Ensemble system

• US 7,947,889 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Usa, Satoshi, Urai, Tomomitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren; David S.
• Application Number:
  US12/088,306
• Publication Number:
  US 20090145285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,765 Days
• Field of Search: 84600-602, 846/15, 846/53, 846/45
• US Class Current: 84/615
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/175 for jam sessions or musical collaboration through a network, e.g. for composition, ensemble playing or repeating; Compensation of network or internet delays therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/325 Synchronizing two or more audio tracks or files according to musical features or musical timings

Abstract

An ensemble system enabling easy, flexible assignment of performance parts to the facilitator and the performers. In “setting” field, performance terminals (facilitator and piano (1 to 5)) are displayed. A pull-down menu for selecting presence/absence of each performance terminal and radio buttons for assigning performance parts are displayed. According to the presence/absence of each student, the selection of a presence/absence menu is inputted. When song title data is selected, a controller (1) reads a part assignment table of the song data and assigns a performance part to each performance terminal for which presence is selected. A performance part can be manually assigned to each performance terminal.

Claims

1. An ensemble system comprising:

a plurality of performance terminals each having at least one performance operator unit for performance operation by a user;

at least one tone generator; and

a controller connected to the plurality of performance terminals and the at least one tone generator to control each of the performance terminals,

wherein the controller includes;

a storage device that store pieces of music data for performance, each piece including a plurality of performance parts, and an assignment list including identification information indicating which performance part should be assigned to which performance terminal;

an operation unit that designates at least one performance terminal participating in an ensemble and at least one performance terminal not participating in the ensemble, and selects music data for performance to be played in the ensemble;

a performance part assignment unit that assigns the performance parts to respective performance terminals in accordance with the assignment list when music data for performance is selected by the operation unit, and changes assignment of at least one performance part to be assigned to one of the performance terminals, from the at least one performance terminal not participating in the ensemble to another of the performance terminals participating in the ensemble; and

a performance control unit that reads out the performance part assigned to each of the performance terminals in accordance with a way in which the performance operator unit of each of the performance terminals is operated, and outputs performance data representing the performance parts performed by each of the users to the tone generator.

2. The ensemble system according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes:

a mode changeover unit that changes an ordinary performance mode over to a model performance mode; and

a selection unit that selects, in the model performance mode, at least one performance terminal for executing a model performance from among the plurality of performance terminals,

wherein a guiding performance terminal carries out a guidance performance operation on the at least one performance terminal selected by the selection unit, and

wherein music sound is reproduced by the selected at least one performance terminal in accordance with the performance operation carried out at the guiding performance terminal.

3. The ensemble system according to claim 1, wherein:

the tone generator is built in to each of the plurality of performance terminals, and

the performance control unit outputs data on the performance part read out to the tone generator built in to the performance terminal to which that performance part is assigned.

4. The ensemble system according to claim 1, wherein the performance part assignment unit changes the performance part assignment to each of the performance terminals in accordance with a performance part assignment changing instruction from the operation unit.

5. The ensemble system according to claim 1, wherein the performance part assignment unit, in a case where the performance terminals indicated in the assignment list include a performance terminal not participating in the ensemble, assigns to a guiding performance terminal the performance part having been assigned to the performance terminal not participating in the ensemble.

6. The ensemble system according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage device further stores a table in which interrelated performance parts are specified as one group, and

the performance part assignment unit, in a case where the performance terminals indicated in the assignment list include a performance terminal not participating in the ensemble, based on the table, assigns the performance part having been assigned to the performance terminal not participating in the ensemble to another performance terminal to which another performance part belonging to a same group has been assigned.