GB2284502A

GB2284502A - Educational musical toy

Info

Publication number: GB2284502A
Application number: GB9324649A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Thomas John Hart; Walker Romney Yeoman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-12-01
Filing date: 1993-12-01
Publication date: 1995-06-07
Also published as: GB9324649D0

Abstract

The toy includes means for playing a pre-defined tune and display means comprising a matrix of rows and columns on which notes corresponding to the played tune can be represented, the position of the representation in each column indicating the pitch of the note. Comparison means determines the accuracy of the tune representation by comparison with the pre-defined tune and sound generation means replays the user defined tune. The pre-defined tune may be replayed in varying length segments according to the level of difficulty selected. The toy may additionally include means for indicating the length of each note such as by varying the colour of the display light.

Description

Educational Musical Toy This invention relates to an educational musical toy.

The main purpose of the invention is to teach children about tunes. In particular, that tunes are constructed from a sequence of notes which can vary both in pitch and duration.

According to the present invention there is provided an educational toy which plays one of a number of predefined tunes and then enables the player to attempt to construct this tune from memory. The notes are visually displayed on a matrix as the tune is constructed. The matrix shows: the position of each note in the sequence, its pitch and, optionally, its length. Notes in the constructed tune can be revised and the toy provides feedback when the tune, or the segment of tune being addressed, is successfully replicated.

The toy comprises: - a sequence map, implemented with a matrix of columns and rows to visually represent the tune. The columns, from left to right, represent consecutive notes of the tune. The rows define the pitch of the notes. A note rises in pitch by, say, a semitone per row, from bottom to top. Each column/row combination is a cell.

Only one cell can be selected in a column at any one time. The choice of cell therefore determines the pitch of the note represented by that column. As a cell is selected by the player, the note represented by the cell will be played by the toy and there will be a visual indication that the cell is selected, e.g. a light in the cell will stay illuminated. As well as notes, a column can also represent a rest, e.g. one row in the matrix could represent the absence of a note.

In addition to choosing the pitch of the note, its duration may also be selected, e.g. from: quaver, crotchet, minim and semi-breve. This would represent an increase in difficulty for the player and may not feature at all in the simplest models of the range. Where featured it would be optional for the player, representing an increase in the skill level required. The sequence map may visually display the length of each note by, for example the colour of the light in the cell and, when selected, the note will be played at the chosen length.

As the tune is constructed, the toy will visually display the tune across the matrix.

On more advanced versions of the toy, the note range of the sequence map may be transposed automatically, when a recorded tune is selected, to suit the range/key of the chosen tune. In free-style mode, the user could select a transpose setting.

- a tune playback device. The toy comes with a number of tunes pre-defined, while others can be added.

These are the reference tunes, selected by the player in playing with the toy. As well as being played automatically by the toy, e.g. at the commencement and at prescribed points in a session, either the entire tune or the tune segment applicable at the time could also be played on-demand. The tune segment could comprise, for example, a note, quarter-tune, half-tune, or whole-tune, depending on the skill-level selected by the player. A tune speed control may be incorporated to allow a tune segment to be slowed-down to assist the player or speeded-up to make the exercise more difficult. The playback device will also play the player's constructed tune, note by note as it is input and when requested. As well as audio playback, the tune may also be presented visually during play-back via the sequence map.

- a tune comparison capability. When a cell has been selected in each relevant column, a tune (or tune segment) will have been constructed which the toy can compare against the selected reference tune (or tune segment). When there is a complete match between the reference tune and the constructed tune, the toy will indicate a successful match.

- input controls for selecting: a) the required reference tune or free-style input, b) each input note's location (column), pitch (row) and length c) the playback mode required d) the degree of difficulty or skill level required e) note range transposition.

For b), access to columns can be either led by the toy sequentially, or by choosing a specific column, e.g.

pressing a button at the foot of the column. The pitch could be selected for example by using a piano-style keyboard or by pressing a button at the side of the row. The note duration could be defined, for example, by pressing a selector button for the duration required, or by holding down the pitch selector key or button which would step through the available note lengths until the chosen length is indicated. Alternatively, selections could be made by a pair of up/down buttons associated with a row of indicator lights.

For c), a selector enables the player to hear either reference tune or the sequence he has constructed (as far as he has reached). In each case, replay of the tune in full or of the current segment (as defined by the skill level setting) would be possible.

Embodiments. The product range may include a number of models with different presentations and ranges of features to suit different age groups and price brackets. Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example.

The toy may have a number of skill levels from beginner to advanced, selected by the player.

- Beginner mode: the player hears the selected tune played in full. He then hears the first note played. The input control (b) relates to the first column of the matrix. The player selects a cell in the first column. As the cell is selected the note represented by the cell is played by the toy. If the correct note has been selected the toy indicates this by, say, a flashing light. If not, the player chooses other cells in the column, listening to the notes played. until the correct one is selected. The player can refer to the reference note at any time or to the complete tune. Once successful, the toy plays the second note. The input device then relates to the second column of the matrix. The sequence is repeated. When the whole tune has been replicated, the toy indicates success by, say, longer/more flashing lights, e.g. including the lights making up the notes of the tune.

- More advanced modes: instead of the reference tune being played a note at a time, the tune would be divided into, say, quarters, halves, or whole tune. The appropriate segment would be played which the player would then have to replicate before the toy indicated that he was correct and progressed to the next segment. The sequence map displays the input notes as the player constructs the tune. When the toy does not indicate a successful match, the player can return to any column to change that column's note until the toy indicates that the reference tune-segment has been successfully replicated.

At each level of difficulty (note; quarter, half, entire-tune) the player may also select whether to replicate the note's length as well as its pitch. The match with the reference tune would then be made both on pitch and duration. The player may also select a mute-input mode, i.e. the toy would not play each note as it is input.

The most advanced models may allow chords to be constructed, i.e. more than one cell to be selected per column.

Feedback may also be provided in some models on the skill of the player replicating a given tune, e.g. by counting and displaying the number of attempts to select the right pitch and duration of the notes in the tune. The lower the score, the higher the skill.

- Free-style mode: the player could also choose to construct and play-back his own tunes, without reference to the pre-recorded tunes. On some models, such a constructed tune could then be stored as a reference tune.

In some models, note input may be incorporated into the sequence map by, for example, making each cell of the matrix a socket. Each note would be defined by the player inserting a plug of a specific type (defining the note's duration) into the appropriate socket. A model aimed at young children could be in this form.

Claims

Educational Musical Toy 1. A musical toy comprising: a visual sequence map in the form of a matrix of columns and rows; means for selecting one of a number of pre-defined tunes, in whole or in part; means for a tune to be constructed, in whole or in part, by the player; means for each note, as it is selected by the player, to be played by the toy; means for the constructed tune to be displayed visually on the sequence map: consecutive columns to represent consecutive notes or rests; consecutive rows, from bottom to top, indicating increases in the pitch of the note; each note being identified with a cell at the intersection of a column and a row; means for the playback of both pre-defined and constructed tunes, in whole or in part; means for automatically comparing the constructed tune, or tune segment, with the selected pre-defined tune, or tune segment and for providing feedback to the player, from the comparison, as to whether the player has accurately replicated the pre defined version with the constructed version; means for the constructed tune to be amended by the player.
2. A musical toy as claimed in Claim 1, wherein means are provided for selecting, displaying on the sequence map, playing and playing back, the duration of each note or rest of the constructed tune.
3. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein means are provided to lead the player through one or more game sequences, comprising: the playing of a pre-defined tune, which is, optionally, then split into consecutive segments and addressed by the player a segment at a time, the attempted construction of the tune, by the player, in consecutive segments or in whole, as defined by the game sequence, with playback of both the pre-defined and constructed tunes or their tune segments, as required, the feedback to the player of his success at each stage in replicating the pre-defined tune or tune segment.
4. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein means are provided for the player to select the length of tune segment, ranging from an individual note to the whole tune, into which the pre-defined tune will be divided for that particular game sequence.
5. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein means are provided to suppress the playing of the notes of the constructed tune as they are selected by the player.
6. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein means are provided for the predefined or constructed tune to be displayed visually on the sequence map as it is played back.
7. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the designated cells of the sequence map, representing the notes of the constructed or pre-defined tune, are illuminated.
8. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the designated cells ofthe sequence map, representing the notes of the constructed or pre-defined tune, are illuminated with coloured lights, the colours used denoting the length ofthe notes.
9.A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the designated cells of the sequence map representing the notes of the constructed or pre-defined tune are illuminated sequentially, column by column, as the tune is played back.
10. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cells ofthe sequence map matrix comprise sockets and note selection ofthe constructed tune is by insertion of plugs into the chosen sockets.
1 1.A musical toy as claimed in Claim 10, wherein means are provided for the appearance of the plugs to denote their note lengths and for the toy to identify the note length associated with each variant of plug.
12. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means are provided for more than one note to be selected in each column ofthe sequence map to define musical chords,
13. A musical toy as claimed in Claim 12, wherein means are provided for the defined chords to be played when selected and when the tune is played back.
14. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means are provided to select the speed ofthe tune playback.
15. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means are provided for a count to be maintained and displayed of the number of errors made in constructing a tune to replicate the selected pre-defined tune,
16. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the player is able to construct and play back tunes, without reference to a pre-defined tune.
17. A musical toy as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein means are provided to automatically transpose the note range ofthe sequence map to suit the range, or key, or both, of the selected pre-defined tune.
18. A musical toy substantially as described herein.