GB2028564A

GB2028564A - Music teaching game

Info

Publication number: GB2028564A
Application number: GB7833244A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-08-14
Filing date: 1978-08-14
Publication date: 1980-03-05
Also published as: GB2028564B

Abstract

The invention relates to game apparatus for teaching musical notation which comprises a base member marked with a tune in musical notation and removable pieces which can be used to cover the different symbols used in the tune. The pieces can be made to adhere to the base member in play. The game apparatus also includes a table assigning a value to each playing piece and chance means (e.g. one or more die). Play money can also be included. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improved game apparatus This invention reiates to an improved game apparatus which has particular utiiity for teaching music to children.

In UK patent application 146496 it has been proposed to conduct music lessons using a board mounting a parallel series of strings and to hang musical symbols on the strings which then represent a musical staff. This known apparatus requires the presence of a skilled music teacher and is an aid to that teacher rather than a piece of equipment which children can use unsupervised in their own home to familiarise themselves with the various musical symbols and their interdependence in the formulation of simple tunes.

I have realised that if the teaching of music can be made to be of vital interest to a child, he or she can learn very rapidly and that one way of stimulating and maintaining such interest is to involve the musical concepts which the child has to learn into game apparatus, so that the child can learn subconsciously as he or she plays the game.

The present invention relates to one form of such game apparatus.

According to the present invention, game apparatus for the teaching of music comprises a base member printed or otherwise marked with a tune in musical notation on at least one staff, a plurality of playing pieces forming a set, each piece in the set representing a different one of all the musical signs used on the staff lines of the marked tune and each dimensioned to just cover the respective sign of the marked tune, a table assigning a value to each ofthe different signs needed to make the marked tune and valuedetermining chance means for use by a player during a game to indicate, by reference to the table, during each "turn" of the player, which playing piece(s) can be applied to the base member during that "turn".

Suitably the base member and playing pieces are arranged such that there is a measure of natural adherence between the member and each piece when a piece is placed on the member. For example the base member and all the pieces can be formed from magnetic material so that a magnetic force is employed to hold the pieces against the base member. Thus the base member can be a sheet of printed steel and the pieces formed from a plastics material loaded with a ferromagnetic powder. In a simpler embodiment, the base member can comprise a sheet of serge or felt and the playing pieces can be cut out from a sheet of serge or felt or else be.rigid members backed with a layer of fibrous material which will lightly adhere to serge or felt.In a further embodiment the base member can be a sheet of polished metal, card or plastics material and the playing pieces can be formed from, or backed with, a highly polished sheet so that atmospheric pressure holds the pieces onto the base member when the confronting polished surfaces are firmly pressed together. In a still further embodiment, the playing pieces can be backed with a permanently adhesive layer, the pieces being kept on a protective release surface and removed therefrom for placement on the base member during a player's "turn". Using a base member of fabric, or a board faced with fabric, it is possible to use small areas of the material known by the Trade Mark "VELCRO" on the back surfaces of the playing pieces to provide the desired adhesion.

The value-determining chance means is suitably one or more die but a segmentally marked spinner or a multifaceted top can also be employed. The use of a small electronic random number generator is not ruled out for the chance means.

The game apparatus in accordance with this invention can be used in variety of different ways, some of which introduce a competitive element between two or more players. Suitably therefore, one or more distinguishable duplicate sets of playing pieces are provided (one set for each player), or the one set is divided into sub-sets, each sub-set being distinguishable from all other sub-sets. Different colours provide an easy means for the distinguishing between sets or sub-sets.

The table conveniently names the signs as well as reproducing their notational form and can easily be provided on printed card. A separate table can be provided for each player.

One embodiment of game apparatus in accordance with this invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the base member, Figure 2 represents some of the playing pieces (on an enlarged scale), and Figure 3 shows part of the base member of Figure 1 after some playing pieces have been .

applied thereto.

The base member 1 shown in Figure 1,is a printed sheet of steel and bears a simple tune 2 using both treble and bass staffs. For convenience of drawing, only the first few bars of the first line of the tune have been reproduced in Figure 1 but a complete tune would be employed in practice. The member 1 is used with a set of playing pieces, each moulded from a plastics material loaded with ferromagnetic powder to give the playing pieces sufficient magnetic attraction to the member 1, to retain them in a placed position on the member 1, even if the latter is turned printed face lowermost. Figure 2 shows only a treble clef sign (3), a sharp sign (4) and a minim (5), but it should be understood that the complete set of signs includes sufficient examples of each different sign used in the tune 2 to enable each sign to be covered with a removable piece when the game is completed.In practice, the game apparatus includes at least two base member's, each marked with a different tune, and the set includes sufficient examples of each different piece to enable the tune on any one of the base members to be formed completely with removable pieces.

Figure 3 shows the first two bars of the tune 2 of Figure 1 with the different musical symbols used in those bars, partly covered with removable pieces.

The game apparatus also includes two dice and a card bearing the following table: DICE SCORE PLAYING PIECE SYMBOL

1 Quaver 2 Crotchet other t 3 Ootted Crotchet t' flinim P 5 Treble Clef 5 Bass Clef 6 Dotted Rinim 7 Bar lino 9 Semibrkve o 9 Common time ~ , 10 Three-four tine 11 Natural 12 Sharp 12 Flat i The game apparatus illustrated is intended to allow two players to compete one against the other to see who can fully cover a respective one of the treble or bass staves of the tune first-(for this form of game the treble staff includes exactly the same number of musical signs as the base staff).

The players elect (or throw the dice to decide) which staff they will play on and then throw the dice sequentially, turn by turn. A player can choose whether to combine the scores on the individual die or to use each die score separately, and then' transfers from a pool of the playing pieces to the member 1, whichever piece or pieces that dice score allows, based on the values of the pieces given in the table. A player can only transfer a playing piece to the board if there is a vacant space for it on the appropriate staff and will therefore forfeit scores at least in the later stages of the game. The winner is the player first completing his of her staff.

Where the set of playing pieces includes two identical sets of differently coloured playing pieces, the players can race each other to complete the tune on the member 1, the winner being either the one to add the last piece to the tune or the one to have added most pieces to the tune during the game.

Other rules can be employed with the game apparatus depending on the size of the set of playing pieces provided. Thus for example, players can race against each other to complete different tunes if the set size permits this and residual dice scores which a player cannot use can be taken by the other player as a bonus.

In a modified version of the game, the apparatus provided may also include "play" money to enable the players to buy and sell playing pieces which they fail to obtain by means of dice throws. The monetary value of the playing pieces would be related to the value of the pieces as given on the table and where play money is included in the apparatus, the table may include a further column indicating the monetary value.

Claims

1. Game apparatus for the teaching of music comprising a base member printed or otherwise marked with a tune in musical notation on at least one staff, a plurality of playing pieces forming a set, each piece in the set representing a different one of all the musical signs used on the staff lines of the marked tune and each dimensioned to just cover the respective sign of-the marked tune, a table assigning a value to each of the different signs needed to make the marked tune and value determining chance means for use by a player during a game to indicate, by reference to the table, during each "turn" of the player, which playing piece(s) can be applied to the base member during that "turn".

2. Game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the base member and playing pieces are arranged such that there is a measure of natural adherence between the member and each piece when a piece is placed on the member.

3. Game apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the base member and all the pieces are formed from magnetic material so that a magnetic force is employed for adherence.

4. Game apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the base member is a sheet of printed steel and the pieces formed from a plastics material loaded with a ferromagnetic powder.

5. Game apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in- which the base member comprises a sheet of serge or felt and the playing pieces are cut out from a sheet of serge or felt or else are rigid members backed with a layer of fibrous material which will lightly adhere to serge or felt.

6. Game apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the base member is a sheet of polished metal, card or plastics material and the playing pieces are formed from, or backed with, a highly polished sheet so that atmospheric pressure holds the pieces onto the base member when the confronting polished surfaces are firmly pressed together.

7. Game apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the playing pieces are backed with a permanently adhesive layer, the set of pieces being kept on a protective release surface for - removal therefrom during play.

8. Game apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the value-determining chance means is one or more die, a segmentally marked spinner or a multifaceted top.

9. Game apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim in which two sets of playing pieces of 'different colours are provided.

10. Game apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the table names the signs as weli as reproducing their notational form.

11. Game apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim which also includes play money to enable players to buy and sell pieces during playing of the game, the table including a monetary value, in terms of the units of the play money, for each playing piece.

12. Game apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawing.