Device for patterned input and display of musical notes

• US 20010052283A1
• Filed: 05/18/2001
• Published: 12/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stephen W. Boyer
• Original Assignee: Stephen W. Boyer
• Inventors: Boyer, Stephen W.
• Granted Patent: US 6,392,131 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/443
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 13/09 with keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G10G 1/02 Chord or note indicators, fixed or adjustable, for keyboard of fingerboards
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/061 LED, i.e. using a light-emitting diode as indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/251 arranged as 2D or 3D arrays; Keyboards ergonomically organised for playing chords or for transposing, e.g. Janko keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/311 MIDI transmission G10H2240/056 takes precedence

Abstract

A device for input of musical notes and chords, each triad including a plurality of musical notes and being classified into types according to a number of notes in the chord and the tonal relationship among the notes, includes a plurality of input devices each associated with a note. The input devices are arranged in spatial relationship to each other such that the spatial relationship of input devices required to play a type of chord is the same for all triads of that type.

Claims

1. A device for the input of musical notes and chords, a chord comprising a plurality of musical notes, wherein chords are classified into types according to a number of notes in the chord and a tonal relationship among the notes, comprising:

a plurality of input devices, each input device being associated with a note, wherein the a subset of the plurality of input devices are arranged in spatial relationship to each other such that the relative spatial relationship of the subset required to play a type of chord is the same for all chords of that type.

2. The device according to

claim 1

, wherein a first relative spatial relationship of three spatially contiguous input devices respectively produces or represents a major chord, a second relative spatial relationship, different from the first relative spatial relationship, of three spatially contiguous input devices respectively produces or represents a minor chord, a third relative spatial relationship, different from the first and second relative spatial relationships, of three spatially contiguous input devices respectively produces or represents an augmented triad, and a fourth relative spatial relationship, different from the first, second and third relative spatial relationships, of three spatially contiguous input devices respectively produces or represents a diminished triad.

3. The device of

claim 2

wherein the first relative spatial relationship is a triangle pointed in a first direction, the second relative spatial relationship is a triangle pointed in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, the third relative spatial relationship is a first line, and the fourth relative spatial relationship is a second line transverse to the first line.

4. The instrument of

claim 1

, further including a plurality of display elements, each display element being associated with a note wherein the activation of a input device activates the display element associated its respective input device.

5. The device of

claim 1

, wherein the input devices are tactile input devices.

6. The device of

claim 1

, wherein the input devices are idiophones.

7. A device for the input of musical notes, comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart input devices, each input device being associated with a musical note wherein the input devices are arranged in a pattern such that

a pair of nearest neighbor input devices positioned in a first direction relative to each other are tonally spaced seven half steps from each other;

a pair of nearest neighbor input devices positioned in a second direction relative to each other are tonally spaced three half steps from each other; and

a pair of nearest neighbor input devices positioned in a third direction relative to each other are tonally spaced four half steps from each other.

8. The device of

claim 7

, further including a plurality of display elements, each display element being associated with a note wherein the activation of a display element activates the display element associated with its respective display element.

9. The device of

claim 8

, wherein a display property selected from the group of brightness and color is based upon a musical quality selected from the group of pitch frequency and pitch duration and the display elements associated with that note have the display property varied based on the musical quality.

10. The device of

claim 8

, for use in cooperation with another instrument that sends musical signals, further comprising a second plurality of display elements, each display element of the second plurality being associated with a note, such that when the a musical signal is received from another instrument, it is displayed on the second plurality of display elements.

11. A device for the input of musical notes, comprising:

input means for accepting input of musical notes; and

harmonic relationship pattern means for organizing the input means.

12. A display device for the representation of musical notes and chords, a chord comprising a plurality of musical notes, wherein chords are classified into types according to the number of notes in the chord and the tonal relationship among the notes, the display device comprising:

a plurality of display elements, each display element being associated with a note,

wherein the display elements are arranged in spatial relationship to each other such that the relative spatial relationship of the subset of display elements required to display a type of chord is the same for all chords of that type.

13. The device of

claim 12

, wherein a display property selected from the group of brightness and color is based upon a musical quality selected from the group of pitch frequency and pitch duration and the display elements associated with that note have the display property varied based on the musical quality.

14. The device of

claim 12

, for use in cooperation with another instument that sends musical signals, further comprising a second plurality of display elements, each display element of the second plurality being associated with a note, such that when the a musical signal is received from another instrument, it is displayed on the second plurality of display elements.

15. The device according to

claim 12

, wherein a first relative spatial relationship of three spatially contiguous display elements respectively represents a major chord, a second relative spatial relationship, different from the first relative spatial relationship, of three spatially contiguous display elements respectively represents a minor chord, a third relative spatial relationship, different from the first and second relative spatial relationships, of three spatially contiguous display elements respectively represents an augmented triad, and a fourth relative spatial relationship, different from the first, second and third relative spatial relationships, of three spatially contiguous display elements respectively represents a diminished triad.

16. The device according to

claim 15

wherein the first relative spatial relationship is a triangle pointed in a first direction, the second relative spatial relationship is a triangle pointed in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, the third relative spatial relationship is a first line, and the fourth relative spatial relationship is a second line transverse to the first line.

17. A display device for the visual display of musical notes comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart display elements, each display element being associated with a musical note wherein the display elements are arranged in a pattern such that

each pair of nearest neighbor display elements positioned in a first direction relative to each other are tonally spaced seven half steps from each other;

each pair of nearest neighbor display elements positioned in a second direction relative to each other are tonally spaced three half steps from each other; and

each pair of nearest neighbor display elements positioned in a third direction relative to each other are tonally spaced four half steps from each other.

18. A display device for the visual display of musical notes comprising:

display element means for displaying musical notes; and

harmonic relationship pattern means for organizing the display element means.

19. A device for the input of musical notes, comprising:

input means for accepting input of musical notes;

display element means for displaying musical notes, and

harmonic relationship pattern means for organizing the input means and the display element means.