Training apparatus for singing

• US 5,906,494 A
• Filed: 03/15/1996
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Koji, Muraki, Kenji, Ogawa, Nobuyuki, Numoto, Tatsuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): CHENG, JOE H
• Application Number:
  US08/617,659
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 434/156, 434/169, 434/185, 434/307 R-309, 434/318, 434/365, 84/454, 84/477 R, 84/601, 84/603, 84/609-611, 84/615, 84/625, 84/630, 84/631, 84/634, 84/645, 369/22, 369/32, 369/34, 369/48, 369/50, 369/83, 369/178, 369/192, 360/1.9, 360/32, 360/33.1, 360/49, 360/69, 360/70, 360/72.1, 360/77.01, 360/98.04, 348/488, 348/552, 348/571, 348/678, 386/55, 345/141, 345/143, 345/147, 345/302, 345/473, 381/81, 704/219, 704/220, 704/500, 704/200
• US Class Current: 434/307.00A
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/00 Teaching music metronomes G04F5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/363 using optical disks, e.g. CD, CD-ROM, to store accompaniment information in digital form
• 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: G11B 20/00 Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor

Abstract

A vocal training apparatus accomplishes reproduction of a music signal recorded on an information medium, where the music signal includes a model vocal signal and an accompaniment signal. A model vocal signal is extracted from the music signal and a singer'"'"'s vocal signal is received. The model vocal characteristics are measured from the model vocal signal and the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristics are measured from the singer'"'"'s vocal signal. The singer'"'"'s vocal characteristics and the model vocal characteristics can then be compared to evaluate the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristics relative to the model vocal characteristics.

Claims

1. A vocal training apparatus comprising:

reproduction means for reproducing a music signal recorded in an information medium, the music signal including a model vocal signal and an accompaniment signal,

model vocal extracting means for extracting the model vocal signal from the music signal,

means for receiving a vocal signal from a singer,

first measuring means for measuring model vocal characteristics of the model vocal signal,

second measuring means for measuring singer'"'"'s vocal characteristics of the singer'"'"'s vocal signal,

operating means for comparing the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristics and the model vocal characteristics and for generating a control signal corresponding to a result of said comparison.

2. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first measuring means measures tonal characteristics of the model vocal signal, and the second measuring means measures tonal characteristics of the singer'"'"'s vocal signal.

3. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first measuring means measures the amplitude of the model vocal signal, and the second measuring means measures the amplitude of the singer'"'"'s vocal signal.

4. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first measuring means measures the model vocal characteristic when the amplitude of the model vocal signal is larger than a first predetermined value, and the second measuring means measures the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic when the amplitude of the singer'"'"'s vocal signal is larger than a predetermined value.

5. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first measuring means averages the model vocal characteristic within each of a plurality of specific time intervals, and generates a respective average value for each of said plurality of specific time intervals, and the second measuring means averages the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic within each of the plurality of specific time intervals, and generates a further respective average value for each of the plurality of specific time intervals.

6. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first measuring means generates the respective average value of the model vocal characteristic when the number of data of the model vocal characteristic obtained within each of the plurality of specific time intervals is larger than a predetermined value, and the second measuring means generates the respective average value of the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic when the number of data of the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic obtained within each of the plurality of specific time interval is larger than a further predetermined value.

7. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating means selectively generates the control signal after completion of the comparison between the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic and the model vocal characteristic.

8. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating means judges the model vocal characteristic and the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic are not the same when the difference between both characteristics is larger than a predetermined value.

9. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating means judges the model vocal characteristic and the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic are the same when the difference between both characteristics is smaller than a predetermined value.

10. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating means compares the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic and model vocal characteristic in each of a plurality of specific time interval, and adds or subtracts a value specified corresponding to the result of comparison to or from an initial value N, and wherein the operating means terminates the operation when the initial value N is changed to a specific value M, and generates a further control signal indicating end of the operation.

11. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating means compares the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic and the model vocal characteristic in each of a plurality of specific time intervals, and subtracts a specific value from an initial value N when the difference of both characteristics is larger than a predetermined value, and the operating means further terminates the operation when the initial value N is changed to a further predetermined value M, and generates a further control signal indicating end of the operation.

12. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating means compares the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic and the model vocal characteristic in each of a plurality of specific time intervals, and subtracts a specific value from an initial value N when the difference of both characteristics is smaller than a predetermined value, and the operating means terminates said subtraction when the initial value N is changed to a specific value M, and generates a control signal indicating end of the operation.

13. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating means stops comparing if the first measuring means does not measure the model vocal characteristic.

14. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating means further averages the difference of averaged cycle data of the singer'"'"'s vocal characteristic and average cycle data of the model vocal characteristic.

15. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operating means subtracts a specific value from an initial value N in each of a plurality of specific time intervals, and terminates subtraction when an initial value N is changed to a specific value M, and generates a further control signal indicating termination of subtraction.

16. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction means alters operation responsive to the control signal generated by the operating means.

17. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction means ceases operation responsive to the control signal generated by the operating means.

18. A vocal training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reproduction means pauses operation responsive to the control signal generated by the operating means.