Rhythm Patents (Class 84/611)
  • Patent number: 7358432
    Abstract: An apparatus for teaching rhythm includes a housing having a plurality of tempo indicator lights and a plurality of beat indicator lights corresponding to the tempo indicator lights, such that the beat indicator lights can be selectively illuminated to indicate a desired beat in a rhythm. Circuitry illuminates the tempo indicator lights in sequence and the selected beat indicator lights in sequence, so that a user may attempt to manually generate a sequence of sounds synchronous with the selectively illuminated beat indicator lights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Inventor: Steven George Risley
  • Publication number: 20080078282
    Abstract: To generate motion data of a motion in synchronization with a melody of music. As an embodiment of the present invention, when motion pattern data corresponding to a predetermined motion pattern is stored, music data is analyzed to detect a beat of music based on the music data, and the music data is divided into a plurality of bar intervals based on the detected beat, the motion pattern data is allocated to the bar intervals of the music data being divided to generate motion data. In this manner, when the motion data is reproduced together with the music data, the motion pattern can be switched in synchronization with switching of first bar intervals and second bar intervals corresponding to a bar when the music based on music data is expressed in a musical score.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroki Saijo
  • Patent number: 7342167
    Abstract: An encoded rhythmic pattern has several groups of velocity values, wherein the velocity values are sorted, such that the groups are included in sequence in an encoded rhythmic pattern. Now, the velocity values concentrated at the beginning of the encoded rhythmic pattern have a higher importance for characterizing the rhythmic gist of a piece of music than velocity values included in additional groups of velocity values. By using such an encoded rhythmic pattern, an efficient database access can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Markus Cremer, Matthias Gruhne, Jan Rohden, Christian Uhle
  • Publication number: 20080011149
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of synchronizing a musical score with a source of time-based information. The method comprises deriving a mapping between rhythmic positions associated with the musical score and a reference time base; and synchronizing the musical score and the source of time-based information using the derived mapping. The synchronization method can be used to synchronize the playback of a score with another source, such as a video clip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventors: Michael Eastwood, Paul Walmsley
  • Patent number: 7317158
    Abstract: The sound reproducer (100) generates and outputs, when any external situation such as a running sound is recognized by an external input rhythm detecting section (110), generates external rhythm information concerning the recognized running sound. When the external rhythm information is acquired, a rhythm setting section (173) of a processing section 170) generates set rhythm information for setting a rhythm of a music corresponding to the rhythm of the running sound. Because of this feature, even when a running state of the vehicle changes, the sound reproducer (100) can reproduce a rhythm of a music with a rhythm corresponding to the running state. Because of this feature, the music can be reproduced in better conditions in correspondence to the external situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventor: Kentaro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7314992
    Abstract: An apparatus is to analyze music data of a musical performance including note events of triplets as well as note events like triplets, and to display the note events in triplet notation properly in view of the general rhythmic tendency of the musical performance. Music data representing a musical performance is analyzed by counting the number of note events which occur as a regular rhythm pattern and the number of note events which occur as a triplet, so that the performed music as a whole is judged to be either in a triplet-shy rhythm or in a triplet-rich rhythm. Then fuzzy triplet detecting time windows detect triplet candidate notes. Thus detected fuzzy triplet note events are flexibly decided to be notated in a regular rhythm pattern form or in a triplet form depending on whether the performed music as a whole is in a triplet-shy rhythm or in a triplet-rich rhythm. The notes are displayed in the decided form of notation to provide a good-looking and easily understandable music score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Funaki, Kanami Hoshika
  • Patent number: 7312390
    Abstract: An external storage device stores automatic music playing data files, each file including data of a progression of musical notes constituting a performance of a music piece, and registration data files, each file including data of a set of parameters to determine the conditions for the performance of the music piece. While an automatic music playing data file of a piece of music and registration data files are loaded into a working memory and are being processed to play the current piece of music automatically, the next automatic music playing data file of the next piece of music to be played and the registration data files to be used next are prefetched from the external storage device into an internal storage device temporarily to be prepared for being transferred to the working memory for the successive automatic music playing after the automatic playing of the current music piece is over.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Yanagawa, Akira Suzuki, Hiroyuki Torimura
  • Patent number: 7304229
    Abstract: A karaoke scoring apparatus includes a memory element, a feature extraction element, a similarity measurement element, and a scoring element. The karaoke system includes a reference audio input to be compared with a target audio input for giving a score. The reference audio input and the target audio input are sampled respectively and are transformed sequentially to plural frames of reference sampling signals and plural frames of target sampling signals. The memory element is used for storing the frame of reference sampling signal and the frame of target sampling signal. The feature extraction element is used for performing autocorrelation calculation on the frame of reference sampling signal and the frame of target sampling signal. The similarity measurement element is used for generating a similarity result. The scoring element is used for calculating the similarity results corresponding to the plural frames of sampling signals to output final score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Mediatek Incorporated
    Inventor: Pei-Chen Chang
  • Patent number: 7304230
    Abstract: A multiple channel metronome for use by a plurality of musicians generally includes a signal generator for producing electrical signals according to desired timing schemes and a plurality of transducers in communication with the signal generator. Each transducer, which may take the form of a piezoelectric device, a buzzer, electrodes or any substantial equivalent, is adapted to impart a sensation to one of the musicians in response to one of the generated electrical signals. The communication may be established with hardwired connections, infrared links or a radio frequency transmission system. The signal generator is under the centralized control of a conductor, bandleader, lead musician or music instructor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Solutions for Thought, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher V. Parsons, David M. Tumey
  • Publication number: 20070186755
    Abstract: A karaoke system which displays and highlights musical notes and tablature, in addition to lyrics, as they are to be played or sung, with a view to helping an aspiring musician learn to play their instrument of choice. The system further utilizes a means to slow the tempo of the songs being played, so that the aspiring musician can master the notes and timing of the songs. The system can be patched to any TV system or displayed on the screen of the system itself The system contains an amp which allows for the plugging in of electric instruments and features a built in microphone. The system further allows a musician the option of a “full band” backup when the song is played, or the option of hearing only the selected instrument while playing along. Compact disks can be provided which would contain the songs, musical notes, lyrics and back up music thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2007
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Inventor: Lisa Lance
  • Publication number: 20070180979
    Abstract: A portable music player apparatus that outputs visual content to a head-worn transmissive display, the visual content being modulated in time with playing musical content and overlaid upon the user's direct view of his or her physical surroundings. In this way, the user is provided with an enhanced visual view of his or her physical surroundings, the enhanced visual view including transmissive visual content that is generally synchronized in time with the playing music content. This provides the user with an improved music listening experience in which he or she feels present within a visually enhanced version of the physical world that has changing visual qualities that are perceptually synchronized in time with one or more features of the playing music. The displayed visual content may include time-varying translucency and/or color-tinting such that the user's direct view of the physical world changes in brightness and/or color tinting in a manner choreographed with the playing music.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2007
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Applicant: Outland Research, LLC
    Inventor: Louis B. Rosenberg
  • Patent number: 7250566
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a method and apparatus for evaluating and correcting rhythm of audio data. Embodiments of the invention are capable of obtaining preferred rhythm in audio data, and strategically correcting the portions of audio data resulting an enhancing rhythm. A system embodying the invention may detect each transient in audio data, compute an ideal time for the transient and determine the time deviation from the expected ideal time. The system may correct for the time of the transient by altering the audio data before or after the transient. The system utilizes one or more methods to correct for the timing while preserving the audio quality of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Gerhard Lengeling, Sol Friedman
  • Publication number: 20070163428
    Abstract: A system, computer readable storage medium, and method for communicating musical data over a network, comprising: connecting one or more player modules to a network; providing an unassigned channel of prerecorded music data; providing an assigned channel of prerecorded music data; displaying the assigned channel; playing the unassigned channel while not playing the assigned channel; converting musical performance to music performance data; evaluating the music performance data in regard to the assigned channel; and simultaneously delivering a representation of the evaluation over the network. There may also be a graphical user interface, including a virtual instrument positioned substantially at a top portion of the graphical interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventor: Hal C. Salter
  • Patent number: 7227072
    Abstract: A system and method for determining the similarity of music files based on a perceptual metric is disclosed. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic components are generated for each of the music files. The dimensionality of the components is then reduced to six by a mapper. This reduction is part of what allows the present invention to process large collections of music files very quickly. The mapper maps the components to positions on two-dimensional feature maps. The feature maps are trained by a trainer. The top N positions in each feature map, along with their amplitudes, are taken as the representative vectors for the music files. To compare the similarity between two music files, the distance between the two representative vectors are calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Christopher B. Weare
  • Patent number: 7205470
    Abstract: A play data editing device edits play data according to a characteristic of a speaker. The play data editing device includes a dividing unit (301) for dividing first play data into second play data per channel; a classifying unit (302) for classifying the second play data into a rhythm part, a melody part, and a base part; a chord processing unit (303) for converting a number of chords of the second play data corresponding to the melody part according to the characteristic of the speaker; a velocity processing unit (304) for converting a velocity of the second play data corresponding to the rhythm part according to the characteristic of the speaker; and a sound range processing unit (305) for shifting a sound range of the second play data corresponding to the base part according to the characteristic of the speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaoru Tsukamoto, Tomohiro Iwanaga, Hiroto Miyahara
  • Patent number: 7196260
    Abstract: Within a mobile communication device (100), a method (300) of specifying two or more musical notes for substantially concurrent playback can include receiving (302) an input specifying a root note (FIG. 2 ) indicating a position on a neck of a stringed instrument and associating (308) at least one column of input keys such as numeric keys (115) of the mobile communication device with a string of the stringed instrument (130). Numeric keys next to one another and within a same column can specify notes which vary by approximately a half-step (130). The method also can include detecting (312) at least one activation of the numeric keys specifying at least one additional note to be played substantially concurrently or in a defined sequence with the root note (FIG. 5 ), thereby specifying a musical chord.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles P. Schultz
  • Patent number: 7193148
    Abstract: An encoded rhythmic pattern has several groups of velocity values, wherein the velocity values are sorted, such that the groups are included in sequence in an encoded rhythmic pattern. Now, the velocity values concentrated at the beginning of the encoded rhythmic pattern have a higher importance for characterizing the rhythmic gist of a piece of music than velocity values included in additional groups of velocity values. By using such an encoded rhythmic pattern, an efficient database access can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Markus Cremer, Matthias Gruhne, Jan Rohden, Christian Uhle
  • Patent number: 7169997
    Abstract: An initial note series is collected from a real-time source of musical input material such as a keyboard or a sequencer playing back musical data, or extracted from musical data stored in memory. The initial note series may be altered to create variations of the initial note series using various mathematical operations. The resulting altered note series, or other data stored in memory is read out according to one or more patterns. The patterns may have steps containing pools of independently selectable items from which random selections are made. A pseudo-random number generator is employed to perform the random selections during processing, where the random sequences thereby generated have the ability to be repeated at specific musical intervals. The resulting musical effect may additionally incorporate a repeated effect, or a repeated effect can be independently performed from input notes in the musical input material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Inventor: Stephen R. Kay
  • Patent number: 7148415
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a method and apparatus for evaluating and correcting rhythm of audio data. Embodiments of the invention are capable of obtaining preferred rhythm in audio data, and strategically correcting the portions of audio data resulting an enhancing rhythm. A system embodying the invention may detect each transient in audio data, compute an ideal time for the transient and determine the time deviation from the expected ideal time. The system may correct for the time of the transient by altering the audio data before or after the transient. The system utilizes one or more methods to correct for the timing while preserving the audio quality of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerhard Lengeling, Sol Friedman
  • Patent number: 7115808
    Abstract: A system and methods use music features extracted from music to detect a music mood within a hierarchical mood detection framework. A two-dimensional mood model divides music into four moods which include contentment, depression, exuberance, and anxious/frantic. A mood detection algorithm uses a hierarchical mood detection framework to determine which of the four moods is associated with a music clip based on the extracted features. In a first tier of the hierarchical detection process, the algorithm determines one of two mood groups to which the music clip belongs. In a second tier of the hierarchical detection process, the algorithm then determines which mood from within the selected mood group is the appropriate, exact mood for the music clip. Benefits of the mood detection system include automatic detection of music mood which can be used as music metadata to manage music through music representation and classification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Lie Lu, Hong-Jiang Zhang
  • Patent number: 7022907
    Abstract: A system and methods use music features extracted from music to detect a music mood within a hierarchical mood detection framework. A two-dimensional mood model divides music into four moods which include contentment, depression, exuberance, and anxious/frantic. A mood detection algorithm uses a hierarchical mood detection framework to determine which of the four moods is associated with a music clip based on the extracted features. In a first tier of the hierarchical detection process, the algorithm determines one of two mood groups to which the music clip belongs. In a second tier of the hierarchical detection process, the algorithm then determines which mood from within the selected mood group is the appropriate, exact mood for the music clip. Benefits of the mood detection system include automatic detection of music mood which can be used as music metadata to manage music through music representation and classification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Lie Lu, Hong-Jiang Zhang
  • Patent number: 7012183
    Abstract: An apparatus for analyzing an audio signal with regard to rhythm information of the audio signal by using an autocorrelation function comprises a filter bank for separating the audio signal into at least two sub-band signals. The sub-band signals are examined with regard to periodicities by an autocorrelation function, to obtain rhythm raw-information for the at least two sub-band signals. To reduce or eliminate the ambiguities of the autocorrelation function for periodical signals, the rhythm raw-information is postprocessed to obtain post-processed rhythm raw-information for the sub-band signal. The rhythm information of the audio signal is established based on the postprocessed rhythm raw-information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Jürgen Herre, Jan Rohden, Christian Uhle, Markus Cremer
  • Patent number: 6924426
    Abstract: A method for the algorithmic expressive intonation tuning (EIT) and performance of electronic, computer and MIDI musical works relies on melodic intervals, rather than on chordal harmony, and acts by desirably modifying the pitch of a note slightly (compared to equal temperament tuning), depending on the next melodic note. This dynamic, non static, melodic tuning emulates, and can even possibly augment, aspects of outstanding live human musical performance achieved with regard to pitch subtleties, as it enhances the living sounding, real aspects of the performance of electronic, computer and MIDI music, by sensibly causing a slightly different pitch of particular notes, depending on the size of an interval and on whether an interval is ascending or descending, with the same note subtly having more than one pitch often, depending on melodic context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Microsound International Ltd.
    Inventor: Manfred Clynes
  • Patent number: 6787689
    Abstract: A real time, multi-function beat counting system used in machine perception of musical rhythms employs a high speed stable algorithm including down sampling and group summing of the original signal, pulse matching on peak points, and check-frame decision making. The down sampled and group summed signal is utilized to derive an onset peak train formed of a series of data points. The onset peak train is divided into frames, and a threshold value is determined for each frame. In each frame, peak profiles are determined, each comprising successive data points within the frame having values greater than the threshold value. Within each peak profile, a peak point is identified. An algorithm is employed to compare the onset peak train with a plurality of unit data pulse sequences having different periods, and a match is determined between the onset peak train and the closest one of the unit data pulse sequences to identify the period of the rhythm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute Computer & Communication Research Laboratories
    Inventor: Fang-Chu Chen
  • Patent number: 6747201
    Abstract: A method and system for extracting melodic patterns by first recognizing musical “keywords” or themes. The invention searches for all instances of melodic (intervallic) repetition in a piece (patterns). This process generally uncovers a large number of patterns, many of which are either uninteresting or are only superficially prevalent. Filters reduce the number and/or prevalence of such patterns. Patterns are then rated according to characteristics deemed perceptually significant. The top ranked patterns correspond to important thematic or motivic musical content. The system operates robustly across a broad range of styles, and relies on no metadata on its input, allowing it to independently and efficiently catalog multimedia data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: William P. Birmingham, Colin J. Meek
  • Publication number: 20040094019
    Abstract: An apparatus for analyzing an audio signal with regard to rhythm information of the audio signal by using an autocorrelation function comprises a filter bank for separating the audio signal into at least two sub-band signals. The sub-band signals are examined with regard to periodicities by an autocorrelation function, to obtain rhythm raw-information for the at least two sub-band signals. To reduce or eliminate the ambiguities of the autocorrelation function for periodical signals, the rhythm raw-information is postprocessed to obtain post-processed rhythm raw-information for the sub-band signal. The rhythm information of the audio signal is established based on the postprocessed rhythm raw-information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2003
    Publication date: May 20, 2004
    Inventors: Jurgen Herre, Jan Rohden, Christian Uhle, Markus Cremer
  • Publication number: 20040000226
    Abstract: With a clip and a lower casing sandwiching a concha of a user so that the lower casing is positioned on the ear, a speaker generates a rhythm tone with a small volume in the vicinity of an ear hole of the user. A rhythm speed and type of the rhythm tone are set by operating switches with reference to a liquid crystal display. An integrated circuit has a memory device for holding recorded data of an analog sound and a reproducing device for reproducing an analog electrical signal from the recorded data according to the set rhythm speed and type to actuate the speaker.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2003
    Publication date: January 1, 2004
    Applicant: RIC Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6618336
    Abstract: In a reproducing apparatus of the present invention, an input audio signal is divided into bands and an envelope value of each band is measured. Based on a change of the envelope value, a predetermined sound source is superimposed. Further, according to the envelope value of a reproduced audio signal, a tempo of reproduced music is detected and animation representation is changed in synchronism with the detected tempo. Further, a rhythm box is reproduced in synchronism with the detected tempo and a sound field is automatically selected corresponding to the detected tempo to perform synthesization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kohei Kanou, Minako Ishizuka, Takahiro Sato, Masayuki Mizuki
  • Patent number: 6545209
    Abstract: A system and methods for matching media entities to associate closely related media entities are provided. In connection with a system that convergently merges perceptual and digital signal processing analysis of media entities for purposes of classifying the media entities, various means are provided match media entities using aggregation and non-aggregation matching. In an illustrative implementation, various factors representative of inherent characteristics of the media entities are employed and processed to generate data sets having closely related and/or similarly situated media entities. Once a media matching is performed on a library of media entities, the results of the media match may be persisted for the user from experience to experience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Frank P. Flannery, Paul D. Deeds, Christian E. Schrock
  • Patent number: 6486390
    Abstract: A rhythm pattern is provided to be subjected to forward syncopation processing. The time position of an un-syncopated note in the rhythm pattern is shifted forward to render advanced beating of the note to make a forward-syncopated rhythm pattern. The notes in the modified rhythm pattern are given respective note pitches to establish a melody, wherein the skeleton notes in the rhythm pattern are given skeleton pitches, and the non-skeleton notes in the rhythm pattern are given non-skeleton pitches. The advanced beating of a note makes a skeleton note which plays an important role in syncopation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignees: Yamaha Corporation, Optnix Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Toshio Sugiura
  • Patent number: 6476306
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for recognizing a melody from a set of stored melodies. In the method, an audio sample representing the melody to be recognized is produced to form a first search criterion. In the method, an audio sample is produced of at least one word related to the melody to be recognized to form a second search criterion, wherein in the recognition, a first search set is formed of the stored melodies on the basis of one said search criterion. Another said search criterion is used for recognizing the melody from said first search set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
    Inventors: Jyri Huopaniemi, Timo Sorsa, Peter Boda
  • Patent number: 6472591
    Abstract: In a portable communication terminal apparatus, a transmitter and receiver conducts either of a transmission and receipt of a message. A tone generator generates a sequence of tones to sound a music melody of a song in association with either of the transmission and the receipt of the message. A music composer is provided for inputting a motif melody comprised of a rhythm and a pitch and for composing the music melody of the song based on the inputted motif melody. The music composer may automatically input either of the rhythm and the pitch of the motif melody. A display device displays the inputted the motif melody in a sequence of beat points for editing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Shigehiko Mizuno, Shigeki Akahori
  • Patent number: 6469240
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of extracting a representation of its rhythmic structure, from a given signal. The representation is designed to yield a similarity relation between item titles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Sony France, S.A.
    Inventors: François Pachet, Olivier Delerue
  • Patent number: 6433267
    Abstract: A method for automatically creating dance patterns using an audio signal of music, comprising: extracting power feature of an audio signal of each processing window by covering the audio signal with the processing window for analyzing the audio signal at regular intervals, and extracting the processing windows indicating a part having strong-beat power feature as beating window candidates; determining beating windows corresponding to the points where beating should be conducted according to predetermined dance pattern creating option, out of the beating window candidates; and assigning predetermined unique beating codes to the determined beating windows in order of dance patterns based on the dance pattern creating option, and creating beating data of the dance patterns using the beating codes and time information indicating a time interval between beating windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Sik Park, Jeon-Man Park
  • Patent number: 6417437
    Abstract: In accordance with a rhythm of a main melody, a auxiliary-melody or counter-melody creating rhythm pattern is supplied which indicates timing of respective hit points of a plurality of tones in the auxiliary or counter melody. Predetermined important hit points and unimportant hit points in the supplied rhythm pattern are discriminated from each other. Any one of component notes of chords, specified by a previously-supplied chord progression, is allocated to each of the thus-discriminated important hit points, while any one of scale notes, corresponding to previously-supplied scale information, is allocated to each of the unimportant hit points. Thus, an auxiliary or counter melody is created on the basis of the notes allocated to the individual hit pints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6376760
    Abstract: In response to user's selection of a desired instrument style such as a piano style, only some of memory-stored automatic performance data sets that belong to the selected instrument style are made selectable. On the other hand, a tonal characteristic for manual performance is set to a tonal characteristic corresponding to the selected instrument switch. Thus, in executing an ensemble of manual and automatic performances, even a beginner can readily select and set a tone color and performance pattern. According to another aspect, there is provided a memory storing a plurality of automatic performance data sets and the setting parameters in corresponding relation to a plurality of performance styles. Tone setting parameters include manual performance tone setting parameters that are suited at least for the plurality of performance styles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Yamaha Corproration
    Inventors: Akira Tozuka, Yasuhiko Asahi
  • Publication number: 20020017188
    Abstract: In accordance with a rhythm of a main melody, a auxiliary-melody or counter-melody creating rhythm pattern is supplied which indicates timing of respective hit points of a plurality of tones in the auxiliary or counter melody. Predetermined important hit points and unimportant hit points in the supplied rhythm pattern are discriminated from each other. Any one of component notes of chords, specified by a previously-supplied chord progression, is allocated to each of the thus-discriminated important hit points, while any one of scale notes, corresponding to previously-supplied scale information, is allocated to each of the unimportant hit points. Thus, an auxiliary or counter melody is created on the basis of the notes allocated to the individual hit pints.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2001
    Publication date: February 14, 2002
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6344607
    Abstract: A method of automatically producing a compilation mix from a set of songs is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of generating (22) a beat profile comprising a temporal map representing an ideal rate of repeat of the dominant beat for the compilation mix at different points in time over the duration of the compilation, generating (21) at least one set of song data indicative of the rate of repeat of the dominant beat for each of the songs in the set of songs, and allocating (24) the songs temporally within the compilation mix by processing the song data together with the temporal map, the songs being located temporally with respect to one another such that the rate of repeat of the dominant beat of the compilation approximates that indicated by the temporal map and end portions of adjacent songs overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventor: David Trevor Cliff
  • Publication number: 20010054349
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for automatically creating dance patterns using an audio signal of music. The method comprises: extracting power feature of an audio signal of each processing window by covering the audio signal with the processing window for analyzing the audio signal at regular intervals, and extracting the processing windows indicating a part having strong-beat power feature as beating widow candidates; determining beating windows corresponding to the points where beating should be conducted according to predetermined dance pattern creating option, out of the beating window candidates; and assigning predetermined unique beating codes to the determined beating windows in order of dance patterns based on the dance pattern creating option, and creating beating data of the dance patterns using the beating codes and time information indicating a time interval between beating windows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2001
    Publication date: December 27, 2001
    Applicant: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Young-Sik Park, Jeon-Man Park
  • Publication number: 20010047717
    Abstract: In a portable communication terminal apparatus, a transmitter and receiver conducts either of a transmission and receipt of a message. A tone generator generates a sequence of tones to sound a music melody of a song in association with either of the transmission and the receipt of the message. A music composer is provided for inputting a motif melody comprised of a rhythm and a pitch and for composing the music melody of the song based on the inputted motif melody. The music composer may automatically input either of the rhythm and the pitch of the motif melody. A display device displays the inputted the motif melody in a sequence of beat points for editing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2001
    Publication date: December 6, 2001
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Shigehiko Mizuno, Shigeki Akahori
  • Patent number: 6294720
    Abstract: From a given melody motif is extracted a rhythm pattern consisting of a series of rhythmic alignment of notes without a pitch representing the time positions of the notes constituting the melody. Also extracted from the given melody motif are the pitches of the skeleton notes which are notes having primary importance in the rhythm pattern in view of rhythm beats such as the strong beat notes. A rhythm pattern which is similar to the motif rhythm pattern is provided, for example, by searching through a data base including various rhythm patterns. The skeleton notes in the searched similar rhythm pattern are given the pitches identified by the extracted pitches, respectively at corresponding time positions. The non-skeleton notes are given pitches using, for example, passing notes, unison, appoggiatura, changing notes and after notes according to the musical rules relative to the pitch given skeleton notes. Thus, a length of melody similar to the melody motif is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20010020412
    Abstract: A rhythm pattern is provided to be subjected to forward syncopation processing. The time position of an un-syncopated note in the rhythm pattern is shifted forward to render advanced beating of the note to make a forward-syncopated rhythm pattern. The notes in the modified rhythm pattern are given respective note pitches to establish a melody, wherein the skeleton notes in the rhythm pattern are given skeleton pitches, and the non-skeleton notes in the rhythm pattern are given non-skeleton pitches. The advanced beating of a note makes a skeleton note which plays an important role in syncopation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2001
    Publication date: September 13, 2001
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Toshio Sugiura
  • Patent number: 6245984
    Abstract: The display screen displays measure windows corresponding to the first through fourth measures for a melody to be composed. By clicking the play switch on the screen, a background accompaniment performance covering the four measures is played back to indicate the beats in the progressing tempo, thereby representing the rhythm speed. In time to the accompaniment progression, the user inputs note time points by tapping the input switch such as a space key in the keyboard to constitute a rhythm pattern for a melody progression. The measure window has a time axis in the horizontal direction and a pitch axis in the vertical direction. The tap-inputted note time points are exhibited at the corresponding positions along the time axis from left to right. Each point is dragged with the mouse pointer upward or downward to an intended pitch level, thereby establishing a pitch thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Eiichiro Aoki, Shinji Yoshihara, Masami Koizumi, Toshio Sugiura
  • Patent number: 6225547
    Abstract: Sound generation control and instruction operation evaluation is performed by sound group selection and a sound generation instruction, with a mimic guitar having selection buttons for selecting one of a plurality of sound groups bearing a series of sounds, and a picking blade for instructing the generation of a sound. The rhythm-matching game can be enjoyed relatively easily in a manner closer to a realistic state of playing an instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoki Toyama, Shigehito Mukasa, Toru Okubo, Tomoya Yamano
  • Patent number: 6215059
    Abstract: A morphing method and an apparatus for creating musical accompaniments from a combination of musical data selected from stored patterns or tables belonging to accompaniments of different musical styles. Musical data relating to a pattern of a first style and musical data relating to a second style, as well as the desired combination of morphing degree are selected from a plurality of stored data patterns. The musical morphing of the new arrangement is created by conjointly reading in real time one or more data tracks of two or more selected patterns, relating to different families of musical instruments, and combining the read tracks in a new virtual pattern that can be stored and/or played in a musically significant manner, by making the musical measures and the temporal lengths of the tracks of the new pattern, conform with the musical measures and temporal lengths of the tracks relating to one of the patterns selected or creating the new musical arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: Roland Europe S.p.A.
    Inventors: Francesco Rauchi, Luigi Bruti, Demetrio Cuccu′, Luigi Ferrari
  • Patent number: 6177623
    Abstract: In a music reproducing system, each of characters is allocated in advance a favorite rhythm component and a peculiar figure expressing ability. A sound pressure data producing section produces sound pressure data for each of a pluralty of frequency bands from musical data. A frequency band identifying section identifies the frequency band which beats a rhythm most. A rhythm estimating section derives a changing period of a sound pressure component in the sound pressure data at the identified frequency band and estimates a rhythm component based on the derived changing period. A character managing section cumulatively changes a figure expressing ability of a displayed character according to the matching degree between the estimated rhythm component and a favorite rhythm component of the displayed character. A display control section changes a display figure of the displayed character according to the figure expressing ability thereof while musical data is reproduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignees: Konami Co., Ltd., Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuhito Ooseki
  • Patent number: 6162982
    Abstract: There are provided an automatic composition apparatus and a method for automatically composing a piece of music, which enable a user to generate a large number of melodies having different atmospheres using a reduced number of melody generating templates, and a storage medium storing a program for executing the method. A plurality of piece-of-music-independent templates containing various information independent of pieces of music are supplied to generate melodies of the pieces of music. A plurality of piece-of-music-dependent templates containing various information dependent on the pieces of music are supplied to generate melodies of the pieces of music. A piece-of-music-independent template is selected from the supplied plurality of piece-of-music-independent templates. A piece-of-music-dependent template is selected from the supplied plurality of piece-of-music-dependent templates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 6147291
    Abstract: On an initial screen, a conversion ratio indicated by a style conversion ratio data is displayed in a display area 32. Various kinds of styles are displayed in display areas 33 to 38. In this case, a style which is currently selected is "Samba" which blinks, and the conversion ratio is 50%. When a style number corresponding to samba is "2," a style change is conducted for the original performance data based on a style conversion data corresponding to the style number 2. At this time, the conversion ratio of 50% is referred, and changes of a sound-producing timing, a tone color, an additional instrument, and the like are conducted. An image displayed on a monitor is changed based on an image conversion data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Shuichi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 6121532
    Abstract: An initial note series is collected from a real-time source of musical input material such as a keyboard or a sequencer playing back musical data, or extracted from musical data stored in memory. The initial note series may be altered to create variations of the initial note series using various mathematical operations. The resulting altered note series, or other data stored in memory is read out according to one or more patterns. The patterns may have steps containing pools of independently selectable items from which random selections are made. A pseudo-random number generator is employed to perform the random selections during processing, where the random sequences thereby generated have the ability to be repeated at specific musical intervals. The resulting musical effect may additionally incorporate a repeated effect, or a repeated effect can be independently performed from input notes in the musical input material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Inventor: Stephen R. Kay
  • Patent number: RE37459
    Abstract: An electronic musical instrument having a rhythm performance function includes a first memory for pre-storing plural rhythm tone kinds, rhythm selecting switches each capable of designating one of said rhythm tone kinds and a rhythm tone generator having plural channels. The selected rhythm tone kind is assigned to each channel of the rhythm tone generator. A rhythm tone corresponding to the selected rhythm tone kind is generated by each channel so that continuous rhythm tones will be generated by plural channels based on time division system. In addition, before playing a rhythm performance, rhythm patterns can be arbitrarily programmed and then stored into a second memory by operating the rhythm selecting switches and other switches corresponding to the predetermined rhythm tones of plural musical instruments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Mikio Ito, Masao Kondo, Yasunao Abe