Music – Accessories – Teaching devices
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-27
2003-04-01
Witkowski, Stanley J. (Department: 2837)
Music
Accessories
Teaching devices
Reexamination Certificate
active
06541688
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument with performance assistance function for guiding (navigating) a performance when a player practices on guitar-like musical instruments such as the classical guitar, electric guitar, electric bass, classic guitar, ukulele, etc. whose performance requires synchronized manipulation timing between right and left hands.
2. Prior Art
Playing the guitar requires synchronization between right and left hands for different operations, namely fret and string operations. As a possible method, for example, the right hand is first used just for a practice of picking strings. As the skill advances, the practice is gradually made more complicated by adding a practice of the left hand for pressing strings.
Conventionally, already known is a guitar-like electronic musical instrument which guides the performance simply by illuminating the fret. However, there has been no electronic musical instrument that enables practices according to gradual steps.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made for solving the aforementioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic musical instrument with performance assistance function which can simplify the user's performance operation by supporting user's performance operations and can check correctness of the performance operation.
In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic musical apparatus with assistance for a performance based on music performance data representative of a model music piece composed of a plurality of notes allocated to a plurality of channels, each note being determined in terms of a target pitch and a target timing. The apparatus is comprised of an indicator section that visually indicates the target timings of the notes in correspondence with the respective channels according to the music performance data to thereby visually prompt a progression of the model music piece, an input section operable by a user for sequentially inputting actual timings selectively allocated to one or more of the channels during the course of the performance of the model music piece, a detecting section operative when the input section inputs an actual timing to one channel, for detecting a note having a target timing which matches the inputted actual timing and which is allocated to any one of the channels, and an output section responsive to the detecting section for outputting the music performance data to the respective channels for sounding all of the notes having the target timings coincidentally with the inputting of the actual timing.
Accordingly, only if the sound timing is input correctly, the apparatus sounds a musical note by not only specifying a channel for sound timing input, but also specifying a pitch. As a result, it is possible to simplify the user's performance operation and check the sound timing input.
For respective channels, it is possible to simplify a user's performance operation by means of the guide function according to indicator means, which at least visualizes target sound timing.
At the same target sound timing, model music data may comprise one note or a plurality of notes like in chord tones. When model music data is a chord, a chord name is entered and is converted to a plurality of chord tones. These tones are entered as a plurality of notes as model music data.
In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic musical apparatus with assistance for a performance based on music performance data representative of a model music piece composed of a plurality of notes allocated to a plurality of channels, each note being determined in terms of a target pitch and a target timing, the model music piece containing a set of notes having the same target timing. The inventive apparatus is comprised of an indicator section that visually indicates the target timings of the notes in correspondence with the respective channels according to the music performance data to thereby visually prompt a progression of the model music piece, an input section operable by a user for sequentially inputting actual timings selectively allocated to one or more of the channels during the course of the performance of the model music piece, a detecting section operative when the input section inputs an actual timing to one or more channel, for detecting a note having a target timing which matches the inputted actual timing and which is allocated to said one or more channel among the set of the notes, and an output section responsive to the detecting section for outputting the music performance data to said one or more channel, thereby sounding the detected note at the target pitch through said one or more channel.
Accordingly, only if the sound timing is correctly input for a channel corresponding to at least one of a plurality of notes at the same target sound timing, a pitch for that channel is automatically input and sounded. As a result, it is possible to simplify a user' performance operation and check sound timing input for the correct channel.
For respective channels, it is possible to simplify a user's performance operation by means of the guide function according to indicator means, which at least visualizes target sound timing.
In a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic musical apparatus with assistance for a performance based on music performance data representative of a model music piece composed of a plurality of notes allocated to a plurality of channels, the model music piece containing a single note allocated to a specified channel, each note being determined in terms of a target pitch and a target timing. The inventive apparatus is comprised of an indicator section that visually indicates the target timings of the notes in correspondence with the respective channels according to the music performance data to thereby visually prompt a progression of the model music piece, an input section operable by a user for sequentially inputting actual timings selectively allocated to one or more of the channels during the course of the performance of the model music piece, a detecting section operative when the input section inputs an actual timing to the specified channel, for detecting a single note having a target timing which matches the inputted actual timing and which is allocated to the specified channel, and an output section responsive to the detecting section for outputting the music performance data to the specified channel, thereby sounding the detected single note at the target pitch through the specified channel.
Accordingly, only if the sound timing is correctly input for a channel corresponding to one note, a pitch for that channel is automatically input and sounded. As a result, it is possible to simplify a user' performance operation and check sound timing input for a correct channel.
For respective channels, it is possible to simplify a user's performance operation by means of the guide function according to indicator means which at least visualizes target sound timing.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an electronic musical apparatus with assistance for a performance based on music performance data representative of a model music piece composed of a plurality of notes allocated to a plurality of channels, each note being determined in terms of a target pitch and a target timing. The inventive apparatus is comprised of an indicator section that visually indicates the target timings of the notes in correspondence with the respective channels according to the music performance data to thereby visually prompt a progression of the model music piece, an input section operable by a user for sequentially inputting actual timings selectively allocated to one or more of the channels during the course of the performance of the model music piece, a selecting section that selects either of a first mode applicable when the model music piece contai
Morrison & Foerster / LLP
Witkowski Stanley J.
Yamaha Corporation
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