US 20020096037A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2002/0096037 A1 Muller (43) Pub. Date Jul. 25, 2002 (54) COLOR-CODED MELODY TEXT AND 84/4831 METHOD OF TEACHING (76) Inventor: Richard Muller, Redondo Beach, CA (Us) (57) ABSTRACT Correspondence Address: COLIN PABRAHAMS 5850 CANOGA AVENUE A visually enhanced teaching text comprises a series of SUITE 400 Words to be sung, the series of Words having a plurality of WOODLAND HILLS, CA 91367 tropes each having a predetermined tune. The text also (21) Appl. No.: 09/769,862 includes symbols in the teXt indicative of the start and end of a trope, With at least some of the tropes being associated (22) Filed: Jan. 25, 2001 With a particular distinctive color so that each trope in the Publication Classi?cation series of Words is clearly distinguishable from surrounding tropes therein. The invention is also for a singing teaching (51) Im. c1? G09B 15/00 method using color coded backgrounds. TORAH TROPE by Rick Muller 2 1> 6b 6" I!’ b C 3 c c b 65 a v‘ ‘01 z} o 61 e1 6 )iMufnachj [El — nnch So!‘ Pu - sk b 5 A 0 ® MFI 6F F F D c. _ a-2.- in. idv1 muH897Au | lhmulmbm."lwhvIn‘?nll? zbl.iiH 1.6FJ ‘10l}?._cbm._._csivlmM ‘U. Illa!10hd‘.I»llF JIU.F _ G asFHHljpmlz“ . 14__ a a@ ll l2 ,yl' A5l:a la,.aa---bv a \Ii@vlwmw#0An.mbb‘11vC1:161 8.2P0 ,, r..1.wor_|.cLq/vm. n|| n.l v {40hmil1i; 1WvileFilla:6“ Aca:ill m?'voPIAllvli.v.® 1all lieiid a TiaQ2 o2 0 in»LK4R‘ilO l 1“AMla@Ta-amgilit .c>8 l--h Mcm 1-aq, 0z a laNd,v.ac. a0 mg .l5b allI46.‘0ala:m@ A i:LE1.011_..{H a - , F|lilm@Mlvi M90av_4.r l c 8mMll;w.Filoii?i40310.6 ana“do$0anda0a [56,MAv..III 14 aZ“MC Villa]!@||rL_a|||6lilel _( cRa \ FLM101Cl n.;la 2%C bC,WFlllllAvMP.NWe“$5\lUDHIAV .1.’ _flabC B IIIU.\0h.16anI103E D c0 {46%lalaILQ .:64A ._ F l .&i1m.vu._ .1. s c.m,@m11il 1. iabA 3J9 U.I rc :@DncFl,”{J0 Id Ia 0 . MM.:a.@w»mé0. M|nimpaMi,dTcMmcivvab4mg 11!lul?z| v T0M \f7 ll Nllge F!!!IllaI6263.. rm[Uc F 501' Pa - suk. Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 1 0f 4 US 2002/0096037 A1 Common tropes EQQIQQL 1 . Mercha J tipcha L_ L .J 2 . Munach __i etnachta )\ L A 3. Sof pasuk } 4 . Mapach < pashta q 4 q 5 . Munach J zakef-katon i J ; 6 . R’ vi—ee,§ munach 1’ garmeiQ I J 7 . Kaolmapl v’ azla r F ‘l 8 . DarqaS t’ vir J S J Less common tropes 9. Y’tiv 2 WW9“ 10. Gershayim H 11 . Zarka, segol .'. N 12 . T’ lisha k’ tana o\ 13. T’ lisha qj dola P 14 . Pazer Y 15 . Zak ef-gadol 16. Shalshelet (very rare) ; 17. Karnei Parah CIR/9’ 18. Yareach ben Yomo Y 19. Mercha Kefula § FIGURE 1 Patent Application Publication Jul. 25, 2002 Sheet 3 0f 4 US 2002/0096037 A1 HE:E...?r.” wlhmlllwsl 1535553: J;2 52515315.55?!lllI1l EwzzzEflil/ilJn<<<<<<<<<<<<.w?.. fmrmwwnfzri rMrHzchm“? US 2002/0096037 A1 Jul. 25, 2002 COLOR-CODED MELODY TEXT AND METHOD distinctive color so that each trope in the series of Words is OF TEACHING clearly distinguishable from surrounding tropes therein. FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE [0008] The teXt Within a trope may be highlighted by providing a contrast color background; the teXt Within a INVENTION trope may be comprised of a particular color; and/or the teXt [0001] This invention relates to color-coded melody text may be comprised of an outline or border and the inside of and a method for teaching melodies. The invention has the outline is ?lled With a selected color. particular application With respect to singing or chanting [0009] The teaching teXt may further comprise an associ religious or liturgical teXts Which form part of the services ated musical score sheet comprising the tune of a trope in in a JeWish synagogue or temple. musical notation form and color codings thereon corre [0002] Color-coding and/or other types of coding of teXt sponding to the distinctive color used in the teXt. are Well knoWn, especially in the area of teaching reading to [0010] In one form, the teXt is a sacred teXt selected from young learners. For example, US. Pat. No. 5,567,159 one or more of the Torah, Haftorah, and Megillot. The teXt (Tehan) teaches that various visual indicator members are may be contained Within a book, the teXt comprising appro provided to represent voWel letters and consonant letters of various types, With each visual indicator having a unique priate portions from the Torah, Haftorah, and/or Megillot for color characteristic. US. Pat. No. 4,299,577 (Marryman) a speci?c JeWish Sabbath or Holiday. discloses and invention Which is intended to help an early or [0011] According to another aspect of the invention, there beginning reader learn hoW to associate basic sounds of is provided a method of visually illustrating the melody of consonants and voWels by using a visual code. a teXt comprising a series of Words to be sung, the Words being comprised at least in part of a series of repetitive [0003] Among other patents using color as a teaching tropes With each trope having a predetermined tune, the method, US. Pat. No. 4,270,284 (Skellings) uses high speed method comprising: selecting a ?rst trope in the melody and electrical processing means such as a microcomputer system isolating each occurrence of the ?rst trope in the melody; for generating the language teXt and color emphasis, as Well highlighting each occurrence of the ?rst trope in the melody as the interrelationship therebetWeen. US. Pat. No. 3,715, With a distinctive color; and selecting and highlighting With 812 (Novak) uses a color coded system for letters of the English alphabet, and this is intended to help readers in the a distinctive color at least one other trope in the melody so pronunciation and reading of various Words. US. Pat. No. that the ?rst and each other trope Will stand out from 683,267 (Froehlich) teaches reading by having the syllables surrounding tropes in the melody. of a Word appearing in contrasting colors. [0012] In one aspect, this invention is directed toWard the teaching of songs and melodies by color-coding various [0004] Different methods for teaching music, although not Words and phrases in a teXt, With each color representing a using color speci?cally, are set out in US. Pat. Nos. 6,045, speci?c tune. The invention has a particular application and 363, 5,651,678 and 3,974,733. US. Pat. No. 3,771,409 uses use in the teaching of young J eWish students in their training color as a teaching device for properly locating ?ngerboard and notation regions. for Bar MitZvah and Bat MitZvah. It Will, hoWever, be appreciated that the invention is not intended to be limited to this speci?c application. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] In the J eWish religion, there are certain sacred teXts [0005] According to one aspect of the invention, there is Which are read during temple and synagogue services provided a method of teaching a melody for a series of throughout the year. Some of the most important of these Words to be sung, the melody and Words being comprised at teXts are: the “Torah”, Which consists of the ?rst ?ve books least in part of a series of repetitive tropes each having a of the Old Testament of the Bible (the ?ve Books of Moses) predetermined tune, the method comprising: selecting a ?rst and constitutes the holiest Writings of Judaism; the “Hafto trope in the melody and isolating each occurrence of the ?rst rah”, Which comprises various passages from the Book of trope in the melody; highlighting each occurrence of the ?rst the Prophets in the Old Testament; and the ?ve “Megillot” trope in the melody With a distinctive ?rst color; and (the ?ve special readings from Ruth, Esther, Song of Songs, selecting and highlighting With a distinctive different colors Ecclesiastes and Lamentations) On each Sabbath and Holi each occurrence of at least one other trope in the melody so day day during the year, a particular portion from the Torah that the ?rst and other tropes Will stand out from surrounding is read during services. Furthermore, each Torah portion has tropes in the melody. In one form, the series of Words an associated Haftorah, Which is read on the same day. comprise sacred teXt from the Torah, Haftorah and/or FolloWing the ancient traditions, the entire Torah is read, in Megillot. portions, over a period of a year, or every three years [0006] Preferably, each trope is highlighting by placing it (triennial cycle) and, at the end thereof, the cycle is repeated. on a background of a contrasting color. Further, all common tropes may be isolated and highlighted, each trope being [0014] It is traditional for every young JeWish boy or girl undergoing Bar or Bat MitZvah (Bar MitZvah is for the male highlighted With a different color. and means “son of the laW”, While Bat MitZvah is for the [0007] According to another aspect of te invention, there female and means “daughter of the laW”) to read at least a is provided a visually enhanced teaching teXt comprising a part of the selected Torah and Haftorah portion for the series of Words to be sung, the series of Words having a particular Sabbath or Holiday on Which the Bar or Bat plurality of tropes each having a predetermined tune, sym MitZvah occurs.