PERFORMANCE APPARATUS AND STORAGE MEDIUM THEREFOR

• US 20080236370A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: ITO, Shinichi, USUI, Gou, SASAKI, Michihiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,956,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/612
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/40 Rhythm
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/42 comprising tone forming circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/391 Automatic tempo adjustment, correction or control
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/395 Acceleration sensing or accelerometer use, e.g. 3D movement computation by integration of accelerometer data, angle sensing with respect to the vertical, i.e. gravity sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/061 MP3, i.e. MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, lossy audio compression

Abstract

A performance apparatus capable of reproducing music pieces while making changeover between the music pieces without disturbing the rhythm of exercise, dance, or the like performed by a user to the rhythm of music. A beat position is acquired that will appear in a preceding performance data for the first time after a preparatory time required for changing the reproduction of the preceding music piece to the reproduction of a subsequent music piece elapses from when a music selection instruction is given. The reproduction of the subsequent music piece is started at the same time when the music is reproduced up to the acquired beat position.

Claims

1. A performance apparatus comprising:

a storage unit adapted to store a plurality of performance data;

a selection unit adapted to select any of the plurality of performance data stored in said storage unit;

a reproduction unit adapted to reproduce performance data selected by said selection unit;

a control unit adapted to control said reproduction unit such that performance data being reproduced by said reproduction unit is changed over to another performance data selected by said selection unit and performance data reproduction is continuously carried out; and

a beat position acquisition unit adapted to acquire a beat position in preceding performance data used for performance data reproduction before changeover controlled by said control unit, and acquire a beat position in subsequent performance data used for performance data reproduction after the changeover,

wherein said control unit is adapted to control the changeover such that the beat position in the preceding performance data matches the beat position in the subsequent performance data.

2. The performance apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

a transmission/reception unit adapted to be connected to an external unit for data transmission and data reception to and from the external unit; and

a data acquisition unit adapted to acquire, from the external unit via said transmission/reception unit, pieces of performance data and pieces of beat position data each indicating a beat position in a corresponding one of the performance data in terms of time,

wherein said storage unit is adapted to store the performance data acquired by said acquisition unit and also store the beat position data corresponding to the performance data, and

said beat position acquisition unit is adapted to acquire the beat position in the preceding performance data and the beat position in the subsequent performance data from the beat position data stored in said storage unit.

3. A performance apparatus comprising:

a storage unit adapted to store a plurality of performance data;

a selection unit adapted to select any of the plurality of performance data stored in said storage unit;

a first reproduction unit adapted to reproduce performance data selected by said selection unit;

a control unit adapted to control said first reproduction unit such that performance data being reproduced by said first reproduction unit is changed over to another performance data selected by said selection unit and performance data reproduction is continuously carried out;

a musical tone characteristic acquisition unit adapted to acquire a musical tone characteristic of at least one of preceding performance data used for performance data reproduction before changeover controlled by said control unit and subsequent performance data used for performance data reproduction after the changeover;

a generation unit adapted, based on the musical tone characteristic acquired by said musical tone characteristic acquisition unit, to generate stopgap performance data for connecting between the preceding performance data and the subsequent performance data; and

a second reproduction unit adapted to reproduce the stopgap performance data generated by said generation unit,

wherein said control unit is adapted to control said second reproduction unit such that the stopgap performance data is inserted between the preceding performance data and the subsequent performance data and is reproduced.

4. The performance apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said musical tone characteristic acquisition unit is adapted to acquire musical tone characteristics of both the preceding performance data and the subsequent performance data, and

said generation unit is adapted to generate stopgap performance data that varies from the musical tone characteristic of the preceding performance data to the musical tone characteristic of the subsequent performance data with elapse of time.

5. The performance apparatus according to claim 3, further including:

a stopgap performance data storage unit adapted to store a plurality of the stopgap performance data,

wherein said generation unit is adapted to select the stop performance data from among the plurality of the stopgap performance data stored in said stopgap performance data storage unit in accordance with the musical tone characteristic acquired by said musical tone characteristic acquisition unit.

6. The performance apparatus according to claim 3, further including:

a transmission/reception unit adapted to be connected to an external unit for data transmission and data reception to and from the external unit; and

a data acquisition unit adapted to acquire, from the external unit via said transmission/reception unit, pieces of performance data and pieces of musical tone characteristic data each indicating a musical tone characteristic of a corresponding one of the performance data,

wherein said storage unit is adapted to store the performance data acquired by said acquisition unit and also store the musical tone characteristic corresponding to the performance data, and

said musical tone characteristic acquisition unit is adapted to acquire the musical tone characteristic of at least one of the preceding performance data and the subsequent performance data from the musical tone characteristic data stored in said storage unit.

7. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method for controlling a performance apparatus including a storage unit storing a plurality of performance data, the method comprising:

a selection step of selecting any of the plurality of performance data stored in the storage unit;

a reproduction step of reproducing performance data selected in said selection step;

a control step of controlling said reproduction step such that performance data being reproduced in said reproduction step is changed over to another performance data selected in said selection step and performance data reproduction is continuously carried out; and

a beat position acquisition step of acquiring a beat position in preceding performance data used for performance reproduction before changeover controlled by said control step, and acquire a beat position in subsequent performance data used for performance data reproduction after the changeover,

wherein said control step controls the changeover such that the beat position in the preceding performance data matches the beat position in the subsequent performance data.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a method for controlling a performance apparatus including a storage unit storing a plurality of performance data, the method comprising:

a selection step of selecting any of the plurality of performance data stored in the storage unit;

a first reproduction step of reproducing performance data selected in said selection step;

a control step of controlling said first reproduction step such that performance data being reproduced in said first reproduction step is changed over to another performance data selected in said selection step and performance data reproduction is continuously carried out;

a musical tone characteristic acquisition step of acquiring a musical tone characteristic of at least one of preceding performance data used for performance data reproduction before changeover controlled by said control step and subsequent performance data used for performance data reproduction after the changeover;

a generation step of generating, based on the musical tone characteristic acquired in said musical tone characteristic acquisition step, stopgap performance data for use in connecting between the preceding performance data and the subsequent performance data; and

a second reproduction step of reproducing the stopgap performance data generated in said generation step,

wherein said control step controls said second reproduction step such that the stopgap performance data is inserted between the preceding performance data and the subsequent performance data and is reproduced.