Patent ID: 8502057

Claim:
A method of providing a playing guide for a musical instrument having musical-performance operating elements operable by a user, a playing guide interface having a plurality of individual indicators, each assigned to one of the operating elements, and a microprocessor, the method, which is executable by the microprocessor, comprising: a playing guide control step of controlling the playing guide interface to control the timing at which the indicators indicate the operating elements to be operated by the user for a song according to song data thereof; a tone-generation start allowable period control step of setting a tone-generation start allowable period, which sets the timing as to when a tone, corresponding to the operating element indicated by the respective indicator of the playing guide interface, is allowed to begin generating; and a tempo-follow control step of: enabling or disabling, based on a user selection, a tempo-follow mode that determines a playing tempo of the user based on the user's operation of the operating elements, and setting the tone-generation start allowable period longer when the tempo-follow control task is enabled than disabled.