Apparatus and method to facilitate singing intended notes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9773426-B2
Application number	US-201615012719-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2016
Priority date	Feb 1, 2015
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

A method and apparatus to facilitate tone challenged singers to sing intended notes. In one aspect, the singer determines a note to sing corresponding to an intended frequency f i . The singer utters a note continuously with fundamental frequency f u into a microphone of the natural ear apparatus. The note is processed by the apparatus to produce sound emphasizing the fundamental frequency f u and output through a speaker to the auditory organs of the singer. The singer detects differences between intended frequency f i and uttered fundamental frequency f u . The singer adjusts his vocal organs as he utters the note with the intention of changing f u to reduce difference between f i and f u .

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for facilitating singing of intended notes by a tone challenged signer, said method comprising:
detecting with a natural ear device a note uttered at a fundamental frequency f u by a tone-challenged singer who prior to uttering said note at said fundamental frequency f u intends to sing said note at an intended frequency f i ;
amplifying and filtering with said natural ear device said note detected by said input transducer to emphasize said fundamental frequency f u of said note produced by said tone-challenged singer;
producing a sound output with said natural ear device to the auditory organs of said tone-challenged singer, wherein if said tone-challenged singer detects differences between said intended frequency f i and said uttered fundamental frequency f u in said sound output, said sound output from said natural ear device facilitates said tone-challenged singer in adjusting said note as said tone-challenged singer sings said note to thereby reduce differences between said intended frequency f L and said fundamental frequency f u .

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detecting said note uttered at said producing sound emphasizing the fundamental frequency f u by said tone-challenged singer, further comprises:
detecting said note with an input transducer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said producing said sound output further comprises producing said sound output with an output transducer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said amplifying and filtering said note further comprises amplifying and filtering said note with an amplifier and filter component.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising modifying a frequency composition of said note with a low-pass filter with an amplifier to emphasize said fundamental frequency f u .

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein said amplifying and filtering said note to emphasize said fundamental frequency f u , further comprises: amplifying and filtering said note to emphasize said fundamental frequency f u and selected even harmonic frequencies.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein a digital signal processor amplifies and modifies a frequency composition of the note to emphasize the fundamental frequency f u and the selected even harmonic frequencies.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the natural ear device comprises a software application executing on a cell phone.

9. The method of claim 5 , further comprising calibrating the natural ear device by:
allowing said tone-challenged singer to sing a lowest note at a fundamental frequency f u using said natural ear device; and
setting a low-pass filter cutoff frequency f c with respect to said low-pass filter between f and 3f in order to attenuate undesirable harmonics over 2f.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically calibrating the natural ear device by:
placing the natural ear device into an auto calibration mode;
instructing the tone-challenged singer to utter various notes into the natural ear device; and
filtering via the natural ear device the frequencies in the notes to accentuate and amplify harmonious sound.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the input transducer comprises a microphone embedded into an eyeglass frame.

12. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the output transducer comprises a wearable output transducer device.

13. An apparatus that facilitates singing of intended notes by a tone-challenged singer, said apparatus comprising:
an input transducer that detects a note uttered at a fundamental frequency f u by a tone-challenged singer who prior to singing said note at said fundamental frequency f u intends to sing said note at an intended frequency f i ;
an amplifier and filter component connected to said input transducer, wherein said amplifier and filter component amplifies and filters said note detected by said input transducer to emphasize said fundamental frequency f u of said note produced by said tone-challenged singer; and
an output transducer connected to said amplifier and filter component, wherein said note amplified and filtered by said amplifier and filter component is input to said output transducer which in turn produces a sound output to auditory organs of said tone-challenged singer, wherein if said tone-challenged singer detects differences between said intended frequency f i and said uttered fundamental frequency f u in said sound output, said sound output from said output transducer facilitates said tone-challenged singer in adjusting said note as said tone-challenged singer sings said note to thereby reduce differences between said intended frequency f i and said fundamental frequency f u .

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said amplifier and filter component comprises an amplifier and a filter, said amplifier comprising a switch for volume adjustment that is accessible to said tone-challenged singer, and said filter comprising a cutoff frequency adjustment mechanism for calibration of said apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a digital signal processor that enables an auto calibration mode of said apparatus, wherein a user enables said auto calibration mode, and wherein said digital sign processor is coupled to said input transducer and assists n amplifying said frequency f u and selected even harmonic frequencies of a voice of said tone-challenged singer while attenuating odd harmonic frequencies.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said input transducer comprises a directional microphone.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said input transducer comprises a microphone embedded into an eyeglass frame.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said input transducer comprises a microphone embedded into a wearable input transducer device.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said filter comprises a low-pass filter that modifies a frequency composition of said note to emphasize said fundamental frequency f u .

20. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said amplifier and filter component amplifiers and filters said note to emphasize said fundamental frequency f u and selected even harmonic frequencies.

Assignees

• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Freudenthal Eric A
• Hanson Eric M
• Usevitch Bryan E

Classifications

• G10H2210/091

  for performance evaluation, i.e. judging, grading or scoring the musical qualities or faithfulness of a performance, e.g. with respect to pitch, tempo or other timings of a reference performance · CPC title

• G10H2210/066

  for pitch analysis as part of wider processing for musical purposes, e.g. transcription, musical performance evaluation; Pitch recognition, e.g. in polyphonic sounds; Estimation or use of missing fundamental · CPC title

• G09B15/00 Primary

  Teaching music (metronomes G04F5/02) · CPC title

• G10H1/44

  Tuning means · CPC title

• G10H2210/331

  Note pitch correction, i.e. modifying a note pitch or replacing it by the closest one in a given scale · CPC title