System and methods for sensing finger position in digital musical instruments

• US 9,117,376 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2010
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Incident Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Incident Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Beck, Idan
• Primary Examiner(s): FLETCHER, MARLON T
• Application Number:
  US12/841,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20120017748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/00 Teaching music metronomes G04F5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 15/023 Electrically operated
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0083 using wireless transmission, e.g. radio, light, infrared
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/342 for guitar-like instruments with or without strings and with a neck on which switches or string-fret contacts are used to detect the notes being played electric guitars in which the tones are generated by the vibration of strings G10H3/18
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/086 for transcription of raw audio or music data to a displayed or printed staff representation or to displayable MIDI-like note-oriented data, e.g. in pianoroll format
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/015 Musical staff, tablature or score displays, e.g. for score reading during a performance
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/015 PDA [personal digital assistant] or palmtop computing devices used for musical purposes, e.g. portable music players, tablet computers, e-readers or smart phones in which mobile telephony functions need not be used

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a digital musical instrument. The instrument comprises a fretboard and one or more strings extended over the fretboard. The instrument further includes an electric circuit for generating digital signals based on positions associated with contacts of the strings on the fretboard and a transceiver for transmitting the digital signals to a processing device that generates musical notation based on the digital signals.

Claims

1. A digital musical instrument comprising:

a fretboard;

one or more strings extended over the fretboard;

a detector for generating one or more digital signals based on one or more positions associated with contact of the one or more strings on the fretboard, wherein at least one of the one or more digital signals comprises a duration of contact of one or more strings on the fretboard; and

a transmitter for transmitting the digital signals to a processing device, wherein the processing device is configured to;

generate musical notation based on the digital signals, wherein the musical notation comprises a hybrid notation of tablature and piano roll, and

present the musical notation on a graphical user interface.

2. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the digital signals are transmitted over at least one of a wired connection and a wireless connection.

3. The instrument of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to transmit the musical notation over a network.

4. A system for generating musical notation comprising:

a processing device; and

a digital musical instrument connected to the processing device comprising;

a fretboard;

one or more strings extended over the fretboard;

a detector for generating one or more digital signals based on one or more positions associated with contact of the one or more strings on the fretboard, wherein at least one of the one or more digital signals comprises a duration of contact of one or more strings on the fretboard;

a transmitter for transmitting the digital signals to the processing device, wherein the processing device generates musical notation based on the digital signals and displays the musical notation on a graphical user interface, and wherein the musical notation comprises a hybrid notation of tablature and piano roll.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the digital signals are transmitted over at least one of a wired connection and a wireless connection.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the processing device is configured to transmit the musical notation over a network.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the processing device is configured to transmit the digital signals over a network.

8. A method for generating musical notation, comprising:

generating, at a digital musical instrument, one or more digital signals based on one or more positions associated with contact of one or more strings on a fretboard of the instrument, wherein at least one of the one or more digital signals comprises a duration of contact of one or more strings on the fretboard;

transmitting the digital signals to a processing device;

generating, at the processing device, musical notation based on the digital signals, wherein the musical notation comprises a hybrid notation of tablature and piano roll; and

displaying the musical notation on a graphical user interface at the processing device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the digital signals are transmitted through at least one of a wired connection and a wireless connection.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating audio signals based on the digital signals at the processing device.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting the musical notation over a network.