Music – Accessories – Teaching devices
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-22
2004-12-14
Lockett, Kimberly (Department: 2837)
Music
Accessories
Teaching devices
Reexamination Certificate
active
06831219
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to music notation and provides an a alternative system of notation based upon the correlation of colors to the tones of a musical scale.
2. State of the Art
Systems for the notation of western music have evolved over the past millennium, together with the concurrent evolution of music theory and the application of that theory to compositions and performances. For at least several centuries, the importance of harmonic structure has been recognized and taught.
Music notation is symbolic in nature, typically reflecting rhythm, melody and harmonic structure with reference to printed staffs. A staff comprises a plurality of parallel lines, each of which represents a specified pitch (selected audible frequency) within a musical scale (conventionally in the key of C major). The spaces between staff lines represent intermediate pitches within the same musical scale. The lines and spaces may be termed “staff positions” and are arranged to correspond to each whole tone and semitone (scale degree) of a musical scale. As the use of staffs became common, it became conventional practice to utilize vertical bar lines to divide them into measures of prescribed duration.
Historically, the appropriate pitch, rather than a specified scale degree, has sometimes been assigned to each line and space in a staff. According to this convention, the staff position corresponding to any given pitch remains constant. Players of transposing instruments (those pitched in keys other than C) are trained to use a different fingering to sound a designated pitch, in essence, performing the transposing function mentally. It requires less skill, however, and has thus became conventional practice to assign specific scale degrees to each staff position and to provide players of transposing instruments written music with individual notes transposed to the staff positions appropriate for the pitch of their respective instruments.
Because the audible range of music extends for several octaves, staffs representing different standardized frequency bands are in use, the most common being the treble, tenor and bass clef staffs.
The staff system may be regarded as a means for the graphical representation of music. Symbolic “notes” and “rests” divide each measure of the staff, indicating the duration of “struck” (or otherwise “sounded”) tones and intervals of silence, respectively. Notes are positioned upon the staff to designate the scale degree (and thereby the pitch) of each note of a melody. Pitches outside the scale of the staff are designated by “accidental” symbols, indicating that the pitch corresponding to a scale degree should be either raised (sharped) or lowered (flatted), typically by a semitone. Traditionally, scale tones are assigned staff positions which correspond to the Key of C; that is, a C scale is represented without accidentals. Scales in keys other than C could be graphically represented by a staff which assigned pitches appropriate to that key to the staff. An alternative convention has been adopted, however. Specifically, the fundamental pitch of a staff is changed to keys other than C through the use of key signatures. In essence, the use of key signatures avoids the need for repetitive accidentals to graph compositions of varying keys on a common staff.
The graphical representation of harmony on a staff has also undergone evolution. Two-part harmony and counterpoint melodies could be written out as parallel melody lines. Harmonic accompaniment, however, was, until relatively recently, often improvised. An early method for indicating harmonic structure was the “figured bass” system. That system designated by numerals the harmonic scale positions of specific chords. Thus, the accompanyist could use the same graphical representation without regard to the key of the composition. Modem jazz notation still uses a form of figured bass notation, wherein scale positions are usually designated by roman numerals, and chord structures are designated by superscript Arabic numerals and letters.
Harmonic structure is susceptible to systematic analysis and application. Harmonic relationships, intervals, chord structures, progressions, scales, modes, and other theoretical topics have been studied and taught utilizing various organization approaches. Western music is conventionally based upon a “tempered” diatonic scale, that is, a scale in which an octave is divided into twelve evenly spaced semitones. The very nature of the diatonic scale imposes both a fundamental logic and a degree of complexity to the study and understanding of harmonic structure. The diatonic scale may be viewed as two tetra chords, specifically do-re-mi-fa and so-la-ti-do, separated by the whole step: fa-la. The construction of triads at each degree of a scale thus produces a non-repeating series of chords. Identifying each scale degree by a roman numeral, a minor interval as “m” and a major interval as “M,” beginning students learn the following construction of triads:
I
do
Mm
(1st, 3rd, 5th)
II
re
mM
(2nd, 4th, 6th)
III
mi
mM
(3rd, 5th, 7th)
IV
fa
Mm
(4th, 6th, 8th)
V
so
Mm
(5th, 7th, 9th)
VI
la
mM
(6th, 8th, 10th)
VII
ti
mm
(Diminished)
The parenthetical arabic numerals in the table designate the scale tones of each triad, with “8th” being an octave higher than “1st.” Each triad may be “inverted,” that is, built up from any of its three individual notes. For example, triad VII (the diminished chord) may be built alternatively as 7th, 9th, 11th; 2nd, 4th, 7th or 4th, 7th, 9th. The student must thus learn to distinguish inverted triads from other chords which start from the same scale degree, but are spelled somewhat differently. For example, a If chord (2nd, 4th, 6th) must be differentiated from the inverted VII chord (2nd, 4th, 7th). This challenge increases with chords of greater complexity.
Music is generally written graphically, with individual notes assigned to staff positions, and the staff positions being assigned scale degrees corresponding to the key of C, augmented by key signatures. Chords are thus conventionally “spelled” by reference to the letter names designating the scale degrees of the key in which a composition is written (or transposed).
The spelling systems in use can be confusing, in that chords which are congruent (that is, spelled the same or containing the same notes) are given different names, depending upon the specific harmonic constraints of a composition. The discipline of music theory requires consistency within a selected key, inevitably requiring redundant nomenclature to describe the same chord in different environments. While many students of music gain a complete mastery of music theory, including harmonic structure, they do so with considerable effort and dedication. Even after devoting considerable effort to this study, many, including proficient performing musicians, fail to recognize the harmonic structure of musical compositions and are thus disadvantaged in their efforts to improvise. Others who are exposed to music theory simply find the subject matter inaccessible and/or incoherent.
Students of music are often instructed by reference to printed music which displays each note to be played, without reference to the harmonic structure of the composition. It is thus possible to progress in “sight reading” and other performance skills without gaining a good understanding or appreciation of harmonic structure. Many highly skilled performers thus lack the ability to improvise. Other performers improvise “by ear.” While certain individuals achieve virtuosity by this means, an understanding of, or at least a “feeling” for, harmonic structure is generally regarded as essential for high-level improvised performance.
Color has been used as a guide to proper finger positioning in certain instructional systems for keyboard and fretted instruments. Colors have also been incorporated into devices and systems which display colors in response to pitches or other characteristics of audible musical signals. Heretofore, however, the color sp
Furgis George E.
Lockett Kimberly
TraskBritt PC
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