CN101556742A - Interactive game providing instruction in musical notation and learning instruments - Google Patents

Abstract

An interactive game for providing guidance in musical notation and learning musical instruments is disclosed. A musical keyboard (150) is connected to the computer (100). The computer (100) implements a graphical user interface (350) for teaching a user to play a musical instrument (150). The creation of a game object is driven using a computer readable music file, such as a MIDI file (400), which travels from a starting point along a path towards a key of a virtual keyboard (200 i). In one form, when a user presses a key of the musical keyboard (150) within a certain time window of the game object reaching the corresponding key of the virtual keyboard (200i), the user will be rewarded with an audio representation, a video representation, and/or game points. In a more organized learning mode, the game may be played with selective, progressive, more difficult challenges that the user has in the way to proficiency.

Description

Interactive games that provide guidance in musical notation and learning an instrument

Copyright Notice

At least a portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of any of this patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, and otherwise reserves all subsisting copyrights.

Cross-reference for CD_ROM attachments

This application contains an appendix comprising: (1) a CD-ROM containing detailed instructions for a computer program for carrying out the invention disclosed herein. A more detailed description of the contents of the CD-ROM is provided in the paper Appendix A attached to this document. By incorporating it into this disclosure by reference in its entirety on the CD-ROM, it is as if these contents had been fully set forth in the text of this application.

Cross References to Related Applications

This application claims priority from, and is related to, U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/347,554, filed October 20, 2001, by inventor Hal C. Salter, entitled "Interactive Game for Guidance in Reading Musical Notations" "(AN INTERACTIVE GAME PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN READING MUSICAL NOTATION). This provisional application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

field of invention

The present invention relates generally to an interactive game, and more particularly to an interactive game for interpreting or compiling MIDI or other standard music files into musical notations to guide its user as he plays the game.

background

MIDI technology has been a steady source of piano and musical sequencing programs for editing, printing, playing, and writing music for about 20 years. Some early, relatively nascent music and piano tutoring programs, as well as some games, were spawned by this technology. For example, certain types of computer-assisted instruction, including piano instruction, have been used in the home market for several years.

In the field of music tutoring, computers are used to a large extent to provide students with an interactive view of musical notation, where the student is able to press a key on the accompanying digital piano and it illuminates the note, or the note is illuminated, And use a picture to show which key he will press. Other systems have a series of lights or fingering instructions in an attempt to inform the user which key is about to be played. These programs and systems, while allowing students to practice and receive feedback, often fail to adequately address beginning musicians, especially with regard to rhythm. Some typing tutors have had great enjoyment using this method, while piano and music tutoring have been less successful due to several significant issues inherent to the discipline.

A major problem with these existing learning systems is that they fail to take into account several important differences between learning to type and learning to play music. The first and most obvious difference is that the notes are not just played in the correct order, but must also be played with a relative rhythmic pattern preceding and following that note. The correct timing of notes is one of the most difficult aspects of teaching music with any technique; and so far, few applications have adequately addressed this challenge, leaving only other concepts in isolation. The second challenge is that most programs teach music to the user starting from musical notation. Reading and understanding musical notation is somewhat similar to reading "beowolf" in Old English, and its roots are just as old. The stave originally represented the monk's hand in the Middle Ages and has been used to handle all musical innovations since then.

There is also the issue of the vertically oriented notation system, which was originally designed to convey the pitch of sound (hence the notion of higher and lower). But on a piano, pitch is experienced horizontally (ie perpendicular to the musical notation, left to right rather than low to high). This difference, although conceptually easy, is difficult for students to convert either intuitively or empirically. The difficulty of combining is so difficult that it is estimated that less than 20% of all pianists can read music fluently.

For beginners, there are at least 4 additional challenges in learning the piano compared to learning to type. They have to learn the piano keys, they have to learn the musical notation, and the musical notation is perpendicular to their piano, so they have to hit the right key at the right time. The frustration of these simultaneous challenges makes most users give up and makes this task feel more like work than playing.

Examples of existing patents in the general field of music instruction are outlined below. Incorporate each reference by citing it in its entirety.

US Patent No. 4,416,182 to Wise et al. discloses a keyboard teaching device for self-taught students of keyboard instruments. Their system enables students to relate the positions of keys on an instrument's keyboard to the positions of notes on a scale. A keyboard having a plurality of keys corresponding to notes of the scale generates a first set of control signals in an initialization or build mode and key-note related signals in a guide or game mode. There is at least one memory element that stores a predetermined combination of logic signals that provides a source for a pseudo-random sequence of one or more musical notes within a predetermined range in a game mode. The system generates a second set of control signals in response to actuation of one or more keys in one of a game mode and a mechanism for generating audio tones, and displays a video image based on the first and second sets of control signals to enable The student is able to visually and aurally examine one or more keys of his or her choice.

US Patent No. 5,183,398 to Monte et al. discloses an apparatus and method for instructing students that includes interactive instruction for students through a series of lesson screens. The disclosure provides a student with a keyboard having a plurality of keys corresponding to notes of a scale, and generates a key-related signal in response to each pressed or released key. An associated video display and audio tone generator enables the student to respond to displayed video images and audio tones by selecting one or more keys on the keyboard. Students are shown a lesson screen that represents a guided activity that requires students to respond on the keyboard. Compares the student's keyboard response to performance standards and results in an absolute performance evaluation. The results of the absolute performance evaluation are compared to the acceptable achievement level for the specific instruction activity and a next picture selection signal is generated. A next screen is selected for display to the student based on the next screen selection signal.

US Patent No. 4,997,374 to Simone discloses an educational apparatus including a variable two-channel pre-recorded program source, and a console unit including a workbook. A first channel of the program source includes: an audio program comprising a series of spoken words that are audio reproduced by the console unit, and a second channel includes: a series of control signals operative to activate the bright. The operation of the console unit is coordinated with the audio program so that when the same word is audibly reproduced by the console unit, the light adjacent to that word in the workbook is also activated. One embodiment of the apparatus further includes: a plurality of depressible user response buttons on the console unit to indicate responses to questions occurring in the audio program.

US Patent No. 4,781,099 to Koike discloses a musical testing apparatus that provides a question and tone audibly, and the student answers by pressing the keys that make up the note and tone on a keyboard. The device is capable of generating a plurality of different chord data each representing a chord, and selecting more or less randomly from those different chord data each time to generate a question chord data, and generating sounds of notes constituting the chord specified by the question chord data . When the answer is correct, the points are added and the next question and tone are given.

US Patent No. 5,392,682 to McCartney-Hoy discloses a computerized musical keyboard and method for playing or learning to play the piano using the same keyboard. The computerized musical keyboard includes a piano keyboard connected to a computer. Program a computer to select a piece of music to be played on a piano from a musical block and generate instructions indicating the appropriate key to be played, the correct sequence of keys to be played, and the key to be struck for each key. hand and finger signals to play the selected piece on the piano.

U.S. Patent No. 5,107,743 to Decker discloses a piano teaching aid having panels designed to equip keys on existing keyboards so that panel-mounted lights of various colors or shapes can be placed directly on desired Played above the keys of the piano. The light fixture comes in more than one color and shape to differentiate the hand the user will use to play the piano. The panel also includes a detector window that displays an alphanumeric code that corresponds to the same code that appears next to the score that will be played. Using a footpedal advancing mechanism, by which the user can control the speed at which keys are struck on a lighted display, the foot pedal is used to advance an action. The display is also capable of showing the music to be played at a tempo set by the user automatically changing from one move to another without using pedals. The panel is hinged so that it can be extended in one or more positions so that it can be fitted on keyboards of different sizes without affecting the keys to be played.

US Patent No. 4,331,062 to Rogers discloses a device for visually displaying musical notes on a musical note display panel mounted on an electronic piano with a support arm. Electronic pianos have a keyboard electrically coupled to electronic circuitry operative to produce audio output in response to the depression of one or more keys. The arm is rotatable within a base attached to the piano for movement about a first vertical axis. A first movement limiting unit attached to the base and the arm limits rotation of the arm about the piano. A second motion limiting unit attached to the panel and the arm limits rotation of the panel about a vertical axis associated with the arm. A modified structure secures the arm to the piano. The panel has grand piano staff markings cooperating with a vertically disposed first light mechanism corresponding to the chord note information and a second light mechanism diagonally corresponding to the ascending syllable note information. Keyboard representations are located below the staff markings. A third light mechanism associated with the keyboard expressive piano key indicia cooperates with the second light mechanism to provide visual information about keys being pressed on the electronic piano. An electronic circuit having an on-off switch electrically connects the electronic piano to the first, second, and third lights so that the lights can be selectively operated. The electronic circuit has a switch assembly having a plurality of keynote switches operative for coordinating the first, second and third lights with the piano keyboard in accordance with the keynotes of the music being played.

U.S. Patent No. 4,366,741 to Titus discloses an electronic piano having a keyboard, and electronic piano circuitry connected to a microprocessor for controlling a CRT device to provide Video notes are displayed. Keyboard representations located adjacent to the CRT device screen are associated with lighted representations indicating the key or keys to be played. Manually operated controls and microprocessor operate together to allow clearing of the screen one note at a time in reverse, remove all notes, keep all notes, indicate sharps and flats for each note, and Notes to indicate the duration of a key press. A metronome unit is used in conjunction with the microprocessor to provide an intuitive hit mark on the screen that moves sequentially across the screen. A movable frame connects the CRT unit to the piano.

US Patent No. 5,864,868 to Contois discloses a computer system and method for controlling a media playing device. The system provides a user interface to allow users to access media clips stored in a media database. The interface is also used to control a media performance device (such as a player piano or film performance video device) coupled to the computer to play an accessed or selected piece of media. In one embodiment, there is a computer interface that allows the user to display only music associated with a selected category, such as jazz or classical music. Another embodiment allows the user to command the media performance device to automatically play a selected piece of music associated with a selected music genre. Another embodiment allows the user to command the media performance device to automatically play selected pieces of music associated with a selected composer or artist.

US Patent No. 6,204,441 to Asahi et al. discloses a technique for displaying music information, and in particular for visually displaying music notes, beats, and rhythms using a personal computer or gaming device running a music software program. This separation teaches the use of different colors and different brightness to distinguish certain types of musical notation. It also has a display screen that shows the base and treble clefs, as well as keyboard and timing indications.

U.S. Patent No. 6,388,181 to Moe shows a computer graphics animation, used in conjunction with a live video interaction method, to play keyboard music while the user directs his finger to the keys the animation is targeting, each about to be struck within one stroke time The keys are all specified with colored "sprites".

US Patent No. 6,066,791 to Renard et al. shows a system for instructing the playing of a musical instrument by displaying an image on a display device and directing the student's attention to the image while preferably using the musical instrument to play notes on a stave.

US Patent No. 5,540,132 to Hale shows a technique for teaching musical notation to children. Each musical note is associated with a distinct, recognizable color, which is then associated with an object that naturally occurs in that color. They used cartoon characters, knowing that these characters strengthen connections in the children's minds.

U.S. Patent No. 6,337,433 by Nishimoto et al. shows an electronic musical instrument with a performance guidance function, a performance guidance method, and a storage medium storing programs, so that it combines a plurality of display device arrangement components with performance operation elements, each The performance operating elements include a pair of display elements corresponding to the player's left and right hands, respectively.

US Patent No. 6,284,961 to Kimmel Jr. shows a system of musical notes, each note being associated with a color, applied to the keys of the instrument with a sticker to correspond to the color of the note being played.

Summary of the invention

The present invention relates to a hand-eye coordination game whose purpose is to teach how to read musical notation and how to play a musical instrument such as a piano.

The present invention simplifies the musical notation into a grid, combined with the movement of the pitch from left (low) to right (high), parallel to the layout of the piano keyboard, and the time dimension moves vertically.

In one embodiment, at the beginning of the game, the player will see game objects representing musical notes moving up from near the bottom of the screen towards the virtual piano keyboard, and their vertical relationship to each other should represent relative musical time representation. As these game objects approach the virtual piano keyboard, the corresponding piano keys along this path are easily visible, and the player's goal is to strike at the precise time when the game object is within a predetermined strike window relative to the virtual keyboard Corresponding key on a musical keyboard. Players are rewarded with audio and visual feedback if they hit the right keys at the right time.

The main task of the pianist in the present invention is to strike as many corresponding piano keys as possible within a number of moving objects at the correct time, repeating this challenge until they reach a certain correct percentage, and proceed to the next level of complexity level, in doing so, subconsciously learns to play a song, and in later levels, recognizes and reads sheet music.

Brief description of the drawings

Objects, features and advantages of the system of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, in which:

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a hardware architecture for implementing certain aspects of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing a virtual keyboard, game object trajectories and their example relationship to a standard musical notation treble clef.

Figure 3 shows a block diagram of exemplary hardware and software modules for implementing the invention.

Figure 4 shows the format of a MIDI file.

Figure 5 shows the format of a MIDI file header block.

Figure 6 shows the format of a MIDI file track block.

Figure 7 shows the format of a META event from a MIDI file.

Figure 8 is an example of a portion of an MTrk block of MIDI data along with example semantics.

Figure 9 shows an exemplary data flow showing MIDI messages for the sequential playing of three notes.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example process by which the MIDI data stream of FIG. 5 is used to generate a game object to be played.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of game modules according to an aspect of the present invention.

12 is a block diagram of an example computer for implementing various aspects of the invention.

Figure 13 is a more detailed illustration of the contents of the CD-ROM of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a hardware architecture that implements certain aspects of the present invention. Figure 1 shows a computer 100 including a processing element (CPU) and a display. A typical implementation might be a personal computer, which is commercially available from several sources. Internal details of computer 100 and its use in a network environment are shown in FIG. 12 .

Piano keyboard 150, preferably capable of generating control data according to the MIDI standard, is connected to the computer via a user standard MIDI interface.

2 is a diagram showing an exemplary virtual piano keyboard, game object trajectories, and their exemplary relationship to standard musical notation treble clefs. A virtual keyboard is an object displayed on a computer monitor screen as part of a graphical user interface. The virtual keyboard will include a plurality of individual keys 200i corresponding to the white keys of the piano, and a plurality of keys 200j corresponding to the black keys of the piano. Thus, in this embodiment, the virtual keyboard represents the standard arrangement of keys on a keyboard such as a piano. Also associated with each key of the virtual keyboard is a trace 210i that in this example corresponds only to the white keys of the piano keyboard. One of the white keys and the associated trajectory correspond to each note of the musical notation octave, starting in this example with middle C on the left, and the scale progresses up until reaching a C higher than middle C. The traces shown in bold correspond to those notes found on the treble clef line in this example.

From this, it is clear that as the scale is raised from left to right as shown in this figure, the pitch also rises. However, in standard music notation, middle C begins on the line below the first line of the standard treble clef shown in Figure 2, and C above middle C is shown at the top of the standard treble clef Location. Thus, musical notation raises the pitch on the treble clef from bottom to top, starting at low pitch values and increasing to higher pitch values. However, when viewed from the keyboard, the pitch increases from left to right rather than bottom to top. As noted above, the difference in the means of expression constitutes at least one difficulty factor when learning to play the piano.

As will be described in detail below, a game object is introduced along trajectory 21Oi at a location opposite the virtual keyboard. The game object then animates along a trajectory from near the bottom to the point where the game object and the keys of the virtual keyboard 200i meet. Associated with each track is a round-trip time, so that if three notes are introduced sequentially one after the other, they can be seen sequentially at the bottom of the track, and advance for the duration of the round-trip time from bottom to top, where The top is where they intersect their respective keys at respective instant times in a one-by-one shift.

One purpose of the interactive game is to have the student press a key of a (preferably MIDI) keyboard at substantially the same moment where the game object on the graphical user interface intersects with the keys of their virtual keyboard. As the user plays this game, the user develops a certain proficiency in mapping visual representations of musical notes from the music files that drive the generation of game objects to actual fingering positions on the real keyboard that interfaces with the virtual keyboard. The game detects when the user presses the correct key at the appropriate moment.

Figure 3 shows a block diagram of exemplary hardware and software modules for implementing aspects of the invention. Although this particular embodiment of the invention is described with respect to the use of MIDI files and music formatted in the MIDI standard, other formats of music are known and may be used in alternative embodiments of the invention.

In this example embodiment, one or more files 300 in MIDI format are stored, for example, in a library, or downloaded in real-time, and fed to an interpreter 310 where the MIDI data files are interpreted and translated into a format that drives a game object generation module 320. command, the game object generation module 320 causes the game object to be displayed on the graphical user interface of the display screen and provides audio output 370 to the computer speakers.

Conveniently, graphics engine 350 and audio engine 360 simplify the translation of game objects into audio and video components that drive the video display and audio output. The game object generator has access to object library 330 and game control parameter set 340 . Each of these modules is described in detail below.

Figure 4 shows the format of a MIDI file. As mentioned above, the MIDI file format is used for the purpose of illustrating the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. An example of other files suitable for carrying out the invention would also be MPEG-4.

An understanding of MIDI files and the operation of the MIDI protocol will greatly simplify understanding of the present invention.

MIDI file format

MIDI files are composed of blocks (chunk) structure. Each block includes a 4-byte block type, a 4-byte length indication, which indicates the length in bytes contained within the data field.

There are two types of chunks, a header chunk (which has a chunk type of "MThd" (410)) and a track chunk, which has a chunk type of "MTrk" (420).

MIDI files consist of a single header block followed by one or more track blocks.

Figure 5 shows the format of a MIDI file header block. A header block includes three fields, block type, length, and data. For header blocks, the block type is MThd. The length field contains the length in bytes of the data portion of the block. The "Format" portion of the data field includes the MIDI file format, the only possible formats being 0, 1, and 2. The "track" portion of the data field as a binary number indicates the number of track blocks contained in the MIDI file. The "split" portion of the header block data field defines the default unit of "delta-time" used for MIDI files. If the most significant bit of the "division" field is "0", the remaining 15 bits represent the number of "marks per quarter note" used for representing and reproducing music. If the most significant bit is a logic 1, there are two components represented by the remaining 15 bits. Bits 8-14 may indicate the number of frames per second (indicated by a negative number), and the least significant 8 bits indicate the number of tokens per SMTPE frame.

There are three variations of MIDI files. Format 0 contains a single audio track. Format 1 consists of one or more tracks played simultaneously. Format 2 consists of one or more individual tracks that can be played independently of each other.

Figure 6 shows the format of a MIDI file track block. It contains a block type defined as MTrk type and a length field indicating the length of the data part in the track block. The data section of a track block contains two elements. The first is the "time delta" part and the "event" part, the time delta is the number of "ticks" from the previous event, expressed as varying length quantities. There are three types of events defined in the standard. They are "MIDI events", "SYSEX events" and "META events". There is no clear line between "timedelta" and "event" instances. This is probably because both fields have well-defined lengths.

MIDI events have arbitrary MIDI channel messages. These include channel voice messages and channel mode messages. Other non-MIDI channel messages included in MIDI files can use SYSEX events.

Most system specific information is very simple and is sent as a single packet of bytes, starting at F0 and ending at F7. However, some system specific information is used to control device parameters in real time. Two different types of SYSEX events are defined to accommodate different purposes.

META events are used for things like track names, lyrics, and queue points, which do not cause MIDI messages to be sent, but are still useful components of MIDI files.

Figure 7 shows the general form that MIDI events have. A MIDI event begins with the hexadecimal symbol FF, followed by a type field, a length field, and a data field. The Type field is a single byte that specifies the type of META event. The length field contains the number of data bytes following this field. The data field includes 0 or more bytes of data.

Several META events are defined in the standard, which makes the implementation of the present invention easier. These events include the following:

"Number" is an optional event that must only occur at the beginning of the track before any non-zero time increment.

It is typically used to identify each audio track.

Text events are used to annotate audio tracks with arbitrary text. The copyright notice event can be used in place of a copyright notice appearing in the ACSI text. It should be the first event on the first track of the MIDI file.

Sequence/Track Name gives the name of the sequence or track in the file. The instrument name provides a description of the instrument used on the track. Lyrics event provides lyrics for singing. Typically, each syllable has its own lyric event, which occurs when the lyric is about to be sung.

Marker events mark the highest point within a sequence, such as the beginning of a rhyme.

Use queue points to contain queues for events happening onstage, such as "curtain raised," "exits," and similar.

The end of track event must be used to give the track a clearly defined length. This is necessary if the track is looped or chained to another track.

Set tempo events to set the tempo in microseconds per quarter note. This means a change in the length of the time increment tick unit. The default tempo is 120 beats per minute. The SMTPE offset event specifies the SMTPE time at which the audio track starts. A time signature indicates the time signature used for a piece of music, such as 3/4, or 6/8, or 2/2. A diacritic event can specify the number of sharps or flats, and the major or minor sign. Finally, sequence-specific META events allow manufacturers to incorporate instruction-specific sequencers into MIDI files.

Figure 7 shows the format of a META event from a MIDI file.

Figure 8 is an example of a portion of an MTrk block of MIDI data along with example semantics. As shown in FIG. 8 , an MTrk block is introduced with an MTrk identifier 800 followed by a length field 810 . A plurality of time increments and events are followed by ordered field pairs 820-1 to 820-j representing the respective MIDI messages associated with the MTrk chunk.

The MIDI protocol includes messages designed to allow synthesizers and sequencers to communicate information about what sounds to play. A typical MIDI message consists of three components. The first component starts with a hexadecimal 9, followed by an identification of one of the 16 MIDI channels with values 0-F. The second component is a two-byte sequence that represents the key pressed on the device. It corresponds to a pressed keyboard note in the case of a piano type keyboard. The two-byte value is from 00-7F. The third component of the MIDI message is the velocity component, which specifies the velocity at which the key is pressed or released. Its value is also in the range 00 to 7F. So if a musician presses the middle C key on a keyboard, the keyboard sends a "note start" message containing 90 3C 40. When the musician releases the key, the corresponding "note end" message includes: 80 3C 33. In this case, the key was released at a slower speed than it was pressed, as indicated by the speed indication 33 within the release message (compared to the tap speed 40).

Other MIDI messages may include Program (Instrument) Change, Pitch Mix messages, Control Change messages (such as pedal/switch foot state changes), and Timing Clock messages.

MIDI messages are all unidirectional. There is no acknowledgment message sent from the receiver back to the transmitter. If the MIDI device does not know what to do with the message, the device will ignore the message. MIDI messages assigned to MIDI channels are called channel messages. MIDI messages that are known to affect the entire MIDI system or the entire MIDI device are system messages. Channel and system messages are further divided into categories. Channel voice messages are messages that start, change, or stop a played sound. Channel mode messages affect the entire channel. System real-time messages are used by the sequencer to adjust and synchronize timing. They do not contain data bytes. System common messages include messages such as music location pointers, music selection, and the like. System-specific messages are typically used for device-specific MIDI protocol extensions.

Since MIDI is messages sent and interpreted in real time, it is desirable to reduce the amount of data that must be sent. For general note-on and note-off messages, it is quite common for several notes to end and start at almost the same time. In this case, it is possible to send a single status command, such as note start, followed by multiple "note identifier, velocity" pairs, without repeating the same status byte for each start or stop note. This reduction in status byte transmission is known as "running status" within MIDI messages. Only the changed data bytes are sent.

Against the background of MIDI files and protocols, an exemplary operation of the present invention will now be described.

Figure 9 shows an example data flow illustrating MIDI messages for playing three notes in sequence. In Figure 9, two MIDI messages are shown per row. Each message is preceded by a time delta field. Thus, the six messages shown in Figure 9 proceed in increments of 00, 08, 10, 18, 20 and 28 time increments.

Following the increment of the time increment is a sequence of MIDI commands. Sequence 92 indicates where the note starts. Following each 92 message is a message with a command field 82 indicating end-of-note. Following each command is a note identifier. In the example on the first line the note C will start and end. The notes identified in the examples in the second and third rows are the note E and the note G, respectively. The last component of each message is the velocity component. In the first row, Velocity 44 is a measure of how fast a key is pressed down (eg, tap velocity). In the following key release message, velocity 40 indicates that the key is released with velocity 40.

10 is a flowchart of an example process for interpreting the MIDI data stream of FIG. 5 to generate a portion of a game object. When a MIDI message for a note on a target of the form <timedelta><command><note><velocity> is received (1000), this may optionally be followed by a MIDI message representing a similarly formatted note termination attribute (1010) . The <note> track is started (1020) with the optional length attribute of the <time delta (end)>-<time delta (start)> token when the <time delta> is below the round trip time. In such form, it can be seen that steps 1000-1020 represent the interpretation of the incoming MIDI message, followed by the generation of the game object. According to steps 1000-1020, messages are received and interpreted on an ongoing basis. A window is defined (1030) within τ time units of tapping the virtual keyboard.

Once the target starts the note track, the target moves along the track towards the virtual keyboard on every N ticks of the MIDI clock (1040). If a MIDI keyboard input is received during the opening of the window, and if the MIDI keyboard input value is equal to the MIDI note value of the target to be struck on the virtual keyboard, then activate a visual and audio reward expression (program) (1060). Otherwise, video and audio sequences that fail to express can be activated. This process is repeated interactively at each tick of the MIDI clock, as indicated by the arrow back to the top of step 1040 .

Returning to Figure 3, item 330 represents an object library which allows the game to be modified by substituting for various object types corresponding to different styles of the game. Examples of target types used are given below. Also shown in FIG. 3 is parameter set 340, which allows the user to customize game performance or game behavior in certain circumstances.

Audio engine 360 is preferably a Microsoft DirectSound 8 based API. Audio engines usually have the ability to play short .WAV files through the PCM channel of the sound card. The sound engine is implemented with classes that have constructors, destructors, load .WAV files and play .WAV files. The sound engine is mainly used for playing sound effects related to menu buttons, clicks, switches, and game playing feedback sounds. However, the present invention can also be used with other software engines.

The graphics engine 350 works together with the object library 330 and the game object generation module 320 to generate on-screen graphical objects that constitute the respective realization of the game objects used to play the game. The present invention can load and play three types of music files: MIDI, MIDI karaoke, and .amm. The latter is the internal song format described in more detail below. Standard MIDI files are described above. A MIDI karaoke file is actually a standard MIDI file that embeds the lyrics of a song into one of the audio tracks according to a certain format. The present invention also supports the .KAR file format, which is a popular file format in the shareware/public domain market.

.amm files are very similar in structure to standard Type 1 MIDI files. However, .amm format files also retain comments, highlights, and fingerings. Notes are simple text notes stored on the composition timeline. These annotations can hold information that is valuable to the user and can be displayed along with other scrolling game objects during game play. Possibly store it as text in an internal file, but display it on screen in the form of a speech balloon with or without arrows pointing to other game objects.

Some comments in the .amm file can be highlighted (highlighted). This is actually a flag that tells the system that the annotation should be displayed with an enhanced video effect such as a halo effect surrounding it. Fingerings are small clues to the user as to which finger should be used to play a note on the piano keyboard. Assign fingerings to individual notes, and keep numbers in the 1 to 5 range. During game play, the game object to which fingerings are assigned will roll along with the number placed on it.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing an exemplary arrangement of game modules according to an aspect of the present invention.

When the game is first loaded, a splash screen 1100 is displayed. It sits in the center of the desktop and enables the user to click on an icon or link that takes the user to the host company's website from where they can download new music for the game. Also, there is a link to the HTML file for the game.

Welcome screen 1110 allows four options. First, it allows selection of the main menu explained below. Second, it allows an instant play mode of operation, described below in conjunction with item 1140, which assumes all previously established configurations for playing the last piece in the game. A third option from the main menu takes the user to the score screen where the game score is displayed visually. Finally, the main menu 1120 has options to exit the game and return to the operating system.

From the main menu 1120 there are three options. If the quick play option is selected, the user directly enters the quick play mode in conjunction with 1140 instructions, wherein the user can freely load any melody, select several options and start practicing. There is no need to select or create any profiles. In the second main menu option, career mode, the user is to create a brief and will face several challenges predetermined in several levels and in several different piano methods. These are discussed in detail in connection with career mode 1150 below.

Game build 1130 can also be selected from the main menu. In game builds, several game goals can be configured, which are explained in detail below.

Instant Play 1140 allows the user to play the game without going through the hassle of starting options. When taking parameters including the previous start option of the last played tune, the default tune is taken if the game was originally installed and no tune has been played. Instant Play doesn't have a menu, it's just a shortcut to play the game.

Figure 12 is a block diagram showing details of an example computer that may be used to implement aspects of the invention. The ensuing description of the invention is exemplary. However, it is clearly understood that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details described herein. Known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. It is contemplated that at least a portion of the present invention will be implemented on a network such as the Internet. An example of such a network is also depicted in Figure 12.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a computer system 100 implementing one embodiment of the present invention. Computer system 100 includes a bus 102 or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor 104 coupled with bus 102 for processing information. Computer system 100 also includes a main memory 106 , such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, coupled to bus 102 for storing information and instructions for execution by processor 104 . Main memory 106 may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by processor 104 . Computer system 100 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 108 or other static storage device coupled to bus 102 for storing static information and instructions for processor 104 . A storage device 110, such as a magnetic or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 102 for storing information and instructions.

Computer system 100 may be coupled via bus 102 to display 112, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user. An input device 114 , including, for example, alphanumeric or other keys, is coupled to bus 102 for communicating information and command selections to processor 104 . Another type of user input device is cursor control 116 , such as a mouse, trackball, or cursor pointing keys, for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 104 and for controlling cursor movement on display 112 . This input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (eg x) and a second axis (eg y), which allow the device to specify a position on a plane.

Computer system 100 operates in response to processor 104 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained within main memory 106 . These instructions may be read into main memory 106 from other computer-readable media, such as storage device 110 . Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 106 causes processor 104 to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used instead of or in combination with software instructions to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.

The term "computer-readable medium" is used herein to refer to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 104 for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, nonvolatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Nonvolatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks such as storage device 110 . Volatile media includes dynamic memory such as main memory 106 . Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 102 . Transmission media can also be in the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

Common forms of computer readable media include, for example, floppy disks, floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic media, CD-ROMs, any other optical media, punched cards, paper tape, any other physical media that has a pattern of holes, RAM , PROM, and EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, carrier waves described below, or any other computer-readable medium.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 104 for execution. For example, instructions may initially be carried on a disk in a remote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 100 can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infrared transmitter to convert the data to an infrared signal. An infrared detector can receive the data carried in the infrared signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on bus 102 . Bus 102 carries the data to main memory 106 , from which processor 104 can retrieve and execute the instructions. The instructions received by main memory 106 may optionally be stored in storage device 110 either before or after execution by processor 104 .

Computer system 100 also includes a communication interface 118 coupled to bus 102 . Communication interface 118 provides bidirectional data communication coupled to network link 120 , which is coupled to local network 122 . For example, communication interface 118 may be an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, communication interface 118 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. It can also be implemented with a wireless link. In any such implementation, communication interface 118 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.

Network link 120 typically provides data communication to other data devices via one or more networks. For example, network link 120 may provide a connection via local network 122 to host computer 124 or to data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 126 . ISP 126 then provides data communication services via a worldwide packet data communication network (now commonly referred to as the "Internet" 128). Local network 122 and Internet 128 both use electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals that carry the digital data to/from computer system 100 through the various networks and the signals on network link 120 and through communication interface 118 are example forms of carrier waves carrying the information.

Computer system 100 can send messages and receive data, including program code, via a network, network link 120 and communication interface 118 . In the Internet example, server 130 may transmit the request code for the application via Internet 128 , ISP 126 , local network 122 , and communication interface 118 . When code is received, it is executed by processor 104 and/or stored in storage device 110, or other non-volatile memory, for later execution. In this manner, computer system 100 can obtain the application code in the form of a carrier wave.

Each play mode will now be explained.

A. Play fast

Quick play allows to play the game without going through the challenges of Career Mode (Part 0). It also allows song files to be loaded and played freely. In Quick Play, the player can choose between training or dynamic modes.

1. Quick play mode

After selecting Quick Play, the user can choose between two different playing modes:

●Training mode

The training mode allows the user to practice the game on any song that can be loaded into the game.

●Dynamic mode

Dynamics mode is similar to training mode, except it has several different dynamics that can be toggled on and off. These dynamics present additional challenges. Each dynamic has several adjustable variables that gradually change on the player as the game progresses. The following is an example dynamic list:

●Progressive rhythm adjustment: ON|OFF

●Tap the window to gradually close: ON|OFF

●Random Color Fading: On|Off

● Switch to Symbol: On|Off

All of the above dynamic game elements will be further defined on page 25, section 0, under Start Options.

2. Load music

Loading a track is the part of the game that involves loading a track that is already stored on the local computer hardware. Users can browse for specific tracks on their hard drive via file search or a simplified track browser.

3. Internet music

While the present invention cannot directly load music into the game from a web site, it features a link that will open a web browser (such as Internet Explorer, or Netscape) to a portion of the web site from where it can be downloaded. More songs. Users can manually download music from the web site, and then open these music in the game. This link is provided on a mottled screen.

B. Career Mode

Career mode allows players to complete the game by going through different piano methods and levels, facing different challenges within levels.

1. Overview

Inside the piano method (section 0) we have levels (section 0). Levels have a predetermined number of specific and available challenges (section 0). Individuals can apply any challenge from a level to any composition from that level. A level is completed when the level requirements are met. Level requirements may be, for example, completion of at least 7 out of 10 pieces and applying at least 3 of the 5 challenges to each piece played. Once the level is met, the next level is opened. Higher level points can be earned by doing more than the minimum requirement. Additional achievements are rewarded with more points and unlock additional graphic themes.

2. Summary

Compendium is required to play the game in career mode. Summary Keep track of all game programs in the career mode for each game user.

●Create summary

Before a user can start playing in career mode, the first thing he has to do is create a synopsis. Users can select an icon from among the many available and assign it to their name, similar to how they were able to do on the Window XP operating system before users were able to start using the system. The game will then prompt them with their name and which mode they want to start playing in, ie beginner, student or teacher. All of the above information is stored on the computer's hard drive along with all game processing for that user.

●Loading summary

If the user comes back to the game and has saved an existing profile, he can select his profile from the list of available profiles. This will pick up where he left off.

●Delete summary

Users can delete existing profiles. A confirmation dialog will pop up to make sure the profile was not accidentally deleted.

3. Piano method

The user can select the piano method from a list of available methods. On the piano method selection screen, there are the top players and their scores, the number of levels completed, and the total time spent on the method. Each available piano method for playing is listed with an icon and some short text description of the method.

4. Level

The user can select a level from within the piano method. A higher level is unlocked by completing the previous level. The layout of the level selection screen is similar to that of the piano method selection screen. Each level selection on the list is displayed along with a short description, icon. A list of top performers for each level will also be highlighted for selection. Once a level is highlighted in the list, progress statistics achieved on that level will also be displayed. Exemplary statistics include: total time spent playing, and number of challenges completed so far within a level.

Each level has a predetermined minimum number of pieces and challenges that need to be completed in order to advance to the next level. Also, each level has a reward in the form of a theme that is turned on when a level is completed.

5. Music

Composition is the last item in the method and level hierarchy. There are several songs available for each level. The songs available in career mode are pre-configured, for example, no track editing is allowed. Play these pieces on an as-is basis, without the ability to change the game environment, but it is possible in the fast play described in part 0.

Music pieces available in the piano method can be in any file format supported by the present invention. Songs available from within the piano method are not swappable from the operating system. In other words, the user cannot replace these tunes with less difficult tunes in order to get a better score in the game.

6. Challenge

The game features several challenges for the user. These challenges are designed to assist in the training of various skills. The present invention is characterized by the following types of challenges:

●Beat

Starts at 50% of the tempo of the song file and increases gradually. Bonus points are awarded when playing faster than the default song file tempo. The player needs to stay within the accuracy parameters to continue playing, which is 90%. The maximum allowable parameter is a parameter that can be defined by the challenge creator.

●Rhythm accuracy challenge

In this challenge, the tap window gradually closes to a size predefined by the challenge creator. The start size is a user-definable parameter. Players need to stay within the accuracy parameters to continue playing.

●Main tempo

The challenge is to hit the main beat while staying within a predetermined level of accuracy. Primary beats are defined by the challenge creator. There is no penalty when hitting other notes (non-dominant beats) within the strike window.

●Upbeat

Similar to the main beat challenge, the off beat challenge requires hitting the off beat within a predetermined level of accuracy. There is no penalty when hitting other notes (non-upbeat) within the strike window.

●Color fades

At selected or random times, colored objects representing musical notes in the game change to black and white. As the song progresses, the number of game objects that fade in color gradually increases.

●Note duration (legato)

The challenge is to keep a piano key depressed for the correct note duration. The player needs to stay within, say, 90% of the exact parameters to continue playing.

●Rotate

The screen rotates from vertical to horizontal position. The player needs to stay within the precision parameters to continue playing. If users master this challenge, they will learn the relationship between keyboard and standard musical rotation.

● Visibility

Introduce a series of visibility challenges to prompt the player to remember the piece of music he/she is playing. For example, a cloud can enter the play area and cover part of the screen, making it difficult for the user to see game objects. Visibility challenges can be further defined during development.

●loudness (speed)

Certain parts of the piece will have different tempo parameters (forte, piano, etc.) that the user needs to maintain. The user needs to stay within the accuracy parameters to continue playing. This challenge is only available on the touch sensitive piano keyboard.

7. Create a custom piano method

Creating a custom piano pattern involves creating an empty method, ie, it creates a level inside a level, and adds a piece to the level. The custom piano method does not include rewards, high score lists or graphic themes. All challenges can be played on any piece that is part of a custom piano approach. Custom piano methods should be able to be stored in some way so that they can be copied or shared among users of the invention. The custom piano method is a folder with files and a simple configuration file. All levels are open and playable with the custom piano method. The idea of a custom piano approach allows teachers to create assignments for their students who are users of the invention.

C. Start option

Start options are options that the user configures before starting to play the game. The number of start options available depends on the game mode. In some modes, some options are unavailable, grayed out or omitted. However, regardless of the mode the game is started in, the user must go through these options in order to start the game. An exception to this rule is Play Now, which omits the configure start option and takes all default values for playing. The preferred availability of start options in different game modes is included in the CD-ROM attachment.

Below is a list of all start options with short descriptions:

●Screen orientation: V|H|rotation

This option defines the screen orientation. Some users prefer to start playing in vertical mode, while some prefer horizontal mode. It is also possible to start playing the game in a mode in which the screen gradually starts to rotate from the vertical orientation to the horizontal orientation.

●Comment: ON|OFF

This switch turns annotations on/off. Annotations are contained in the .amm internal file format and involve a "post-it" text annotation type displayed on the game screen when the annotated game object scrolls.

●Fingering: ON|OFF

This switch turns fingering information on/off. Similar to annotations, fingerings are included in the .amm internal file format. When fingering is enabled, the game object will display a number from 1 to 5, if so marked, to guide the user which finger to use to correctly aim the game object on the piano keyboard.

●Freeze: On|Off

This switch enables or disables the ability to access the freeze menu while playing the game, as described below.

●Principal beats per screen

This option allows the user to choose how many major beats or measures are vertical to the screen during game play, allowing fast pieces to be predictable enough to prepare for the next note.

●Target: long|short|symbol

This option allows to choose between different types of game objectives. Long targets are those that can be pulled to represent the actual duration of a musical note, eg: chains. However, short goals are those that represent only the starting point of a musical note and not the duration, i.e. soccer balls or balloons. When symbols are selected, the user can see musical symbols instead of game objects during game play.

●Symbols: Subsidiary | Diacritics

This option allows to choose between different types of music notation. Available only if the symbol is selected as the game object.

●Theme selection

Theme selection is a group of GUI elements that allow selection of different game themes. Themes include backgrounds and different game objectives. Different backgrounds can be combined into different game objects. However, themes that have not been turned on in Career Mode (Part 0) are not available for selection.

●Color: On|Off

This switch turns on/off the color of the game objects and the virtual piano keyboard on the screen. Basically, if trigger "on" - then all game objects and piano keys are displayed in different color codes, otherwise, the objects are black and white.

●Track selection (including range preview, valid keys)

This section allows intuitive selection of tracks in the loaded song file. Once the song is loaded, a list of available tracks is displayed and the user can select those tracks he/she wants to play in the game. Once the user selects a track, the program will automatically find the range of musical notes used for it and mark it on the piano keyboard (ie C2-B3) displayed on the screen. The range is calculated for all selected audio tracks. For example, if two tracks are selected: Track 1 and Track 2 - the range is marked for both tracks as if the two tracks were one. The range preview is important because it allows the user to see if the range of the selected track fits on the attached MIDI keyboard, i.e. playing a piece spanning 6 octaves on a keyboard with 4 octaves is actually impossible. Additionally, the user can click on individual piano keys and mark them as valid or invalid. By default, all keys in the scope are identified as valid. During game play, it is assumed that the user is only responsible for hitting those valid piano keys.

●Instrument selection for audio tracks

Gives the user the ability to change any selected GM MIDI instrument that will play the track in the game. Users can simply select an instrument for each track from a drop-down menu of 128 General MIDI Level 1 instruments.

●Accompaniment track selection

Users are also given the ability to choose the backing track for the piece they want to play for the game. The backing track plays audibly in the background. Some people will find the accompaniment rewarding, while others will be a distraction, so these options are optional.

●Instrument selection for accompaniment tracks

Similar to instrument selection for tracks to be played in-game, gives the user the ability to change the GM MIDI instrument used for any selected accompaniment track. Users can simply select an instrument for each accompaniment track from a drop-down menu of 128 General MIDI Level 1 instruments.

●Merge selected audio tracks

This option allows to merge several selected audio tracks into one. This operation does not change the content of the original file, but is performed in computer memory on the loaded file.

●Delete audio track

Delete the audio track from memory. Deleted tracks are not deleted from the song file.

●Left and right-hand division of audio tracks

This option is enabled if only one audio track is selected. Enabling this option will divide a single track into two tracks and arrange the music content separately for both hands. That is, the first track holds musical notes played with the left hand, while the second track is intended to be played with the right hand.

● Transpose the selected track

This option transposes the selected audio track by sharps or flats.

●Track creation

This section allows the user to configure the MIDI output port and channel for any track on which the file is loaded. For example, a user may like to listen to track #2 accompaniment on the eleventh channel of a synthesizer located on the third MIDI port.

●Metronome: On|Off

This switch enables or disables the audio metronome heard during game play.

●Practice challenge selection

This section allows a challenge to be chosen from all the challenges embedded in the game, and it is part of the career mode as mentioned above. By allowing this functionality, users have the flexibility to practice different challenges on any piece of music they wish.

●Rhythm selection

This option allows selection of the tempo used during game play. Part of this option is a switch called "MIDI Rhythm: On | Off", which allows you to play at the tempo specified by the currently loaded song. If the switch is on, and the current song file features tempo changes, the game tempo will be adjusted automatically.

●Tap the window to adjust

This option allows adjusting the height of the game tap window.

● Background: On | Off | Darkness %

This option enables, disables or allows adjustment of background darkness. The darkness value ranges from 0% to 100%.

●Measurement: On|Off

This switch enables or disables visual measurements that scroll with game objects.

●Target Guidance: On|Off

This switch enables or disables visible track guides.

●Statistics (Override): On|Off

This switch turns on or off on-screen statistics, scores, etc.

●Keyboard: Auto | 2 octaves | 4 octaves | 5 octaves

This option allows selection of the size of the on-screen keyboard used in game play. Users can choose between 2-octave, 4-octave or 5-octave keyboard versions. Automatic keyboard size selection is also available. The game supports 3 keyboard sizes: 2, 4 and 5 octaves.

●Start key selection

This option allows selection of the start key on the on-screen keyboard. It is useful in calibrating a physical MIDI keyboard to an on-screen keyboard if the two sizes are different. The choices are: C0, C1, C2...C11.

●Progressive rhythm adjustment: ON|OFF

Enabling this option will gradually increase or decrease the tempo of the game play relative to the tempo specified in the loaded song file. For example, by starting a game play at a low tempo, a user can practice a piece of music with a slowly but constantly increasing tempo.

●Tap the window to gradually close: ON|OFF

Enabling this option will gradually lower the height of the tap window as the game is played. For example, by starting the game strumming from the tap window wide open, the user can practice a piece of music with slowly but constantly increasing precision.

●Color fades randomly: ON|OFF

If this option is enabled, game objects will start to lose color selectively or randomly during game play, making it more difficult to match colors between game objects and color-coded piano keys. Game objects can be faded as well as the keys of the on-screen keyboard.

● Transition to symbol: ON|OFF

Enabling this option gradually turns game objects into musical notations.

●Loop: ON|OFF

Enables or disables song looping in game play.

●Lyrics: On|Off

If a song file includes lyrics and this option is activated, the lyrics will be displayed on the screen.

●Automatically save music: ON|OFF

This option enables or disables automatic saving of all changes to the currently loaded song. Prompts the user for a new filename to use for the song if autosave of the song is enabled. Songs are saved in the .amm internal song file format.

●SFX volume and music volume

These options are implemented as sliders and allow for adjustment of both volume levels, sound effects and music.

●Summary section

This is a synthesis of the audio track merge options. The user selects the clefs (tracks) to merge.

●Prepare to sing the accompanying part

This option only divides the text into bars for someone to sing along with, without music notation on the same sheet.

●Preparing for impromptu performance thin lead page (lead paper)

"Improvisation" is a collection of popular pieces for jazz players with lyrics and harmonic names (Gm7), and possibly lead melody, and they improvise beat and harmony parts, The melodic and harmonic structures serve as the framework. MidiNotate software extracts lyrics, lead melodies and chord names from midi files and allows printing this way.

●Transcription of chord names

There are many ways to describe the chord names. An example could be A major. It can be written simply A or written A maj.

All of the above options can be combined into groups. For example, a large number of boolean options (two states, on|off), which are implemented as check boxes in the game GUI.

D. Play the game

This is where all the action happens. Gameplay is the actual game.

1. Keyboard Shortcuts

There are several example keyboard shortcuts linked to different options that can be invoked without stopping the game flow during game play. Other options are also possible. These options are:

●Rhythm adjustment|ARROW LEFT|ARROW RIGHT

●Tap the window to adjust |ARROW UP|ARROW DOWN

●Warning line adjustment|SHIFT+ARROW UP|SHIFT+ARROWDOWN

●Overall volume adjustment|GRAY+|GRAY-

●Metronome|M

Some adjustments are not available in some challenges, for example, rhythm adjustments are not available during game play with the rhythm challenge.

2. Missing Notes

When the player misses a note, a marker is placed on the playing field. Users can scroll up and down the entire song from the freeze menu to see what they missed.

3. Music notation

The invention can convert MIDI files into music symbols displayed on the screen during the game playing process. Examples of software suitable for doing this can be found at:

●Notation Technologies http://www.notationtechnologies.com/

● Notation Software, Inc http://www.notation.com/ .

4. Game goal

The invention features several game objects, also known as sprites. All game objects feature 32-bit color and alphanumeric support. Game objects are two-dimensional, but are drawn on the screen using 3D technology, thus taking advantage of hardware-accelerated 3D graphics. This allows for easy scaling, rotation, and letter mixing.

5. On-screen piano keyboard

The on-screen piano keyboard comes in three different sizes: 2, 4 and 5 octaves. Depending on the size of the selected piano keyboard, the size of the game object will change accordingly so that its width is proportional to the width of the keyboard keys on the screen.

6. Score points

The game rewards the user with points for hitting musical notes correctly, playing with different dynamic options activated, and for playing different challenges.

E. Freeze menu

The freeze menu can only be invoked from game play. It allows changing certain game parameters, making on-screen annotations, and saving the currently played piece to an internal file format along with all annotations, highlights, and fingering information.

1. call

Invoke the freeze menu by pressing the keyboard's ESC key from within the game play. Once ESC is pressed, here's what happens: the entire game freezes, and a vertical scroll bar appears on the screen to allow scrolling back to already played parts or forward throughout the piece. Note that scrolling, annotation, highlighting or fingering are not available when the game screen is rotating. Once the game is frozen, a transparent help box is displayed indicating what can be done on the screen. For example, typical text would be: "To create a note on the screen, click on an empty space".

2. Highlighting and fingering

When the user clicks on any game object, a popup menu similar to the one shown below will appear next to the object:

From this pop-up menu, the user can select a highlight color or fingering number for either hand by clicking on the square (shown above). Whatever selection is made on the popup menu, it will be applied to the clicked target. Highlighting can also be done with a halo effect around the target. The colors shown on the above pop-up menus are for illustrative purposes only. Also, if a target already has fingerings or highlights assigned to them, they can be removed by clicking the "x" button as shown above.

3. Notes

Users can set annotations on the screen. These comments later become part of the amm file. Once an annotation is set on the screen, it can be recorded (saved) in a file if desired. Users can add or remove annotations. Annotations are placed on the screen in the form of speech balloons. There are several speech balloon shapes to choose from. In order to add a note to the screen, the user taps on an empty area of the screen. Once clicked, a popup menu will appear which allows selection of the speech balloon shape and the direction of its arrow pointer. Then enter text through the text edit box. Notes can also be removed from the game screen. In order to remove a note, the user must click on an existing note, and then click the "x" button that will appear next to it. The game also allows editing already entered notes. To edit a note, similar to deleting a note, the user must click on an already set note, and then click the "edit" button that will appear next to it. Editing comments is done in the same way as entering comments.

4. Freeze menu option

The number of options in the freeze menu depends on the game mode. See Attachment B for preferred availability of freeze menu options in different game modes. The Freeze menu options are listed below. It is worth noting that most of these options are a subset of the start options defined in section C above. Definitions of options already defined are omitted here.

●Fingering: ON|OFF

●Target: long|short|symbol

●Symbol: Subsidiary|Tune Signature

●Theme selection

●Color: On|Off

●Track selection (including range preview, valid keys)

●Instrument selection for audio tracks

●Accompaniment track selection

●Instrument selection for accompaniment tracks

● Transpose the selected track

●Metronome: On|Off

●Rhythm selection

●Tap the window to adjust

● Background: On | Off | Darkness %

●Measurement: On|Off

●Target Guidance: On|Off

●Status (Override): On|Off

●Start key selection

●Progressive rhythm adjustment: ON|OFF

●Tap the window to gradually close: ON|OFF

●Random Color Fade: On|Off

● Switch to Symbol: On|Off

●Loop: ON|OFF

●Lyrics: On|Off

●SFX volume and music volume

●Automatically save music: ON|OFF

Turns the autosave song feature on or off. If enabled, automatically saves the composition to the previously specified file when changes are made.

●Save the Song as....

Prompt for filename; save current song to .amm file.

F. Game Build

Game Build can be invoked from the main menu. Here are its options:

●Menu options: Advanced|Beginner

This menu option allows to choose between two different sets of menu options in the game. The Advanced group is designed for users who want to push their game to the limit and require maximum flexibility, while the Beginner group excludes several menu options that are too complicated for the average user or child.

●Gamma Correction

This option allows adjusting the gamma value of the screen.

●MIDI input selection

This menu option allows selection of the MIDI input port used for the game. The game will enumerate all possible MIDI ports on the system and make them available for selection.

●MIDI output selection

This menu option is used to select the MIDI output port for the game. The game will enumerate all possible MIDI ports on the system and make them available for selection.

●Game detail level: low|medium|high

Game Detail Level Enables and disables certain CPUs to enhance game visuals. Low detail levels may make the game run on low-end computers at the expense of visuals and overall eye comfort.

●Music and SFX volume levels

These menu options in the form of sliders adjust values for the entire sound mixer used in the game. The SFX volume option allows adjusting the volume level of all .wav sounds played in the game (PCM channel of the sound card), while the music volume allows adjusting the volume level of all internal sound card synthesizers. Both sliders can be assigned values from 0% to 100%.

● Keyboard range configuration

This is an option that determines the size of the keyboard attached to the computer. The user is asked to press the leftmost and rightmost keys on a MIDI keyboard, and the game will calculate the octave range of the keyboard.

●Speed test

This option allows an individual to test a user's MIDI keyboard to determine if it is velocity sensitive. The user is asked to hit a key on a MIDI keyboard twice, the first lightly and the second hard. Based on the difference in the received MIDI velocity message values, the program can determine whether the user has a touch-sensitive keyboard.

While the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it should be clearly understood that the foregoing is illustrative and exemplary only and not limiting, and that the spirit and scope of the present invention are limited only by the appended claims limit.

Appendix A Contents of CD-ROM

The following is a description of the contents of the CD-ROM as an annex to the present invention:

The CD-ROM contains a number of directories and files, as shown in the directory printed from the CD-ROM shown in FIG. 13 .

The file extension descriptions for most files are sufficient for those of ordinary skill in the art to explain how to open these files. These files can be opened with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Adobe Acrobat Reader. .vsd files can be read using Visio.

Software for opening any other files that are not self-explanatory can be found at http://extsearch.com or similar file extension directory search engines.

Claims (24)

1. the system of the playing music keyboard that is used to help learning comprises:

Computing element, it is linked to described music keyboard;

Display, it is linked to described computing element, and can be watched by the user of described music keyboard; And

Software storing medium, it and is linked to described computing element in described system; And

Software, it is provided on the described storage medium, be used on described computing element, carrying out, when carrying out described software by described computing element to make in the action of being undertaken by described music keyboard user, link is presented at the dummy keyboard at described display top, described dummy keyboard has corresponding to a plurality of keys of at least one octave and is displayed in the direction corresponding to following manner, promptly in this mode, normally play described key by each key on the described dummy keyboard, each key on the described dummy keyboard has the rear portion that is located substantially on described display image top and the front portion of relative downside, and described software guides described computing element to carry out following action:

Load music file, described music file comprises the data of arranging corresponding to the musical tones of snatch of music; And

Control described display in response to the music file of handling described loading, so that represent described musical tones and a plurality of Mission Objectives of conduct except that music symbol, end portion from described display makes progress, track with basic straight line, advance in the front portion of the relative downside of key separately on described dummy keyboard, thereby described Mission Objective will experience with described dummy keyboard on the collision of the described dummy keyboard aimed at of key separately, on the described dummy keyboard separately key corresponding to will be by the key of the described music keyboard of described CU in order on described music keyboard, to play described snatch of music

Wherein, during loading the portion of time of described music file, described a plurality of keys of each octave are shown as each other with corresponded manner one by one by color-coded on described a plurality of Mission Objectives and the described dummy keyboard.

2. the system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said software further guide computing element to carry out following actions:

On described display, the track that makes described Mission Objective is from vertically rotating to level, in described upright position, described Mission Objective makes progress from the end portion of described display, the above advances the front portion of the relative downside of key separately towards the described dummy keyboard that is presented at described display top, in described horizontal level, described Mission Objective from the right-hand member parts of described display left, the above advances the relative front portion of key separately towards described dummy keyboard, described dummy keyboard is displayed in the following direction, and promptly this direction is corresponding to the direction that moves counterclockwise to described display left end portion from described display top.

3. system as claimed in claim 2, the wherein said software further described computing element of guiding is carried out following actions:

Control described display, so that described a plurality of Mission Objectives are deformed into music symbol.

4. system as claimed in claim 3 wherein, at the time durations of another subsequent section that loads described music file, is shown as black and white with described a plurality of keys of described music symbol and described dummy keyboard.

5. system as claimed in claim 4, wherein, before the time of described another subsequent section, described a plurality of keys at described music symbol and described dummy keyboard are shown as in the situation of black and white, there is the transition period, some keys in some of them music symbol and the described dummy keyboard in described a plurality of keys of each octave are shown as each other in mode one to one by color-coded, and the remainder in described a plurality of keys of each octave is shown as black and white in remainder in the described music symbol and the described dummy keyboard.

6. the system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said the software further described computing element of guiding are carried out following actions:

In response to crossing over that Mission Objective hits in the window with the setting-up time tolerance limit that corresponding keys on the above dummy keyboard of described display intersects the moment, when the user has pushed described corresponding keys on the described music keyboard, rewarding described numerical value at described user's score of keeping by described computing element.

7. the system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, described software comprises translater, is used for the data of described music file are converted to the order that is used to produce described a plurality of Mission Objectives.

8. system as claimed in claim 7 wherein is used to produce the command driven Mission Objective generator of described a plurality of Mission Objectives.

9. system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said Mission Objective generator is associated with the Mission Objective storehouse.

10. system as claimed in claim 8, wherein, described a plurality of Mission Objectives initial reference position on described display in time advance the front portion of the described relative downside of key separately towards described dummy keyboard, and the described time can be regulated by described user.

11. a system comprises

Music keyboard;

Computing element, it is linked to described music keyboard on function;

Display, it is linked to described computing element, and can be watched by the user of described music keyboard; And

Storage medium, it and is linked to described computing element in described system, and

Computer instruction, it is provided in the described storage medium, is used for carrying out on the described computing element, and is configured to instruct described computing element to carry out following actions:

On described display, produce dummy keyboard, described dummy keyboard is located substantially on the top of described display, described dummy keyboard has a plurality of virtual keys and is shown as direction corresponding to following manner, promptly in this mode, normally play described key by each key on the described dummy keyboard, each key on the described dummy keyboard has the front portion that is located substantially on rear portion, described display top and relative downside;

Load music file, described music file comprises the data of arranging corresponding to musical tones; And

Based on described display is controlled in the processing of loading described music file, so as to make a plurality of Mission Objectives on the described display upwards, advance in the front portion of the described relative downside of key separately on described dummy keyboard.

12. system as claimed in claim 11, wherein, described computer instruction further is configured to: instruct described computing element, so that advancing of described a plurality of Mission Objective and described dummy keyboard rotates to second direction from first direction, in described first direction, described a plurality of Mission Objective front portion of the described relative downside of key separately of upwards advancing on the described dummy keyboard that is presented at described display top, in described second direction, described a plurality of Mission Objectives advance to the relative front portion towards the described dummy keyboard that is presented at described display left end left.

13. system as claimed in claim 11, wherein, the key of described music keyboard is by color-coded, in order to being matched with the color coding of described the above key of dummy keyboard, and in order to be matched with the color coding of described a plurality of Mission Objectives.

14. system as claimed in claim 11, wherein, described computer instruction further is configured to: instruct described computing element that described Mission Objective is deformed into musical tones.

15. system as claimed in claim 13, wherein, described computer instruction further disposes: instruct described computing element Mission Objective not to be carried out color coding.

16. one kind is used for the program storage device used at computing machine, comprises:

Computer-readable medium, and

One or more instructions, it is positioned on the described medium and can be carried out by the processor of computing machine, and described computing machine has display and is linked to the music keyboard of described processor, is used to make described computing machine to carry out the step that comprises following content:

Display image on described display, described display image has primary importance, wherein shown the dummy keyboard that is located substantially on described image top, described dummy keyboard has a plurality of keys corresponding to described at least one octave of music keyboard, and each key has in the face of the rear portion at described display image top and the front portion of relative downside; And

Control described display, so that a plurality of Mission Objectives that the expression musical tones is arranged are upwards crossed described display image, the key separately on described dummy keyboard advances, thereby described a plurality of Mission Objective will experience on same and the described dummy keyboard collision of the described dummy keyboard that key separately aims at.

17. program storage device as claimed in claim 16, wherein, described step further comprises: control described display, so that by with described music keyboard on by color-coded key corresponding and with by the corresponding mode of color-coded Mission Objective, a plurality of keys on the described dummy keyboard are carried out color coding.

18. program storage device as claimed in claim 16, wherein, described step further comprises: control described display, so that make a plurality of Mission Objectives that the described musical tones of expression arranges left the key separately on described dummy keyboard advance, thereby described a plurality of Mission Objective will experience on same and the described dummy keyboard collision of the described dummy keyboard that key separately aims at.

19. program storage device as claimed in claim 16, wherein, described step further comprises: control described display, so that described a plurality of Mission Objectives are deformed into music symbol.

20. program storage device as claimed in claim 17, wherein, described step further comprises: control described display, so that not to being carried out color coding by one in color-coded a plurality of Mission Objectives.

21. program storage device as claimed in claim 16, wherein, described step further comprises: control described display, so that introduce the space of a series of staff line definition directly perceived, in described a plurality of Mission Objective each is advanced along described line or space, until with described dummy keyboard on till the described dummy keyboard aimed at of corresponding keys collides separately.

22. program storage device as claimed in claim 16, wherein, described step further comprises: control described display, so that make described display image be rotated counterclockwise the second place, thereby described dummy keyboard is positioned at basically on the left side of described interface, and described a plurality of Mission Objective moves towards described dummy keyboard left.

23. program storage device as claimed in claim 16, wherein said step further comprises: control described display, so that warn described attributes of images, more closely to simulate the music symbol on the standard music staff.

24. program storage device as claimed in claim 23, wherein, the group that the attribute of described display image selects free above content to form: direction, Mission Objective color, Mission Objective shape and dummy keyboard color.

Images