Automatic Music Playing Control with Probabilistic Jazz Timing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional automatic music playing techniques struggle to reproduce the nuanced timing and voicing of jazz music, as they rely on predetermined chord data, leading to fixed music playing and interference from tension notes.

Innovation Solution

An automatic music playing control device that probabilistically selects timing types and note timing tables to instruct sound sources for chord emission, allowing for natural and dynamic chord accompaniment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If predetermined chord data is used for automatic music playing, then the music playing can be automated, but the timing and voicing become fixed and cannot reproduce jazz characteristics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic music playingVSAvoidtiming and voicing variation
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the automatic music playing system adaptable and flexible rather than fixed. The processor dynamically selects timing types and note timing tables based on probabilistic criteria, allowing the system to vary chord emission timings and voicings automatically. This enables the system to reproduce jazz characteristics where the same chords are played at different timings with different voicings, creating a live-like feel while maintaining automation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If tension notes are added to chords, then jazz-style voicing is achieved, but the number of sounds increases and tension notes may interfere with the melody

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvejazz-style voicingVSAvoidinterference with melody
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively adding tension notes to specific chords based on their function and context in the progression. The processor determines which chords receive tension notes and which do not, allowing jazz-style voicing where needed while avoiding interference with the melody in other areas. This selective approach enables nuanced control over where tension notes appear in the accompaniment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Stability of the object's composition

If the same chords are played repeatedly, then consistency is maintained, but the music playing becomes fixed and loses the contingency of live performance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechord progression consistencyVSAvoidplaying timing and voicing variation
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies periodic action by establishing regular patterns for chord emission while allowing variations within those patterns. The system uses note timing tables that define periodic structures for chord emissions, but probabilistically selects different timing types and tables to create variations. This maintains the overall consistency of the chord progression while introducing the contingency and timing variations characteristic of live jazz performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP4198964B1Automatic music playing control device, electronic musical instrument, method of playing automatic music playing device, and program
Publication Date: 2025.07.09 CASIO COMPUTER CO LTD
  • EP4198964B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4198964B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4198964B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is an automatic music playing control device that automatically plays chords to achieve a good music playing. The automatic music playing control device has at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor probabilistically selects any one of a plurality of timing types that defines the number of sound emissions, probabilistically selects any one of a plurality of note timing tables that defines sound emission timings, corresponding to the selected timing type, and instructs a sound source to emit a chord at a sound emission timing based on the selected note timing table.