Music composition and music arrangement generation apparatus

• US 5,525,749 A
• Filed: 02/04/1993
• Issued: 06/11/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Aoki, Eiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US08/013,615
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 84/609, 84/610, 84/613, 84/634, 84/635, 84/637, 84/649, 84/657, 84/DIG. 18
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0025 Automatic or semi-automatic music composition, e.g. producing random music, applying rules from music theory or modifying a musical piece automatically producing a series of tones G10H1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/38 Chord
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/145 Composing rules, e.g. harmonic or musical rules, for use in automatic composition; Rule generation algorithms therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/525 Diatonic scales, e.g. aeolian, ionian or major, dorian, locrian, lydian, mixolydian, phrygian, i.e. seven note, octave-repeating musical scales comprising five whole steps and two half steps for each octave, in which the two half steps are separated from each other by either two or three whole steps
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/561 Changing the tonality within a musical piece
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format

Abstract

A musical composition/arrangement assisting apparatus for assisting a composition/arrangement of a multi-part music receives performance information such as melody information, chord information, or the like, and detects candidate tones harmonizing with the performance information. The candidate tones are notes on an available scale determined by a tonality and a chord. Avoid notes are excluded in terms of a chord tone architecture from the candidate tones. Furthermore, tones parallel to melody tones or tones in a minor ninth relation to melody tones are excluded from the candidate tones. The candidate tones are informed a user of and presented to him or her. The user selects tones from the candidate tones to generate musical tone data of another part. The user can compose/arrangement other parts of a music from the candidate tones presented in consideration of musical harmony. Therefore, all the composed/arranged parts are musically harmonized with each other.

Claims

1. A musical composition/arrangement assisting apparatus comprising:

performance information input means for inputting performance information corresponding to at least one part of a music to be performed which comprises plural parts;

candidate note determining means for determining candidate notes for another part of said music, said candidate notes being determined by said performance information;

informing means for informing an operator of said candidate notes; and

selecting means for allowing said operator to select at least one of said candidate notes for inclusion in said other part of said music.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said candidate note determining means comprises scale determining means for determining a scale corresponding to said performance information, said candidate note being a note on said scale.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said candidate note determining means comprises avoid note determining means for determining an avoid note determined based on said performance information, said candidate note not including said avoid note.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said performance information includes melody information.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said performance information includes melody information, and tonality information and chord information, which are obtained on the basis of said melody information.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said performance information includes tonality information.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said performance information includes chord information.

8. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said scale is determined on the basis of a current tonality and a current chord, and said candidate note is determined according to the determined scale.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said scale is determined depending on whether the current chord is a diatonic chord of the current tonality, a non-diatonic chord in the current tonality, or a non-diatonic chord outside the current tonality.

10. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said avoid note is a note parallel to a note of said melody.

11. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said avoid note is a note in a minor ninth relation to a note of said melody.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for storing said performance information; and

means for outputting the stored performance information.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said performance information is information based on MIDI standards.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising selecting means for selecting a note of another part by the operator.

15. A music composition machine assisted method for composing music comprising:

inputting performance information into the music composition machine corresponding to at least one part of a music to be performed which comprises plural parts;

determining candidate notes for another part of said music by the music composition machine, said candidate notes being determined by said inputted performance information;

informing an operator of said candidate notes determined by the music composition machine; and

allowing said operator to select at least one of said candidate notes for inclusion in said other part of said music.