System and method for musical instrument education

• US 7,332,664 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Playnote Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricamy Technology Limited
• Inventors: Yung, Chi Wai
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher; Marlon
• Application Number:
  US10/906,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20060196343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 84/470.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/00 Teaching music metronomes G04F5/02

Abstract

System and method for musical instrument education are provided. The system includes a lesson terminal which has a processor unit configured to evaluate performance musical data inputted from an electronic musical instrument, to enable a user feedback, and to enable determining new music training materials for a next lesson. The lesson terminal also has a data-receiving unit for receiving music training materials from an external music data source. The data-receiving unit may be a network connection port, such as an Internet connection port, for connecting to a server, or a local receiving port for connecting to a removable data storage. An electronic musical instrument and a method for evaluating performance musical data are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating musical instrument performance by comparing performance musical data for a plurality of performed musical notes with model musical data for a plurality of model musical notes, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of alternative musical note match lineups, wherein in each alternative musical note match lineup and each model musical note is matched with one of the performed musical notes to form a pair unless a corresponding performed musical note is missing, and wherein the alternative musical note match lineups are different from one another by at least one pair of matching model musical note and performed musical note;

for each alternative musical note match lineup, calculating a set of note deviations, each note deviation being calculated from the data for one of the model musical notes and the data for the matching performed musical note; and

for each alternative musical note match lineup,

calculating an overall performance deviation of the performance musical data from the model musical data;

selecting an optimum musical note match lineup from the plurality of musical note match lineups based on the overall performance deviations; and

evaluating against a preset criterion the overall performance deviation calculated from the optimum musical note match.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the optimum musical note match lineup results in the smallest overall performance deviation among the plurality of alternative musical note match lineups.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of alternative musical note match lineups allows for an empty match which either has one of the model musical notes unpaired with any of the performed musical notes or has one of the performed musical notes unpaired with any of the model musical notes.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the performance musical data for each of the plurality of performed musical notes and the model musical data for each of the plurality of model musical notes each comprise values of several musical attributes including frequency, duration, and amplitude.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each note deviation is calculated using a predetermined formula to combine deviations with respect to the several musical attributes.