Music – Accessories – Teaching devices
Patent
1994-12-05
1996-06-11
Dougherty, Thomas M.
Music
Accessories
Teaching devices
84471SR, G09B 1502
Patent
active
055245226
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a music learning aid. In this specification, the term "learning aid" means not only learning but also teaching whereby the aid may be used as an aid for teaching or for learning. In addition, the term "music" when used in this context means music theory or practice with reference to playing musical instruments.
Learning how to play a musical instrument involves a number of stages, one of the most difficult of which is memorizing how each note is produced on the instrument. The note, scale and chord conversions for the instrument must also be learned. The relationship between keys, buttons or strings of a particular instrument and their associated note name and staff position involves in-depth referral to a theoretical base in order to calculate scales and chords. Similar difficulties are also encountered by people learning music theory.
A music teaching aid is described in German patent specification no. DE 4002361 (Kuffer, P.). This comprises a display panel straddled by a slider, upon operation of which Major and Minor keynotes in alphabetic music notation are displayed for a selected fundamental. Accordingly, it appears that this aid would be of some benefit to skilled musicians in that it "calculates" Major and Minor scales for a particular keynote in alphabetic notation.
However, this teaching aid is apparently of little or no benefit to beginners or to moderate musicians in learning how to play instruments or learning music theory. There is still a requirement to refer to music books to obtain the necessary music theory information and information as to how to play the relevant musical instrument. In many cases this puts people off learning music.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a device which will make it easier for a person to learn how to play a musical instrument while simultaneously learning music theory and/or to provide a device which assists a person in learning music theory only.
According to the invention, there is provided a music learning aid comprising: the storage bank in at least two alignment directions, one direction displaying a scale or chord calculation, the other direction displaying additional scale or chord information for learning of music theory or instrument playing.
By providing for simultaneous display of both calculation and additional information in different alignment directions, the invention allows easy and enjoyable music theory or instrument playing learning.
In one embodiment, the calculation alignment direction is substantially horizontal, and the additional information direction is substantially vertical as viewed on the learning aid, in use.
Preferably, the scale or chord calculation information is in alphabetic or staff notation, and the additional information is in the other of the alphabetic or staff notation.
In another embodiment, the additional information comprises instrument playing instructions.
Ideally, staff position, note name and playing instructions for every note of the scale or chord are aligned in the additional information direction for correlation.
In a further embodiment, the aid comprises means for displaying numeric position of each note of the scale or chord.
In another embodiment, the aid comprises means for displaying tonic solfa of each note of the scale or chord.
In one embodiment, the information storage bank comprises a base member having the information imprinted thereon, and the user interface comprises a sliding template movable on the base member and being constructed to allow viewing of information in the alignment directions.
In this latter embodiment, the template preferably has a series of elongate slots together extending in the calculation alignment direction, the direction of each individual slot being in the additional information direction whereby each individual slot highlights a music note and correlated additional information.
Preferably, the base member has information imprinted on both sides and the template allows viewing on both sides.
Alternatively, the storage bank may b
REFERENCES:
patent: 2832252 (1958-04-01), Gabriel
patent: 2941436 (1960-06-01), Ericksen
patent: 3678796 (1972-07-01), Puopolo
patent: 3728930 (1973-04-01), Maron
patent: 3728931 (1973-04-01), Leonard
patent: 4412473 (1983-11-01), Laflamme
Dougherty Thomas M.
Stanzione Patrick J.
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