GB2370151A

GB2370151A - Musical alphanumeric keyboard

Info

Publication number: GB2370151A
Application number: GB0030447A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Deith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-12-13
Filing date: 2000-12-13
Publication date: 2002-06-19
Also published as: GB0030447D0

Abstract

The invention is directed to a system of generating a sequence of musical notes from a conventional alphanumeric keyboard associated with a suitably programmed personal computer.

Description

MUSICAL ALPHANUMERIC KEYBOARD

This invention concerns a musical alphanumeric keyboard. Musical instruments provided with keyboards have been known for many centuries and include pianos, organs, accordions and the like. A considerable amount of time and effort are needed to acquire the basic skills for playing instruments of this kind with many years of practice required before becoming accomplished. However, conventional instruments of the kind mentioned above are usually expensive and are often of such magnitude as to occupy an inordinate amount of space in a domestic environment.

The advent of electronic music makers, some commonly known only as 'keyboards', has broadened the opportunity for many people to attempt making music at a reasonable cost and within limited space, given the relatively small size of some electronic musical instruments. However, the task of learning how to play the instrument remains difficult in that the notes and their formation have still to be learnt.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a means of facilitating the making of music using inter alia a commonly available piece of equipment found universally in the home and the office alike.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of transcribing music in such manner as to render the generation of tunes relatively easy using skills not directly or normally associated with the making of music, thus obviating the need to learn or acquire a musicspecific capability.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for making music including a personal computer having a sound component, a visual display unit, an alphanumeric keyboard, at least one loudspeaker, and a computer program incorporating musical notes encrypted in alphanumeric code and assigned individually to respective alphanumeric keys on the keyboard, whereby in use actuation of the keys in a predetermined sequence generates a musical theme.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a computer program including musical notes encrypted in alphanumeric code, the program being adapted to control a personal computer system enabling the user to generate musical notes by the actuation of the alphanumeric keys on the keyboard of the personal computer system.

The computer program may carry a variety of predetermined sequences giving a corresponding variety of musical tunes upon actuation of the keys in the correct order. Accordingly, given the universal usage of computer keyboards and the generally attendant capacity of the user to operate the keyboard with some degree of proficiency, the generation of music in accordance with a predetermined sequence of alphanumeric integers is made easy.

The computer program may advantageously have the ability, upon appropriate command, to display on the visual display unit the full code whereby the user has access to the assigned musical notes and is thus able to generate music in a personalised predetermined sequence. Accordingly the predetermination is either codified within the program or the individual user decides upon the sequence in an ad hoc manner thus affording the invention a wide applicability for experienced musicians and tyros alike. Any user-generated sequence of musical notes may be saved in encrypted form.

The computer program may also be written to assign to the normal"F" keys on the keyboard pre-programmed accompaniments for the music to be generated using the alphanumeric keys, and possibly also volume and quality control, e. g. base, treble etc may be available using the"F"keys or other keys on the keyboard.

Additional features may be afforded by use of the other keys on the keyboard.

The keyboard may conveniently be of the conventional'QWERTY'type or any equivalent keyboard regardless of the keyboard layout.

The present invention thus provides within the scope of what is nowadays a generally standard PC system even in the domestic environment the capacity for novice musicians to be able, with little practice and probably no tuition, other than a simple instruction regime provided with or within the computer program, to make meaningful music.

The computer program is intended to be available in CD or floppy disk form, or on any suitable carrier, and the sound component of the invention may be integral with the PC in the form of a sound card or a plug-in sound component including a loudspeaker facility may be provided for PCs not having an integral sound card.

It is to be understood that the expression'alphanumeric'as used herein embraces letters, numbers or a combination thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A system for making music including a personal computer having a sound component, a visual display unit, an alphanumeric keyboard, at least one loudspeaker, and a computer program incorporating musical notes encrypted in alphanumeric code and assigned individually to respective alphanumeric keys on the keyboard, whereby in use actuation of the keys in a predetermined sequence generates a musical theme.

2. A system according to Claim 1 in which the alphanumeric keyboard is of the"QWERTY"type.

3. A system according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the sound component is integral with the personal computer.

4. A system according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the sound component is provided as a plug-in component for the personal computer.

5. A system for making music substantially as hereinbefore described.

6. A computer program for use in the system as claimed in the preceding claims including musical notes encrypted in alphanumeric code, the program being adapted to control a personal computer system enabling the user to generate musical notes by the actuation of the alphanumeric keys on the keyboard of the personal computer system.

7. A computer program according to Claim 6 and carrying a variety of predetermined sequences giving a corresponding variety of musical tunes upon actuation of the keys in the correct order.

8. A computer program according to Claim 6 or 7 and including the capability of saving to memory user-generated musical note sequences.

9. A computer program substantially as hereinbefore described.

10. A computer program according to any one of the preceding Claims 6 to 9 when used in the system for making music as claimed in any one of the Claims 1 to 5.