Device for the manual playing of electronic musical instruments

Abstract

A console for use in playing an electronic musical instrument. Two manuals are slidably arranged on a stationary frame or desk, to slide sideways toward and away from each other. Each manual carries various keys and other movable control elements to be operated by one arm-hand-finger of the player. On each manual, keys for individual tones are arranged in rows extending front to back, toward and away from the player, rather than in rows extending from side to side as in a conventional piano keyboard. Each key is wide enough so that two fingers of the player may rest simultaneously on the key. In addition to these rows of keys, each manual has other special keys or movable elements, some arranged for operation by the little finger, some for operation by the thumb, some for operation by raising or lowering the hand, for changing the nature, quality, duration, octave, or other characteristics of the sound produced. In a console intended to be played by a player who is normally right handed, the right hand manual contains the full complement of the special keys or control elements, and the left hand manual may omit some of them. The reverse is true if the console is designed for playing by a normally left handed player. Except for such possible omission, the right hand manual and left hand manual are complementary or mirror image duplicates of each other.