Displaying A Harmonically Relevant Pitch Guide

• US 20100304810A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harmonix Music Systems Incorporated (Epic Games, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stoddard, Joshua Forrest
• Application Number:
  US12/474,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20100304810A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/368 displaying animated or moving pictures synchronized with the music or audio part
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/091 for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/015 Musical staff, tablature or score displays, e.g. for score reading during a performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/135 Musical aspects of games or videogames; Musical instrument-shaped game input interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/145 Multiplayer musical games, e.g. karaoke-like multiplayer videogames

Abstract

Described are methods, systems, and apparatuses, including computer program products, for displaying a harmonically relevant pitch guide in a rhythm-action game. In one aspect this is accomplished by analyzing, by a game platform, target music data associated with a musical composition to determine a musical scale within the target music data. Then a bounded space, such as a lane to display vocal cues in, is displayed that includes a plurality of interval demarcations based on the scale, and a background comprising a color scheme based on preselected pitches of the scale. Then the game platform displays the target music data in a manner indicative of the harmonically relevant pitches with respect to the pitch guide.

Claims

1. A method executed on a game platform in signal communication with a display, the method comprising:

analyzing, by the game platform, target music data associated with a musical composition to determine a musical scale within the target music data;

displaying, on the display, a bounded space comprising;

a plurality of interval demarcations based on the scale, and

a background comprising a color scheme based on preselected pitches of the scale; and

displaying, on the display, the target music data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the preselected pitches are harmonically relevant.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the preselected pitches of the scale are the root, 3rd, and fifth pitches of the scale.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the analyzing step further comprises determining an uppermost pitch and a lowermost pitch of the target music data.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the bounded space comprises an upper bound based on the uppermost pitch of the target music data and a lower bound based on the lowermost pitch of the target music data.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the color scheme comprises a first color for intervals not matching the preselected pitches and a second color for intervals that do match the preselected pitches.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the color scheme comprises shading the background according to the preselected pitches.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the background is shaded with a first color for harmonically relevant pitches and shaded a second color for pitches that are not harmonically relevant.

9. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product including instructions operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

analyze target music data associated with a musical composition to determine a musical scale within the target music data;

display, on a display in signal communication with the data processing apparatus, a bounded space comprising;

a plurality of interval demarcations based on the scale, and

a background comprising a color scheme based on preselected pitches of the scale; and

display, on the display, the target music data.

10. A system comprising:

a data processing apparatus configured to;

analyze target music data associated with a musical composition to determine a musical scale within the target music data;

display, on a display in signal communication with the data processing apparatus, a bounded space comprising;

a plurality of interval demarcations based on the scale, and

a background comprising a color scheme based on preselected pitches of the scale; and

display, on the display, the target music data.

11. An apparatus comprising:

means for analyzing target music data associated with a musical composition to determine a musical scale within the target music data;

means for displaying, on a display in signal communication with the apparatus, a bounded space comprising;

a plurality of interval demarcations based on the scale, and

a background comprising a color scheme based on preselected pitches of the scale; and

means for displaying, on the display, the target music data.