Karaoke device

Abstract

To provide a karaoke device capable of determining whether vibrato hammering on singing is included in karaoke singing.SOLUTION: A karaoke device having a singing technique determination part that determines that vibrato hammering on singing is occurring in a first note, if, a horizontal section, an ascending section, and vibrato section exist within the singing pitch detected in a period from the start timing of the pronunciation of the first note included in the reference data for karaoke music to the end timing of the pronunciation, and the value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of the negative section included in a vibrato section and / or the singing pitch at the start of a positive section included in the vibrato interval falls within the second predetermined range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a karaoke device. [Background technology]

[0002] The karaoke device is equipped with a scoring function for scoring the skill of karaoke singing by comparing singing voice data extracted from singing voice input by a microphone with reference data showing the main melody of the song performed as karaoke.

[0003] Some karaoke singers imitate the singing of professional singers and use special singing techniques such as shakuri, falls, fists, shouts, etc. Here, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that can identify so-called "hammer-on singing." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7194016 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a karaoke device capable of determining whether or not a karaoke performance includes vibrato hammer-on singing (described later). [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The inventor analyzed the singing pitch included in the singing voice signal judged to be a distinctive singing to the sense of hearing, and found that, in one note, there exists a horizontal section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is within a first predetermined range and continues for a first predetermined number or more, and immediately after the horizontal section, there exists an ascending section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a second predetermined number or more, and after the ascending section, there exists a negative section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is negative and continues for a third predetermined number or more, and a positive section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a fourth predetermined number or more, and the vibrato section in which the positive section is positive and continues for a fourth predetermined number or more alternately continues for a fifth predetermined number or more, and the value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of the negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of the positive section included in the vibrato section is within a second predetermined range. The present invention was completed based on this discovery, and is a technology that can judge this singing by detecting the pitch change unique to this singing.

[0007] This type of singing shows a similar transition in singing pitch (horizontal section, ascending section) to the hammer-on singing described in Patent Document 1, but the singing pitch after the ascending section shows a transition similar to the vibrato singing technique (a technique in karaoke singing in which the voice is shaken by slightly raising and lowering the pitch when sustaining a note), and therefore will be referred to as "vibrato hammer-on singing" hereinafter.

[0008] Specifically, the present invention for achieving the above object includes a singing pitch detection unit that detects a singing pitch for each predetermined section from a singing voice signal obtained by singing a karaoke piece, and a singing pitch detection unit that detects, in the singing pitch detected during a period from a sounding start timing to a sounding end timing of a note included in reference data of the karaoke piece, a horizontal section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is within a first predetermined range and continues for a first predetermined number of times or more, an upward section immediately after the horizontal section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a second predetermined number of times or more, and a rising section after the upward section. and a singing technique determination unit that determines that vibrato hammer-on singing is being performed for a note when there is a negative section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is negative and continues for a third predetermined number or more, and a vibrato section in which positive sections in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a fourth predetermined number or more, alternately continuing for a fifth predetermined number or more, and a value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of the negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of the positive section included in the vibrato section is within a second predetermined range. Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not a karaoke performance includes vibrato hammer-on singing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a karaoke device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a software configuration of a karaoke main unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 3A] 11 is a flowchart showing a process for determining vibrato hammer-on singing according to the embodiment. [Figure 3B]11 is a flowchart showing a process for determining vibrato hammer-on singing according to the embodiment. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing singing pitch and pitch difference according to the embodiment. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing singing pitch and pitch difference according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between one note and a singing pitch according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] <Embodiment> A karaoke device 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0012] ==Karaoke Equipment== The karaoke device 1 is a device for performing karaoke and for singers to sing karaoke. The karaoke device 1 registers karaoke songs selected by singers in a reservation queue and performs karaoke in order. As shown in Fig. 1, the karaoke device 1 includes a karaoke main unit 10, a speaker 20, a display device 30, a microphone 40, and a remote control device 50.

[0013] The speaker 20 is configured to emit sound based on a sound emission signal from the karaoke main unit 10. The display device 30 is configured to display videos and images on a screen based on a signal from the karaoke main unit 10. The microphone 40 is configured to convert the singer's singing voice (voice input to the microphone 40) into an analog singing voice signal and input it to the karaoke main unit 10. The remote control device 50 is a device for performing various operations on the karaoke main unit 10. The singer can use the remote control device 50 to select a karaoke song that he or she wishes to sing. The display screen of the remote control device 50 displays icons and the like for inputting instructions for various operations.

[0014] The karaoke main unit 10 performs various controls related to karaoke singing, such as controlling the performance of the selected karaoke piece, controlling the display of lyrics and background images, and processing singing voice signals input through a microphone 40. As shown in Fig. 1, the karaoke main unit 10 comprises a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a storage unit 13, an audio processing unit 14, a display processing unit 15, and an operation unit 16. Each component is connected to a bus B via an interface (not shown).

[0015] The control unit 11 includes a CPU 11a and a memory 11b. The CPU 11a executes operation programs stored in the memory 11b to realize various control functions. The memory 11b is a storage device that stores the programs executed by the CPU 11a and temporarily stores various information when the programs are executed.

[0016] The communication section 12 provides an interface for connecting the karaoke machine 10 to a communication line via a router (not shown).

[0017] The storage unit 13 is a large-capacity storage device that stores various data, such as a hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 13 stores data of a plurality of songs to be used by the karaoke device 1 to perform karaoke.

[0018] The song data is assigned a song ID for identifying each karaoke song. The song data includes accompaniment data, reference data, etc. The accompaniment data is the data that is the source of the karaoke performance sound. The accompaniment data includes information indicating the tempo at which the karaoke is performed. A predetermined tempo value is set for each song. The reference data is data used as a standard for scoring a singer's karaoke singing. The reference data is made up of a number of notes, and a predetermined pitch (i.e., a reference pitch) is set for each note.

[0019] The memory unit 13 also stores lyric subtitle data for displaying lyrics corresponding to each karaoke song on the display device 30, etc., background image data such as background images to be displayed on the display device 30, etc. during karaoke performance, performance time data indicating the karaoke performance time for each song, and song attribute information (information related to the song such as the singer's name, lyricist / composer's name, genre, etc.).

[0020] The sound processor 14 controls the performance of the karaoke music piece and processes the singing voice signal input through the microphone 40 under the control of the controller 11. The display processor 15 performs various processes related to the display on the display device 30 and the remote controller 50 under the control of the controller 11. For example, the display processor 15 controls the display device 30 to display an image in which lyrics subtitles and various icons are superimposed on a background image during the performance of the karaoke music piece. Alternatively, the display processor 15 displays various icons for operation input on the display screen of the remote controller 50. The operation unit 16 is composed of a panel switch and a remote controller receiving circuit, and outputs operation signals such as a song selection signal and a performance stop signal to the controller 11 in response to the operation of the panel switch of the karaoke device 1 or the remote controller 50 by the singer. The controller 11 detects the operation signal from the operation unit 16 and executes the corresponding process.

[0021] (Software configuration) 2 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the karaoke main unit 10. The karaoke main unit 10 includes a singing pitch detection unit 100, a singing technique judgment unit 200, a presentation unit 300, and a scoring processing unit 400. The singing pitch detection unit 100, the singing technique judgment unit 200, the presentation unit 300, and the scoring processing unit 400 are realized by the CPU 11a executing programs stored in the memory 11b.

[0022] [Singing pitch detection section] The singing pitch detection section 100 detects the singing pitch for each predetermined section from a singing voice signal obtained by singing a karaoke piece.

[0023] Specifically, the singing pitch detection unit 100 analyzes the singing voice signal to detect the singing pitch. The singing pitch is detected sample by sample in time series in frame units of a predetermined time length (for example, 20 msec). The singing pitch detection unit 100 sequentially outputs the detected singing pitch to the singing technique determination unit 200. Note that the singing pitch may be detected sequentially as the karaoke piece is sung, or may be detected all at once after the singing of one karaoke piece has been completed. That is, in this embodiment, a frame of 20 msec length corresponds to the predetermined section in the singing pitch detection.

[0024] [Singing technique judgment department] The singing technique determination unit 200 determines that vibrato hammer-on singing is being performed for a note when a horizontal section, an ascending section, and a vibrato section are present in the singing pitch detected during the period from the start timing to the end timing of the pronunciation of a note included in the reference data of a karaoke song, and when a value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of a negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of a positive section included in the vibrato section is within a second predetermined range.

[0025] A horizontal section is a section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is within a first predetermined range and continues for a first predetermined number or more. The first predetermined range is the allowable deviation between two consecutive singing pitches when specifying a horizontal section. The first predetermined number is the minimum number of consecutive pitch differences that are included within the predetermined range when specifying a horizontal section. The first predetermined range and the first predetermined number are preset to arbitrary values ​​according to the degree of vibrato hammer-on singing to be judged. For example, the first predetermined range is ±1 cent to ±10 cents, and the first predetermined number is 3 to 8.

[0026] The ascending section is a section immediately following a horizontal section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a second predetermined number or more. The second predetermined number is the minimum number of consecutive positive pitch differences required to identify an ascending section. The second predetermined number is set to an arbitrary value in advance depending on the degree of vibrato hammer-on singing to be determined. For example, the second predetermined number is 3 to 8. In the ascending section, the singing pitch rises from the starting singing pitch to the ending singing pitch (i.e., the value of the singing pitch increases).

[0027] The vibrato section is a section in which negative and positive sections alternately continue for a fifth predetermined number or more after the ascending section. The first section of the vibrato section may be either a negative section or a positive section. If the first section of the vibrato section is a negative section, the vibrato section may start immediately after the ascending section.

[0028] A negative section is a section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is negative and continues for a third predetermined number of times or more. A positive section is a section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a fourth predetermined number of times or more.

[0029] The third predetermined number is the minimum number of consecutive negative pitch differences to identify a negative section. The third predetermined number is set to an arbitrary value in advance depending on the degree of vibrato hammer-on singing to be determined. For example, the third predetermined number is 3 to 8. In a negative section, the singing pitch drops from the starting singing pitch to the ending singing pitch (i.e., the singing pitch value becomes smaller).

[0030] The fourth predetermined number is the minimum number of consecutive positive pitch differences to identify a positive section. The fourth predetermined number is set to an arbitrary value in advance depending on the degree of vibrato hammer-on singing to be determined. For example, the fourth predetermined number is 3 to 8. In a positive section, the singing pitch rises from the starting singing pitch to the ending singing pitch (i.e., the singing pitch value becomes larger).

[0031] The fifth predetermined number is the minimum number of alternating consecutive minus and plus sections when identifying a vibrato section. The fifth predetermined number is preset to an arbitrary value according to the degree of vibrato hammer-on singing to be judged. For example, the fifth predetermined number is 3 to 8.

[0032] The value obtained based on the singing pitch at the start of a negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of a positive section included in a vibrato section is a value for judging whether or not a vibrato hammer-on is being sung for one note. The value may be, for example, a statistical quantity such as the average singing pitch at the start of a negative section, a maximum or minimum value among the singing pitches at the start of a plurality of negative sections, a statistical quantity such as the average singing pitch at the start of a positive section, or a maximum or minimum value among the singing pitches at the start of a plurality of positive sections. Alternatively, the value may be a statistical quantity such as the average singing pitch at the start of a negative section and a singing pitch at the start of a positive section, or a maximum or minimum value among the singing pitches at the start of a plurality of negative sections and a singing pitch at the start of a positive section.

[0033] The second predetermined range is a range for determining whether or not a vibrato hammer-on singing is performed for a note. The second predetermined range is set in advance to an arbitrary range according to the degree of vibrato hammer-on singing to be determined. For example, the second predetermined range is ±30 cents with respect to the reference pitch of a note.

[0034] Here, the process of determining whether or not singing is vibrato hammer-on will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 3A to Fig. 4B. Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B are flow charts showing the process of determining whether or not singing is vibrato hammer-on. Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B are diagrams showing the singing pitch for each predetermined section detected by analyzing the singing voice signal obtained by singing karaoke piece X, and the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches. In the examples of Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B, the pitch difference is shown in cents.

[0035] ==Note Specific== First, the singing technique determination unit 200 identifies one note for determining whether or not the singing is vibrato hammer-on (identifying one note; step 10). The determination of whether or not the singing is vibrato hammer-on is performed for each note. The note can be identified by referring to the reference data of karaoke X. In this example, note N is identified as the one note.

[0036] ==Singing pitch extraction== Next, the singing technique determination unit 200 extracts the singing pitch detected in the period from the pronunciation start timing to the pronunciation end timing of the identified one note in time series (extraction of singing pitch for one note; step 11). The detection of the singing pitch is performed by the singing pitch detection unit 100.

[0037] The pronunciation start timing indicates the time when pronunciation should start when singing a note. The pronunciation start timing of a note corresponds to the elapsed time until the note, assuming that the time when the karaoke song starts to be performed is 0. The pronunciation end timing indicates the time when pronunciation should end when singing a note. In this example, it is assumed that singing pitches P(1) to P(n) detected in the period from the pronunciation start timing to the pronunciation end timing of note N are extracted.

[0038] ==Calculating the Pitch Difference== Next, the singing style determining section 200 calculates the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches, starting from the first pitch extracted in step 11 (calculating the pitch difference; step 12).

[0039] Specifically, the singing technique judgment unit 200 calculates the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches starting from pitch P(1). For example, the singing technique judgment unit 200 obtains the pitch difference Pd(1) between singing pitch P(1) and singing pitch P(2). Here, the pitch Pd(x) is calculated as P(x+1)-P(x), and so on.

[0040] ==Identifying the rising section== Next, the singing style determining section 200 identifies an ascending section.

[0041] First, the singing technique judgment unit 200 checks the pitch difference calculated in step 12 from the beginning of one note, and if there are a second predetermined number or more consecutive positive pitch differences among the pitch differences included in the period from the start of the pronunciation period of one note to the pronunciation end timing, it determines the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used when calculating the multiple positive pitch differences as the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section (determines the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section; step 13).

[0042] Next, if there is a pitch difference that is 0 or negative in the period after the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, the singing technique judgment unit 200 determines the singing pitch closer to the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the pitch difference as the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section (determines the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section; step 14).

[0043] Then, if the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section is equal to or greater than a predetermined value relative to the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, the singing technique determination unit 200 identifies the section from the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section to the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section as the ascending section (identifying the ascending section; step 15).

[0044] The predetermined value is a value for judging whether or not a section from one singing pitch to another corresponds to an ascending section of vibrato hammer-on singing. The predetermined value is set in advance to an arbitrary value according to the degree of vibrato hammer-on singing to be judged. For example, the predetermined value is +60 cents to +100 cents.

[0045] Specifically, the singing technique determination unit 200 checks the calculated pitch difference from the beginning of note N, and checks whether the positive pitch difference occurs consecutively for a second predetermined number of times or more. In this example, the second predetermined number is set to "3".

[0046] For example, as shown in Fig. 4A, the pitch difference Pd(n-50) and the pitch difference Pd(n-49) are positive values, but the pitch difference Pd(n-48) is 0. In this case, the singing technique determination unit 200 resets the count and checks again, starting from the pitch difference Pd(n-47), whether or not there are a predetermined number of consecutive positive pitch differences.

[0047] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 4A, there are nine consecutive positive values ​​from the pitch difference Pd(n-38) to the pitch difference Pd(n-30). In this case, the singing technique judging unit 200 judges that the number of consecutive positive pitch differences is equal to or exceeds the second predetermined number. As in this example, the singing technique judging unit 200 counts consecutive positive values ​​regardless of the second predetermined number.

[0048] The singing technique judgment unit 200 determines the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used when calculating the multiple positive pitch differences (i.e., singing pitch P(n-39)) as the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section RZ (at this point, the tentative singing pitch at the start of the ascending section RZ).

[0049] Next, the singing style judgment unit 200 checks whether there is a pitch difference that is 0 or negative in the period after the singing pitch P(n-39) at the start of the ascending section RZ. In this example, the pitch difference Pd(n-29) has a negative value as shown in FIG. 4B.

[0050] In this case, the singing technique judgment unit 200 determines that of the two singing pitches (P(n-30) and P(n-29)) used when calculating the pitch difference Pd(n-29), the singing pitch P(n-30) that is closer to the beginning of note N is the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section RZ (at this point, the tentative singing pitch at the end of the ascending section RZ).

[0051] Furthermore, the singing style determination unit 200 checks whether the singing pitch P(n-30) at the end of the rising section RZ is greater than or equal to a predetermined value relative to the singing pitch P(n-39) at the start of the rising section RZ. In this example, the predetermined value is set to "+80 cents."

[0052] 4A, the singing pitch P(n-30) at the end of the ascending section RZ has a value of 6001 cents, and the singing pitch P(n-39) at the start of the ascending section RZ has a value of 5813 cents. In other words, the singing pitch P(n-30) at the end of the ascending section RZ is greater than the singing pitch P(n-39) at the start of the ascending section RZ by a predetermined value.

[0053] In this case, the singing style determining section 200 identifies the section from the singing pitch P(n-39) at the start of the upward section RZ to the singing pitch P(n-30) at the end of the upward section RZ as the upward section RZ.

[0054] ==Identifying horizontal intervals== Next, the singing style determining section 200 identifies horizontal sections.

[0055] First, the singing technique judgment unit 200 checks the calculated pitch differences toward the beginning of a note in the period before the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section identified in step 15, and if there are a first predetermined number or more consecutive pitch differences that are within a first predetermined range, it determines the singing pitch that is farthest from the beginning among the singing pitches used when calculating the multiple pitch differences as the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section (determines the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section; step 16).

[0056] Next, if there is a pitch difference outside a third predetermined range in the period before the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section, the singing technique judgment unit 200 determines the singing pitch furthest from the beginning of the two singing pitches used when calculating the pitch difference outside the third predetermined range as the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section (determines the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section; step 17).

[0057] The third predetermined range is a range for judging whether a certain singing pitch corresponds to the singing pitch at the start of a horizontal section of vibrato hammer-on singing. The third predetermined range is preset to an arbitrary range according to the degree of vibrato hammer-on singing to be judged. For example, the third predetermined range is ±5 cents.

[0058] Then, if the difference between the highest and lowest singing pitches from the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section to the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section is within a fourth predetermined range, the singing technique judgment unit 200 identifies the section from the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section to the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section as the horizontal section (identifying the horizontal section; step 18).

[0059] The fourth predetermined range is a value for judging whether a section from one singing pitch to another corresponds to a horizontal section of vibrato hammer-on singing. The fourth predetermined range is preset to an arbitrary value according to the degree of vibrato hammer-on singing to be judged. For example, the fourth predetermined range is ±10 cents.

[0060] Specifically, the singing technique determination unit 200 checks the calculated pitch difference toward the beginning of note N during the period before the singing pitch P(n-39) at the beginning of the identified ascending section RZ, and determines whether or not the pitch difference within the first predetermined range continues for a first predetermined number or more. In this example, the first predetermined range is "±5 cents" and the first predetermined number is "6".

[0061] As shown in Fig. 4A, there are seven consecutive pitch differences within the first predetermined range (±5 cents) from the pitch difference Pd(n-39) that was first determined to be within the first predetermined range to the pitch difference Pd(n-45) in the period before the singing pitch P(n-39) at the start of the identified rising section RZ. In this example, the rising section RZ and the horizontal section HZ are continuous. In this case, the singing technique determination unit 200 can determine the singing pitch P(n-39) that is the furthest from the beginning of the note N among the singing pitches used when calculating the pitch difference Pd(n-45) to the pitch difference Pd(n-39) as the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section HZ (at this point, the tentative singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section HZ).

[0062] Next, the singing style determination unit 200 checks whether there is a pitch difference that falls outside the third predetermined range before the singing pitch P(n-39) at the end of the horizontal section HZ. In this example, the third predetermined range is assumed to be "±5 cents."

[0063] 4A, in the period before the singing pitch P(n-39), the pitch difference Pd(n-46) is outside the third predetermined range. In this case, the singing technique judgment unit 200 determines the singing pitch P(n-46), which is the farthest from the beginning of the note N, of the two singing pitches P(n-47) and P(n-46) used in calculating the pitch difference Pd(n-46), as the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section HZ (at this point, the tentative singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section HZ).

[0064] Furthermore, the singing style judgment unit 200 checks whether the difference between the highest pitch and the lowest pitch among the singing pitches from the singing pitch P(n-46) at the start of the horizontal section HZ to the singing pitch P(n-39) at the end of the horizontal section HZ is within a fourth predetermined range. In this example, the fourth predetermined range is set to "±10 cents."

[0065] 4A, among the singing pitches from the singing pitch P(n-46) at the start of the horizontal section HZ to the singing pitch P(n-39) at the end of the horizontal section HZ, the difference between the highest pitch (5816 cents) and the lowest pitch (5813 cents) is 3 cents. In other words, the difference between the highest pitch and the lowest pitch is within the fourth predetermined range.

[0066] In this case, the singing style determining section 200 identifies the section from the singing pitch P(n-46) at the start of the horizontal section HZ to the singing pitch P(n-39) at the end of the horizontal section HZ as the horizontal section HZ.

[0067] ==Identifying the vibrato section== Next, the singing technique determining section 200 identifies a vibrato section.

[0068] First, the singing technique judgment unit 200 checks the calculated pitch differences toward the rear of a note in the period after the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section identified in step 15, and if there are a third predetermined number or more consecutive negative pitch differences, it determines the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used when calculating the multiple negative pitch differences as the singing pitch at the start of the negative section (determines the singing pitch at the start of the negative section; step 19).

[0069] Next, if there is a positive pitch difference in the period after the singing pitch at the start of the negative section, the singing technique judgment unit 200 identifies the negative section by setting the singing pitch closer to the beginning of the two singing pitches used to calculate the positive pitch difference as the singing pitch at the end of the negative section (the negative section is identified by determining the singing pitch at the end of the negative section; step 20).

[0070] Next, the singing technique judgment unit 200 checks the calculated pitch differences backwards from one note in the period after the singing pitch at the end of the upward section identified in step 15, and if there are a fourth predetermined number or more consecutive positive pitch differences, it determines the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used when calculating the multiple positive pitch differences as the singing pitch at the start of the positive section (determines the singing pitch at the start of the positive section; step 21).

[0071] Next, if there is a negative pitch difference in the period after the singing pitch at the start of the positive section, the singing technique judgment unit 200 identifies the positive section by setting the singing pitch closer to the beginning of the two singing pitches used when calculating the negative pitch difference as the singing pitch at the end of the positive section (the positive section is identified by determining the singing pitch at the end of the positive section; step 22).

[0072] Furthermore, when negative sections and positive sections alternate and continue for a fifth predetermined number or more, the singing technique determination unit 200 identifies the section from the singing pitch at the start of the first identified negative section or positive section to the singing pitch at the end of the last identified negative section or positive section as a vibrato section (identification of vibrato section; step 23).

[0073] Specifically, the singing technique determination unit 200 checks the calculated pitch difference from the end of the specified rising section RZ toward the end of the note N, and determines whether or not the negative pitch difference continues for a third predetermined number of times or more. In this example, the third predetermined number is assumed to be "4".

[0074] As shown in Fig. 4B, there are five consecutive negative values ​​from the pitch difference Pd(n-29) to the pitch difference Pd(n-25). In this case, the singing technique judging unit 200 judges that the number of consecutive negative pitch differences is equal to or exceeds the third predetermined number. As in this example, the singing technique judging unit 200 continues counting when there are consecutive negative values, regardless of the third predetermined number.

[0075] The singing technique determination unit 200 determines the singing pitch P(n-30) closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used when calculating the multiple negative pitch differences as the singing pitch at the start of the negative section MZ1 (at this point, the tentative singing pitch at the start of the negative section MZ1).

[0076] Next, the singing style judgment unit 200 checks whether there is a positive pitch difference in the period after the singing pitch P(n-30) at the start of the negative section MZ1. In this example, the pitch difference Pd(n-24) is a positive value, as shown in FIG. 4B.

[0077] In this case, the singing technique judgment unit 200 determines the singing pitch P(n-25), which is closer to the beginning of note N, of the two singing pitches (P(n-25) and P(n-24)) used when calculating the pitch difference Pd(n-24), as the singing pitch at the end of the negative section MZ1, and thereby identifies the section from singing pitch P(n-30) to singing pitch P(n-25) as the negative section MZ1.

[0078] Next, the singing technique judging unit 200 checks the calculated pitch difference from the end of the specified rising section RZ toward the back of the note N, and judges whether or not the positive pitch difference continues for a fourth predetermined number or more. In this example, the fourth predetermined number is assumed to be "4".

[0079] As shown in Fig. 4B, there are five consecutive positive values ​​from the pitch difference Pd(n-24) to the pitch difference Pd(n-20). In this case, the singing technique judging unit 200 judges that the number of consecutive positive pitch differences is equal to or exceeds the fourth predetermined number. Note that, as in this example, the singing technique judging unit 200 continues counting when there are consecutive negative values, regardless of the fourth predetermined number.

[0080] The singing technique judgment unit 200 determines the singing pitch P(n-25) closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used when calculating the multiple positive pitch differences as the singing pitch at the start of the positive section PZ1 (at this point, the tentative singing pitch at the start of the positive section PZ1).

[0081] Next, the singing style judgment unit 200 checks whether there is a negative pitch difference in the period after the singing pitch P(n-25) at the start of the positive section PZ1. In this example, the pitch difference Pd(n-19) is a negative value, as shown in FIG. 4B.

[0082] In this case, the singing technique judgment unit 200 determines the singing pitch P(n-20), which is closer to the beginning of note N, of the two singing pitches (P(n-20) and P(n-19)) used when calculating the pitch difference Pd(n-19), as the singing pitch at the end of the positive section PZ1, and thereby identifies the section from singing pitch P(n-25) to singing pitch P(n-20) as the positive section PZ1.

[0083] After that, the singing style judgment unit 200 checks whether or not the negative and positive sections continue alternately for a fifth predetermined number or more. In this example, the fifth predetermined number is assumed to be "3".

[0084] As shown in FIG. 4B, in this example, by repeatedly performing the same process as above, a negative section MZ1-MZ3 and a positive section PZ1-PZ3 are specified by the time sound production of note N ends.

[0085] Therefore, the singing technique judgment unit 200 judges that the negative and positive sections alternately continue for a fifth predetermined number or more. The singing technique judgment unit 200 specifies the section from the singing pitch P(n-30) at the start of the first identified negative section MZ1 to the singing pitch P(n) at the end of the last identified positive section PZ3 as the vibrato section VZ.

[0086] == Vibrato Hammer-on Singing Judgment == If the value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of the negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of the positive section included in the vibrato section identified in step 23 is within a second predetermined range, the singing technique determination unit 200 determines that vibrato hammer-on singing is being performed for the identified note (determines vibrato hammer-on singing; step 24).

[0087] Specifically, the singing technique determination unit 200 checks whether the average singing pitch at the start of the minus sections MZ1 to MZ3 included in the vibrato section VZ is within a second predetermined range. In this example, the second predetermined range is "±30 cents from the reference pitch of one note." Also, the reference pitch of note N is 6000 cents.

[0088] 4B, the average singing pitch at the start of the minus sections MZ1 to MZ3 is 6005 cents. In other words, the average singing pitch at the start of the minus sections is within the second predetermined range.

[0089] Therefore, the singing technique determination unit 200 determines that the identified note N is sung with vibrato hammer-on.

[0090] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the relationship between note N and singing pitch. In Fig. 5, the pitch of note N (reference pitch) is indicated by pitch Pn. Also, start time Ts is the timing when note N starts to be sounded, and end time Te is the timing when note N ends to be sounded. The vertical axis in Fig. 5 indicates singing pitch, and the horizontal axis indicates time.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 5, a horizontal section HZ, an up section RZ, and a vibrato section VZ (negative sections MZ1-MZ3 and positive sections PZ1-PZ3) are included between the start time Ts and the end time Te of note N, and the average singing pitch at the start of the negative sections MZ1-MZ3 included in the vibrato section VZ is within the second predetermined range. In other words, it can be said that vibrato hammer-on singing is being performed for note N. Note that it is sufficient to include a part of a horizontal section in order to determine that vibrato hammer-on singing has been performed for note N. Also, it is sufficient to include a fifth predetermined number or more of alternating negative sections and positive sections in order to determine that vibrato hammer-on singing has been performed for note N, and it is not necessary for the number of negative sections and positive sections included in the vibrato section to be the same. Furthermore, it may be possible to check whether the average value of the singing pitch at the start of the negative section included in the vibrato section and the singing pitch at the start of the positive section is within a second predetermined range, or it may be possible to check whether the average value of the singing pitch at the start of the positive section included in the vibrato section is within a second predetermined range.

[0092] [Presentation part] The presenting unit 300 presents the result of the judgment made by the singing technique judging unit 200 to the singer. For example, when a judgment result indicating that vibrato hammer-on singing of note N has been performed is input, the presenting unit 300 can display an icon indicating that vibrato hammer-on singing has been performed near the guide melody image corresponding to note N displayed on the display device 30. The guide melody image is an image that displays the melody of a karaoke piece to support the singer in singing karaoke. A known method can be used to display the guide melody image (for example, see JP 2004-205817 A).

[0093] The presentation unit 300 may display only an icon indicating that the vibrato hammer-on has been sung, regardless of the guide melody image. Alternatively, the presentation unit 300 may notify the user of the vibrato hammer-on's singing by using sounds (applause, cheers, etc.) via the speaker 20, instead of displaying an icon indicating that the vibrato hammer-on has been sung.

[0094] [Scoring Processing Section] The scoring processor 400 compares the singing voice signal obtained by singing a karaoke piece with the reference data of the karaoke piece to calculate a score. The scoring processor 400 may use a known method for the process of calculating the score. For example, the scoring processor 400 performs a scoring process on the accuracy of the singing pitch based on the singing voice signal input from the microphone 40 and the standard pitch based on the reference data.

[0095] Here, in the scoring processing unit 400 according to this embodiment, when the scoring result of a note is judged to be a failure and when a vibrato hammer-on singing is performed for that note, the scoring processing unit 400 judges the scoring result of that note to be a pass.

[0096] As shown in Fig. 5, vibrato hammer-on singing is likely to fail a typical scoring process because the difference between the reference pitch of the note and the singing pitch is large. Therefore, even if the scoring result of a note is failed, if the singing technique judgment unit 200 judges that vibrato hammer-on singing was performed for that note, the scoring processing unit 400 judges that the note as passing.

[0097] As is clear from the above, the karaoke device 1 according to this embodiment includes a singing pitch detection section 100 that detects a singing pitch for each predetermined section from a singing voice signal obtained by singing a karaoke piece, and a singing pitch detection section 201 that detects, in the singing pitch detected during the period from the sounding start timing to the sounding end timing of a note included in the reference data of the karaoke piece, a horizontal section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is within a first predetermined range and continues for a first predetermined number of times or more, and immediately after the horizontal section, an upward section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a second predetermined number of times or more, and and a singing technique determination section 200 for determining that vibrato hammer-on singing is being performed for the one note when, after the ascending section, there is a negative section in which the pitch difference between two successive singing pitches is negative and continues for a third predetermined number or more, and a vibrato section in which the pitch difference between two successive singing pitches is positive and continues for a fourth predetermined number or more, and a value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of the negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of the positive section included in the vibrato section is within a second predetermined range. With this karaoke device 1, it is possible to determine whether vibrato hammer-on singing is included in the karaoke singing.

[0098] More specifically, the singing technique judgment unit 200 identifies a note, extracts singing pitches detected in a period from the sounding start timing to the sounding end timing of the identified note in chronological order, calculates a pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches starting from the first extracted pitch, checks the calculated pitch difference from the beginning of the note, and if there are a second predetermined number or more consecutive positive pitch differences among the pitch differences included in the period from the sounding start timing to the sounding end timing of the sounding period of the note, sets the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used in calculating the multiple positive pitch differences as the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, and if there is a pitch difference that is 0 or negative in the period after the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, sets the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the pitch difference as the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section, and if the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section is a predetermined value or more higher than the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, sets the section from the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section to the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section as the ascending section. and in the period before the singing pitch at the start of the identified ascending section, the calculated pitch difference is checked toward the beginning of the one note, and if there are a first predetermined number or more consecutive pitch differences that are within the first predetermined range, the singing pitch farthest from the beginning of the singing pitches used in calculating the multiple pitch differences is set as the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section. If there is a pitch difference outside the third predetermined range in the period before the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section, the singing pitch farthest from the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the pitch difference outside the third predetermined range is set as the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section. If the difference between the highest pitch and the lowest pitch of the singing pitches from the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section to the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section is within a fourth predetermined range, the section from the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section to the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section is identified as the horizontal section, and in the period after the singing pitch at the end of the identified ascending section, the calculated pitch difference is checked toward the rear of the one note, and if there are a third predetermined number or more consecutive negative pitch differences,The singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used in calculating the multiple negative pitch differences is set as the singing pitch at the start of the negative section, and if there is a positive pitch difference in the period after the singing pitch at the start of the negative section, the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the positive pitch difference is set as the singing pitch at the end of the negative section to identify the negative section, and in the period after the singing pitch at the end of the identified upward section, the calculated pitch differences are checked toward the rear of one note, and if there are a fourth predetermined number or more consecutive positive pitch differences, the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used in calculating the multiple positive pitch differences is set as the singing pitch at the start of the positive section, and If there is a negative pitch difference in the period after the singing pitch, the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the negative pitch difference is set as the singing pitch at the end of the positive section to identify the positive section, and if negative and positive sections continue alternately for a fifth predetermined number or more, the section from the singing pitch at the start of the first identified negative or positive section to the singing pitch at the end of the last identified negative or positive section is identified as a vibrato section, and if a value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of the negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of the positive section included in the identified vibrato section is within a second predetermined range, it is determined that vibrato hammer-on singing is being performed for one note. With this karaoke device 1, it is possible to determine whether or not vibrato hammer-on singing is included in karaoke singing.

[0099] Furthermore, the karaoke device 1 according to the present embodiment has a scoring processor 400 that, when the scoring result of a note is determined to be "fail" and when the vibrato hammer-on singing is performed for the note, judges the scoring result of the note to be "pass." With such a karaoke device, it is possible to avoid a situation where the scoring result does not reflect the singing technique of vibrato hammer-on singing, even though the singing technique is used.

[0100] <Other> In the above embodiment, when identifying a horizontal section, the calculated pitch difference is checked toward the beginning of a note in the period before the identified upward section, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0101] For example, the singing technique judging unit 200 checks the calculated pitch differences in sequence from the beginning of a note during the period before the identified rising section, and if there are more than a first predetermined number of consecutive pitch differences within the first predetermined range, it sets the singing pitch closest to the beginning used when calculating the multiple pitch differences as the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section. Also, if there is a pitch difference outside a third predetermined range during the period after the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section, the singing technique judging unit 200 can specify the horizontal section by setting the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the two singing pitches used when calculating the pitch difference outside the third predetermined range as the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section.

[0102] Alternatively, the singing style determining section 200 may first identify the flat section and then identify the ascending section.

[0103] Specifically, the singing technique judging unit 200 checks the calculated pitch differences from the beginning of a note, and if there are more than a first predetermined number of consecutive pitch differences within the first predetermined range, it sets the singing pitch closest to the beginning used in calculating the multiple pitch differences as the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section, and if there is a pitch difference outside the third predetermined range in the period after the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section, it sets the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the pitch difference outside the third predetermined range as the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section. If the difference between the highest pitch and the lowest pitch of the singing pitches from the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section to the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section is within a fourth predetermined range, the singing technique judging unit 200 specifies the section from the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section to the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section as the horizontal section.

[0104] In the period after the singing pitch at the end of the identified horizontal section, if there are a second predetermined number or more consecutive positive pitch differences among the pitch differences included in the period from the start of pronunciation of one note to the pronunciation end timing, the singing technique determination unit 200 determines the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used in calculating the positive pitch differences as the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, and if there is a zero or negative pitch difference in the period after the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, the singing technique determination unit 200 determines the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the pitch difference as the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section. If the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section is a predetermined value or more higher than the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, the singing technique determination unit 200 determines the section from the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section to the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section as the ascending section.

[0105] It is also possible to provide the process of identifying and judging the vibrato hammer-on singing described in the above embodiment as a program. For example, the program causes a computer (e.g., a karaoke device) to detect the singing pitch for each predetermined section from a singing voice signal obtained by singing a karaoke song, and to detect, among the singing pitches detected during the period from the start timing to the end timing of the pronunciation of one note included in the reference data of the karaoke song, a horizontal section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is within a first predetermined range and continues for more than a first predetermined number of times, and a rising section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for more than a second predetermined number of times immediately after the horizontal section. When there is a vibrato section following the ascending section, in which a negative section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is negative and continues for a third predetermined number or more, and a positive section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a fourth predetermined number or more, alternatingly continuing for a fifth predetermined number or more, and a value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of the negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of the positive section included in the vibrato section is within a second predetermined range, it is determined that vibrato hammer-on singing is being performed for that one note.

[0106] The program can also be supplied to a computer using a non-transitory computer readable medium with an executable program thereon. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable medium include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), etc.

[0107] The above embodiment is presented as an example, and does not limit the scope of the invention. The above configurations can be implemented in appropriate combinations, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The above embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as the scope and gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1 Karaoke equipment 10 Karaoke unit 11 Control section 100 Singing pitch detection section 200 Singing Technique Judgment Department 300 Presentation section 400 Scoring Processing Unit

Claims

1. a singing pitch detection unit that detects a singing pitch for each predetermined section from a singing voice signal obtained by singing a karaoke piece; a singing technique determination unit which determines that vibrato hammer-on singing is being performed for a note when the singing pitch detected during the period from the sounding start timing to the sounding end timing of a note included in the reference data of the karaoke piece includes a horizontal section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is within a first predetermined range and continues for a first predetermined number of times or more, and immediately after the horizontal section, an upward section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a second predetermined number of times or more, and after the upward section, a negative section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is negative and continues for a third predetermined number of times or more, and a positive section in which the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches is positive and continues for a fourth predetermined number of times or more, alternately continuing for a fifth predetermined number of times or more, and a value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of the negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of the positive section included in the vibrato section is within a second predetermined range; A karaoke device having the following features:

2. The singing technique determination unit is Identifying said one notebook; Extracting, in a time series, the singing pitches detected during the period from the sounding start timing to the sounding end timing of the identified one note; Calculate the pitch difference between two consecutive singing pitches starting from the extracted first pitch, the calculated pitch difference is checked from the beginning of the one note, and if there are more than the second predetermined number of consecutive positive pitch differences among the pitch differences included in the period from the sounding start timing to the sounding end timing of the sounding period of the one note, the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used in calculating the multiple positive pitch differences is set as the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section; If there is a pitch difference that is 0 or negative during a period following the singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, the singing pitch that is closer to the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the pitch difference is set as the singing pitch at the end of the ascending section; if the singing pitch at the end of the upward section is equal to or greater than a predetermined value with respect to the singing pitch at the start of the upward section, identifying a section from the singing pitch at the start of the upward section to the singing pitch at the end of the upward section as the upward section; checking the calculated pitch difference toward the beginning of the one note during a period before the identified singing pitch at the start of the ascending section, and if there are at least a first predetermined number of consecutive pitch differences within the first predetermined range, determining the singing pitch farthest from the beginning of the plurality of singing pitches used in calculating the plurality of pitch differences as the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section; if there is a pitch difference outside a third predetermined range in a period before the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section, the singing pitch farthest from the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the pitch difference outside the third predetermined range is set as the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section; if a difference between the highest pitch and the lowest pitch among the singing pitches from the start of the horizontal section to the end of the horizontal section is within a fourth predetermined range, identifying the section from the singing pitch at the start of the horizontal section to the singing pitch at the end of the horizontal section as the horizontal section; In a period following the identified singing pitch at the end of the ascending section, the calculated pitch differences are checked backward from the one note, and if there are consecutive negative pitch differences for the third predetermined number or more, the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used in calculating the multiple negative pitch differences is set as the singing pitch at the start of the negative section; if there is a positive pitch difference in a period following the singing pitch at the start of the negative section, the singing pitch closer to the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the positive pitch difference is set as the singing pitch at the end of the negative section, thereby identifying the negative section; During a period following the identified singing pitch at the end of the ascending section, the calculated pitch differences are checked toward the rear of the one note, and if there are a fourth predetermined number or more consecutive positive pitch differences, the singing pitch closest to the beginning of the singing pitches used in calculating the multiple positive pitch differences is determined to be the singing pitch at the start of the positive section; if there is a negative pitch difference in a period following the singing pitch at the start of the positive section, the singing pitch closer to the beginning of the two singing pitches used in calculating the negative pitch difference is set as the singing pitch at the end of the positive section, thereby identifying the positive section; when the negative sections and the positive sections alternately continue for at least the fifth predetermined number of times, identifying a section from a singing pitch at the start of the first identified negative section or positive section to a singing pitch at the end of the last identified negative section or positive section as the vibrato section; 2. The karaoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a value calculated based on the singing pitch at the start of the negative section and / or the singing pitch at the start of the positive section included in the identified vibrato section is within the second predetermined range, it is determined that vibrato hammer-on singing is being performed for the one note.

3. 3. The karaoke device according to claim 1, further comprising a scoring processing unit that judges the scoring result of the one note as passing if the scoring result of the one note is judged to be failing and if the vibrato hammer-on singing has been performed for the one note.

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