Method of playing chord inversions on a virtual instrument

• US 9,418,645 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Little, Alec H., Manjarrez, Eli T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Warren, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHREIBER, CHRISTINA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US14/814,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20150348526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 846/45, 846/09, 846/13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/02 Means for controlling the tone frequencies, e.g. attack or decay; Means for producing special musical effects, e.g. vibratos or glissandos
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0575 using a data store from which the envelope is synthesized tones synthesized from a data store G10H7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/28 to produce arpeggios
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/38 Chord
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/386 One-finger or one-key chord systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/095 Inter-note articulation aspects, e.g. legato or staccato
• 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 2220/201 for movement interpretation, i.e. capturing and recognizing a gesture or a specific kind of movement, e.g. to control a musical instrument
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/241 on touchscreens, i.e. keys, frets, strings, tablature or staff displayed on a touchscreen display for note input purposes
• 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 touch-screen interfaces G10H2220/096
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/00 Instruments in which the tones are synthesised from a data store, e.g. computer organs
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 7/008 Means for controlling the transition from one tone waveform to another

Abstract

A user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display for a virtual musical instrument comprising a plurality of chord touch regions configured in a predetermined sequence, each chord touch region corresponding to a chord in a musical key and being divided into a plurality of separate touch zones, the plurality of chord touch regions defining a predetermined set of chords, where each of the plurality of separate touch zones in each region is associated with one or more preselected MIDI files stored in a computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, the touch zones are configured to provide different harmonic configurations of a base chord associated with the chord touch region. Some harmonic configurations provide progressively wider harmonic ranges across each adjacent touch zone. Other harmonic configurations can provide chords with a progressively higher relative pitch across each adjacent touch zone.

Claims

1. A user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display for a virtual musical instrument comprising:

a chord touch region divided into a plurality of separate touch zones, wherein each of the plurality of touch zones is associated with one or more preselected audio signals stored in a computer-readable medium,

wherein the chord touch region is associated with a base chord, and

wherein the plurality of touch zones includes;

a first touch zone having a first harmonic configuration of the base chord; and

a second touch zone having a second harmonic configuration of the base chord, wherein the second harmonic configuration includes at least one note that is higher in relative pitch than any note of the first harmonic configuration.

2. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the first harmonic configuration is a non-inverting base chord configuration and the second harmonic configuration is a first inversion configuration.

3. The user interface of claim 1 wherein the plurality of touch zones further includes a third touch zone,

wherein the third touch zone includes a third harmonic configuration of the base chord that includes at least one note that is higher in relative pitch than any note of the second harmonic configuration.

4. The user interface of claim 3 wherein the first harmonic configuration is in a base chord configuration, the second harmonic configuration is a first inversion of the base chord, and the third harmonic configuration is a second inversion of the base chord.

5. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying, by a processor, a virtual musical instrument on a touch-sensitive display, the virtual musical instrument including a chord touch region divided into a plurality of separate touch zones,

wherein each of the plurality of touch zones is associated with one or more preselected audio signals stored in a computer-readable medium;

wherein the chord touch region is associated with a base chord, and

wherein the plurality of touch zones includes;

a first touch zone having a first harmonic configuration of the base chord; and

a second touch zone having a second harmonic configuration that is higher in relative pitch than the first touch zone;

receiving, by the processor, a user input corresponding to touch or swipe on one of the first or second touch zones; and

playing the corresponding harmonic configuration of the base chord based on the user input.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the first harmonic configuration is a non-inverting base chord configuration and the second harmonic configuration is a first inversion configuration.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 wherein the plurality of touch zones further includes a third touch zone,

wherein the third touch zone includes a third harmonic configuration of the base chord that is higher in relative pitch than the second harmonic configuration.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein the first harmonic configuration is in a base chord configuration, the second harmonic configuration is a first inversion of the base chord, and the third harmonic configuration is a second inversion of the base chord.

9. A computer-implemented system comprising:

one or more data processors;

one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media containing instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including;

displaying a virtual musical instrument on a touch-sensitive display, the virtual musical instrument including a chord touch region divided into a plurality of separate touch zones,

wherein each of the plurality of touch zones is associated with one or more preselected audio signals stored in a computer-readable medium;

wherein the chord touch region is associated with a base chord, and wherein the plurality of touch zones includes;

a first touch zone having a first harmonic configuration of the base chord; and

a second touch zone having a second harmonic configuration that is higher in relative pitch than the first touch zone;

receiving a user input corresponding to touch or swipe on one of the first or second touch zones; and

playing the corresponding harmonic configuration of the base chord based on the user input.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the first harmonic configuration is a non-inverting base chord configuration and the second harmonic configuration is a first inversion.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of touch zones further includes a third touch zone,

wherein the third touch zone includes a third harmonic configuration of the base chord that is higher in relative pitch than the second harmonic configuration.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first harmonic configuration is in a base chord configuration, the second harmonic configuration is a first inversion of the base chord, and the third harmonic configuration is a second inversion of the base chord.