Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-24
2004-06-15
Fletcher, Marlon T. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S612000, C084S626000, C084S652000, C084S658000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06750390
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic performing apparatus and an electronic instrument capable of executing an automatic musical performance by generating musical tones in accordance with external events.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, an electronic instrument has been used which is capable of executing an automatic musical performance by sequentially reading out song data, which are previously stored in a memory, and generating musical tones in response to events from the outside (for example, the action of pressing on keys of a keyboard).
By using such an electronic instrument, an automatic musical performance can be carried out only by providing simple external events. Accordingly, anyone can enjoy playing this musical instrument without learning how to play it.
More particularly, such an electronic instrument can provide children with an opportunity to get familiar with music. Furthermore, the aged and the physically handicapped, who will often have difficulty in learning to play a musical instrument, are also able to enjoy playing a musical instrument by means of such an electronic instrument.
However, in conventional electronic instruments, only one musical tone (or sound) is generated in response to one external event. Therefore, in order to achieve an automatic musical performance, it is necessary for a user to provide external events for all pieces of note data (that is, data relating to generation of musical tones among the song data stored in the memory).
Consequently, it has been sometimes difficult for a user to carry out an automatic musical performance with such a conventional electronic instrument, especially in the case of a complicated arrangement, in which case it is difficult to properly provide external events.
Also, in the case of a song consisting of a melody and accompaniments, if external events are provided only at the timing of the melody, musical tones for the accompaniments are not generated since they do not accord with each other in timing, which has been another problem with the conventional electronic instrument.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems. More particularly, the object of the present invention is to provide an automatic performing apparatus and an electronic instrument with which a user can achieve an automatic musical performance without difficulty only by providing external events, for example, at certain intervals, or correspondingly only to a melody, even in the case of a complicated arrangement.
In order to attain this object, there is provided an automatic performing apparatus for executing an automatic musical performance based on song data in response to external events, wherein the song data are segmented into prescribed sections; at the time of execution of an automatic musical performance, each time an external event is provided, the automatic musical performance progresses within a section corresponding to the external event provided; and tempo of the automatic musical performance is set on the basis of intervals between the external events.
In this automatic performing apparatus, the song data are segmented into the prescribed sections, and at the time of execution of an automatic musical performance, the automatic musical performance is executed by the section in response to each external event.
Accordingly, it is not necessary for a user to provide the external events with respect to all pieces of note data, and instead, it is only necessary for him/her to provide an external event, for example, with respect to each section of the song data, which enables the user to carry out an automatic musical performance more easily.
Particularly, in the case of a section comprising two or more pieces of note data, musical tones can be automatically generated based on the two or more pieces of note data in response to only one external event. Accordingly, compared to cases where the external events need to be provided with respect to all pieces of note data, the number of provision of such external events can be reduced.
Also, in the automatic performing apparatus of the invention, the tempo of the automatic musical performance is set on the basis of intervals between the external events. In other words, when the external events are provided with a short interval, the automatic musical performance is executed at a fast tempo. On the contrary, when the external events are provided with a long interval, the automatic musical performance is executed at a slow tempo.
Consequently, the tempo of the automatic musical performance can be freely changed by varying the intervals between the external events.
Furthermore, due to such changes in the tempo of the automatic musical performance depending on the intervals between the external events, undesired situations, for example, in which the next external event is provided before completion of generation of musical tones based on all pieces of note data within a certain section or, on the contrary, in which there is an unnatural pause inserted between completion of generation of musical tones based on all pieces of note data within a certain section and provision of the next external event, are less likely to occur compared to cases where the automatic musical performance is progressed at a fixed tempo.
Here, the note data mean some information, for example, that is part of the song data and gives the automatic performing apparatus instructions to generate musical tones.
In the foregoing automatic performing apparatus, each of the prescribed sections may correspond to one beat of the song data.
In such an automatic performing apparatus, each section corresponding to each external event is equivalent to one beat of a song, and consequently, each time an external event is provided, the automatic musical performance is progressed by the beat.
Accordingly, by using such an automatic performing apparatus, a user can carry out an automatic musical performance only by providing external events at intervals of one beat, which is a very easy operation for the user.
Alternatively, in the foregoing automatic performing apparatus, each of the prescribed sections may comprise a piece of note data for a melody and note data for accompaniments following the piece of note data for the melody.
In such an automatic performing apparatus, each section corresponding to each external event includes a piece of note data for a melody and note data for accompaniments following the piece of note data for the melody, and consequently, each time an external event is provided, a melody part and accompaniment parts accompanying the melody part are both automatically performed.
Accordingly, a user can achieve an automatic musical performance by providing external events only at the timing of the note data for a melody, and it is thus unnecessary for the user to provide any external events with respect to the note data for accompaniments.
Such an automatic performing apparatus is thus easy to operate for the user.
In the foregoing automatic performing apparatus, the tempo of the automatic musical performance may be set by means of a ratio of an assumed value of the interval between the external events to an actual measurement thereof.
Here is also provided, by way of example, a method of setting the tempo.
According to this tempo setting method, for example, an assumed value (i.e., “tap clock”) of an interval between the external events is compared with an actually measured value (i.e., “tap time”) thereof. Then, if the actually measured interval is shorter, the tempo is set to be faster than the current tempo. On the contrary, if the actually measured interval is longer, the tempo is set to be slower than the current tempo.
More specifically, the tempo of the automatic musical performance (i.e., “new tempo”) is reset, for example, by means of the following formula, each time an external event is provided:
(New Tempo)=(Old Tempo)×(Tap Clock)/(Tap Time)
The “old tempo” may be a tempo determined and set by means
Kawai Akira
Tanaka Hideyuki
Ueta Noriyuki
Davis & Bujold PLLC
Fletcher Marlon T.
Kabushiki Kaisha Kawai Gakki Seisakusho
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