Music composition method and system for portable device having touchscreen

• US 8,138,408 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Moon Sik, Shin, Seung Woo, Han, Myoung Hwan, Yun, Joong Sam
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US12/767,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20100288108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 846/10, 846/13, 846/34, 846/37
• US Class Current: 84/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0025 Automatic or semi-automatic music composition, e.g. producing random music, applying rules from music theory or modifying a musical piece automatically producing a series of tones G10H1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/105 Composing aid, e.g. for supporting creation, edition or modification of a piece of music
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/576 Chord progression
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen touch screen note input, e.g. using a displayed keyboard G10H2220/241; personal digital assistant [PDA] G10H2230/015
• 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 2230/021 Mobile ringtone, i.e. generation, transmission, conversion or downloading of ringing tones or other sounds for mobile telephony; Special musical data formats or protocols herefor mobile telephone transmission specifically adapted for electrophonic musical tools or instruments G10H2240/251

Abstract

A music composition method and system is provided for composing a music piece using a touch interaction with a touchscreen-enabled portable device. A music composition method includes setting an accompaniment with chords varying according to the progress of a unit play time; playing the accompaniment; displaying, when a series of touches are detected, a trace of the touches; playing a melody of tones mapped to positions of the touches and matching notes of a note scale defined by chords of the accompaniment playing at the times when the touches are detected; and saving the trace, melody, and accompaniment as a music piece as an ensemble.

Claims

1. A music composition method operable in a portable device having a touchscreen, the method comprising:

setting an accompaniment with chords varying according to the progress of a unit play time;

playing the accompaniment;

displaying, when a series of touches are detected, a trace of the touches;

playing a melody of tones mapped to positions of the touches and matching notes of a note scale defined by chords of the accompaniment playing at the times when the touches are detected; and

saving the trace, melody, and accompaniment as a music piece as an ensemble.

2. The music composition method of claim 1, wherein the trace is displayed in a drawing region scrolling in accordance with a meter speed of the accompaniment when the touch is detected.

3. The music composition method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the trace as arrangement spots, corresponding to the series of touches, when the saved music piece is requested; and

changing the trace in accordance with the movement of the arrangement spots, when one of the arrangement spots moves in response to a touch event.

4. The music composition method of claim 1, wherein displaying a trace of the touches comprises:

removing a selected part of the trace and corresponding parts of the melody and accompaniment when a command for selecting and removing the part of the trace is received.

5. The music composition method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing, when a play command is input, the melody and accompaniment; and

displaying the trace in the form of a graphic, the graphic comprising a plurality of geometric figures having distinct shapes, colors, and transparency.

6. The music composition method of claim 1, wherein setting an accompaniment comprises:

selecting at least one instrument for the accompaniment; and

selecting at least one unit play time for the selected instrument to play.

7. The music composition method of claim 6, wherein the at least one instrument is represented by a corresponding icon arranged along a vertical axis of the touchscreen, and the at least one unit play time is represented by bars arranged successively along a horizontal axis of the touchscreen.

8. The music composition method of claim 1, wherein setting an accompaniment comprises:

selecting at least one instrument for the accompaniment; and

setting a volume and a pan of the selected instrument.

9. The music composition method of claim 8, wherein the volume is set to increase along a vertical axis of the touchscreen from bottom to top, and the pan is set along a horizontal axis of the touchscreen, the volume and pan of the selected instrument being determined by a position of an icon representing the instrument on the touchscreen.

10. The music composition method of claim 8, wherein the at least one instrument and the volume and the pan of the selected instrument are selected automatically according to a genre of the music piece.

11. A music composition method for a portable device having a touchscreen, the method comprising:

displaying a handle moving along a vertical axis on the touchscreen in response to a input on the touchscreen;

selecting an accompaniment having at least one chord per unit play time;

playing, when the handle moves by a touch event, a tone mapped to a moved position and matching a note of a note scale corresponding to the chord at the time when the touch is detected and the selected accompaniment; and

saving the tone and accompaniment along with a trace of the touch.

12. A music composition system for a portable device having a touch screen, comprising:

a drawing region having a play bar which indicates a current tone of a melody and a current play time of an accompaniment on the touch screen;

an accompaniment region which displays unit play times matching the accompaniment; and

a control region which provides menu options for controlling the melody, wherein the drawing region displays a trace of a handle in response to touch inputs, the trace being defined by a line drawn.

13. The music composition system of claim 12, wherein the handle moves up and down along the play bar and tones mapped to positions of the handle are played as a melody.

14. The music composition system of claim 12, wherein the control region comprises a save button, a play button, an edit button, an arrangement mode button, a play mode button, an ensemble mode button, and a mixing mode button.

15. A portable terminal for composing a musical composition comprising:

a touchscreen;

a display unit; and

a processor in communication with a memory, the memory including code, which when accessed by the processor causes the processor to;

receive an input from the touchscreen;

set an accompaniment with chords varying according to progress of a unit play time in response to the input;

play the accompaniment;

display on the display unit a trace of a plurality of touches as the plurality of touches is detected on the touch screen;

play a melody of tones mapped to positions of the plurality of touches and matching notes of a note scale defined by chords of the accompaniment playing at the times when the touches are detected; and

save the trace, melody, and accompaniment as a music piece in an ensemble.

16. The terminal of claim 15, the processor further:

display the trace with arrangement spots when the saved music piece is requested, the arrangement spots corresponding to the position of the touches; and

change the trace in accordance with the movement of the arrangement spot, when one of the arrangement spots moves in response to a touch event.

17. The terminal of claim 16, the processor further:

display the trace in a drawing region of the display unit; and

scroll the trace in accordance with a meter speed of the accompaniment when a touch is detected.

18. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the processor further:

play, when a play command is input, a melody and an accompaniment; and

display the trace in the form of a graphic, the graphic comprising a plurality of geometric figures having distinct shapes, colors, and transparency.