This invention relates to electronic musical instruments, especially electronic musical instruments provided with a limited number of tone generation channels and allowing both automatic play using part or all of the tone generation channels and allowing also manual play using the remaining tone generation channels not used for automatic play, and further relates to electronic musical instruments allowing the changeover of any or all of the tone generation channels used for automatic play for use for manual play and allowing conversely the return of any or all of the changed over tone generation channels back to automatic play.
It takes considerable practice to play electronic musical instruments, in particular electronic organs, polyphonic music synthesizers, and other polyphonic musical instruments. In order to master the performance of music requiring the full use of both hands and feet, correspondingly longer practice periods and harder effort are necessary. The usual way to practice musical performances requiring the use of both hands and feet is to raise the level of practice step by step, for example by first practicing with the right hand (upper keyboard), then practice by adding the left hand (lower keyboard), and finally practice by adding the feet (pedal keyboard). However, when one practices independently with only the right hand, left hand, or feet, one is playing only one part of the music. This means that one is practicing without a grasp of the music as a whole, and effect of the practice is extremely poor.