Yamaha Corporation

Kazuo Haruyama

Takashi Ikeda

Takeo Shibukawa

Shinichi Ito

Tetsuo Okamoto

Tsutomu Yanase

Tadahiko Ikeya

Tsutomu Imaizumi

Atsushi Yamaura

An electronic music apparatus comprises an extractor that extracts lyrics data from music data for reproduction of music and comprising the lyrics data representing lyrics of the music, a transmitter that transmits the extracted lyrics data to an external device, a reproducer that reproduces the music data, and a outputting device that outputs synchronization information for controlling display of the lyrics by the external device based on the lyrics data to the external device during reproduction of the music data in accordance with a progress of the reproduction of the music data.

Electronic musical apparatus and lyrics displaying apparatus

In addition to a general transposition setting device for setting a transposition for an entire musical instrument, there is provide an automatic-performance transposition setting device for optionally setting a transposition value for automatic performance. Automatic performance data is transposed in accordance with the transposition value set by the automatic-performance transposition setting device and a visual performance guide display based on the transposed automatic performance data is provided via a key display as an automatic performance process is advanced on a desired music piece. Human player depresses keys in accordance with the visual performance guide display so that tones corresponding to the depressed keys are generated. The transposition set via the automatic-performance transposition setting device does not act on the tones manually performed by the player's key depression operation, and only the transposition set via the general transposition setting device becomes effective on such manually-performed tones.

Apparatus for and method of providing a performance guide display to assist in a manual performance of an electronic musical apparatus in a selected musical key

Plural key-displaying elements are provided in corresponding relation to plural keys. A series of performance information is divided into plural phrases, namely sections, and for each of the phrases, the displays corresponding to keys to be performed within the phrase are together lit, so as to guide a player about keys to be depressed. There is provided a phrase dividing device or program for automatically dividing a series of performance information into phrases on the basis of the contents of the information, so that a phrase-by-phrase key-depression instructing display can be effected. All the displaying elements corresponding to keys to be depressed within a phrase are lit, and as the performance progresses, the displaying element corresponding to each of the keys to be next depressed is changed from the lit state over to a blinking state. Key-depression instructing display for keys to be performed in a next phrase may be initiated at appropriate timing when the instructing display is being effected for the current phrase. In such a case, the displaying state may be sequentially changed from a specific key in the current phrase to another specific key in the next phrase. The phrase dividing operation may be performed appropriately in accordance with any of various determination criteria such as tone pitch information and other performance information, or in response to an operational state of a pedal operator.

Electronic musical instrument having a function of dividing performance information into phrases and displaying keys to be operated for each phrase

As automatic performance data are sequentially supplied at a given tempo, a player sequentially depresses keyboard keys at appropriate timing. Comparison is made between timing of each manual key-on event and timing of key-on and key-off events of each automatic performance note in the performance data. If key-on timing of a given automatic performance note is within a predetermined allowable difference from given manual key-on timing, a tone based on the given automatic performance note is generated at a time corresponding to the manual key-on timing. If key-off timing of a given automatic performance note is within another predetermined allowable difference from given manual key-on timing and if a tone based on the note has not yet been generated, that tone is generated at timing corresponding to the manual key-on timing. If a single key depression is executed when a plurality of automatic performance notes are to be sounded simultaneously, these notes can be sounded in response to that single key depression. If a plurality of key depressions are executed within a predetermined short time, automatic performance notes are sounded in response to the earliest key depression. Automatic performance data are generated separately for right-hand and left-hand performances, in response to which the keyboard keys are divided at a variable key split point into two key ranges, so that a tone is generated based on the performance data for right-hand or left-hand performance depending on which of the two key ranges are used to depress a corresponding key.

Automatic performance device and method capable of a pretended manual

In performance data storing tracks, there are stored, in a mixed condition, actual performance data including pairs of pitch data designating a pitch of a tone to be performed and volume data of audible level designating a volume of the tone and fake performance data including pairs of pitch data designating a pitch of a predetermined performance tone and tone volume controlling data of non-audible level and fake performance data including pairs of pitch data designating a pitch of a predetermined performance tone and volume controlling data of non-audible level. Besides, the fake performance data for the predetermined performance tone is stored so as to be read out in advance of the actual data for the performance tone. The read-out fake performance data can be identified from the non-audible level of its volume designating data. In response to the fake performance data, a predetermined preliminary indication is made for preannouncing a key or other performance operating member to be operated. In generating automatic performance tones in response to the data from the tracks, only performance tones based on the actual performance data are actually sounded with no interference by tones based on the fake performance data, because the volume of the fake performance data is at the non-audible level. Thus, without requiring any extra control, the fake performance data can be used for the guiding purposes, causing no interference in automatic performance.

Musical performance guiding device and method for musical instruments

A performance instructing apparatus is provided wherein data that meet a predetermined condition or conditions are extracted from each predetermined range of automatic performance data, and the predetermined range and the predetermined condition used when the data are extracted are changed depending upon a performance level entered through a performance level input device. The data extracted from the automatic performance data may be used for guiding a player through the performance.

Performance instructing apparatus

A performance instructing apparatus is provided which reproduces a music piece according to automatic performance data, and displays a drawing of a display keyboard that is oriented in the same direction as a keyboard through which a player enters pitch information, and a key operation region corresponding to each key of the display keyboard. The key operation region represents a period from a point of time when the key is to be depressed by the player to a point of time when the key is to be released. The key operation region is scrolled such that the region approaches the display keyboard as the music piece is reproduced.

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Kazuo Haruyama