Music instrument system and methods

• US 20050241466A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Topdown Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Humanbeams Incorporated
• Inventors: Riopelle, Gerald Henry
• Granted Patent: US 7,504,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/725
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/20 for transposition
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/371 Rhythm syncopation, i.e. timing offset of rhythmic stresses or accents, e.g. note extended from weak to strong beat or started before strong beat
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/415 Infrared beams
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/421 Laser beams
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/015 PDA [personal digital assistant] or palmtop computing devices used for musical purposes, e.g. portable music players, tablet computers, e-readers or smart phones in which mobile telephony functions need not be used
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/061 MP3, i.e. MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, lossy audio compression
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/255 Optical fibre transmission for electrophonic musical instrument purposes, e.g. hum mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/285 USB, i.e. either using a USB plug as power supply or using the USB protocol to exchange data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/321 Bluetooth

Abstract

A system and methods which allow even a novice performer to easily play music which is not disharmonious and which is pleasing to the performer and his or her audience. The music is preferably created by a performer breaking one or more beams of light, which are emitted by one or more beam emitters and received, or detected, by one or more beam detectors. When a beam detector determines that a beam has been broken, a trigger is sent to a synthesizer, with such synthesizer preferably being a computer interfaced to the beam detectors via a Universal Serial Bus connection. The synthesizer selects from one or more electronic sounds, based on a pre-programmed collection of sounds, and a sound generator, such as an amplifier and speakers, plays the sound.

Claims

1. A sound scene creation method comprising:

developing an underpinning;

writing a first melody using a scale that fits sympathetically with the underpinning;

writing a counterpoint that is sympathetic to the melody;

creating a transpose matrix; and

,

writing at least one additional melody using alternate chords that fit sympathetically with the underpinning.

2. The sound scene creation method of claim 1, wherein the first melody is between sixteen and one hundred twenty-eight notes long.

3. The sound scene creation method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional melody contains up to one hundred twenty-eight notes.

4. A music instrument wherein the music elements which can be produced by the instrument are limited to a set of between three and seven different sounds, including octaves of such sounds, wherein the sounds are sympathetic.

5. The music instrument of claim 4, wherein the music instrument allows transposition of the music elements.

6. A method of composing an electronic instrument program comprising:

selecting at least one first sympathetic scale;

selecting at least one first background composition, wherein substantially all notes are included in the first sympathetic scale;

selecting at least one first melody composition, wherein substantially all notes are included in the first sympathetic scale;

assigning the first background composition to at least one first trigger;

assigning the first melody composition to at least one second trigger; and

,

arranging operation of the first and second triggers such that at least one performer may operate the first and second control switches to play the compositions assigned thereto.

7. The electronic instrument program composition method of claim 6, further comprising:

selecting a transpose operation to transpose the first background composition and the first melody composition from the first sympathetic scale to a second sympathetic scale;

assigning such transpose operation to at least one third trigger;

arranging operation of the at least one third trigger such that at least one performer may operate the at least one third trigger to transpose the background composition and the melody composition from the first sympathetic scale to the second sympathetic scale.

8. The electronic instrument program composition method of claim 7, wherein the transpose operation comprises:

selecting a transposition; and

,

selecting a first note to be played upon execution of the transposition.

9. The electronic instrument program composition method of claim 6, further comprising:

selecting a series of transpose mappings;

assigning the series of transpose mappings to at least one third trigger; and

,

arranging operation of the at least one third trigger such that a performer causes the first background composition and the first melody composition to be transposed from the first sympathetic scale to a subsequent sympathetic scale according to the series of transpose operations each time the at least one third trigger is operated.

10. The electronic instrument program composition method of claim 6, wherein the first sympathetic scale comprises a major scale.

11. The electronic instrument program composition method of claim 10, wherein the first note of the first sympathetic scale comprises a root note of the first sympathetic scale.

12. A method of configuring and performing an electronic musical instrument comprising:

assigning at least one sound element into at least one first program;

assigning at least one sound element to at least one second program;

assigning the first program to at least one first trigger;

assigning the second program to at least one second trigger;

assigning at least one function to at least one third trigger; and

,

activating the triggers in a desired order to produce a musical performance.

13. The electronic musical instrument configuring and performing method of claim 46, wherein the first program is a background sound.

14. The electronic musical instrument configuring and performing method of claim 46, wherein the second program is comprised of a chord that fits against the predominant scale of the first program.

15. The electronic musical instrument configuring and performing method of claim 46, wherein the function is a transpose mapping.

16. A method of configuring and performing an electronic musical instrument comprising:

assigning at least one sound element to at least one first program to create a background sound;

assigning at least one sound element into at least one second program, wherein the sound elements assigned are comprised of a chord that fits against the predominant scale of the first program;

assigning the first program to at least one first trigger;

assigning the second program to at least one second trigger;

assigning at least one transpose mapping to at least one third trigger; and

,

activating the triggers in a desired order to produce a musical performance.

17. A portable, light beam based musical instrument comprising a plurality of beam emitters and beam detectors, a plurality of trigger circuits, a plurality of sounds, and at least one audible sound generator for playing the sounds, wherein the musical instrument is played by interacting with the beams emitted by the beam emitters.

18. The music instrument of claim 17, wherein the plurality of sounds are sympathetic.

19. A portable light beam based musical instrument comprising a plurality of beam emitters and beam detectors, a plurality of trigger circuits, a plurality of sounds, and at least one audible sound generator for playing the sounds, wherein the musical instrument is played by interacting with the beams emitted by the beam emitters, and wherein prolonged activation of one of the beams emitted by the beam emitters causes successive sounds to be played.

20. The music instrument of claim 19, wherein the plurality of sounds are sympathetic.