Music playing apparatus, storage medium storing a music playing control program and music playing control method

• US 7,435,169 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kenji, Ozaki, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan; Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Millikin; Andrew R
• Application Number:
  US11/455,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20070221046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 844/84, 844/77.R, 846/12, 846/36, 844/70.R, 463/7, 434/307.A
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/40 Rhythm
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/076 for extraction of timing, tempo; Beat detection
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/106 using icons, e.g. selecting, moving or linking icons, on-screen symbols, screen regions or segments representing musical elements or parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/141 Games on or about music, i.e. based on musical knowledge, e.g. musical multimedia quizzes

Abstract

A game apparatus includes a CPU core, and the CPU core executes a music playing game according to a game program. During the game, a player plays a guitar as if he or she plucks the strings displayed on an operation screen while viewing a musical score of a desired music (tune) by utilizing a stick. During playing, the timing of the tempo of the music being played by the player is detected, and when the timing of the head of the quarter note in the detected tempo and the timing at which the player currently plays are coincident, a sound effect such as clapping sound, and the like is output. The volume of the clapping sound is increased when the tempo is stable, and decreased when the tempo is unstable.

Claims

1. A music playing apparatus having a controller allowing a user to provide input to the music playing apparatus and a storage location storing at least sound data, comprising:

first sound output programmed logic circuitry for outputting music from the sound data stored in said storage location in response to input from said controller;

a history storing location for storing a history of the input from said controller in said storage location;

playing tempo detecting programmed logic circuitry for detecting a tempo played by the user based on the history of the inputs over a predetermined time period;

determining programmed logic circuitry for determining whether or not the tempo detected by said playing tempo detecting programmed logic circuitry and a current input have a predetermined relationship; and

second sound output programmed logic circuitry for outputting a sound effect from the sound data stored in said storage location in dependence on the predetermined relationship, the sound effect being different from the music and the sound effect being indicative of user performance.

2. A music playing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said playing tempo detecting programmed logic circuitry includes history comparing programmed logic circuitry for comparing, more than once, a first history of the inputs over a predetermined period and a second history obtained by shifting the first history by a delay time calculated according to a predetermined rule every different delayed time, and in generating a comparison result of said history comparing programmed logic circuitry, said tempo is detected on the basis of the delay time, the second history having the highest degree of coincidence with the first history.

3. A music playing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said determining programmed logic circuitry determines whether or not the start timing of the duration of the quarter note in the playing tempo detected by said playing tempo detecting programmed logic circuitry and the timing of a current operation input are coincident or approximately coincident with each other.

4. A music playing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a playing tempo storing location for storing the tempo being played detected by said playing tempo detecting programmed logic circuitry in said storage location;

playing tempo change determining programmed logic circuitry for determining whether or not the tempo stored by said playing tempo storing location continues within a constant range; and

sound changing programmed logic circuitry for changing said sound effect in dependence on said playing tempo change determining programmed logic circuitry.

5. A computer readable storage medium storing a music playing control program of a music playing apparatus having a controller allowing a user to provide input to the music playing apparatus and a storage location storing at least sound data, wherein

said music playing control program causes a processor of said music playing apparatus to function as:

first sound output programmed logic circuitry for outputting music from the sound data stored in said storage location in response to input from said controller;

a history storing location for storing a history of the inputs from said controller in said storage location;

playing tempo detecting programmed logic circuitry for detecting a tempo played by the user based on the history of the inputs over a predetermined time period;

determining programmed logic circuitry for determining whether or not the tempo detected by said playing tempo detecting programmed logic circuitry and a current input have a predetermined relationship; and

second sound output programmed logic circuitry for outputting a sound effect from the sound data stored in said storage location in dependence on the predetermined relationship, the sound effect being different form the music and the sound effect being indicative of user performance.

6. A music playing control method for a music playing apparatus tangibly stored as instructions on a computer readable storage medium, the music playing apparatus having a controller allowing a user to provide input to the music playing apparatus and a storage location storing at least sound data, the method comprising:

(a) outputting music from the sound data stored in said storage location in response to input from said controller,

(b) storing a history of the input from said controller in said storage location,

(c) detecting a tempo played by the user based on the history of the inputs over a predetermined period,

(d) determining whether or not the tempo detected in step (c) and a current input have a predetermined relationship; and

(e) outputting a sound effect from the sound data stored in said storage location in dependence on the predetermined relationship, the sound effect being different from the music and the sound effect being indicative of user performance.

7. A music playing control method according to claim 6, further comprising

(f) comparing, more than once, a first history of the inputs over a predetermined period and a second history obtained by shifting the first history by a delay time calculated according to a predetermined rule every different delayed time;

and

(g) in generating a comparison result in step (f), detecting said tempo on the basis of the delay time, wherein the second history has the highest degree of coincidence with the first history.

8. A music playing control method according to claim 7, wherein step (g) is further practiced by determining whether or not the start timing of the duration of the quarter note in the playing tempo detected in step (c) and the timing of a current operation input are coincident or approximately coincident with each other.

9. A music playing control method according to claim 6, further comprising

storing the tempo being played detected in step (c) in said storage location;

and

changing said sound effect in dependence on whether or not the stored tempo continues within a constant range.