Patent ID: 8648236

Claim:
A keyboard apparatus, comprising: an instrument main body; a key configured to pivot about a key pivot shaft by a key depressing operation; a hammer body having a movable engagement portion configured to move with respect to the instrument main body and a driven portion configured to be drivingly pressed by the key, the key depressing operation causing the driven portion to be drivingly pressed, whereby the hammer body pivots about a hammer pivot shaft so as to impart inertia to the key depressing operation; and a stationary engagement portion fixed to the instrument main body and configured to be engageable with the movable engagement portion of the hammer body, wherein the driven portion receives a pressing drive force, so that the hammer body receives a force to pivot the hammer body in a forward direction and a force to reduce a distance from the hammer pivot shaft to the movable engagement portion, wherein the hammer body is configured such that, in a pivotal movement of the hammer body in the forward direction, a click feeling in a key depression touch is generated when the movable engagement portion comes into contact with and gets over the stationary engagement portion, wherein the distance from the hammer pivot shaft to the movable engagement portion at a certain stroke position of the key in a key depression stroke becomes smaller with an increase in the pressing drive force, and wherein the movable engagement portion comes into contact with the stationary engagement portion in the pivotal movement of the hammer body in the forward direction where a magnitude of the pressing drive force is less than a prescribed value, and the movable engagement portion does not come into contact with the stationary engagement portion in the pivotal movement of the hammer body in the forward direction where the magnitude of the pressing drive force is equal to or larger than the prescribed value.