Electronic musical instrument having a voice-inputting function

• US 5,504,269 A
• Filed: 03/31/1994
• Issued: 04/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Nagahama, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Witkowski, Stanley J.
• Application Number:
  US08/221,390
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 84/600, 84/453, 84/454, 84/477 R, 84/478, 84/609-614, 84/622-625, 84/649-652, 84/659-661
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/003 with indication of the keys or strings to be played on instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0016 Means for indicating which keys, frets or strings are to be actuated, e.g. using lights or leds
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0033 Recording/reproducing or transmission of music for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/066 for pitch analysis as part of wider processing for musical purposes, e.g. transcription, musical performance evaluation; Pitch recognition, e.g. in polyphonic sounds; Estimation or use of missing fundamental
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/061 LED, i.e. using a light-emitting diode as indicator

Abstract

An electronic musical instrument has a voice-inputting function. Voice information and performance information are input to the instrument. The instrument stores performance data therein. Each item of performance data stored is sequentially read out. The next item of performance data is read out when it is determined that at least one of the voice information and performance information being given agrees with each item of performance data sequentially read out. The instrument includes a plurality of operating elements for performance. Display devices are provided for the operating elements, respectively. When voice input is detected, one of the display devices, corresponding to one of the plurality of operating elements, is lighted, which corresponds to the pitch name of the detected voice. When voice input ends, the light in the display device is turned off. The instrument sequentially stores the voice information being sequentially read out in another operating mode. A player is notified of one of the plurality of elements to be operated, which corresponds to an item of the stored voice information read out. The next item of the stored voice information is caused to be read out, when the item of the stored voice information read out agrees with an item of pitch information of a musical tone for performance.

Claims

1. An electronic musical instrument having a voice-inputting function, comprising:

voice information-inputting means for inputting voice information;

performance information-inputting means for inputting performance information;

performance data-storing means for storing performance data;

readout means for sequentially reading out each item of said performance data stored in said performance data-storing means;

comparing means for comparing at least one of said voice information input by said voice information-inputting means and said performance information input by said performance information-inputting means with each item of said performance data read out by said readout means from said performance data-storing means; and

readout-directing means for directing said readout means to read out a next item of said performance data, when said comparing means determines that at least one of said voice information and said performance information agrees with said item of performance data read out by said readout means.

2. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, including a plurality of display means for providing a visual indication to a performer, each of each of said plurality of display means being lighted based on a corresponding item of said performance data read out by said readout means, and is put out when said comparing means determines that at least one of said voice information and said performance information agrees with said corresponding item of performance data read out by said readout means.

3. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein said voice information-inputting means includes voice-inputting means for inputting voice data and pitch information-determining means for determining pitch information based on said voice data input by said voice-inputting means.

4. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 2, wherein said voice information-inputting means includes voice-inputting means for inputting voice data and pitch information-determining means for determining pitch information based on said voice data input by said voice-inputting means.

5. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 3, where said pitch information-determining means determines said pitch information by use of a table formed by predetermined ranges of fundamental frequencies of voices and pitch names respectively corresponding thereto.

6. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 4, where said pitch information-determining means determines said pitch information by use of a table formed by predetermined ranges of fundamental frequencies of voices and pitch names respectively corresponding thereto.

7. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 5, including pitch information-storing means for storing said pitch information, wherein said performance data-storing means stores data of a plurality of music pieces for performance, and wherein said pitch information-determining means detects identity between a music piece being given by said player and one of said plurality of music pieces stored in said performance data-storing means, and determines said pitch information based on data of said one of said plurality of music pieces.

8. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 6, including pitch information-storing means for storing said pitch information, wherein said performance data-storing means stores data of a plurality of music pieces for performance, and wherein said pitch information-determining means detects identity between a music piece being given by said player and one of said plurality of music pieces stored in said performance data-storing means, and determines said pitch information based on data of said one of said plurality of music pieces.

9. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 7, wherein said pitch information-determining means widens a predetermined range of a fundamental frequency of at least a portion of said input voice data based on said performance data of said one of said plurality of music pieces for which identity with said music piece being given by said player has been detected.

10. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 8, wherein said pitch information-determining means widens a predetermined range of a fundamental frequency of at least a portion of said input voice data based on said performance data of said one of said plurality of music pieces for which identity with said music piece being given by said player has been detected. PG,40

11. An electronic musical instrument having a voice-inputting function, comprising:

voice-inputting means for inputting a voice;

performance information-inputting means for inputting performance information, said performance information-inputting means having a plurality of operating elements for performance;

a plurality of display devices provided for respective ones of said plurality of operating elements of said performance information-inputting means;

determining means for determining whether or not said voice has been input by said voice-inputting means;

detecting means for detecting a pitch name of said voice input by said voice-inputting means; and

control means for controlling said plurality of display devices such that when said determining means has determined that said voice has been input, one of said plurality of display devices corresponding to one of said plurality of operating elements is lighted, which corresponds to said pitch name of said voice detected by said detecting means, and that when said determining means has determined that said voice has not been input any longer, said one of said plurality of display devices lighted is put out.

12. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 11, wherein said determining means detects a peak value of said voice input by said voice-inputting means, and determines that said voice has been input when said peak value is larger than a first predetermined reference value.

13. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 12, wherein said determining means determines that a second voice has been input by said voice-inputting means, when a peak value of a voice input after said determining means has determined that said voice had said peak value which was larger than said first predetermined reference value, is larger than a second predetermined reference value, and said detecting means changes said pitch name based on said second voice input by said voice-inputting means.

14. An electronic musical instrument having a voice-inputting function, comprising:

a plurality of operating elements for performance;

notifying means for notifying a player of one of said plurality of operating elements to be operated;

voice information-inputting means for inputting voice information;

storage means for sequentially storing said voice information input by said voice information-inputting means;

readout means for sequentially reading out said voice information stored in said storage means; and

control means for causing said notifying means to notify said player of said one of said plurality of operating elements to be operated, which corresponds to an item of said voice information read out from said storage means.

15. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 14, including changeover means for effecting changeover between a recording mode in which said voice information is sequentially stored into said storage means and a reproducing mode in which said voice information stored in said storage means is sequentially read out.

16. An electronic musical instrument having a voice-inputting function, comprising:

voice information-inputting means for inputting voice information;

storage means for sequentially storing said voice information input by said voice information-inputting means;

readout means for sequentially reading out said voice information stored in said storage means;

pitch information-inputting means for inputting pitch information of a musical tone for performance;

comparing means for comparing an item of said voice information read out by said readout means with an item of said pitch information input by said pitch information-inputting means; and

control means for causing said readout means to read out a next item of said voice information stored in said storage means, when said item of said voice information agrees with said item of said pitch information input by said pitch information-inputting means.

17. An electronic musical instrument according to claim 16, including changeover means for effecting changeover between a recording mode in which said voice information is sequentially stored into said storage means and a reproducing mode in which said voice information stored in said storage means is sequentially read out and said voice information newly input by said voice information-inputting means is used as said pitch information.