26. Upon receiving the data, address controller 126 transmits address control data to PCM sound source ROM 125 for reading out one of the sound source data stored therein for bass-drum timbre, and sends it to acoustic system 127, so that the desired bass-drum sound is emitted from the speakers constituting acoustic system 127. (See FIG. 1.)

On the other hand, timer circuit 19, upon receiving the key-on signal generated through the striking of striker 1, starts measuring the elapse of the time which is preset by time preset switch 24 and, when the preset time has elapsed, transmits a carry signal to RSF/F 18, to place it in a "reset" condition. Now assume that the striking of striker 1 causes chattering between coil spring 5d and conductive member 5b, which in turn causes switch TSW to generate one or more undesired musical sound-initiating command signals within a very short period of time. Even if, however, such signals are generated by switch TSW, they are not transmitted from RSF/F 18, as so many key-on signals, unless timer 19 transmits a carry signal to place RSF/F 18 in a "reset" condition, so that the emission of any undesired sounds may be prevented in advance. If, on the other hand, striker 1 strikes for the second time in a successive manner, shortly after the first strike, when RSF/F 18 has already been returned to a "reset" condition, flip-flop circuit 18 is ready to receive the electric signal coming from musical sound-triggering switch TSW and transmit a corresponding key-on signal, so that a second bass-drum sound is emitted from the speakers of acoustic system 127.

Now, the case will be discussed where striker 1 while timbre selecting switch SWW is depressed.

When switch SSW (pushbutton 7a) is depressed, second contact plate 9 is lowered by central depressor portion 7a.sub.1 of pushbutton 7a and is separated from first contact plate 8, to come into contact with stationary contact 6b. If tip portion 3c of striker 1 strikes under this condition, coil spring 5d, located inside striker 1, is vibrated as described earlier, and causes a switching-on of musical sound-triggering switch TSW, which generates a musical sound-initiating command signal. Now, since timbre selecting switch SSW is depressed, the signal is detected not by RSF/F 18, as in the above-described case, but by RSF/F 122 when checked by CPU 121. Thus, CPU 21 combines different timbre-specifying data, or the data which specifies the high-hat timbre, with the musical sound control data for processing, and transmits this combined data to the address controller 126. Accordingly, the sound source data for the high-hat timbre is read out from PCM sound source ROM 125, so that a musical sound having the high-hat timbre is emitted from the speakers of acoustic system 127. As has been described earlier, in connection with the bass-drum t