Interactive guitar game designed for learning to play the guitar

• US 8,986,090 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ubisoft Entertainment S.A.
• Original Assignee: Ubisoft Entertainment S.A.
• Inventors: Epstein, Joseph Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): HARPER, TRAMAR YONG
• Application Number:
  US13/411,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20120165087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• Field of Search: 463/7, 463/20, 434/106, 353/94, 345/419
• US Class Current: 463/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/54 involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/67 adaptively or by learning from player actions, e.g. skill level adjustment or by storing successful combat sequences for re-use
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/00 Teaching music metronomes G04F5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/023 Electrically operated
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0016 Means for indicating which keys, frets or strings are to be actuated, e.g. using lights or leds
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/368 displaying animated or moving pictures synchronized with the music or audio part
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/091 for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/015 Musical staff, tablature or score displays, e.g. for score reading during a performance. graphical musical score editing G10H2220/121; musical score displays resulting from a transcription G10H2210/086
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/145 Multiplayer musical games, e.g. karaoke-like multiplayer videogames

Abstract

An interactive game designed for learning to play a guitar. A guitar may be connected to a computer or other platform, capable of loading music and displaying notes and chords and other feedback and visual learning aids on a display screen, allowing a user to read music and play along. The goal of the software or interactive game engine is for players to learn how to play a guitar. Users may operate the game in a number of modes with different goals, playing mini-games throughout the levels of the game. The game provides feedback and statistics to help users learn how to play the guitar.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium with a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program is operable to present a game for instructing a user on playing of an acoustic or an electric guitar, wherein the acoustic or electric guitar is a musical instrument having at least one string configured to vibrate, wherein the computer program instructs a processor to perform the following steps:

present, on an electronic display, the game comprising a graphical representation including a plurality of fingering notations corresponding to notes or chords of a song to be played on the acoustic or electric guitar and by the user,

wherein each said note or chord is associated with a predetermined data file having tonal information for the note or chord,

wherein each said fingering notation is associated with a corresponding string of the acoustic or electric guitar, such that each said fingering notation instructs the user to depress or not depress, depending on said note or chord to be played, the corresponding string of the acoustic or electric guitar;

receive, via the processor, output data corresponding to an electronic signal produced by the acoustic or electric guitar as played by the user during the game, wherein at least a portion of the output data is produced by a vibration of said at least one string;

compare, via the processor, the received output data against said predetermined data file for the note or chord visually depicted by the one or more fingering notations;

assess, via the processor, an accuracy of play during the game and by the user of the note or chord visually depicted by the one or more fingering notations,

wherein the assessed accuracy of play during the game is based, at least in part, on the comparison of the received output data against said predetermined data file;

present, on the electronic display or via an audio signal, an evaluation of the user'"'"'s accuracy of play during the game of at least a portion of said notes or chords;

select, via the processor, an exercise to instruct the user in playing the acoustic or electric guitar to improve the user'"'"'s accuracy of play of the acoustic or electric guitar,

wherein the exercise is selected or created by the processor based upon the user'"'"'s assessed accuracy of play during the game;

present, on the electronic display, an option for the user to perform said exercise;

receive, via the processor, a selection by the user to perform said exercise; and

present, on the electronic display, the exercise,

wherein the exercise increases or decreases a frequency or a number of presented fingering notations relative to the assessed accuracy of play of the song.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer program instructs the processor to perform the following steams:

progressively scroll, on the electronic display, the plurality of fingering notations,

wherein said graphical representation of the game further presents a hit area and the scrolling plurality of fingering notations visually moves toward the hit area as the song advances,

wherein as one or more fingering notations progressively reach the hit area, the user produces the output data by performing the action corresponding to said one or more fingering notations to produce a sound.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the computer program instructs the processor to selectively change for the exercise a difficulty level of the presented plurality of fingering notations, including a speed of the scrolling of the plurality of fingering notations, based on the user'"'"'s said accuracy of play as determined by the processor.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of the game further includes a strum direction indicator for instructing the user on a direction to strum said at least one string on the acoustic or electric guitar.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the fingering notation for a particular note or chord may indicate to the user to depress no strings, one string, or a plurality of strings on the acoustic or electric guitar.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the fingering notation to indicate to the user to not depress a particular string of the acoustic or electric guitar is the absence of any visual notation on the graphical representation of the game.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the output data is an isolated or a discrete electronic signal.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of the game further includes a plurality of rows, each row corresponds to a string of the acoustic or electric guitar, and each fingering notation is associated with a corresponding row.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein said evaluation of the user'"'"'s accuracy of play is presented on the electronic display as a numerical score or rating, and said numerical score or rating is calculated based on at least one of the following:

an accuracy of the user depressing the correct strings corresponding to the instructed fingering notation and a velocity with which each note or chord is played by the user.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of the game further includes instructing the user as to which fret of the acoustic or electric guitar to depress the one or more strings indicated by a particular fingering notation.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the assessed accuracy of play identifies at least one weakness in the user'"'"'s play, and selection or creation by the processor of the exercise is for targeting said at least one weakness assessed in the user'"'"'s accuracy of play for improving the user'"'"'s play of the acoustic or electric guitar.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the assessed accuracy of play evaluates the user'"'"'s timing of playing at least a portion of each said note or chord.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the assessed accuracy of play evaluates a number of correct notes or chords played in succession.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer program instructs the processor to perform the following step:

present, on the electronic display, the assessed accuracy of play, including an indication of an accuracy of play of at least one note or chord and an improvement of play of at least one note or chord.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer program instructs the processor to perform the following step:

present, on the electronic display and in real time, an indication that the user has incorrectly played a particular note or chord.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium with a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program is operable to present a game for instructing a user on the playing of a musical instrument, wherein the musical instrument is configured to produce an auditory vibration, wherein the computer program instructs a processor to perform the following steps:

present, on an electronic display, the game comprising a graphical representation including a plurality of fingering notations corresponding to notes or chords of a song to be played on the musical instrument and by the user,

wherein each said note or chord is associated with a predetermined data file having tonal information for the note or chord,

wherein each said fingering notation is associated with a corresponding string, key, valve, bar, drumhead, or position of the musical instrument, such that each said fingering notation instructs the user to perform an action that manipulates the corresponding string, key, valve, bar, drumhead, or position of the musical instrument according to said note or chord to be played;

receive, via the processor, output data corresponding to an electronic signal produced by the musical instrument as played by the user, wherein at least a portion of the output data is produced by an auditory vibration;

compare, via the processor, the received output data against said predetermined data file for the note or chord visually depicted by the one or more fingering notations;

assess, via the processor, an accuracy of play during the game and by the user of the note or chord visually depicted by the one or more fingering notations,

wherein the assessed accuracy of play during the game is based, at least in part, on the comparison of the received output data against said predetermined data file;

present, on the electronic display or via an audio signal, an evaluation of the user'"'"'s accuracy of play during the game of at least a portion of said notes or chords;

select, via the processor, an exercise to instruct the user in playing the musical instrument to improve the user'"'"'s accuracy of play of the musical instrument,

wherein the exercise is selected or created by the processor based upon the user'"'"'s assessed accuracy of play during the game;

present, via the electronic display, an option for the user to perform said exercise;

receive, via the processor, a selection by the user to perform said exercise; and

present, on the electronic display, the exercise,

wherein the exercise increases or decreases a frequency or a number of presented fingering notations relative to the assessed accuracy of play of the song.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

progressively scroll, on the electronic display, the plurality of fingering notations so as to instruct playing, on the musical instrument and by the user, the notes or chords of the song that correspond to the scrolling plurality of fingering notations,

wherein said graphical representation of the game further presents a hit area and the scrolling plurality of fingering notations visually moves toward the hit area as the song advances,

wherein as one or more fingering notations progressively reach the hit area, the user produces an output data by performing the action corresponding to said one or more fingering notations and further manipulating the musical instrument, such as by strumming, bowing, striking, or blowing into the musical instrument, to produce a sound,

wherein the hit area comprises a demarcation presented on the electronic display.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17,

wherein said evaluation of the user'"'"'s accuracy of play is presented on the electronic display as a numerical score or rating, and said numerical score or rating is calculated based on at least one of the following:

an accuracy of the user performing the correct action corresponding to the instructed fingering notation and a velocity with which each note or chord is played by the user.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16,

wherein the graphical representation includes a duration bar for at least some of the plurality of fingering notations, and the duration bar for a particular fingering notation indicates a length of time the user should perform the action corresponding to the particular fingering notation and manipulate the musical instrument to produce the sound,

wherein the plurality of fingering notations for said song comprises a plurality of different colors, such that a fingering notation for a particular string, key, valve, bar, drumhead, or position of the musical instrument is the same color throughout the song so as to visually indicate to the user, via the color of the fingering notation, the string, key, valve, bar, drumhead, or position of the musical instrument to be manipulated.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the computer program instructs the processor to selectively change in real time a difficulty level of the presented plurality of fingering notations, including a speed of the scrolling of the plurality of fingering notations, based on the user'"'"'s said accuracy of play as determined by the processor.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the assessed accuracy of play identifies at least one weakness in the user'"'"'s play, and selection or creation by the processor of the exercise is for targeting said at least one weakness assessed in the user'"'"'s accuracy of play for improving the user'"'"'s play of the musical instrument.

22. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the assessed accuracy of play evaluates the user'"'"'s timing of playing at least a portion of each said note or chord.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the assessed accuracy of play evaluates a number of correct notes or chords played in succession.

24. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the computer program instructs the processor to perform the following step:

present, on the electronic display, the assessed accuracy of play, including an indication of an accuracy of play of at least one note or chord and an improvement of play of at least one note or chord.

25. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the computer program instructs the processor to perform the following step:

present, on the electronic display and in real time, an indication that the user has incorrectly played a particular note or chord.