1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus, especially, the mechanical construction thereof, for an electronic musical instrument and other electronic or electrical apparatuses, and to an electronic musical instrument, especially, an electronic musical instrument for generating an electronic tone corresponding to a bowed instrument, which uses the control apparatus as an input apparatus for controlling electronic tone generation parameter.
2. Prior Art
In an electronic apparatus, especially, in an electronic musical instrument, an input for controlling the operation thereof is made from a switch operation or a key depression and release operation on a keyboard. Therefore, the keyboard or switches on an operation panel constitute an input apparatus.
A conventional input apparatus comprising a keyboard, push buttons, or various switches has separate and independent operation sections, resulting in poor operability or operation feeling, or causing operation errors.
An electronic musical instrument which generates bowed instrument tones such as violin tones comprises a physical sound source for generating an electronic tone obtained by physically approximating a mechanical vibration of a string in correspondence with a movement of a fricative contact between the string and a bow. In such an electronic musical instrument, performance function parameters such as a bow pressure upon pressing of a string of a bowed instrument, a bow velocity, a bow position, and the like are inputted from a keyboard consisting of a plurality of keys. More specifically, a key code representing a scale, a magnitude of a tone, its length, and the like are inputted by key depression or release touches or timings on the keyboard, and operations of other switches on the keyboard.
In the conventional electronic musical instrument, since control is performed upon key ON/OFF operations on the keyboard or operations of switches on the keyboard, the switches and push buttons constitute separate input means, and a player (operator) must move his or her hands to select and operate switches or the like every time he or she wants to control musical tone parameters. Therefore, this results in poor operability for musical tone control, technical difficulty in actual performance, and a performance control operation error.