Automatic music generating method and device

• US 6,506,969 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medal SARL
• Original Assignee: Medal SARL
• Inventors: Baron, René Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Marlon T.
• Application Number:
  US09/787,979
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 846/00--02, 846/09--13, 846/15, 846/22--25, 846/34, 846/37, 846/49--53, 846/59--60, 846/66--69
• 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 2210/111 Automatic composing, i.e. using predefined musical rules
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/371 Vital parameter control, i.e. musical instrument control based on body signals, e.g. brainwaves, pulsation, temperature or perspiration; Biometric information

Abstract

The invention concerns a music generating method which consists in: an operation defining musical moments during which at least four notes are capable of being played, for example, bars or half-bars; an operation defining two families of note pitches, for each musical moment, the second family of note pitches having at least one note pitch which does not belong to the first family; an operation forming at least a succession of notes having at least two notes, each succession of notes being called a musical phrase, succession wherein, for each moment, each note whereof the pitch belongs exclusively to the second family is exclusively surrounded with notes of the first family; and an operation producing the output of a signal representing each pitch of each succession of notes.

Claims

1. An automatic music generation procedure, wherein it comprises:

an operation of defining musical moments during which at least four notes are capable of being played;

an operation of defining two families of note pitches, for each musical moment, the second family of note pitches having at least one note pitch which is not in the first family;

an operation of forming at least one succession of notes having at least two notes, each succession of notes being called a musical phrase, in which succession, for each moment, each note whose pitch belongs exclusively to the second family is surrounded exclusively by notes of the first family; and

an operation of outputting a signal representative of each note pitch of each said succession.

2. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 1, wherein, during the operation of defining two families of note pitches, for each musical moment, the first family is defined as a set of note pitches belonging to a chord duplicated from octave to octave.

3. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 2, wherein, during the operation of defining two families of note pitches, the second family of note pitches includes at least the note pitches of a range which are not in the first family of note pitches.

4. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 1, wherein, during the operation of forming at least one succession of notes having at least two notes, each musical phrase is defined as a set of notes the starting times of which are not mutually separated, in pairs, by more than a predetermined duration.

5. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 1, wherein it furthermore includes an operation of inputting values representative of physical quantities and in that at least one of the operations of defining musical moments, of defining two families of note pitches, of forming at least one succession of notes, is based on at least one value of a physical quantity.

6. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said physical quantity is representative of a movement.

7. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said physical quantity is representative of an input on keys.

8. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said physical quantity is representative of an image.

9. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said physical quantity is representative of a physiological quantity of the user'"'"'s body, preferably obtained by means of at least one of the following sensors:

an actimeter;

a tensiometer;

a pulse sensor;

a friction sensor;

a sensor for detecting the pressure at various points on gloves and/or shoes; and

a sensor for detecting pressure on arm and/or leg muscles.

10. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises:

an operation of processing information representative of a physical quantity during which at least one value of a parameter called a “

control parameter”

is generated;

an operation of associating each control parameter with at least one parameter called a “

music generation parameter”

corresponding to at least two notes to be played during a musical fragment; and

a music generation operation using each music generation parameter to generate a musical fragment.

11. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 10, wherein the music generation operation comprises, successively:

an operation of automatically determining a musical structure composed of moments comprising bars, each bar having times and each time having note start locations;

an operation of automatically determining densities, probabilities of the start of a note to be played, these being associated with each location; and

an operation of automatically determining rhythmic cadences according to densities.

12. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 10, wherein the music generation operation comprises:

an operation of automatically determining harmonic chords which are associated with each location;

an operation of automatically determining families of note pitches according to the rhythmic chord which is associated with a position; and

an operation of automatically selecting a note pitch associated with each location corresponding to the start of a note to be played, according to said families and to predetermined composition rules.

13. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 10, wherein the music generation operation comprises:

an operation of automatically selecting orchestral instruments;

an operation of automatically determining a tempo;

an operation of automatically determining the overall tonality of the fragment;

an operation of automatically determining a velocity for each location corresponding to the start of a note to be played;

an operation of automatically determining the duration of the note to be played;

an operation of automatically determining rhythmic cadences of arpeggios; and

/or

an operation of automatically determining rhythmic cadences of accompaniment chords.

14. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 13, wherein, during the music generation operation, each density depends on said tempo.

15. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 10, wherein said procedure comprises a music generation initiation operation comprising an operation of connection to a network, for example the Internet network.

16. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 10, wherein said procedure comprises a music generation initiation operation comprising an operation of transmitting a predetermined play order via a network server to a tool capable of carrying out the music generation operation.

17. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 15, wherein it comprises an operation of downloading, into the computer of a user, a software package allowing the music generation operation to be carried out.

18. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 10, wherein said procedure comprises a music generation initiation operation comprising an operation of reading a sensor.

19. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the notes has a pitch which depends on the pitch of the notes which surround it.

20. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 1, wherein it includes a first operation of determining the pitch of notes which are positioned at predetermined locations and a second operation of determining the pitch of other notes during which the pitch of a note depends on the note pitches of the notes which surround said note and which are at said predetermined locations.

21. The music generation procedure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the note pitches are determined in an achronic order.

22. An automatic music generation system, wherein it comprises:

a means of defining musical moments during which at least four notes are capable of being played;

a means of defining two families of note pitches, for each musical moment, the second family of note pitches having at least one note pitch which is not in the first family of note pitches;

a means of forming at least one succession of notes having at least two notes, each succession of notes being called a musical phrase, in which succession, for each moment, each note whose pitch belongs exclusively to the second family is surrounded exclusively by notes of the first family; and

a means of outputting a signal representative of each note pitch of each said succession.

23. The music generation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the means of defining two families of note pitches is designed to define, for each musical moment, the first family as a set of note pitches belonging to a chord duplicated from octave to octave.

24. The music generation system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the means of defining two families of note pitches is designed to define the second family of note pitches so that it includes at least the note pitches of a range which are not in the first family of note pitches.

25. The music generation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the means of forming at least one succession of notes having at least two notes is designed so that each musical phrase is defined as a set of notes the starting times of which are not mutually separated, in pairs, by more than a predetermined duration.

26. The music generation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein it furthermore includes a means of inputting values representative of physical quantities and in that at least one of the means of defining musical moments, of defining two families of note pitches, of forming at least one succession of notes, is designed to take into account said value of at least one value of a physical quantity.

27. The music generation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein it comprises:

a means of processing information representative of a physical quantity designed to generate at least one value of a parameter called a “

control parameter”

;

a means of associating each control parameter with at least one parameter called a “

music generation parameter”

each corresponding to at least two notes to be played during a musical fragment;

a music generation means using each music generation parameter to generate a musical fragment.

28. The music generation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the means of forming a succession is designed so that at least one of the notes has a pitch which depends on the pitch of the notes which surround it.

29. The music generation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the means of forming a succession is designed to determine pitches of notes positioned at predetermined locations and to determine pitches of other notes during which the pitch of a note depends on the note pitches of the notes which surround said note and which are at said predetermined locations.

30. The music generation system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the means of forming a succession is designed to determine the note pitches in an achronic order.

31. An electronic and/or video game comprising a music generation system as claimed in claim 22.

32. The game as claimed in claim 31, wherein at least one parameter of musical fragments played by means of the music generation system depends on a phase of the game and/or on the results of a player.

33. A computer comprising a music generation system as claimed in claim 22.

34. A television transmitter comprising a music generation system as claimed in claim 22.

35. A television receiver comprising a music generation system as claimed in claim 22.

36. A telephone receiver comprising a music generation system as claimed in claim 22.

37. The telephone receiver as claimed in claim 36, wherein the music generation system is designed to control a musical ringing tone and in that said telephone receiver comprises means for customizing said ringing tone by the subscriber.

38. The telephone receiver as claimed in claim 36, wherein said telephone receiver comprises means for automatically associating a telephone ringing tone with the telephone number of the caller.

39. A datacom server intended to be connected to a telephone network, comprising a music generation system as claimed in claim 22.

40. A music broadcaster, preferably consisting of a synthesizer, comprising a music generation system as claimed in claim 22.

41. An electronic chip comprising a music generation system as claimed in claim 22.