Music practice supporting appliance

• US 7,595,443 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2007
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yagi, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren; David S.
• Application Number:
  US11/702,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20070186757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 846/00, 844/54
• US Class Current: 84/600
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/00 Teaching music metronomes G04F5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/44 Tuning means
• 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

Abstract

A music practice supporting appliance has an input unit that inputs a musical sound of a musical instrument and/or vocal music, converts the musical sound into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal as an input signal. An amplifying unit amplifies the input signal outputted from the input unit. A processing unit processes the amplified input signal to obtain input signal data. A first memory unit stores the input signal data. A second memory unit stores input signal data stored in the first memory unit when the input signal data stored in the first memory unit exceeds a preselected storage capacity of the first memory unit. A control unit controls the first memory unit and the second memory unit so that while the first memory unit is receiving for storage thereinto new input signal data which causes the first memory unit to exceed the preselected storage capacity, portions of input signal data previously stored in the first memory unit are deleted from the first memory unit and are stored in the second memory unit, and the new input signal data is stored in the first memory unit. A display unit displays the input signal data stored in the first and second memory units.

Claims

1. A music practice supporting appliance that receives an input of a musical sound of a musical instrument and displays a deviation of one of a pitch and a sound volume of the inputted musical sound with respect to one of a pitch and a sound volume of a preset reference sound, the music practice supporting appliance comprising:

a signal input unit that receives the input of the musical sound, converts the inputted musical sound into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal as an input signal;

an input signal amplifying unit that amplifies the input signal inputted through the signal input unit;

a waveform processing unit that converts the amplified input signal into a rectangular wave and outputs the converted amplified input signal as input signal data;

a timer unit that outputs a timing signal used to store the input signal data;

a first data memory unit that stores the input signal data in accordance with the timing signal;

a second data memory unit that stores input signal data stored in the first data memory unit when the input signal data stored in the first data memory unit exceeds a preselected storage capacity of the first data memory unit;

a control unit that controls the first data memory unit and the second data memory unit so that while the first data memory unit is receiving for storage new input signal data which exceeds the preselected storage capacity of the first data memory unit, portions of input signal data previously stored in the first data memory unit are deleted from the first data memory unit and are stored in the second data memory unit, and the new input signal data is stored in the first data memory unit;

a display unit that displays the input signal data stored in the first data memory unit and the second data memory unit;

a display information switching unit that selects one of the input signal data stored in the first data memory unit and the input signal data stored in the second data memory unit to be displayed by the display unit; and

a display data memory unit that stores display data to be displayed by the display unit in accordance with a selection by the display information switching unit.

2. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 1;

further comprising a display method setting unit that sets an abscissa and an ordinate that are displayed on a screen of the display unit in accordance with a setting of the display method setting unit.

3. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 2;

wherein the display method setting unit receives an input of the input signal data, and sets a first portion of the input signal data as a predetermined value of a range to be displayed by the display unit.

4. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 2;

wherein the display method setting unit receives an input of the input signal data, and sets a minimum value and a maximum value of the input signal data as a lower limit and an upper limit, respectively, of a range to be displayed by the display unit.

5. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 2;

wherein the waveform processing unit comprises

a waveform shaping unit that converts a waveform of the amplified input signal into the rectangular wave; and

a musical interval detecting unit that acquires a frequency of a musical sound from the converted input signal data and detects musical interval information from the acquired frequency;

wherein the display method setting unit includes settings of a center musical interval and a range, displays the musical interval information on the display unit, displays the center musical interval at a predetermined position of a screen of the display unit along a direction of the ordinate, displays a deviation from the center musical interval along the direction of the ordinate, and displays an elapse of time along a direction of the abscissa.

6. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 5;

wherein the waveform processing unit further comprises

a sample-and-hold unit that detects a level of the input signal amplified by the input signal amplifying unit; and

a hold time setting unit that sets an output holding time period of the sample-and-hold unit;

wherein the input signal data corresponds to sound volume information of the input signal;

wherein the display method setting unit includes settings of a center sound volume and a range, displays the sound volume information on the display unit, displays the center sound volume at a predetermined position of a screen along a direction of the ordinate, displays a deviation from the center sound volume along the direction of the ordinate, and displays an elapse of time along a direction of the abscissa; and

wherein the display method setting unit sets a layout with respect to displays of both the musical interval information and peak information.

7. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 1;

wherein the signal input unit includes

a vibration sensor that converts a vibration into the electric signal; and

a fixing unit that fixes the music practice supporting appliance on a musical instrument.

8. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 1;

wherein the waveform processing unit includes

a waveform shaping unit that converts a waveform of the amplified input signal into the rectangular wave; and

a musical interval detecting unit that acquires a frequency of a musical sound from the converted input signal data and detects musical interval information from the acquired frequency.

9. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 1;

wherein the waveform processing unit comprises

a sample-and-hold unit that detects a level of the input signal amplified by the input signal amplifying unit; and

a hold time setting unit that sets an output holding time period of the sample-and-hold unit;

wherein the input signal data corresponds to level information of the input signal.

10. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 1;

wherein the control unit controls the first data memory unit and the second data memory unit to delete from the first data memory unit and store into the second data memory unit portions of the unit input signal data in the order of the oldest input signal data stored in the first data memory unit.

11. A music practice supporting appliance comprising:

input means for inputting a musical sound, converting the musical sound into an electric signal, and outputting the electric signal as an input signal;

amplifying means for amplifying the input signal outputted from the input means;

processing means for processing the amplified input signal to obtain input signal data;

first memory means for storing the input signal data;

second memory means for storing input signal data stored in the first memory means when the input signal data stored in the first memory means exceeds a preselected storage capacity of the first memory means;

control means for controlling the first memory means and the second memory means so that while the first memory means is receiving for storage new input signal data which causes the first memory means to exceed the preselected storage capacity, portions of input signal data previously stored in the first memory means are deleted from the first memory means and are stored in the second memory means, and the new input signal data is stored in the first memory means;

display means for displaying the input signal data stored in the first and second memory means; and

selecting means for selecting one of the input signal data stored in the first memory means and the input signal data stored in the second memory means to be displayed by the display means.

12. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 11;

further comprising timing means for outputting a timing signal; and

wherein the first memory means stores the input signal data in accordance with the timing signal.

13. A music practice supporting appliance comprising:

an input unit that inputs a musical sound, converts the musical sound into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal as an input signal;

an amplifying unit that amplifies the input signal outputted from the input unit;

a processing unit that processes the amplified input signal to obtain input signal data;

a first memory unit that stores the input signal data;

a second memory unit that stores input signal data stored in the first memory unit when the input signal data stored in the first memory unit exceeds a preselected storage capacity of the first memory unit;

a control unit that controls the first memory unit and the second memory unit so that while the first memory unit is receiving for storage new input signal data which causes the first memory unit to exceed the preselected storage capacity, portions of input signal data previously stored in the first memory unit are deleted from the first memory unit and are stored in the second memory unit, and the new input signal data is stored in the first memory unit;

a display unit that displays the input signal data stored in the first and second memory units; and

a selecting unit that selects one of the input signal data stored in the first memory unit and the input signal data stored in the second memory unit to be displayed by the display unit.

14. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 13;

further comprising a timer unit that outputs a timing signal; and

wherein the first memory unit stores the input signal data in accordance with the timing signal.

15. A music practice supporting appliance according to claim 13;

wherein the input unit comprises a fixing unit that fixes the music practice supporting appliance on a musical instrument, and a vibration sensor that converts a mechanical vibration resulting from musical sound of the musical instrument into the electric signal.