Music learning system including instrument and method
First Claim
1. A system for learning music, comprising:
- (a) a box;
(b) said box being greater in length than in width;
(c) said box having a top surface, a left and right side end portion, a base portion and a hollow, internal area;
(d) at least eight depressible buttons disposed in said top surface along the length of said box;
(e) means for sounding musical notes when one or more fingers of an operator presses down on one or more of said buttons, said musical notes being different from one another and corresponding to each one of said at least eight buttons, said means for sounding musical notes disposed in said hollow internal area; and
, (f) a series of at least two attachments, each one of said at least two attachments being a planar strip of material including an upper surface and a lower surface, said each one of said at least two attachments adapted to be disposed upon the top surface of said box in predetermined relationship to said buttons, each one of said at least two attachments having respective indicia disposed upon the upper surface thereof, viewable to the operator, said indicia having a predetermined relationship to each one of said depressible buttons, so that when each said attachment is disposed upon the top surface in accordance with a set sequence, said operator is assisted in learning music over a period of time as he depresses said buttons.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A musical learning system including an instrument and method is disclosed. The instrument is comprised of a rectangularly shaped box designed for convenient handling by an operator in a manner analogous to other musical instruments such as a piano, a guitar, or a horn. Thirteen movable buttons on the top surface of the box sound eight natural notes and five notes of sharps and flats when pressed by the operator, the sounds being produced by either a built-in, acoustic or electronic sound system. Easily removable attachments having instructive musical notations are temporarily secured above and below the buttons can be used in a predetermined sequence, thereby enabling the operator to grasp music concepts over a relatively, brief period of time. In addition, in the electronic version, an “octave-up” switch enables an operator to sound a note one or more octaves higher for each of the buttons; and a “mute” bar allows the operator to silence a note being produced, if desired. One methodology for employing the instrument in a learning mode is described.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A system for learning music, comprising:
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(a) a box;
(b) said box being greater in length than in width;
(c) said box having a top surface, a left and right side end portion, a base portion and a hollow, internal area;
(d) at least eight depressible buttons disposed in said top surface along the length of said box;
(e) means for sounding musical notes when one or more fingers of an operator presses down on one or more of said buttons, said musical notes being different from one another and corresponding to each one of said at least eight buttons, said means for sounding musical notes disposed in said hollow internal area; and
,(f) a series of at least two attachments, each one of said at least two attachments being a planar strip of material including an upper surface and a lower surface, said each one of said at least two attachments adapted to be disposed upon the top surface of said box in predetermined relationship to said buttons, each one of said at least two attachments having respective indicia disposed upon the upper surface thereof, viewable to the operator, said indicia having a predetermined relationship to each one of said depressible buttons, so that when each said attachment is disposed upon the top surface in accordance with a set sequence, said operator is assisted in learning music over a period of time as he depresses said buttons. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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17. An instrument for learning music comprising:
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(a) a box;
(b) said box being greater in length than in width;
(c) said box having a top surface, a left and right side end portion, a base portion and a hollow, internal area;
(d) at least thirteen depressible buttons disposed in said top surface along the length of said box;
(e) means for sounding musical notes when one or more fingers of an operator presses down on one or more of said buttons, said musical notes being different from one another and corresponding to each one of said at least thirteen buttons, each said musical note representing a half tone in a musical octave, said musical notes representing natural notes and respective sharp and flat notes corresponding to adjacent natural notes, said means for sounding musical notes disposed in said hollow internal area; and
,(f) an attachment, said attachment being a planar strip of material including an upper surface and a lower surface, said attachment adapted to be disposed upon the top surface of said box in predetermined relationship to said buttons, said attachment having respective indicia disposed upon the upper surface thereof, viewable to the operator, said indicia having a predetermined relationship to each one of said depressible buttons, said attachment utilizing indicia including eight different colors imprinted thereon to color-code each of the eight natural notes, said upper portion of said attachment further including indicia, disposed above the buttons corresponding to the sharp note for the immediately adjacent, lower natural note including the color associated with the immediately adjacent, lower natural note, and indicia disposed below the buttons corresponding to the flat note for the immediately adjacent, higher natural note, including the color associated with the immediately adjacent, higher natural note, so that when said attachment is disposed upon the top surface of said box, said operator is assisted in learning music over a period of time as he depresses said buttons.
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Specification