Machine and method for teaching music and piano

Abstract

A system for teaching music with input and output devices, musical representations presented on vertically and horizontally oriented musical staffs, output responsive to selective application of input data, confirmation of propriety of input choice, and scrolling presentation of sequential musical representations constituting music. A method to develop a positive association of correct learning input to music representation presented and a negative association of improper response, to music presented in a scrolling manner along a center bar for timing visual change in musical representation upon input. Musical representations such as notes, lines and bars may be presented and the user is required to make choices through input devices to correctly identify or play the musical representation. The system and method use both visual and audio responses to input and uses color and graphical associations between the staff and notes to teach intervals and music.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/363,451, filed on Mar. 11, 2002.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of music and more specifically to a machine and method for teaching music and piano.

The learning of music in a systematic approach has been the goal of music teachers for centuries. The typical method of teaching music involved hours of rote learning of notes and their proper location on the Bass and Trebles staffs accompanied by hours of repetition with the particular musical instrument. The piano has often been the instrument of choice as it is capable of playing a tremendous variety of music from the most simple melody to complex symphonic composition. Written methods for teaching the piano abound and largely rely on repeated playing of simple compositions to learn the bass and treble musical systems. Numerous prior art systems and methods have attempted to improve on the teaching of music but generally fail to provide an interactive system and method that effectively works with beginners, particularly children. Other systems have attempted to develop teaching aids and graphical devices to aid in learning the notes of a scale but still have failed to associate the teaching methodology with the sounds of the musical notes and their proper location on a keyboard. Further, there has been no useful method for introducing and associating the proper musical intervals with their relationship to the treble and bass clefs and the keys of a keyboard instrument. Various prior art systems and methods described below have failed in creating the unique aspects of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,741,769 issued Dec. 31, 1929 to A. Y. Hall shows a mechanical piano instruction device whereby notes are scrolled above the keys on a piano in the time and rhythm of the music but that does not have the interactive qualities of the present invention to provide real time correction and authentication of the user's selection of particular keys that correspond to the proper notes played.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,539 issued Apr. 11, 1989 to Searing shows a Music Teaching System and Apparatus using flash cards associated with notes on the treble and clef staffs but fails to show the inventive method of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,758,043 issued May 13, 1930 to H. D. Hoffmeister shows a static device for correlating the staff with the keyboard of a piano but does not have the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,833,204 issued Nov. 24, 1931 to E. L. Buxton shows a static keyboard and staff reader that does not have the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,890 issued May 11, 1971 to E. F. Walker et al. shows a musical teaching aid that corresponds the notes of the treble and bass clefs with the keys of the piano, but does not have the interactive quality of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,999 issued Nov. 8, 1977 to W. J. Bennett shows a piano teaching aid that comprises an overlay that fits over the keys of the piano to show the association between the notes and the treble and clef staffs but does not have the interactive quality of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,400,947 issued Dec. 20, 1921 to E. Fennell shows an indicator for musical instruction that associates the notes on the staffs with the notes on the keyboard and provides an audible buzzer when the correct association is made but does not provide real time association with proper note and rhythm by audio and visual means to signify correct and incorrect choices while playing a piece of music.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,766,087 issued Jun. 24, 1930 to N. L. Sullivan to a music chart blackboard shows a depiction of a keyboard over the lines for the treble and bass staffs for instructing students on notes but does not show the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,768,706 issued Jul. 1, 1930 to E. Miller shows a static key board and staff reader that associates the notes of the staffs with the keys of the piano but lacks the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,360 issued Mar. 16, 1971 to H. J. Siegel shows a music teaching device whereby a simulated keyboard is presented and a horizontal presentation of music is shown and the user uses a stylus to indicate the proper note shown on the musical representation and in so doing produces an audible sound corresponding to the proper note, but does not show an interactive method or system like the present invention for teaching a musical composition and the proper timing orientation of the notes in a real time setting.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,930 issued Apr. 24, 1973 to W. Maron shows a Music Training Device that presents notes on the treble and bass staffs through a window showing one note from each in time but is not interactive or automatic and does not have the qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,630 issued Jul. 9, 1974 to V. M. Leonard shows a static music teaching aid based on the hands and scale degrees but does not have the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,781 issued Sep. 9, 1975 to V. M. Leonard shows a static keyboard progression teaching aid for associating notes to the keys of a key but fails to show the inventive interactive system of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,407 issued Oct. 20, 1981 to V. M. Leonard shows a static keyboard simulation with vertical inversion indexes and insert cards but fails to show the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,522 issued Jun. 11, 1996 to J. Hesnan shows a sliding template with view windows that show musical notes and a version that displays the information on a hand held calculator but fails to show the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,172 issued Feb. 29, 2000 to M. G. Papadapoulos shows a static set of reference rings that show musical notes and their relationship to scales and keys but fails to show the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,977 issued Jun. 17, 1997 to Hesnan shows a sliding template with view windows that show musical notes and a version that displays the information on a hand held calculator but fails to show the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,179 issued Mar. 5, 1996 to Hoffman shows a music teaching system using depictions that correspond with the alphabetic names of musical notes but fails to show the interactive qualities of the present invention or an association with the aural sound of the notes.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,273 issued Mar. 23, 1999 to Haruyama shows a performance instructing apparatus having a display and keyboard showing vertically oriented notes but fails to show proper location on a musical staff or have the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,388,181 issued May 14, 2002 to Moe shows a computer graphic animation of a keyboard and the proper location of the hands on the keys but fails to show proper location on a musical staff or the interactive qualities of the present invention.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2002/0177113 A1 published Nov. 28, 2002 to Sherlock shows a method and apparatus for learning to play musical instruments but fails to show proper location of the notes on a vertical musical staff or the interactive qualities of the present invention.

The prior art does not show a fully automated and interactive teaching system that utilizes real time presentation of music on a display medium such as a computer screen and that provides ongoing correction and affirmation of a student's choice of key depression that corresponds with the musical piece being learned. Further, none of the prior art shows a variety of games that stimulate musical learning by using the interactive qualities of a computer and its association with responsive video and audio signals to represent proper and incorrect association of notes with the keys of an instrument interconnected to the computer system. No prior art system provides a teaching system that presents music in interactive shapes and colors, shows the music in a vertical orientation to the keyboard and associates they musical staffs with the keys of a piano. Nor does any prior art system make use of the aural association between the sounds of the notes and their proper location on the keyboard or musical staffs. Further, no prior art system has used color coded graphics for the lines and spaces of the staffs and notes in a coordinated method for teaching beginners to recognize the proper notes and their location on the musical staff.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple method for teaching music to children.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automated teaching method using a computer.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automated teaching method that incrementally introduces traditional piano music.

A further object of the invention is to provide a teaching system that presents music in interactive shapes and colors.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a teaching method that presents music in a vertical orientation.

Still yet another object of the invention is to provide a teaching system that presents piano music in a vertical orientation in line with the piano keys.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a system for teaching music having a visual display of at least one vertically oriented music staff having at least one staff line where the staff is oriented with higher pitched notes positioned to the right, representation of notes of music on the visual display in positions on the staff; and visual feedback information on the visual display that correctly describes staff position of music tones corresponding to a plurality of depressed keys on a keyboard.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a system for teaching music having a representation of at least one music staff through a visual display having at least one staff line, scrolled musical representations through a visual display means whereby images of notes along the staff lines move with relatively constant speed, a visual representation of a position point along the staff that designates a time bar, and presentation of selected musical representations along the time bar corresponding to the notes that are to be played.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a method for teaching music having the steps of presenting a plurality of pictures to a user through a visual display interconnected to a computing device, designating for each of the pictures a pre-determined word, whereby each word is phonetically associated with a sol-fa note name, and associating the pictures with the note name.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a process for teaching music having the steps of presenting a user a graphical representation of lines and spaces from a musical staff on a visual display, visually presenting the lines and spaces in generally equal width, thereby associating the lines and spaces with the proper musical intervals of a musical scale through an interconnection between a computing device and the display, and presenting musical representations along the lines and spaces and selectively providing visual output in response to user input corresponding to choices made by the user.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a process of teaching music having the steps of presenting two musical staffs, having lines and spaces, on a visual display through a computing device, designating for each musical staff a different visual presentation for the lines of that particular staff, and providing a graphical association on a keyboard to the lines using the same visual presentation for each respective staff, wherein the keyboard is interconnected to the visual display through a computing device.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a process of teaching music having the steps of presenting a musical staff, having lines and spaces, on a visual display, designating a different visual presentation for the notes that fall on the lines from the visual presentation for the notes that fall on the spaces of the staff.

In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention, there is shown a method for teaching music having the steps of presenting a user through a visual display a pre-determined series of musical representations, permitting user input corresponding to the playing of a sequence of musical notes in response to the representations, presenting the user on a visual display with the representations on a vertically oriented staff, and changing the display to a horizontal musical staff showing the same musical representations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a depiction of the phonetically based graphics used in the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a bass clef fill-in identification game.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of equal width lines and spaces turned vertically in an identification game.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the lines and spaces for a note identification game.

FIG. 5 is a schematic of graphical notes falling out of a tree for an identification game.

FIG. 6 is a schematic of graphical notes and a fill in game for note and location identification.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a note duration game.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a bass clef vertically represented for note identification.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the treble clef vertically represented for note identification.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the treble clef in a horizontal representation for a note identification fill in game.

FIG. 11 is a piano game with full treble and bass clefs in a vertical orientation with a timing bar.

FIGS. 12A through 12D is a series of progressive piano playing methods that increase from a simplified representation to a traditional representation.

FIG. 13 is a schematic depiction of a keyboard with color coding and stickers on certain keys.

FIG. 14 is a schematic depiction of a portion of a keyboard with color and stickers and on certain keys.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

The innovative part of this invention lies in the modified representation of music staff and notes adapted for beginners and children, and visual association of music staff with the piano keyboard. The system helps train the skills that have often been overlooked by other music-teaching methods.

Other methods have neglected the simple fact that all notes on the music staff are basically represented as space or line notes. The present invention contains various methods and systems that drill the student to quickly recognize the difference between space and line notes.

A common difficulty for beginners during site reading is determining note line number. The present invention offers training for a quick identification of all staff lines and spaces.

Other methods do not address the important fact that, while playing music, a musician reads notes both forward and back. In contrast, the inventive system presented herein provides several exercises to help students develop this crucial skill. With this invention, students learn to expertly and effortlessly read the music notes in any order.

The inventive system preferably uses Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La and Ti note names instead of A, B, C, D, E, F and G, especially for small children and beginners. Physiologists proved that not only our ears, but our throat, too, participate in the process of music perception. Whenever we hear or play a melody we also sing along with it inside of our mind. The Solfeggio (Do, Re, Mi . . . ) note name system is accepted worldwide for vocalization. The use of the less convenient method of singing alphabet syllables (A, B, C . . . ) cuts the link between the sound of music and our perception of it. However, the system of the present invention will allow all exercises and games to be switched to the A-B-C notation, if the student so desires. The representation of notes that phonetically associate with note names helps not only to distinguish notes, but to also memorize their names and sing them while playing.

The method introduces revolutionary representation of the music score that allows any beginner, a child or an adult, to read and play songs from the very first session and, thus, to avoid months of abstract memorizing.

The method is built upon the notion that the art of piano performance as a set of essential simple skills united by practice. The method helps students to develop and master these skills using an entertaining and relaxed way.

In order to provide a student with effective music practicing preferred embodiments are implemented in the form of interactive video games appealing to adults and toddlers as well. That provides an opportunity for productive training in music classes or at home.

This method operates on a “no boring lecture” approach and needs no theoretical introduction. Software applications use very simple intuitive user interface and demand no reading skills from the player. Each of the following methods and systems may be implemented in software and hardware well know the those of skill in the art and may take many forms including desktop computers and attached electronic keyboards, musical teaching toys, dedicated keyboards with an onboard computer and the like. Some of the methods and systems may be implemented in a variety of mechanical or electrical configurations well known in the art.

Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown a pictorial representations of the Solfeggio (Do, Re, Mi . . . ) note name system 8 utilizing pictures for each note that correspond in some fashion with the phonetic verbalization of the note. The graphical representations of the notes could be any of a variety of objects or concepts but preferably they are designed for easy understanding by children and such that a basic pronunciation of the graphic in the home language of the student corresponds with the aural sound of the particular note for which it is associated. For example, Do is represented by a picture of a door 10, Re as a picture of a rain cloud 12, Mi as a picture of a mirror 14, Fa as a picture of a farm 16, So as a picture of salt shaker 18, La as a picture of a ladder 20 and Ti as a picture of a cup of tea 22. These simple representations are used in the method to associate the basic tones of the scale with pictures easily understood, read and pronounced by beginners and particularly by children. The initial learning of the notes and their proper position on the treble and bass staffs is done by associating the pictures with the notes through a series of interactive games and real time musical representations. The graphics or pictograms of FIG. 1 are used to represent the notes on the staff and provide an easy notation understandable by beginners that are first learning how to read music. These pictures may also be used to create stickers on a keyboard for identification of the proper keys on the keyboard. This helps a student to easily associate notes and their proper corresponding key.

The graphics depicting the different objects may also be color coded to orient the student to the proper location on a keyboard and make the proper association with the bass or treble clef staff that a particular note is associated with. Further, the notes that fall on lines may be color coded the same and notes that fall in spaces may be color coded differently to further reinforce the proper location of notes on a scale with the keys of a keyboard.

FIG. 2 depicts bass clef puzzle game 30. Treble clef puzzle game is depicted in FIG. 10 and is described more fully below. Notes are scrolled or streamed from the left hand side of the screen in one of a variety of depictions using for example the graphical representation shown in FIG. 1. Note 32 is depicted as a ladder to represent the note corresponding to the “La” of the Solfeggio system which would be the note “A” on the bass clef In this embodiment which could be implemented in a desktop computer system with visual display device such as a monitor or CRT, the user is required to move the note up or down, through computer input devices such as a mouse or game controller or keyboard, to position it in its proper location on the bass clef and thereby fill in space 42 which in turn adds another segment to bird picture 34. The method allows for changing the depiction from a pictorial representation such as ladder 32 to a letter representation “A.” It also could simply be a traditional note designation with the student having to identify the note by a sound emitted from the system. As each picture such as bird picture 34 is filled in, a piece of Mozart picture 36 is filled in and the student receives coins or points 38 into treasure chest 40. Time 44 may be kept to produce differing count totals for faster performance and identification of the notes. As is readily apparent, other scoring and feedback mechanisms may be employed so long as the student sees and/or hears responses that reflect proper and improper choices.

When incorrect choices are made a pictorial representation of a cartoon type character appears and an aural signal is generated indicating the error. As the game progresses, a student who successfully identifies the notes with the corresponding position on the staff will be presented with a changing configuration where the notes appear and move faster across the screen. If the student repeatedly commits errors in identification, the system will slow down the speed of the note's movement until more success is achieved. The picture to be filled in can be presented with the open spaces 42 with a helper picture of the note's graphical representation but will be removed after the student places successfully several notes in its proper position.

The picture allows for placement of two notes during a particular sequence for a picture but the picture can be moved about the staff to present different combinations of notes to be learned. The pictures can have one, two or more openings to be filled depending on the desires of the teaching method. As the student progresses through pictures 34, the speed and difficulty of identification may be increased.

FIG. 10 is a depiction of treble clef puzzle game 210 on screen 212 which is very similar to bass clef puzzle game shown and described with FIG. 2. Notes 216 are presented with the pictorial Solfeggio representation and the user is required to move the note into its proper position to fill in the drawing. A proper selection results in a piece of the picture 218 being properly filled in. An improper selection results in the elf 214 appearing and indicating an improper choice by an audible sound. As with the other fill in games, the picture is competed when the user selects enough proper notes to fill the spaces. As each picture is finished, a piece of the large puzzle to the right is revealed and points are scored as before.

FIG. 3 depicts “boys and girls” game 50 where the user is required to input through a mouse, keyboard, game controller or other device identification of a note as falling on space 52 or a line 54. Lines and spaces may be depicted in equal width which helps a beginner to recognize the proper interval between the notes that would fall either on a line or in a space of the musical staff. This game associates the concept of lines and spaces and is presented in a vertical orientation much the same way as the keys of a piano keyboard are lined up vertically. As ball 58 drops down from the top of the screen 64, the user hits the appropriate input device for either a space or a line. As the line or space is correctly identified, the proper note is presented audibly by the system and the Solfeggio pictorial representation 62 is displayed. If a proper line is identified a girl 60 is presented along with an audible noise to indicate that the correct choice was made. If a space is properly identified a boy picture not shown is presented along with a audible noise to indicate the correct choice. An improper selection of a line when the note is on a space results in another character being presented in the form of a little elf, not shown here and a noise indicating an improper choice was made. The game progresses with more notes streaming down from the top of the screen in a faster time sequence. The notes that fall on lines may be depicted with one color, for example red, and for notes that fall on spaces, blue. An association is made with the blue note and the space of a staff, and red with the lines of the staff.

FIG. 4 depicts a basket game 70 on screen 72 where notes 86 fall from the tree in spaces 84 or lines 80 representing the various lines and spaces on a musical staff. In the first sequence, the notes are presented with their Solfeggio pictorial diagrams such as “Mi” or mirror in apple 86. Each of the baskets also hold pictorial representations of notes, one for each basket. The user moves the three baskets 74, 76 and 78 left or right to line them up to catch the note in the proper basket with the same picture. As the game progresses, the picture of the note such as the mirror in this figure is removed and only the fruit or other pictorial representation falls from the tree in the space or line associated with that note. The note is sounded as the note first falls from the tree to associate the sound of the note with its proper location on the staff. The staff can be disguised as tree trunks such as line 80. If a correct choice is made the elf, not shown here, appears; if an incorrect choice is made, a spider crawls across the bottom of the screen and picks up the fruit. Increased difficulty comes with each level of the game with “Level 1” 92 shown here. As the student makes appropriate choices, coins 90 are built up and ultimately deposited in chest 88 at the end of a particular level. Time keeper 94 tracks the amount of time it takes to complete a particular sequence. A student can speed up the downward movement of a particular note by depressing the space bar on the keyboard once the baskets are moved into proper position. Other mechanisms for feedback and reward may be devised to increase difficulty and the amount of points obtained. Help key 96 is available by depressing the F1 key on the keyboard as is common in many software applications.

FIG. 5 depicts tree note identification game 100 on screen 102. The input comes from any of a variety of devices but in one preferred embodiment is an electronic keyboard connected through a computer to the display unit in such a way so that when the proper key is depressed on the piano keyboard, the proper note is sounded and the computer recognizes that a particular note was played. The keyboard can be any of a variety of electronic keyboards that are interactive with a computer system such as a MIDI keyboard well known in the art. In this game, notes fall from tree 106 such as “Fa” or farm 104. The student is required to play any key corresponding to the proper note on the keyboard that corresponds with the note picture as shown in FIG. 1. Also the sound of the note is produced to associate the graphic with its proper sound. In one embodiment, the student may depress any key having the same tone, without regard to which octave the note is in, to provide the proper input. As proper notes are played the note falls more quickly and into a basket, not shown, an elf appears next to the basket. Improper note playing allows the note to fall to the ground to be picked up by a spider, not shown. As with the other games, proper identification and playing of the notes results in coins 108 being earned for deposit into chest 110. Although the notes fall from the tree in their proper orientation relative to each other on the musical scale, they do not necessarily always appear in the same location from the tree. It is not important that the notes appear in relative order since the purpose of the game is to identify notes by sound and their association with the Solfeggio system outlined herein.

Turning now to FIG. 6, there is shown a note alphabet game 120 on screen 122 of a typical computer system or other interactive screen based system. Any of the methods disclosed herein may be employed in any of a variety of computer based systems including a general purpose computer, a dedicated computer in a musical device or a combination of the two so long as the user is enabled to input to the system and receive either a visual, audible or other response for choices made by the user. In this method, the Solfeggio system of notes is presented with two of the notes in a five note sequence shown on the outer edge of the game. The student is required to place notes in correct order in the Solfeggio or A-B-C system. The method may present notes in a consecutive contiguous fashion such as “do-re-mi”, or simply consecutive but separated by one or more notes, such as “do-mi-so” in order to teach proper relative position of the notes.

“Do” or door 124 is shown with “So” or salt 122 to orient the user to the three notes that will be used in the game. As notes stream down using the various Solfeggio representations as in this case “Mi” or mirror 130, the user is required to move the note into proper position to fill in the picture 128. As the user progresses through the game, points are accumulated as coins 134 and deposited in the chest. Master picture 132 is revealed upon the completion of successive levels of the main game. As the notes are played and presented on the screen, the note is audibly presented as well as the pictorial representation. A proper selection fills in a portion of picture 128; an improper selection results in the appearance of an elf and a noise indicating an improper selection such as the phrase “oops.”

FIG. 7 depicts note duration game 150 on screen 152 to associate note time value with the notion of how long to hold the note. Notes 154 are presented in their proper location and with the proper sound and the user is required to hold down a space key on a keyboard or other input device for as long as the note requires to match its proper duration. As the user holds the note the proper time according to the basket 156 associated with the note, the note travels leftward until it is between the lines that are positioned directly above the particular basket for that note's duration. The user holds the key down for the appropriate time and the note turns into a fruit 158 and then drops to basket 156 in the case of the half note 154 depicted here. If the key is depressed too early before the note hits right bar 160 the note is held up until it is properly presented according to the particular song being played during the game. If a note is held too long a spider appears instead of the fruit. The game can be presented with any of a number of songs to teach the user proper timing and sequence of the notes. The game teaches the proper duration of a note as well as its timing relationship to the notes before and after it. Notes are shown on both treble clef 162 and bass clef 164. This helps the user not only identify timing and duration but location of the notes in their proper orientation on the traditional musical staffs.

FIG. 8 shows bass clef line game 170 on screen 172. The traditional horizontal bass clef is shown vertically to orient the notes of the keyboard along the lines of the keys of the piano. In this embodiment, the staff is oriented with the higher pitched notes positioned on the screen in ascending order going to the right. The lines and spaces are presented in broad strokes of equal width for easy identification by beginners and for proper association with musical intervals. The broad lines also are easily associated with the keys of the keyboard. In one embodiment, it may be shown where the lines are one color such as brown or some other generally uniform appearance such as cross hatched or checkerboard. Lines 176 are shown with numerals representing the five main lines of the bass clef. As note 178 is presented the user is to play the actual note on the keyboard of a MIDI type keyboard or other appropriate input device. The notes are associated with their Solfeggio counterparts or numbers using the pictorial representations already discussed and a numbering convention where middle C is “0” or zero and “E” is 1 and “F” is 2 and so forth. The keys associated with the bass clef notes may also be color coded to match that shown on the screen, for example in brown, where the keys that match notes falling on a line have a brown sticker overlayed upon them. Solfeggio graphics 174 are shown in their proper orientation on the staff at the bottom of screen 172. The numbers count downward for notes below middle C so that “A” is 1 and “F” is 2 and so forth. As the game progresses, the note is presented without a pictorial representation or number but is only in its proper staff position and displayed while its proper audible tone is played. As a note is properly inputted by the user it evaporates in a graphic such as cloud 180. As the notes are played, different graphics associated with the particular note are displayed on the left side of screen 172. Improper playing of note results in the appearance of an elf, not shown, and in some cases a noise indicating that an improper note was played. This game continues to reinforce the association of the lines and spaces of the bass clef with the proper keys on the keyboard and the proper sound of a note that is being played. The keyboard itself can be marked on each key with stickers that show the numbers and the Solfeggio representations to help the user identify the correct notes. See, for example, FIGS. 13 and 14. The bass clef lines can be depicted in one color such as brown and for the treble clef the lines can be depicted in green or other visual presentations such as patterns like a checkerboard or cross hatching. Such coloring conventions can be used in any of the foregoing games as a means to reinforce understanding the proper position of the notes on the keyboard and the staff.

FIG. 9 is a treble clef line game 200 on screen 202 of similar functionality as bass clef game 170 depicted in FIG. 8. In FIG. 9, the improper note was depressed and the elf 204 appears over the note ball 206 indicating an improper selection. The game uses broad lines 208 and spaces for the staff to make it easier to associate each note with its proper key and location on the staff.

FIG. 11 is a depiction of piano game 250 on screen 252. Here the treble clef 270 and the bass clef 272 are presented in vertical orientation with timing bar 260. The timing bar sets a position point on the clef that correlates with the playing of notes for the proper time and sequence. Notes move or scroll from the bottom of the screen to the top in proper timing and location on the staffs. Generally, notes move at a constant speed and the user is required to play the notes on an input device according to the proper timing of the musical piece. Notes are shown on lines 254 and spaces 256 as appropriate for the particular piece in real time according to the timing of the musical piece. Notes may be shown in simplified representations such as circles with the Solfeggio depictions, numbers, as other graphics or as regular note depictions used in sheet music. In one embodiment, beginners are presented with simplified circular representations of the notes without any time, value symbol associated therewith. Proper duration of the note is controlled by the program. As the note hits the timing bar, halo 262 surrounds the note to indicate readiness to be played and the user is supposed to play the note on an input device such as a MIDI type keyboard in the proper sequence and with the proper timing. Properly selected notes blossom into flowers such as flower 264. Once the note is properly played and blossoms into a flower, it leaves the timing bar. This provides the user with visual feedback information. For the user, when the note leaves the timing bar it is a hint to release the key corresponding to the note. If the key is not released on time, a butterfly, not shown, appears on the timing bar at the corresponding staff line to provide further visual feedback information. If the user plays the wrong key, a spider appears, not shown, on the timing bar at the staff line corresponding to the pressed key to provide the user with information regarding finger location. If a note or notes are not properly played, the scrolling may stop to allow the user to select the proper keys and hold for the proper amount of time. Upon selecting the proper keys and depressing them for the proper time, the scrolling continues through the musical piece.

The notes are presented to the user in a proper sequence and timing as the musical piece is being learned. As the notes proceed to the timing bar, the user is required to play those notes and receives an immediate positive or negative response along the timing bar from the system upon playing the keys of the piano keyboard. The vertical orientation of the staffs and presentation of the notes from the bottom to the top, allows the user to see what is coming up in the musical piece and then play the notes accordingly. A vertical orientation helps the user to align the notes being played with the actual keys of the keyboard and aids in the learning of the proper association of the musical notes with their location on the staff.

The notes can be presented with the Solfeggio pictograms, alphabetical letters, or they can be presented without the pictograms. For small children, placing stickers on each key with a depiction of a salt shaker, ladder, cup etc. and color coding those stickers for the treble and bass clefs is extremely useful in making the associations between the notes on the screen and the proper note on the keyboard as, for example, as depicted in FIGS. 13 and 14 below. Further, the notes may be depicted with color coding for notes that appear on spaces and lines having different colors. Also the system may use different colors for the staff lines of the bass clef, being differentiated from the lines of the treble clef. By inputting a certain command to the system, the staff representation can be turned horizontal. It may also be switched to the Solfeggio pictograms.

Input commands may change the display in numerous ways including changing the note representation between Solfeggio pictograms, alphabetical, symbolic circular notations and traditional notation. The system may also change presentation of the staff from horizontal to vertical and vice-versa, including the use of wide and narrow line depictions in the staff and modifications of color associations on the staff.

FIGS. 12A through 12D shows a sequence of displays that move from the simple large line and space depiction with pictograms which are scrolled to a screen with no pictograms, and then a screen with large notes and two staffs in the traditional format to the full musical representation of the treble and bass clefs shown in FIG. 12D. As the student becomes more adept, the pictograms can be removed and the wide bars and spaces replaced with a typical staff with narrow lines and large spaces. The user can change these various displays as they are playing the particular piece, or the program can automatically move from the most simplified vertical position with all notes identified, to regular musical staffs and notes showing their actual duration through the normal notation depending on a pre-determined set of criteria. FIG. 12D depicts normal musical notation whereby the notes are not scrolled, but rather, sheets of music are displayed screen by screen. By allowing the user to move from various depictions of the musical staffs, the user is able to learn the relationships between the input device, in this case a keyboard, the musical staff and the proper location of the notes depicted on that staff.

The system permits a user to play with right hand only while the left hand part plays automatically or the other way around. The student thereby is able to practice and memorize each hand of the musical piece separately. The system also allows for all note representations to be turned off to test a student's ability to play the piece from memory. Incorrect key selection causes the system to display the proper note for the student to play.

As is readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, any of the foregoing games and methods described above may utilize vertical and horizontal depictions, colorful and black and white depictions, and thick and thin staff lines as desired to reinforce the association between written music and the input device such as a keyboard.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show a typical keyboard with white keys 304 and black keys 305. Superimposed over the keys are stickers depicting the Solfeggio pictograms 300 representing the different notes on the scale. The pictograms may be depicted in different colors depending upon whether they are located on a line or space of the staff. Color coding has been added to the keys to designate the bass clef using brown stickers 301 and for the treble clef green stickers 303. The keys that are associated with notes on the lines of the clefs are numbered with middle C being “0” and each key numbered 1 through 5 as shown for each clef. Middle C key 302 has a dual coded key sticker and bears the number “0”. FIG. 14 shows the same color coding as FIG. 13 but in close up detail. The color coding matches the use of brown lines for the bass clef on the musical representations used in the method and green lines for the treble clef used on the musical representations. When the staffs are presented vertically, the lines of the bass and treble clef line up with the keys of the keyboard and reinforce their association with the music.

While the invention has been described in connection with various preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for teaching music comprising:

a visual display of at least one vertically oriented music staff having at least one staff line where said staff is oriented with higher pitched notes positioned to the right;

representation of notes of music on said visual display in positions on said staff; and

visual feedback information on said visual display that correctly describes staff position of music tones corresponding to a plurality of depressed keys on a keyboard.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 where said feedback information is presented in real time.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 where keyboard keys are designated with stickers corresponding to the lines on a staff.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 where said representations of notes and said visual information are generated by a program in a computing device in response to user input.

5. A system for teaching music comprising:

a representation of at least one music staff through a visual display having at least one staff line;

scrolled musical representations through a visual display means whereby images of notes along said staff lines move with relatively constant speed;

a visual representation of a position point along said staff that designates a time bar; and

presentation of selected musical representations along said time bar corresponding to the notes that are to be played.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5 where visual information on a time bar correctly describes staff position of music tones corresponding with a plurality of depressed keys on a keyboard.

7. The system as claimed in claim 5 where said musical representations are presented in real time.

8. The system as claimed in claim 5 where said scroll is stopped if incorrect input on a keyboard corresponding with said musical representations on said time bar is pressed.

9. The system as claimed in claim 5 where the time duration of the musical representations on said time bar is represented by changing appearance of said representations.

10. The system as claimed in claim 5 where said representations are generated by a pre-determined program in a computing device.

11. The system as claimed in claim 5 further comprising a keyboard for input by the user.

12. A method for teaching music comprising the steps of:

presenting a plurality of pictures to a user through a visual display interconnected to a computing device;

designating for each of said pictures a pre-determined word, whereby each word is phonetically associated with a note name on the Solfeggio scale; and

associating said pictures with said note name.

13. A process for teaching music as claimed in claim 12 wherein said pictures are associated with a corresponding position on a musical instrument interconnected through said computing device to said display.

14. A process for teaching music as claimed in claim 12 where said pictures are used as part of a musical representation of the notes on a musical piece.

15. A process for teaching music comprising the steps of:

presenting a user a graphical representation of lines and spaces from a musical staff on a visual display;

visually presenting said lines and spaces in generally equal width, thereby associating said lines and spaces with the proper musical intervals of a musical scale through an interconnection between a computing device and said display; and

presenting musical representations along said lines and spaces and selectively providing visual output in response to user input corresponding to choices made by said user.

16. A process for teaching music as claimed in claim 15 where said input is through a keyboard.

17. A process of teaching music comprising the steps of:

presenting two musical staffs, having lines and spaces, on a visual display through a computing device;

designating for each musical staff a different visual presentation for the lines of that particular staff; and

providing visual information on said display which describes position of music tones corresponding with a plurality of depressed keys on a keyboard.

18. A process of teaching music as claimed in claim 17 further comprising the step of providing a graphical association on a keyboard to said lines using the same visual presentation for each respective staff

19. The process of teaching music as claimed in claim 18 wherein said association is through application of stickers on said keyboard using said visual presentation corresponding with said staff lines.

20. A process of teaching music comprising the steps of:

presenting a musical staff, having lines and spaces, on a visual display;

designating a different visual presentation for the notes that fall on the lines from the visual presentation for the notes that fall on the spaces of said staff.

21. A process of teaching music as claimed in claim 20 further comprising the step of applying stickers to said keyboard that correspond to said visual presentation for keys that correspond to the proper notes on the lines and spaces.

22. A method for teaching music comprising the steps of:

presenting a user through a visual display a pre-determined series of musical representations;

permitting user input corresponding to the playing of a sequence of musical notes in response to said representations;

presenting said user on a visual display with said representations on a vertically oriented staff; and

changing said display to a horizontal musical staff showing the same musical representations.

23. The method of teaching music as claimed in claim 22 further comprising the step of changing said musical representations from a pictogram to traditional musical notation.