Abstract

In order to play an automatic performance based on performance information which is stored in a storage device and the like in advance, an electronic musical instrument provides an automatic performance apparatus. The automatic performance apparatus is configured by a performance style designating portion, a storage portion, a read-out portion and an automatic performance portion. The performance style designating portion designates a desired performance style within a plurality of performance styles, each of which corresponds to a specific music genre such as rock music, jazz and pop music. The storage portion, such as a read-only memory, stores a plurality of chord progression patterns with respect to each of the performance styles. The read-out portion accesses the storage portion to automatically read out one of the chord progression patterns concerned with the desired performance style which is designated by the performance style designating portion. Herein, each of the chord progression patterns is given a specific priority, so that a certain chord progression pattern given a higher priority is selectively read out from the storage portion. Then, the automatic performance portion, which is configured by a tone generator and a sound system, plays an automatic performance in accordance with the chord progression pattern which is read from the storage portion by the read-out portion.