Music – Accessories – Teaching devices
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-21
2001-06-12
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Music
Accessories
Teaching devices
C084S609000, C084S610000, C084S634000, C084S649000, C084S650000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06245982
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to performance image information creating apparatus and method, and performance image information reproducing apparatus and method, for creating, editing and reproducing performance information and image information including images showing the manner of playing a piece of music represented by the performance information, and also relates to a storage medium storing a program or programs that implement these methods.
2. Prior Art
An application program, which is also called “multimedia authoring tool”, is known which is adapted to paste or attach two-dimensional images or animation in accordance with a piece of music, using a general-purpose computer, such as a personal computer.
The images displayed along with a piece of music according to the application program as described above are still pictures or those represented by two-dimensional (2D) image data, but three dimensional (3D) image data cannot be displayed using the above application program.
Further, in editing displayed images, it is not easy to edit such images in accordance with playing or performance of a piece of music.
It is also difficult to completely synchronize displayed images with playing of a piece of music. For example, display of images cannot be easily changed in synchronism with a change in the tempo of playing of a piece of music, and visual effects cannot be easily applied to images to be displayed, in synchronism with playing of a piece of music.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide performance image information creating apparatus and method, and performance image information reproducing apparatus and method, which are capable of displaying image information representing a manner of playing a piece of music while playing the piece of music, and to provide a storage medium storing a program for implementing these methods.
It is a second object of the invention to provide performance image information creating apparatus and method, and performance image information reproducing apparatus and method, which are capable of editing images in accordance with a piece of music, and to provide a storage medium storing a program for implementing these methods.
It is a third object of the invention to provide performance image information creating apparatus and method, and performance image information reproducing apparatus and method, which are capable of reproducing images or applying visual effects to images that are displayed, in synchronism with playing or performance of a piece of music.
In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a performance image information creating apparatus for creating performance image information for displaying an image showing a manner of playing a piece of music while playing the piece of music, comprising a motion component database comprising a plurality of motion components each created for each musical instrument or each part and storing a trajectory of a fraction of motion of a player and a musical instrument in one of at least one performance method being typical of the each musical instrument or the each part, a motion descriptive information creating device that creates motion descriptive information that designates one of the motion components corresponding to performance information on the piece of music to be played and a designated one of the at least one performance method, on a time schedule determined by a predetermined musical time unit of the piece of music to be played, and a sequence information creating device that creates sequence information comprising the motion descriptive information, and the performance information.
Preferably, the predetermined musical time unit is defined by beats of the piece of music to be played, or by bars or measures of the piece of music to be played.
Preferably, the motion descriptive information creating device includes an editing device that edits the designated one of the motion components, and stores a result of editing in the motion component database as an edited motion component.
Preferably, the motion components each comprise recorded information on the trajectory of the fraction of motion of at least one of each part of a body of the player and each part of the musical instrument.
Preferably, the motion components each comprise a motion waveform representing the trajectory of the fraction of motion, a sounding point marker indicative of timing of tone generation, and a muting point marker indicative of timing of tone elimination.
Preferably, the performance image information creating apparatus according to the invention further includes a time resolution setting device that individually sets time resolutions of waveforms of motion of the motion components.
Also preferably, the performance image information creating apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention further includes a scene information creating device that creates scene information comprising scene components including at least background information and light source information in the image, the scene components being arranged on the time schedule, and wherein the sequence information comprises the performance information, the motion descriptive information, and the scene information.
More preferably, the scene components include information for instructing information externally entered to be displayed.
In the first aspect of the invention, there are also provided a method of creating performance image information for displaying an image showing a manner of playing a piece of music while playing the piece of music, comprising the steps of creating a motion component database comprising a plurality of motion components each created for each musical instrument or each part and storing a trajectory of a fraction of motion of a player and a musical instrument in one of at least one performance method being typical of the each musical instrument or the each part, creating motion descriptive information that designates one of the motion components corresponding to performance information on the piece of music to be played and a designated one of the at least one performance method, on a time schedule determined by a predetermined musical time unit of the piece of music to be played, and creating sequence information comprising the motion descriptive information and the performance information, and a storage medium storing a program that is executable by a computer to practice a method of creating performance image information for displaying an image showing a manner of playing a piece of music while playing the piece of music, the program comprising a module for creating a motion component database comprising a plurality of motion components each created for each musical instrument or each part and storing a trajectory of a fraction of motion of a player and a musical instrument in one of at least one performance method being typical of the each musical instrument or the each part, a module for creating motion descriptive information that designates one of the motion components corresponding to performance information on the piece of music to be played and a designated one of the at least one performance method, on a time schedule determined by a predetermined musical time unit of the piece of music to be played, and a module for creating sequence information comprising the motion descriptive information and the performance information.
In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a performance image information creating apparatus for creating performance image information for displaying an image in synchronism with playing of a piece of music while playing the piece of music, comprising an information creating device that creates information comprising instruction information arranged on a time schedule determined by a predetermined musical time unit of the piece of music to be played, for instructing image information externally entered to be displayed, and a sequence inform
Isozaki Yoshimasa
Miyaki Tsuyoshi
Sekine Satoshi
Suzuki Hideo
Fletcher Marlon
Morrison & Foerster
Nappi Robert E.
Yamaha Corporation
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