Music – Instruments – Electrical musical tone generation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-10
2001-01-30
Ip, Paul (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Electrical musical tone generation
C084S47000P, C084S47700R, C084S478000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06180865
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to melody performance training apparatus and recording mediums which records a melody performance training program.
BACKGROUND ART
A performance training apparatus which has the navigation function of guiding a performer's performance is known conventionally. For example, in an electronic keyboard instrument having the navigation function, light emitting elements such as light emitting diodes are provided in correspondence to the keys of a keyboard. As the performance of a pre-stored melody progresses, the performer is caused to recognize a key to be depressed and a timing of depressing the key by causing a light emitting element for the key to emit light. When the performer does not depress the key even when the timing of depressing the key has come, the performance of the melody is stopped to thereby synchronize the performer's performance with the progress of performance of the melody.
When the key is depressed before the key depression timing comes, however, no appropriate measures cannot be taken properly, and a musical sound based on the depression of the key is produced. However, production of this musical sound cannot be synchronized with production of a musical sound of another part such as an accompaniment sound contained in the melody data. Some other conventional apparatus are arranged such that when a key is depressed before a proper timing at which the key is to be depressed, a musical sound is not produced at that timing, and that when the proper timing has come, the musical sound is produced. Since no musical sound is produced when the key is depressed, however, the performer will greatly feel that something is wrong.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is therefor an object of the present invention to synchronize, in response to a key being depressed before a proper timing of depression of the key comes, production of a musical sound of a melody based on depression of the key with production of a musical sound of another part of the melody without giving any feeling of wrongness to the performer to thereby guide the performer's performance appropriately.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a melody performance training apparatus comprising:
a plurality of elements to be actuated for performing a melody;
storage means which contains melody data which includes a plurality of pairs of event data representing one of the plurality of elements to be actuated, and corresponding time data representing a timing when the element represented by the event data is to be actuated;
data reading means for sequentially reading the plurality of pairs of event data and time data included in the melody data from the storage means; and
reading control means, responsive to a particular one of the plurality of elements represented by event data of one of the plurality of pairs of event data and corresponding time data read by the data reading means being not actuated even when a timing at which the particular element is to be actuated has come, the timing being represented by the time data corresponding to the event data read out by the data reading means, for stopping the data reading means from reading the remaining portion of the melody data until the particular element is actuated, and responsive to the particular element being actuated before the timing when the particular element is to be actuated, for causing the data reading means to rapidly read from the storage means a relevant portion of the melody data to be read in a time period between the time when the particular element was actuated and a time when the timing at which the particular element is to be actuated comes.
According to this composition, even when the particular element is actuated before the timing when the particular element is to be actuated, performance of a part of the melody data is synchronized-with performance of another part of the melody data and the performer has no feeling that something is wrong.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a melody performance training apparatus comprising:
a plurality of elements to be actuated for performing a melody;
storage means which contains melody data which includes a plurality of pairs of event data representing one of the plurality of elements to be actuated, and corresponding time data representing a timing when the element represented by the event data is to be actuated;
data reading means for sequentially reading the plurality of pairs of event data and corresponding time data included in the melody data from the storage means;
performance specifying means, responsive to the event data read by the data reading means representing a particular one of the plurality of elements to be actuated, for specifying the particular element; and
reading control means, responsive to the particular element being not actuated even when a timing at which the particular element is to be actuated has come, the timing being represented by the time data corresponding to the event data read out by said data reading means, for stopping the data reading means from reading the remaining portion of the melody data until the particular element is actuated, and responsive to the particular element being actuated before the timing when the particular element is to be actuated, for causing the data reading means to rapidly read from the storage means a relevant portion of the melody data to be read in a time period between the time when the particular element was actuated and a time when the timing at which the particular element is to be actuated comes.
According to the composition of the present invention, even when the particular element, specified by the stored melody data, is actuated before the timing when the particular element is to be actuated, performance of a part of the melody data is synchronized with performance of another part of the melody data and the performer has no feeling that something is wrong.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a recording medium which contains a computer readable program for causing a computer to perform a process which comprises the steps of:
sequentially reading a plurality of pairs of event data representing one of a plurality of elements to be actuated for performing a melody, and corresponding time data representing a timing when the element represented by the event data is to be actuated, the plurality of pairs of event data and corresponding time data composing melody data, from storage means which contains the melody data; and
in response to a particular one of the plurality of elements represented by event data of one of the plurality of event data and corresponding time data read in the reading step being not actuated even when a timing at which the particular element is to be actuated has come, the timing being represented by the time data corresponding to the event data read out in the data reading step, stopping the reading step from reading the remaining portion of the melody data until the particular element is actuated, and in response to the particular element being actuated before the timing when the particular element is to be actuated, causing the reading step to rapidly read a relevant portion of the melody data to be read in a time period between the time when the particular element was actuated and the time when the timing at which the particular element is to be actuated comes.
According to this composition, melody performance can be trained in a processor such as a computer such that even when the particular element is actuated before the timing when the particular element is to be actuated, performance of a part of the melody data is synchronized with performance of another part of the same melody data and the performer has no feeling that something is wrong.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a recording medium which contains a computer readable program for causing a computer to perform a process which
Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Fletcher Marlon
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Ip Paul
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