Interactive game providing instruction in musical notation and in learning an instrument

• US 20030151628A1
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Published: 08/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allegro Multimedia, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Allegro Multimedia, Inc.
• Inventors: Salter, Hal Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,174,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/00 Teaching music metronomes G04F5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/023 Electrically operated
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/04 with sound emitters
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

A musical keyboard is connected to a computer. The computer implements a graphical user interface for teaching users to play the musical instrument. A computer readable music file, such as a MIDI file, is used to drive the creation of game objects that travel from a point of origination along a path toward a key of a virtual keyboard. In one form, when a user presses a key of the musical keyboard within a certain time window of arrival of the game object at the corresponding key of the virtual keyboard, the user is awarded with an audio presentation, a visual presentation and/or with game points. In a more structured learning mode, the game can be played with selectable, progressively more difficult challenges that the user masters on the road to proficiency.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing musical instruction comprising:

a. a computing element;

b. a display connected to the computing element;

c. a musical keyboard connected to the computing element; and

d. software for execution on said computing element linking a virtual keyboard displayed on said display when the software is executed on the computing element with actions by a user of said musical keyboard as part of a game.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 in which the software translates notes of a representation of a musical piece into game objects on said display.

3. Apparatus of claim 2 in which the software comprises an interpreter for converting a representation of a musical piece into commands for generating game objects.

4. Apparatus of claim 3 in which commands for generating game objects drive a game object generator.

5. Apparatus of claim 4 in which the game object generator is associated with a library of game objects.

6. Apparatus of claim 4 in which the game object generator is associated with a set of parameters for setting properties of game objects.

7. Apparatus of claim 2 in which the game objects move with time from an initial launch position on the display toward keys of the virtual keyboard which correspond to musical notes of the musical piece.

8. Apparatus of claim 7 in which game objects move along pre-defined trajectories.

9. A method of using a computer comprising the step of:

linking a musical keyboard connected to the computer with the action of game objects displayed on a display of the computer with respect to a virtual keyboard displayed on said display.

10. The method of claim 9 in which game objects are generated for notes of a musical piece stored in a computer readable format.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the musical piece of one of a library of musical pieces stored on said computer.

12. The method of claim 10 in which the computer readable format is MIDI.

13. The method of claim 9 in which a user receives a reward in the form of at least one of an audio playback, a video or graphical animation display or an award of points.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the reward is granted when a user depresses a key of the musical keyboard within a time window spanning an instant when a game object intersects with the corresponding key of a virtual keyboard.

15. The method of claim 14 in which at least one profile of user information is stored on said computer for each of a plurality of users.

16. The method of claim 14 in which the profile information may include a set of starting options.

17. The method of claim 16 in which the set of starting options may be selected from the group consisting of:

screen orientation mode, annotation on/off, fingering information on/off, freeze frame on/off, objects, notation, theme, color, tracks, instruments for tracks, accompanyment, tracks to be merged, tracks to be deleted, split hands for tracks, transpose selected tracks, output port, metronome on/off, practice challenge selection, tempo select, background, measure, object guides on/off, statistics overlay, keyboard size, number of beats or measures on screen at once, starting key, gradual tempo adjustment, gradual hit window closing, random color dropping, transform object into musical notation, loop song, lyrics on/off, autosave song on/off; and

volume.

18. The method of claim 14 in which a plurality of methods are available for selection by a user, each method comprising at least one song and a plurality of levels of difficulty for each song.

19. The method of claim 18 in which each level of difficulty comprises a plurality of songs and one or more challenges designed to advance skills in a respective area of competence.

20. The method of claim 19 in which the challenges are selected from the group consisting of:

a tempo challenge;

a rhythmic precision challenge, a primary beats challenge, an off-beats challenge, a color drop out challenge, a note duration challenge, a rotation challenge, a visibility challenge, and a loudness challenge.

21. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a storage medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said medium, said computer program comprising instructions for linking a musical keyboard connected to a computer with action of game objects displayed on a display of the computer with respect to a virtual keyboard displayed on said display.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, in which said computer program further comprises instructions for generating game objects for notes of a musical piece stored in a computer readable format.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, in which said computer program further comprises instructions for providing a user with a reward in the form of at least one of an audio playback, a video or graphical animation display or an award of points.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, in which said computer program further comprises instructions for granting the reward when a user depresses a key of the musical keyboard within a time window spanning an instant when a game object intersects with the corresponding key of a virtual keyboard.

25. A method of instructing a user to read musical notation through interaction with a graphical user interface and an input keyboard, comprising the steps of:

a) generating the graphical user interface, having a first position, including a virtual keyboard positioned substantially at a top portion of the interface, having a plurality of keys, each key having a corresponding key on the input keyboard;

b) incorporating a music file into the graphical user interface, wherein the music file contains data corresponding to an arrangement of at least a first and a second musical note in sequence, having a rhythmic pattern;

c) directing a first game object, representing the first musical note in the arrangement, upward, in a first substantially straight trajectory, toward a first key on the virtual keyboard, corresponding to the first musical note, such that the first game object will experience a first collision with the first key;

d) directing a second game object, representing the second musical note in the arrangement, upward, in a second substantially straight trajectory, toward a second key on the virtual keyboard, corresponding to the second musical note, such that the second game object will experience a second collision with the second key, according to the rhythmic pattern of the arrangement;

e) awarding a value to the user based upon the user striking the corresponding key on the input keyboard approximately simultaneously with the first and second collisions.

26. The method of instructing of claim 25, further comprising the steps of:

a) rotating the interface to a second position, approximately ninety (90) degrees counterclockwise, once a predetermined threshold of user performance has been met, such that the virtual keyboard is positioned substantially on a left side of the interface, and the first and second game objects move along the first and second substantially straight trajectories toward the virtual keyboard;

b) introducing a series of visible staff lines defining spaces, where the lines and spaces correspond to the straight trajectories along which the game objects travel toward the virtual keyboard, such that the game objects travel along either the lines or the spaces, until colliding with the virtual keyboard at the corresponding key.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of morphing the game objects into classical musical notation.

28. A method of instructing a user to read musical notation through interaction with a graphical user interface and an input keyboard, comprising the steps of:

a) generating the graphical user interface, having a first position, including a virtual keyboard positioned substantially at a top portion of the interface, having a plurality of keys, each key having a corresponding key on the input keyboard;

b) incorporating a music file into the graphical user interface, wherein the music file contains data corresponding to an arrangement of a plurality of musical notes in sequence, having a rhythmic pattern, each note being represented by a game object;

c) directing the game objects upward, in substantially straight trajectories, toward keys on the virtual keyboard corresponding to the musical notes;

d) colliding the game objects with the corresponding keys according to the rhythmic pattern of the arrangement;

e) awarding a value to the user based upon the user striking the corresponding key on the input keyboard approximately simultaneously with the collisions;

f) rotating the interface to a second position, approximately ninety (90) degrees counterclockwise, once a predetermined threshold of user performance has been met, such that the virtual keyboard is positioned substantially on a left side of the interface, and the game objects continue to move along the substantially straight trajectories toward the virtual keyboard.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of introducing a series of visible staff lines defining spaces, where the lines and spaces correspond to the straight trajectories along which the game objects travel toward the virtual keyboard, such that the game objects travel along either the lines or the spaces, until colliding with the virtual keyboard at the corresponding key.

30. A method of musical instruction comprising the step of converting a musical file into animated game objects for display on a screen.

31. The method of claim 30 in which the game objects flow upward on the screen.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of morphing game objects into musical notation.

33. The method of claim 30 in which trajectories for the game objects rotate between vertical and horizontal.

34. The method of claim 30 in which the game objects flow upward on the screen, morph into musical notation;

and rotate from vertical to horizontal.

35. The method of claim 34 in which the game objects are selectively colored.