(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,767,895 B2 Johnston (45) Date of Patent: Aug
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USOO7767895B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,767,895 B2 Johnston (45) Date of Patent: Aug. 3, 2010 (54) MUSIC NOTATION SYSTEM 3,460,425 A * 8/1969 Kiepe ....................... 84/470 R (76) I S. Joh H12O3, 8920-100 3,562,394 A * 2/1971 Kiepe ..... ... 84f678 nVentor: James S. Johnston, s ck Street, Edmonton, AB (CA) T6E 4Y8 3,698.277 A 10/1972 Barra ........................ 84.483.1 5,392,682 A * 2/1995 McCartney-Hoy ........ 84/470 R ( c ) Notice: Subject tO any disclaimer, the term of this 5,886,273 A * 3/1999 Haruyama - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 84.478 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 5,962,800 A * 10/1999 Johnson et al. ............ 84.483.2 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. (21) Appl. No.: 11/955,730 (Continued) (22) Filed: Dec. 13, 2007 OTHER PUBLICATIONS (65) Prior Publication Data KlavarScript—klavar notation software Dec. 2006, viewed at www. US 2008/O141849 A1 Jun. 19, 2008 vdkolk.nl/klavarien/intro.htm on Nov. 2, 2007. Related U.S. Application Data (Continued) (60) Provisional application No. 60/870,203, filed on Dec. Primary Examiner Jeffrey Donels 15, 2006. Assistant Examiner—Robert W Horn (51) Int. Cl. (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Donald V. Tomkins G09B I5/02 (2006.01) (57) ABSTRACT (52) U.S. Cl. .................................... 84/483.2; 84/470 R (58) Field of Classification Search ................ 84/483.1, 847483.2, 47OR A music notation system uses a grid with vertical columns See application file for complete search history. representing musical notes and horizontal rows representing (56) References Cited time intervals. Each note of a musical piece is indicated by a selected note symbol in the appropriate column, and extend U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS ing across multiple rows if intended to be sounded for more 104.393 A * 6/1870 Wright ........... ... 84/483.1 than one time interval. Different note symbol shapes are used 347,686 A * 8/1886 Carpenter et al. ... 84/483.1 to indicate different tone qualities or playing styles. Note 608,771 A * 8, 1898 Guilford ......... ... 84,471 R symbols are colored or graphically textured to indicate dif 759,575 A * 5/1904 White ......................... 84.164 ferent Sound intensities. Suggested fingerings may be indi 1473,495 A * 1 1/1923 Miller ....................... 84.483.2 1,483.380 A 2, 1924 Reeve ....................... 84.483.2 cated by numbers marked the note symbols, or by lines con 1,539,308 A * 5/1925 Faunt ...... ... 84/483.2 necting notes to be played with the same finger. Other 1,594,194 A * 7/1926 Burgess ... ... 84/483.1 graphical design elements may be used to display rhythmic or 1,838,284 A * 12/1931 Refsgaard ... 84/483.1 harmonic context and, in computerized applications, to show 2,157,168 A * 5/1939 Fine ........ ... 84,479 R or hide selected musical information, or to activate and listen 2,232,264 A * 2/1941 Petersen .. ... 84/483.1 to a Sound recording of a piece of music or individually 2,271,772 A * 2/1942 Maffei..... ... 84/483.1 selected notes. 2,360,534 A * 10, 1944 Allen ........................ 84.483.1 2,406,946 A 9, 1946 Firestone .................. 84/423 R 3,369.439 A * 2, 1968 Burdet ...................... 84.483.1 17 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets /1 Aas AeA 3e 46 US 7,767,895 B2 Page 2 U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS Klavarscript example, example entered by examiner with 5.998,721 A * 12/1999 Lepinski .................... 84.483.2 Klavarscript in Nov. 4, 2007.* 6,124.540 A * 9/2000 Lotito 84.483.2 Wikipedia, article re Klavarskribo from internet at http://en. 6,388,181 B2 5/2002 Moe ......................... 84,477 R. wikipedia.org/wiki/Klavar (3 pages). 6,407.323 B1* 6/2002 Karapetian ................ 84,477 R. Excerpt from internet at http://www.soundonsound.com/sosul.04/ 6,476,303 B1 * 1 1/2002 Mutou et al. ... 84/483.2 images/cubaselkeyeditor. 1.jpg (1 page). 6,689,946 B2 2/2004 Funaki ........................ 84.478 Excerpt from internet at http://www.soundonsound.com/sosjan04/ 6,977.334 B2 * 12/2005 Kimbrough ................ 84.483.1 images/logicnotes2.1.jpg (1 page). 6,987.220 B2 * 1/2006 Holcombe ... 84/483.2 Excerpt from internet at http://www.soundonsound.com/sosul.05/ 7,148,414 B2 12/2006 Kestenbaum et al. imageSfcakewalk3.1.jpg (1 page). 7.212.213 B2 * 5/2007 Steinberg et al............. 345,589 Excerpt from internet at http://www.audioutilities.com/midi-se 7,378,585 B2 * 5/2008 McGregor ..... ... 84.600 quencer/midi-img/roll1.jpg (1 page). 7,439.438 B2 * 10/2008 Hao .......................... 84.483.2 Excerpt from internet at http://www.muse-Sequencer.org/pic/wiki/ 7,521,619 B2 * 4/2009 Salter ....................... 84,477 R. 2006/0107819 A1* 5, 2006 Salter ...... ... 84/470 R pianoroll.jpg (1 page). 2008/O141849 A1* 6/2008 Johnston .................... 84.483.2 Excerpt from internet at http://www.soundonsound.com/sosjan04/ 2008/0295670 A9* 12/2008 Egan ......................... 84.483.2 images/melodyne2edit.1.jpg (1 page). Excerpt from internet at http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov06/ OTHER PUBLICATIONS images/waves2tuneweird 1.jpg (1 page). Shoen, Julius, Shoen Musical Notation, (C) 2004, music oriented in columns and rows, with Supplemental columns. * cited by examiner U.S. Patent Aug. 3, 2010 Sheet 1 of 8 US 7,767,895 B2 U.S. Patent Aug. 3, 2010 Sheet 2 of 8 US 7,767,895 B2 | | | -----| || š IOOOOO T R s S. N-- s U.S. Patent Aug. 3, 2010 Sheet 3 of 8 US 7,767,895 B2 t w s N-- SJ S. U.S. Patent Aug. 3, 2010 Sheet 5 of 8 US 7,767,895 B2 o & is . s S wa's 8-- Š -: - Y : .. --- - -----------------a - Taaa--a-------- Y" . r: & Š- is s r Š S it. ty-& s - & : --- - - - - & & S. S. & & auw & U.S. Patent Aug. 3, 2010 Sheet 7 of 8 US 7,767,895 B2 as an 3. IS STIS IS IS IS ISS II ... H.PH Š ZT SS ISS...SSS"p SST. S.S. S. S. SIs Š H Ift it N -- S. S. S is - H.š Š EAAS S II - SS Š Š Š &Š S.SYS,EP II SyS. S. E. Š H.H.A.K. S. SSS HAHMSS. S. S. SSSSSSS SSSZ SS SS HAHSee S U.S. Patent Aug. 3, 2010 Sheet 8 of 8 US 7,767,895 B2 FIG. 8 ::aurrrrrrr-vrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnnº?;* ? No.ae,- TITTEIL a |×TTTTTTTTTTTTTTETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT-TIELIITEITS FIG. -------------------------------9 ------------------------------- -----------|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|--------------------------¬¬¬¬ US 7,767,895 B2 1. 2 MUSIC NOTATION SYSTEM accidental symbols for each and every sharp or flat note, but it presents yet another difficulty for someone learning to read CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED and play music—once again, not every note symbol neces APPLICATIONS sarily means what it indicates at first glance. The standard notation system uses various ways to indicate This application claims the benefit, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. the length of a note, or the duration of time for which it is to 119(e), of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/870,203, filed be held. For example, if the oval note symbol is solidly shaded on Dec. 15, 2006, and said provisional application is incor and has a vertical stem line, it indicates a quarter-note. A porated herein by reference in its entirety. similar notation but with the oval note symbol being 10 unshaded, denotes a half-note. An unshaded note symbol with FIELD OF THE INVENTION no stem line denotes a whole note, corresponding to the length of a bar. Notes of shorter duration than a quarter-note The present invention relates in general to music notation are indicated as for quarter-notes, but with one or two or more systems and methods for teaching students to play musical angled lines marked on the stem lines, with each angled line instruments. 15 indicating that the note length is to be half of what it would have been without the angled line. For instance, an eighth BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION note looks like a quarter-note with one angled line of the stem, a sixteenth-note looks like a quarter-note with two angled The standard system of music notation uses an upper (or lines, and so on. Another convention used in the standard treble) clef and a lower (or bass) clef, each clef having five notation system is to place a dot to the right of a note symbol, parallel horizontal lines, with each line and intervening space indicating that the note is to have a duration 50% greater than representing a specific note on the A-G scale, corresponding would otherwise have been suggested. For instance, a quarter to the white keys on a piano. To indicate that a particular note note with a dot beside it would have a duration equal to is to be played, an oval note symbol is centered on the line, or one-and-a-half quarter-notes. As the preceding examples marked in the space, corresponding to the desired note. When 25 illustrate, the standard music notation system incorporates a desired note does not come within either of the standard several different and non-intuitive conventions for indicating clefs, Supplemental spaced lines must be added above or note length, thus giving new students even more rules to below the appropriate clef, allowing the desired note to be remember as they learn to read music. marked on or adjacent to one of the added lines. A person The standard notation system uses a system of letters (e.g., reading the music thus notated can determine the identity of a 30 p.mf, Sf2, etc.) and symbols (e.g., for crescendos and accents) note above or below a clef with reference to the number of to indicate Sound intensity, or Volume.