MUSICAL PERFORMANCE DEVICE, METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MUSICAL PERFORMANCE DEVICE AND PROGRAM STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20130239785A1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: TABATA, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 8,723,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/455 Camera input, e.g. analyzing pictures from a video camera and using the analysis results as control data
• 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 touch-screen interfaces G10H2220/096
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/281 Spint drum assembly, i.e. mimicking two or more drums or drumpads assembled on a common structure, e.g. drum kit multi-toned percussion instruments G10H2230/255
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound beam G10H2220/405

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a musical performance device capable of changing layout information, such as information regarding the arrangement of a virtual musical instrument set, by an intuitive operation. In the present invention, when position coordinates detected at a shot timing are within one of the areas of a plurality of virtual pads, a CPU designates a virtual pad in this area as a target of positional change. Then, the CPU determines a position where the virtual pad designated as a target of positional change is placed by this positional change, based on position coordinates detected at shot timings, and changes the position of the virtual pad designated as a target of positional change to the determined position.

Claims

1. A musical performance device comprising:

a musical performance component which is operable on a virtual plane;

a position detecting section which detects position coordinates of the musical performance component on the virtual plane;

a storage section which stores layout information including positions of a plurality of areas arranged on the virtual plane and musical tones respectively associated with the plurality of areas;

a mode specifying section which specifies one of a position change mode and a musical performance mode;

a certain operation position detecting section which detects a position of the musical performance component on the virtual plane when a certain operation is performed by the musical performance component;

a judging section which judges whether the position of the musical performance component detected by the certain operation position detecting section is within any one of the plurality of areas arranged based on the layout information;

a sound generation instructing section which, when the judging section judges that the position of the musical performance component is within one area of the plurality of areas in the musical performance mode, gives an instruction to emit a musical sound of a musical tone associated with the one area; and

a position changing section which, when the judging section judges that the position of the musical performance component is within a given area of the plurality of areas in the position change mode, changes a position of the given area based on the position coordinates detected by the position detecting section, and changes the layout information stored in the storage section based on the changed position.

2. The musical performance device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a counting section which counts number of times the position of the musical performance component is detected by the certain operation position detecting section within a certain area of the plurality of areas,

wherein the position changing section changes when the number of times counted by the counting section reaches a predetermined number of times, the position of the certain area based on the positions detected the predetermined number of times by the certain operation position detecting section.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program that is executable by a computer used as a musical performance device including a musical performance component which is operable on a virtual plane, a position detecting section which detects position coordinates of the musical performance component on the virtual plane, a storage section which stores layout information including positions of a plurality of areas arranged on the virtual plane and musical tones respectively associated with the plurality of areas, and a mode specifying section which specifies one of a position change mode and a musical performance mode, the program being executable by the computer to perform functions comprising:

certain operation position detection processing for detecting a position of the musical performance component on the virtual plane when a certain operation is performed by the musical performance component;

judgment processing for judging whether the detected position of the musical performance component is within any one of the plurality of areas arranged based on the layout information;

sound generation instruction processing for, when the position of the musical performance component is judged to be within one area of the plurality of areas by the judgment processing in the musical performance mode, giving an instruction to emit a musical sound of a musical tone associated with the one area; and

position change processing for when the position of the musical performance component is judged to be within a given area of the plurality of areas in the position change mode, changing position of the given area based on the position coordinates detected by the position detecting section, and changing the layout information stored in the storage section based on the changed position.

4. A method of controlling a musical performance device including a musical performance component which is operable on a virtual plane, a position detecting section which detects position coordinates of the musical performance component on the virtual plane, a storage section which stores layout information including positions of a plurality of areas arranged on the virtual plane and musical tones respectively associated with the plurality of areas, and a mode specifying section which specifies one of a position change mode and a musical performance mode, comprising:

detecting a position of the musical performance component on the virtual plane when a certain operation is performed by the musical performance component;

judging whether the detected position of the musical performance component is within any one of the plurality of areas arranged based on the layout information;

giving an instruction to, when the position of the musical performance component is judged to be within one area of the plurality of areas in the musical performance mode, emit a musical sound of a musical tone associated with the one area; and

changing, when the position of the musical performance component is judged to be within a given area of the plurality of areas in the position change mode, position of the given area based on the position coordinates detected by the position detecting section, and changing the layout information stored in the storage section based on the changed position.