Electronic musical re-performance and editing system

• US 5,488,196 A
• Filed: 01/19/1994
• Issued: 01/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samuel P. Wantman, Thomas G. Zimmerman
• Original Assignee: Samuel P. Wantman, Thomas G. Zimmerman
• Inventors: Zimmerman, Thomas G., Wantman, Samuel P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US08/183,489
• Time in Patent Office: 741 Days
• Field of Search: 84/600, 84/609-614, 84/622-633, 84/615, 84/DIG. 12
• US Class Current: 84/612
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0033 Recording/reproducing or transmission of music for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/015 Musical staff, tablature or score displays, e.g. for score reading during a performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/081 Spint viola
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/085 Spint cello
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/111 Spint ukulele, i.e. mimicking any smaller guitar-like flat bridge string instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/151 Spint banjo, i.e. mimicking a stringed instrument with a piece of plastic or animal skin stretched over a circular frame or gourd, e.g. shamisen or other skin-covered lutes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/165 Spint recorder, i.e. mimicking any end-blown whistle flute with several finger holes, e.g. recorders, xiao, kaval, shakuhachi and hocchiku flutes
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/175 Spint trumpet, i.e. mimicking cylindrical bore brass instruments, e.g. bugle
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/191 Spint French horn, i.e. mimicking an orchestral horn with valves for switching pipe lengths
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/195 Spint flute, i.e. mimicking or emulating a transverse flute or air jet sensor arrangement therefor, e.g. sensing angle or lip position to trigger octave change
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/201 Spint piccolo, i.e. half-size transverse flute, e.g. ottavino
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/225 Spint oboe, i.e. mimicking double reed woodwind with conical bore, e.g. oboe
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/241 Spint clarinet, i.e. mimicking any member of the single reed cylindrical bore woodwind instrument family, e.g. piccolo clarinet, octocontrabass, chalumeau, hornpipes, zhaleika
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/291 Spint drum bass, i.e. mimicking bass drums; Pedals or interfaces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/305 Spint drum snare, i.e. mimicking using strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, e.g. snare drum, side drum, military drum, field drum
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/271 Serial transmission according to any one of RS-232 standards for serial binary single-ended data and control signals between a DTE and a DCE
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/291 SCSI, i.e. Small Computer System Interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 84/12 Side; rhythm and percussion devices

Abstract

A music re-performance system allows a plurality of untrained instrumentalist to play pre-stored music using traditional playing techniques along with an automatic accompaniment at a tempo controlled by a selected-instrumentalist. Instrumentalist'"'"'s gestures start and stop pre-stored score notes and temporal restrictions limit gestural timing errors. Expression parameters, including volume, timbre, and vibrato, are selectively updated, allowing editing of music sound files. A finger manipulation and energy driver controller model, including transducers and signal processing, accommodates wind and string instruments. Temporal masking prevents substantially concurrent finger and energy gestures, intended as simultaneous, from producing multiple false gestures.

Claims

1. A music re-performance system to generate music in response to musical gestures of a player comprising;

(a) storage means for storing information defining at least note pitch and note timing in at least one preprogrammed musical channel;

(b) finger transducer means for receiving finger manipulations from a player and for generating and for outputting a finger signal in response to said finger manipulations;

(c) energy transducer means for receiving energy applied by a player and for generating and outputting an energy signal in response to said energy applied to said energy transducer means by the player;

(d) signal processing means connected to said finger transducer means and to said energy transducer means for receiving said finger signal and said energy signal and for generating at least one gesture signal in response to said finger signal and to said energy signal;

(e) scheduling means connected to said storage means and to said signal processing means, for sequentially selecting at least one note from said storage means and for transmitting the selected note in response to said gesture signal; and

(f) sound generator means connected to said scheduling means for receiving the transmitted selected note and for producing sound in response to said selected notes.

2. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least one additional preprogrammed musical channel storing at least note and note timing information thus defining a musical accompaniment, and an accompaniment sequence means for reproducing said additional preprogrammed musical channel.

3. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 2, further comprising accompaniment tempo regulation means to regulate the tempo of the reproduction of said additional preprogrammed musical channel by the temporal relationship between said gesture signal and said note timing information.

4. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the tempo of reproduction increases when said gesture signal temporally leads said note timing information, and said tempo decreases when said gesture signal temporally lags said note timing information, resulting in the tempo of reproduction following the tempo of the player.

5. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said signal processing means further includes temporal masking means for generating a single gesture signal in response to a combination of finger and energy signals occurring within a temporal masking margin, thereby allowing finger and energy signals intended by the player to be simultaneous to generate a single gesture signal.

6. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said temporal masking margin lasts for a fraction of the duration of the note selected by said scheduling means.

7. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising expressive processing means for receiving said energy signal and for converting said energy signal into at least one control signal and for affecting change in at least one expressive parameter selected from the group consisting of volume, timbre, vibrato, and tremolo, whereby a player can control said expressive parameter through the energy applied to said energy transducer means.

8. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 7, wherein the said finger transducer means comprises a conductive wire suspended over a fingerboard whose surface is at least partially covered by a semi-conductive material, across the length of which a voltage potential is applied, whereby an electric signal proportional to the contact position along said fingerboard is produced in the wire when said wire is depressed thus contacting said semi-conductive material.

9. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said energy transducer means comprises at least one elongated member set into motion by a player energy gesture, whereby said energy transducer means produces an electric signal in response to the energy applied to said energy transducer means by said player energy gesture.

10. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 9, further comprising;

(a) a structure resembling a guitar wherein said finger transducer means is disposed along the neck of said structure and said energy transducer is disposed on the body of said structure;

(b) two preprogrammed musical channels, one defining a lead melody and the other defining chords;

(c) a scheduler allocator means connected to the two preprogrammed musical channels and to said scheduling means, said scheduler allocator means selecting said lead melody if said finger manipulations are applied to said finger transducer at a location substantially near the body of said structure, and otherwise said scheduler allocator means selecting said preprogrammed musical channel defining chords if said finger manipulations are applied to said finger transducer means at a location substantially far from the body of said structure, whereby said finger manipulations and said player energy gestures resemble the gestures of playing a guitar

11. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said energy transducer means further includes an optical interrupter means allowing at least some motion of said elongated member eclipsing at least some of the optical path of said optical interrupter means, said optical interrupter means producing an electric signal in response to the motion of said elongated member.

12. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 9, wherein said energy transducer means further includes a piezoelectric device in intimate contact with said elongated member, said piezoelectric device converting said motion into an electric signal in response to the motion of said elongated member.

13. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said energy transducer means comprises a rotating cylinder means allowing rotation by bowing actions of the player, further including rotational measurement means for producing an electric signal indicating rotation speed and direction, thus producing an electric signal indicating bow speed and direction.

14. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a structure resembling a violin wherein said energy transducer means is disposed on the body of the structure and said finger transducer means is disposed along the neck of said structure, whereby said finger manipulations and said energy applied resembles the gestures of playing a violin.

15. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said energy transducer means further includes;

(a) an articulated member allowing a change in physical state, selected from the group consisting of position, compression, and tension, by the actions of the player;

(b) sensing means to convert said change in physical state into electric signals; and

(c) signal processing means to convert said electric signals into processed signals in response to the magnitude of said actions.

16. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said scheduling means further comprises means for selecting a plurality of notes from said storage means in response to a single gesture signal.

17. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the selection of said plurality of notes is determined by a temporal simultaneous margin, said temporal simultaneous margin chosen from among the following;

a constant value, a percentage of the duration of a selected note, a value set by the player, a value stored in said storage means, or a sequence of values stored in said storage means.

18. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said scheduling means further comprises, a rubato tolerance means for limiting the magnitude of the temporal difference between said note timing as specified in said storage means and the transmission of said selected note.

19. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising;

(a) a plurality of said finger transducers, outputting at least one finger signal in response to said finger manipulations of said finger transducer means;

(b) a plurality of said energy transducer means, for outputting at least one energy signal in response to energy applied to said energy transducer means;

(c) a plurality of said preprogrammed musical channels;

(d) signal processing means for receiving said finger signal and said energy signal and for generating at least one gesture signal in response to said finger signal and to said energy signal;

(e) polygestural scheduling means, connected to said storage means and said signal processing means, for selecting a plurality of notes from a plurality of said preprogrammed musical channels, whereby a temporal sequence of polyphonic music can be regulated by a combination of finger manipulations applied to said finger transducer means and energy applied to said energy transducer means.

20. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising computing means connected to said storage means for generating a visual representation of information contained in said preprogrammed musical channel.

21. A music editing system to edit selected note parameters of a musical score by dynamically changing the note parameters comprising;

(a) an information storage means for storing at least one preprogrammed musical channel defining at least one note parameter selected from the group consisting of pitch, start time, stop time, duration, volume, timbre, vibrato, and tremolo, where said musical channel represents the musical score to be edited;

(b) energy transducer means for receiving energy applied by a player and for generating and for outputting an energy signal in response to said energy applied to said energy transducer means;

(c) signal processing means connected to said energy transducer means for receiving said energy signal and for generating at least one energy control signal in response to said energy signal;

(d) scheduling means connected to said storage means and to said signal processing means for sequentially selecting at least one note parameter and for altering said note parameter in response to said energy control signal, whereby said altering represents an edited version of said note parameter; and

(e) sound generator means connected to said scheduling means for receiving said altered note parameter and producing sound in response to said altered note parameter.

22. A music editing system as set forth in claim 21, further comprising at least one additional preprogrammed musical channel for storing at least note pitch and note timing information thus defining a musical accompaniment, and an accompaniment sequence means for reproducing said additional preprogrammed musical channel.

23. A music editing system as set forth in claim 22, further comprising accompaniment tempo regulation means to regulate the tempo of the reproduction of said additional preprogrammed musical channel by the temporal relationship between said energy control signal and note timing information stored in said preprogrammed musical channel, whereby the tempo of said accompaniment responds to the timing of said energy signal.

24. A music editing system as set forth in claim 21, further comprising finger transducer means connected to said signal processing means to receive finger manipulations from a player and for generating and for outputting a finger signal in response to said finger manipulations, said signal processing means receiving said finger signal and generating at least one finger control signal in response to said finger signal and said scheduling means altering said note parameter in response to said finger control signal.

25. A music editing system as set forth in claim 24, wherein said signal processing means further includes temporal masking means for generating a single gesture signal in response to a combination of said finger signal and said energy signal received within a temporal masking margin, thereby using said gesture signal for altering the timing of notes in said preprogrammed musical channel.

26. A music editing system as set forth in claim 25, wherein said temporal masking margin lasts for a fraction of the duration of the note selected by said scheduling means.

27. A music editing system as set forth in claim 21, wherein said scheduling means further comprises a rubato tolerance means for limiting the magnitude of temporal alterations of note parameters.

28. A music editing system as set forth in claim 21, further comprising computing means connected to said storage means for generating a visual representation of information contained in said preprogrammed musical channel.

29. A music re-performance system to generate music in response to musical gestures of a player comprising;

(a) storage means for storing information defining at least note and note timing in at least one preprogrammed musical channel;

(b) an energy transducer means for receiving player gestures and generating at least one energy signal in response to at least one said player gesture performed on said energy transducer means;

(c) signal processing means connected to said energy transducer means for receiving said energy signal and for generating a gesture signal in response to said energy applied to said energy transducer means;

(d) scheduler means connected to said storage means and to said energy transducer means, for sequentially selecting notes from said storage means that occur within a temporal simultaneous margin, and for transmitting the selected notes in response to said gesture signal, whereby a single player gesture may result in a plurality of transmitted notes; and

(e) sound generator means connected to said scheduler means, for receiving the transmitted selected notes and for producing sound in response to said selected notes.

30. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 29, wherein said temporal simultaneous margin is chosen from among the following;

a constant value, a percentage of the duration of a selected notes, a value set by the player, a value stored in said storage means, or a sequence of values stored in said storage means.

31. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 30 wherein said scheduling means further comprises rubato tolerance processing means for limiting the magnitude of the temporal difference between said note timing as specified in said storage means and the transmission of said selected note.

32. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 29, further comprising at least one additional preprogrammed musical channel for storing at least note and note timing information thus defining a musical accompaniment, and an accompaniment sequence means for reproducing said additional preprogrammed musical channel.

33. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 32, further comprising accompaniment tempo regulation means to regulate the tempo of the reproduction of said additional preprogrammed musical channel by the temporal relationship between said gesture signal and said note timing information, resulting in the tempo of said accompaniment responding to the timing of musical gestures of the player.

34. A music re-performance system as set forth in claim 29, further comprising expressive processing means to receive said energy signal and for converting said energy signal into at least one control signal for effecting change in at least one expressive parameter selected from the group consisting of volume, timbre, vibrato, and tremolo, for controlling said expressive parameter through the energy applied to said energy transducer.