Musical instrument digital interface with voice note identifications

• US 9,997,147 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masaaki Kasahara
• Original Assignee: Masaaki Kasahara
• Inventors: Kasahara, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): FLETCHER, MARLON T
• Application Number:
  US15/213,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20170025110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0066 using a MIDI interface
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/20 for transposition
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/561 Changing the tonality within a musical piece
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/145 Sound library, i.e. involving the specific use of a musical database as a sound bank or wavetable; indexing, interfacing, protocols or processing therefor

Abstract

A method for generating voice identifications for MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) note signals. The method provides voice identification for every note in MIDI signals, which makes music learning intuitive and easier. The method can be used with any MIDI instruments as a separate unit, or a part of such instruments. Solfege is used as voice identification system since it is widely used in music education. However, any such system can be used or newly devised by preparing a different set of patches.

Claims

1. A method for electronic generation of sounds, based on notes in a musical scale, comprising:

assigning respective sounds to said notes, such that each sound is perceived by a listener as qualitatively distinct from a sound assigned to an adjoining note in said musical scale;

preparing an additional multiple of logical channels of a MIDI synthesizer with patches which generate qualitatively distinct sounds;

preparing a set of logics in front of said logical channels, which finds Channel_Number by subtracting a variable from a MIDI note number of a MIDI note signal in said input, then taking a modulo by 12 while using 0 for C, 1 for C#/D flat, 2 for D, 3 for D#/E flat, 4 for E, 5 for F, 6 for F#/G flat, 7 for G, 8 for G#/A flat, 9 for A, 10 for A#/B flat and 11 for B as said variable;

sending said MIDI note signal to a logical channel indicated by said Channel_Number while 0 for a channel loaded with C Patch Set, 1 with C#/D flat Patch Set, 2 with D Patch Set, 3 with D#/E flat Patch Set, 4 with E Patch Set, 5 with F Patch Set, 6 with F#/G flat Patch Set, 7 with G Patch Set, 8 with G#/A flat Patch Set, 9 with A Patch Set, 10 with A#/B flat Patch Set and 11 with B Patch Set;

whereby utilizing Solfege for the patches, a position of Do is changeable to support a Movable Do System in use today;

receiving an input indicative of a sequence of said notes, chosen from among said notes in said musical scale; and

generating an output responsive to said sequence of received said notes, in which said qualitatively distinct sounds are produced responsive to respective notes in said sequence at respective musical pitches associated with said respective notes by feeding said input to said set of logics.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said qualitatively distinct sounds comprises a representation of a human voice.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said qualitatively distinct sounds comprise solfege syllables respectively associated with said notes, or newly created syllables respectively associated with said notes.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said creating of said patches comprise:

generating a digital representation of said sounds by digitally sampling said qualitatively distinct sounds; and

saving said digital representation in said patches.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said receiving said input comprises playing said sequence of notes on a musical instrument.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said receiving said input comprises retrieving said sequence of notes from a file.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein said retrieving comprises accessing a network and downloading said file from a remote computer.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein said qualitatively distinct sounds comprise sounds which differ from each other based on a characteristic that is not inherent in a pitch of each of said sounds.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said set of logics can have a through output, which can be connected to a separate synthesizer to produce instrumental sound, which can be turned on or off.