Musical performance device, method for controlling musical performance device and program storage medium

• US 8,664,508 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2013
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Tabata, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US13/754,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20130239780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 847/23
• US Class Current: 84/723
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/455 Camera input, e.g. analyzing pictures from a video camera and using the analysis results as control data
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/281 Spint drum assembly, i.e. mimicking two or more drums or drumpads assembled on a common structure, e.g. drum kit multi-toned percussion instruments G10H2230/255
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound beam G10H2220/405

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a musical performance device by which the arrangement of a virtual musical instrument set is suitably changed based on the position of the instrument player, and whereby the instrument player need not play in an uncomfortable position. In the present invention, set layout information includes standard set layout information that serves as reference for the arrangement of a plurality of virtual pads, and a CPU judges whether an operation to form a square has been performed with a pair of drumstick sections. When judged that this operation has been performed, the CPU uniformly adjusts the arrangement of the virtual pads based on preset position coordinates on a captured image plane corresponding to the standard set layout information and the position coordinates of the drumstick sections on the captured image plane at the time of the operation to form a square.

Claims

1. A musical performance device comprising:

a musical performance component which is operable by a player;

a position detecting section which detects a position of the musical performance component on a virtual plane where the musical performance component is operated;

a storage section which stores layout information including positions of a plurality of areas arranged on the virtual plane and musical tones respectively associated with the plurality of areas;

a predetermined operation judging section which judges whether a predetermined operation is performed with the musical performance component;

a changing section which changes the respective positions of the plurality of areas in the layout information stored in the storage section based on the position of the musical performance component at a time when the predetermined operation judging section judges that the predetermined operation is performed, such that respective positional relationships between each of the plurality of areas are maintained;

a judging section which judges whether the position of the musical performance component is within any one of the plurality of areas arranged based on the layout information stored in the storage section, when a certain music-playing operation is performed by the musical performance component; and

a sound generation instructing section which, when the judging section judges that the position of the musical performance component is within one area of the plurality of areas, gives an instruction to emit a musical sound of a musical tone associated with the one area.

2. The musical performance device according to claim 1,

wherein the layout information further includes information regarding respective sizes of the plurality of areas;

and

wherein the changing section uniformly calculates an amount of positional change with reference to the respective positions of the plurality of areas stored in the storage section and a rate of size change with reference to the respective sizes of the plurality of areas stored in the storage section, and changes the respective positions and the respective sizes of the plurality of areas stored in the storage section based on the calculated amount of positional change and the calculated rate of size change.

3. The musical performance device according to claim 1,

wherein the musical performance component comprises an attitude detecting section which detects an attitude of the musical performance component;

and

wherein the predetermined operation judging section judges that the predetermined operation is performed when the attitude detected by the attitude detecting section is similar to a predetermined attitude, and a predetermined condition regarding the position of the musical performance component on the virtual plane is satisfied.

4. The musical performance device according to claim 2,

wherein the musical performance component comprises an attitude detecting section which detects an attitude of the musical performance component;

and

wherein the predetermined operation judging section judges that the predetermined operation is performed when the attitude detected by the attitude detecting section is similar to a predetermined attitude, and a predetermined condition regarding the position of the musical performance component on the virtual plane is satisfied.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program that is executable by a computer used as a musical performance device including a musical performance component which is operable by an instrument player, a position detecting section which detects a position of the musical performance component on a virtual plane where the musical performance component is operated, and a storage section which stores layout information including positions of a plurality of areas arranged on the virtual plane and musical tones respectively associated with the plurality of areas, the program being executable by the computer to perform functions comprising:

judging whether a predetermined operation is performed on the musical performance component;

changing the respective positions of the plurality of areas in the layout information stored in the storage section based on the position of the musical performance component at a time when the predetermined operation is judged to be performed, such that respective positional relationships between each of the plurality of areas are maintained;

judging whether the position of the musical performance component is within any one of the plurality of areas arranged based on the layout information, when a certain music-playing operation is performed by the musical performance component; and

when the position of the musical performance component is judged to be within one area of the plurality of areas, giving an instruction to emit a musical sound of a musical tone associated with the one area.

6. A method of controlling a musical performance device including a musical performance component which is operable by an instrument player, a position detecting section which detects a position of the musical performance component on a virtual plane where the musical performance component is operated, and a storage section which stores layout information including positions of a plurality of areas arranged on the virtual plane and musical tones respectively associated with the plurality of areas, the method comprising:

judging whether a predetermined operation is performed on the musical performance component;

changing the respective positions of the plurality of areas in the layout information stored in the storage section based on the position of the musical performance component at a time when the predetermined operation is judged to be performed, such that respective positional relationships between each of the plurality of areas are maintained;

judging whether the position of the musical performance component is within any one of the plurality of areas arranged based on the layout information, when a certain music-playing operation is performed by the musical performance component; and

giving an instruction to, when the position of the musical performance component is judged to be within one area of the plurality of areas, emit a musical sound of a musical tone associated with the one area.