Method and apparatus for sensing and displaying tablature associated with a stringed musical instrument

• US 7,223,913 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2005
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MTW Studios, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vmusicsystems, Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, Robert L., McFarland, Kevin A., Knapp, R. Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): DONELS, JEFFREY
• Application Number:
  US11/198,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20060107826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 847/23, 847/35, 846/45, 847/22, 844/62
• US Class Current: 84/722
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/00 Teaching music metronomes G04F5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/003 Repetitive work cycles; Sequence of movements
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• 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 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/368 displaying animated or moving pictures synchronized with the music or audio part
• 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 2220/005 Non-interactive screen display of musical or status data graphical user interfaces specifically adapted for electrophonic musical instruments G10H2220/091; fingering displays G10H2220/041
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/326 Control glove or other hand or palm-attached control device
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/415 Infrared beams
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/125 Extracting or recognising the pitch or fundamental frequency of the picked up signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/188 for converting the signal to digital format transmission using a MIDI interface G10H1/0066

Abstract

A system and method of enhancing guitar instruction based on Tablature Plus encoding of playing techniques within a MIDI file or other data structure, that may be rendered on an associated player application that provides multimedia output of the piece being played including a number of playing techniques. The system hardware for encoding the information includes string motion monitoring, and optionally a hand motion and finger positioning sensor, such as a data glove or a video motion capture system, for simultaneously registering the actions of the guitarist while playing the piece. The software comprises algorithms for determining note pitch and duration, and for extracting playing techniques from the data being collected. Multimedia player software is also described which renders a visual and audio output for the Tablature Plus encoded file, wherein the encoded playing techniques are represented within the display output. The system is adaptable to instruction for any instrument.

Claims

1. A data acquisition apparatus, comprising:

optical motion capture means having an output, said optical motion capture means comprising;

a plurality of reference markers, said reference markers placed on the hands and fingernails of a guitar player, and

video recording means, wherein said video recording means records the position of said plurality of reference markers as a function of time; and

means to generate a digital data stream from said output, said digital data stream containing representations of notes being played and techniques utilized to play said notes.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said video recording means records data in a plurality of dimensions.

3. A data acquisition apparatus, comprising:

optical motion capture means having an output, said optical motion capture means comprising;

a plurality of reference markers, said reference markers placed on the hands and fingernails of a guitar player, and

video recording means, wherein said video recording means records the position of said plurality of reference markers as a function of time;

means to combine said optical motion capture means output with an output from a guitar pickup; and

means to generate a digital data stream from said combined output, said digital data stream containing representations of notes being played and techniques utilized to play said notes.

4. A data acquisition method, comprising

locating a plurality of reference markers on the hands and fingers of a guitar player;

recording the positions of said reference markers as a function of time; and

generating a digital data stream from said positions, said digital data stream containing representations of notes being played and techniques utilized to play said notes.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein reference markers are additionally located on the body of a guitar player.

6. A data acquisition method, comprising

locating a plurality of reference markers on the hands and fingers of a guitar player;

recording the positions of said reference markers as a function of time to produce an output;

combining said output with output from a guitar pickup; and

generating a digital data stream from combined outputs, said digital data stream containing representations of notes being played and techniques utilized to play said notes.

7. A data conversion method, comprising:

receiving data from a motion capture means located on a guitar player;

imposing pattern recognition standards on said data; and

generating output in either standard notation or tablature, or both, based on said pattern recognition standards as applied to said data.

8. A data conversion method, comprising:

receiving string data from a guitar pickup;

receiving motion data from a motion capture means located on a guitar player;

combining said string data and said motion data; and

generating output in either standard notation or tablature, or both, based on combined string data and motion data.

9. A data acquisition apparatus, comprising:

optical motion capture means having an output, said optical motion capture means receiving positional input from a musician;

audio capture means having an output, said audio capture means receiving input from an instrument being played by the musician;

means to combine output from said optical motion capture means with output from said audio capture means to produce a combined output; and

means to generate a digital data stream from said combined output, said digital data stream containing representations of notes being played and techniques utilized to play said notes.

10. A data acquisition method, comprising:

locating a motion capture means on a musician;

receiving motion capture data as a function of time from said motion capture means; and

generating a digital data stream from said motion capture data, said digital data stream containing representations of notes being played and techniques utilized to play said notes.

11. A data conversion method, comprising:

receiving motion data from a musician;

receiving sound data from the musician;

combining said motion data and said sound data; and

generating output in standard notation from said combined data, wherein said output is a visual representation of music played.