Media system and method of progressive instruction in the playing of a guitar based on user proficiency

• US 8,586,849 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Guitar Apprentice Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Guitar Apprentice Incorporated
• Inventors: Smith, L. Gabriel
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US13/553,310
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 844/70.R, 846/09, 844/77.R
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/00 Teaching music metronomes G04F5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/02 Boards or like means for providing an indication of notes
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/04 with sound emitters

Abstract

A method is provided for progressive guitar instruction using a media system with processor-executable software modules storing songs each having a plurality of segments. Initially, segments of a selected song are defined as host or user segments. Signals are generated which effectively simulate sounds for at least a guitar associated with the selected song, and for each of the defined user segments signals are further generated to visually demonstrate a preferred user operation of a guitar for that song. Graphical representations are generated on a display of strings to be pressed and associated frets for proper playing of notes and chords for each user segment. A proficiency level of the user is then identified, and a number of user and host segments determined for a successive iteration of the performance based on at least the identified proficiency level of the user.

Claims

1. A media system for progressive instruction in the playing of a guitar, the system comprising:

a non-transitory processor-readable memory medium having software residing thereon, the software executable by a processor to direct the performance of

generating audio signals corresponding to prerecorded sounds from one or more musical instruments associated with a predetermined musical performance, the one or more musical instruments comprising a guitar, the predetermined musical performance comprising a plurality of musical segments each further comprising one or more guitar notes or chords;

for a particular iteration of the musical performance, defining one or more of the plurality of musical segments as one or more user segments each having one or more associated display images comprising graphical representations of which one or more guitar strings to be engaged, and on which frets, to play the one or more notes or chords corresponding to the user segment;

sequentially generating the display images in association with the user segments of the musical performance;

during each user segment of the musical performance, prompting the user to play the corresponding one or more notes or chords; and

in association with subsequent iterations of the musical performance, defining one or more of the associated musical segments as one or more user segments based on criteria comprising a proficiency level of the user, wherein the proficiency level of the user is determinable by the system in accordance with signals received electrically from a guitar played by the user in relation to the display images generated during the one or more user segments associated with a previous iteration of the performance.

2. The media system of claim 1, said software executable by the processor to cause the display images with corresponding notes or chords to sequentially enter a predetermined region of a display screen, wherein the user is prompted to play the notes or chords when they are in the predetermined region, and the proficiency of the user is determinable from signals received electronically from the guitar played by the user in relation to the display images in the predetermined region.

3. The media system of claim 2, the predetermined region comprising a graphical representation of a fret board, wherein as a display image enters the predetermined region said software is executable by the processor to highlight strings on the graphical representation of a fret board associated with a chord to be played by the user.

4. The media system of claim 3, said strings on the graphical representation of a fret board highlighted as the display image enters the predetermined region in colors corresponding to fingers of the user for the chord to be played.

5. The media system of claim 1, the predetermined musical performance selectable by the user from among a plurality of musical performances associated with the memory medium.

6. The media system of claim 1, the criteria further comprising at least one of a difficulty level of the one or more musical segments and a distinctiveness rating for the one or more musical segments.

7. The media system of claim 6, wherein one or more of the musical segments are defined as one or more user segments based on the proficiency level of the user, the difficulty level of the one or more musical segments and the distinctiveness rating for the one or more musical segments.

8. The media system of claim 6, wherein the proficiency level of the user is user-selectable and one or more of the musical segments are defined as one or more user segments based on the selected proficiency level in comparison with the difficulty level of the one or more musical segments.

9. A media system for progressive musical instruction in the playing of a guitar, the media system comprising:

a display device;

a processor operatively coupled to the display device; and

a non-transitory processor-readable memory medium having program modules embodied thereon, said program modules executable by the processor and further comprising

a data storage module effective to store one or more musical performances, each performance further comprising a plurality of musical segments each having one or more corresponding guitar notes or chords, the musical segments further comprising one or more user segments each having one or more associated display images for prompting a user to play the one or more corresponding notes or chords;

an audio control module effective to generate prerecorded sounds corresponding to one or more musical instruments associated with a selected musical performance, said musical instruments at least comprising a guitar;

a display control module effective to generate upon the display device a first graphical representation of a guitar fret board and during user segments of the selected musical performance to populate the first graphical representation with the one or more display images associated with the user segments, each display image comprising one or more instruction tools associated with playing one or more guitar notes or chords in accordance with the musical performance;

a proficiency sensing module effective to receive signals from a guitar electrically coupled to the system, compare the received signals to expected signals associated with corresponding user segments of the musical performance, and determine a proficiency level of the user based on the comparison; and

a mode control module effective to define one or more of the plurality of musical segments in the selected performance as user segments based upon one or more criteria including the determined proficiency level of the user and a performance iteration, wherein in successive iterations the mode control module determines whether the proficiency level of the user warrants increasing the number of user segments.

10. The media system of claim 9, the display control module effective to generate upon the display device a first portion of the display screen comprising the first graphical representation of a guitar fret board, and to populate a second portion of the display screen with one or more dynamic graphical representations of one or more instruction tools associated with one or more guitar notes or chords for one or more user segments to be subsequently played by the user during one or more subsequent portions of the musical performance.

11. The media system of claim 10, the display control module effective to populate the second portion of the display screen with one or more dynamic graphical representations of a guitar fret board appearing sequentially and corresponding to the musical performance,

each dynamic graphical representation of a guitar fret board comprising the one or more instruction tools associated with one or more notes or chords to be played by the user and corresponding to a respective user segment of the musical performance,

each dynamic graphical representation of a guitar fret board sequentially passing from the second portion to the first portion of the display screen in accordance with playing of the musical performance.

12. The media system of claim 11, the display control module effective as each dynamic graphical representation of a guitar fret board enters the first portion of the display screen to highlight strings on the first graphical representation of the guitar fret board associated with a respective chord to be played by the user.

13. The media system of claim 12, the display control module effective to highlight said strings on the first graphical representation of a guitar fret board in colors corresponding to fingers of the user for the respective chord.

14. The media system of claim 9, wherein the selected musical performance is selectable by the user from among a plurality of musical performances associated with the data storage module.

15. The media system of claim 9, wherein the criteria further comprises one or more of a difficulty level of the one or more musical segments and a distinctiveness rating for the one or more musical segments.

16. The media system of claim 9, wherein the proficiency level of the user is user-selectable.

17. A method of progressive instruction in the playing of a guitar by a media system storing one or more predetermined musical performances each further comprising a plurality of musical segments having associated guitar notes or chords, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) defining one or more of said musical segments as one or more user segments for a first iteration of a selected musical performance from the one or more predetermined musical performances stored in the media system, said one or more user segments each having one or more associated display images for prompting a user to play the corresponding notes or chords;

(b) generating audio signals effective to simulate sounds for one or more musical instruments associated with the selected musical performance;

(c) for each of said one or more defined user segments, generating the one or more display images to graphically demonstrate a preferred user operation of a guitar corresponding to the selected musical performance;

(d) identifying a proficiency level of the user based on input signals received from a guitar electrically coupled to the media system in relation to the display images generated during the one or more defined user segments;

(e) determining a number of user segments for a successive iteration of the selected musical performance based on criteria comprising the proficiency level of the user, wherein the determining step in accordance with a first proficiency level comprises maintaining the number of user segments in a successive iteration of the selected musical performance, further wherein the determining step in accordance with a second proficiency level comprises adding one or more musical segments of the selected musical performance to the one or more user segments in a successive iteration of the selected musical performance; and

(f) repeating steps (b) to (e) in accordance with said successive iteration of the selected musical performance.

18. The method of claim 17, step (d) further comprising identifying the proficiency level of the user by comparing the input signals received from the guitar to expected signals associated with the selected musical performance and stored in the media system.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein in step (e) the criteria further comprise a difficulty level of the user segments and distinctiveness of the user segments.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein in step (c) the generated display images comprise graphical representations of notes or chords corresponding to the user segments of the selected musical performance and graphical representations of which one or more guitar strings to be engaged, and on which frets, to play said notes or chords.