PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-7608775-B1
Application Number: US-3323705-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B1

Title: Methods and systems for providing musical interfaces

Abstract:
Methods for providing a musical user interface are disclosed. A notation window with a musical sign, for example, a note is displayed. Selection of the sign is received. A time duration indicator at a selected sign is displayed. User manipulation of the time duration indicator to adjust time duration of the selected musical sign is received. The dynamically changed time duration indicator is displayed while receiving user manipulation. A beat ruler with beat marks and a staff are displayed. Selection of the note is received. A beat mark corresponding to the selected note is determined and then modified. Next, a modified beat mark is displayed. The selected note changes a position on the staff along the beat ruler in response to an input from a user. Determining, modifying the beat mark, and displaying the modified beat mark is repeated while the position of the selected note is changed.

Claims:
1. A method, comprising:
 displaying a notation window having a musical sign, wherein the musical sign is a pedal sign; 
 receiving a selection of the musical sign; 
 displaying a duration indicator at the selected musical sign in response to the receiving the selection; 
 receiving a user manipulation of the duration indicator to adjust a duration of the selected musical sign; and 
 displaying a dynamically changing duration indicator while receiving the user manipulation, wherein the dynamically changing duration indicator is a line having a beginning and an end, wherein the beginning is attached to the musical sign and the end sets the duration for the musical sign. 
 
     
     
       2. A method, comprising:
 displaying a notation window having a musical sign, wherein the musical sign is a note; 
 receiving a selection of the musical sign; 
 displaying a duration indicator at the selected musical sign in response to the receiving the selection; 
 receiving a user manipulation of the duration indicator to adjust a duration of the selected musical sign; and 
 displaying a dynamically changing duration indicator while receiving the user manipulation, wherein the dynamically changing duration indicator is an extendable bar attached to a head of the note, the extendable bar has a length, which corresponds to the duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising
 modifying the note in accordance to an adjusted duration, and 
 displaying a modified note. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the modifying includes changing an appearance of the note according to the adjusted duration. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising
 adding one or more rests according to the adjusted duration of the selected musical sign. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising
 removing one or more rests according to the adjusted duration of the selected musical sign. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the duration indicator has a length of at least six pixel to adjust the duration of substantially short notes. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 2 , further comprising
 adding an arc to the selected musical sign, when the duration indicator is extended beyond a measure. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the duration indicator is a line having a beginning and an end, wherein the beginning is attached to the sign, and a position of the end sets the duration for the pedal. 
     
     
       10. The method of claim,  1  further comprising
 receiving an activation from an user to activate the duration of the pedal; and 
 displaying the duration indicator. 
 
     
     
       11. A method of changing a duration of a note, comprising:
 receiving a selection of a position on a staff; 
 receiving the selection of a duration of a note at a selected position on the staff; and 
 displaying the note of a selected duration at the selected position on the staff. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising
 displaying a pop-up palette having notes of a plurality of durations at the selected position on the staff to select the note with a desired duration. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the position on the staff includes a pitch. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 adding one or more rests onto the staff in accordance to the selected duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 removing one or more rests from the staff in accordance to the selected duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       16. An article of manufacture comprising:
 a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising, 
 displaying a notation window having at least one musical sign, wherein the musical sign is a pedal sign; 
 receiving a selection of a musical sign; 
 displaying a duration indicator at the selected musical sign in response to the receiving the selection; 
 receiving a user manipulation of the duration indicator to adjust a duration of the selected musical sign; and 
 displaying a dynamically changing duration indicator while receiving the user manipulation, wherein the dynamically changing duration indicator is a line having a beginning and an end, wherein the beginning is attached to the musical sign and the end sets the duration for the musical sign. 
 
     
     
       17. An article of manufacture comprising:
 a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising, 
 displaying a notation window having at least one musical sign, wherein the musical sign is a note; 
 receiving a selection of a musical sign; 
 displaying a duration indicator at the selected musical sign in response to the receiving the selection; 
 receiving a user manipulation of the duration indicator to adjust a duration of the selected musical sign; and 
 displaying a dynamically changing duration indicator while receiving the user manipulation, wherein the dynamically changing duration indicator is an extendable bar attached to a head of the note, the extendable bar has a length, which corresponds to the duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       18. The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 modifying the note in accordance to an adjusted duration, and 
 displaying a modified note. 
 
     
     
       19. The article of manufacture of  claim 18 , wherein the modifying includes changing an appearance of the note according to the adjusted duration. 
     
     
       20. The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 adding one or more rests according to the adjusted duration of the selected musical sign. 
 
     
     
       21. The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 removing one or more rests according to the adjusted duration of the selected musical sign. 
 
     
     
       22. The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the duration indicator has a length of at least six pixel to adjust the duration of substantially short notes. 
     
     
       23. The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 adding an arc to the selected musical sign, when the duration indicator is extended beyond a measure. 
 
     
     
       24. The article of manufacture of  claim 16 , wherein the duration indicator is a line having a beginning and an end, wherein the beginning is attached to the sign, and a position of the end sets the duration of the pedal. 
     
     
       25. The article of manufacture of  claim 16 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 receiving an activation from an user to activate the duration of the pedal; and 
 displaying the duration indicator. 
 
     
     
       26. An article of manufacture comprising:
 a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising, 
 receiving a selection of a position on a staff; 
 receiving the selection of a duration of a note at a selected position on the staff; and 
 displaying the note of a selected duration at the selected position on the staff. 
 
     
     
       27. The article of manufacture of  claim 26 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 displaying a pop-up palette having notes of a plurality of durations at the selected position on the staff to select the note with a desired duration. 
 
     
     
       28. The article of manufacture of  claim 26 , wherein the selection of the duration of the note is performed by using a single key on a keyboard. 
     
     
       29. The article of manufacture of  claim 26 , wherein the position on the staff includes a pitch. 
     
     
       30. The article of manufacture of  claim 26 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 adding one or more rests onto the staff in accordance to the selected duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       31. The article of manufacture of  claim 26 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 removing one or more rests from the staff in accordance to the selected duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       32. A system, comprising:
 means for displaying a notation window having a musical sign, wherein the musical sign is a pedal sign; 
 means for receiving a selection of the musical sign; 
 means for displaying a duration indicator at the selected musical sign; 
 means for receiving a user manipulation of the duration indicator to adjust a duration of the selected musical sign in response to the receiving the selection; and 
 means for displaying a dynamically changing duration indicator while receiving the user manipulation, wherein the dynamically changing duration indicator is a line having a beginning and an end, wherein the beginning is attached to the musical sign and the end sets the duration for the musical sign. 
 
     
     
       33. A system, comprising:
 means for displaying a notation window having a musical sign, wherein the musical sign is a note; 
 means for receiving a selection of the musical sign; 
 means for displaying a duration indicator at the selected musical sign; 
 means for receiving a user manipulation of the duration indicator to adjust a duration of the selected musical sign in response to the receiving the selection; and 
 means for displaying a dynamically changing duration indicator while receiving the user manipulation, wherein the dynamically changing duration indicator is an extendable bar attached to a head of the note, the extendable bar has a length, which corresponds to the duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       34. The system of  claim 33 , further comprising
 means for modifying the note in accordance to an adjusted duration, and 
 means for displaying a modified note. 
 
     
     
       35. The system of  claim 34 , wherein the means for modifying includes means for changing an appearance of the note according to the adjusted duration. 
     
     
       36. The system of  claim 33  further comprising:
 means for adding one or more rests according to the adjusted duration of the selected musical sign. 
 
     
     
       37. The system of  claim 33  further comprising:
 means for removing one or more rests according to the adjusted duration of the selected musical sign. 
 
     
     
       38. The system of  claim 33 , wherein the duration indicator has a length of at least six pixel to adjust the duration of substantially short notes. 
     
     
       39. The system of  claim 33  further comprising
 means for adding an arc to the selected musical sign, when the duration indicator is extended beyond a measure. 
 
     
     
       40. The system of  claim 32 , wherein the duration indicator is a line having a beginning and an end, wherein the beginning is attached to the sign, and a position of the end sets the duration of the pedal. 
     
     
       41. The system of  claim 32  further comprising
 means for receiving an activation from an user to activate the duration of the pedal; and 
 displaying the duration indicator. 
 
     
     
       42. A system to change a duration of a note, comprising:
 means for receiving a selection of a position on a staff; 
 means for receiving the selection of a duration of a note at a selected position on the staff; and 
 means for displaying the note of a selected duration at the selected position on the staff. 
 
     
     
       43. The system of  claim 42 , further comprising
 means for displaying a pop-up palette having notes of a plurality of durations at the selected position on the staff to select the note with a desired duration. 
 
     
     
       44. The system of  claim 42 , wherein the selection of the duration of the note is performed by using a single key on a keyboard. 
     
     
       45. The system of  claim 42 , wherein the position on the staff includes a pitch. 
     
     
       46. The system of  claim 42 , further comprising:
 means for adding one or more rests onto the staff in accordance to the selected duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       47. The system of  claim 42 , further comprising:
 means for removing one or more rests from the staff in accordance to the selected duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       48. A method, comprising:
 displaying a notation window having a beat ruler and a staff, wherein the beat ruler has beat marks; 
 receiving a selection of a note onto the staff; 
 determining a beat mark, which corresponds to a selected note; 
 modifying the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note; and 
 displaying a modified beat mark. 
 
     
     
       49. The method of  claim 48 , wherein the determining comprises finding the beat mark having a shortest distance to the selected note. 
     
     
       50. The method of  claim 48  further comprising
 changing a position of the selected note on the staff along the beat ruler in response to an input from an user. 
 
     
     
       51. The method of  claim 50  further comprising
 subsequently repeating the determining the beat mark, the modifying the beat mark, and the displaying the modified beat mark while performing the changing the position of the selected note. 
 
     
     
       52. The method of  claim 50  further comprising
 snapping the selected note to a position aligned to the modified beat mark, when the selected note passes the position. 
 
     
     
       53. The method of  claim 50  further comprising
 sprouting lines at a head of the selected note, when the note moves beyond the staff. 
 
     
     
       54. The method of  claim 50  further comprising
 changing an amount of displayed beat marks on the beat ruler to change a resolution of a grid of the staff. 
 
     
     
       55. The method of  claim 54 , wherein the changing includes increasing the amount of the displayed beat marks to increase the resolution of the grid. 
     
     
       56. The method of  claim 54 , wherein the changing includes decreasing the amount of the displayed beat marks to decrease the resolution of the grid. 
     
     
       57. The method of  claim 48 , wherein the modifying the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note, includes increasing a size of the beat mark. 
     
     
       58. The method of  claim 48 , wherein the beat marks are dots displayed on the beat ruler. 
     
     
       59. An article of manufacture comprising:
 a machine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising, 
 displaying a notation window having a beat ruler and a staff, wherein the beat ruler has beat marks; 
 receiving a selection of a note onto the staff; 
 determining a beat mark, which corresponds to a selected note; 
 modifying the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note; and 
 displaying a modified beat mark. 
 
     
     
       60. The article of manufacture of  claim 59 , wherein the determining the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note comprises finding the beat mark having a shortest distance to the selected note. 
     
     
       61. The article of manufacture of  claim 59 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 changing a position of the selected note on the staff along the beat ruler in response to an input from an user. 
 
     
     
       62. The article of manufacture of  claim 61 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 subsequently repeating the determining the beat mark, the modifying the beat mark, and the displaying the modified beat mark while performing the changing the position of the selected note. 
 
     
     
       63. The article of manufacture of  claim 61 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 snapping the selected note to a position aligned to the modified beat mark, when the selected note passes the position. 
 
     
     
       64. The article of manufacture of  claim 61 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 sprouting lines at a head of the selected note, when the note moves beyond the staff. 
 
     
     
       65. The article of manufacture of  claim 59 , wherein the machine-accessible medium further includes data, when accessed, results in the machine performing operations comprising,
 changing an amount of displayed beat marks on the beat ruler to change a resolution of a grid of the staff. 
 
     
     
       66. The article of manufacture of  claim 65 , wherein the changing the amount of the displayed beat marks includes increasing the amount of the displayed beat marks to increase the resolution of the grid. 
     
     
       67. The article of manufacture of  claim 65 , wherein the changing the amount of the displayed beat marks includes decreasing the amount of the displayed beat marks to decrease the resolution of the grid. 
     
     
       68. The article of manufacture of  claim 59 , wherein the modifying the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note, includes increasing a size of the beat mark. 
     
     
       69. The article of manufacture of  claim 59 , wherein the beat marks are dots displayed on the beat ruler. 
     
     
       70. A system, comprising:
 means for displaying a notation window having a beat ruler and a staff, wherein the beat ruler has beat marks; 
 means for receiving a selection of a note onto the staff; 
 means for determining a beat mark, which corresponds to a selected note; 
 means for modifying the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note; and 
 means for displaying a modified beat mark. 
 
     
     
       71. The system of  claim 70 , wherein the means for the determining comprises means for finding the beat mark having a shortest distance to the selected note. 
     
     
       72. The system of  claim 70 , further comprising
 means for changing a position of the selected note on the staff along the beat ruler in response to an input from an user. 
 
     
     
       73. The system of  claim 72  further comprising
 means for subsequently repeating the determining the beat mark, the modifying the beat mark, and the displaying the modified beat mark while performing the changing the position of the selected note. 
 
     
     
       74. The system of  claim 72  further comprising
 means for snapping the selected note to a position aligned to the modified beat mark, when the selected note passes the position. 
 
     
     
       75. The system of  claim 72  further comprising
 means for sprouting lines at a head of the selected note, when the note moves beyond the staff. 
 
     
     
       76. The system of  claim 70  further comprising
 means for changing an amount of displayed beat marks on the beat ruler to change a resolution of a grid of the staff. 
 
     
     
       77. The system of  claim 76 , wherein the means for changing includes means for increasing the amount of the displayed beat marks to increase the resolution of the grid. 
     
     
       78. The system of  claim 76 , wherein the means for changing includes means for decreasing the amount of the displayed beat marks to decrease the resolution of the grid. 
     
     
       79. The system of  claim 70 , wherein the means for modifying the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note, includes means for increasing a size of the beat mark. 
     
     
       80. The system of  claim 70 , wherein the beat marks are dots displayed on the beat ruler. 
     
     
       81. A machine readable medium providing instructions which when executed by a system cause the system to perform a method comprising:
 displaying on a display device a musical note on a staff; 
 receiving a selection of the musical note and a signal to display a duration indicator to appear in a manner associated with musical note; 
 receiving a direct manipulation, through a moveable cursor in the display device, of the duration indicator to vary the duration of the note. 
 
     
     
       82. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the selection of the duration of the note is performed upon receiving a signal from a key on a keyboard.

Description:
FIELD 
     Embodiments of the invention relate to a graphical user interface (“GUI”). More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to methods of manipulating duration of time and guiding notes in graphical user interfaces for staff-based musical notation. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Present technologies to create, manipulate, and process various signals involve a number of independent systems communicating with each other. An interface is a boundary across which the independent systems meet and act on or communicate with each other. A user interface includes a keyboard, a mouse, menus of a computer system. The user interface provides the communication between the user and the operating system of the computer. A software interface includes languages and codes written into the computer system that various applications use to communicate with each other and the hardware. A hardware interface includes wires, plugs, and sockets of hardware devices use to communicate with each other. A GUI is referred to a graphical user interface for the user to interact with the hardware and software to create, manipulate, or modify various signals using graphic icons and controls in addition to text. Typically, the GUI features the basic components, such as a pointer, a pointing device, icons, desktop, windows, and menus. The pointer usually appears on the display screen as an angled arrow, which the user moves to select objects or commands. The pointing device, such as a mouse or a trackball, enables the user to select objects on the display screen. The icons are small pictures that represent commands, files, or windows. By moving the pointer to the icon and pressing a mouse button, the user executes a command, converts the icon into the window, or moves the icon around the display screen. The desktop is the area on the display screen where icons are typically grouped. The user may divide the screen into different areas using the windows. In each window, the user may run a different program or display a different file. Most graphical user interfaces let the user to execute commands by selecting a choice from the menu. 
     With the increasing use of multimedia as part of the GUI, sound, voice, motion video, and virtual reality interfaces become a part of the GUI for many applications. For example, GarageBand (Trademark) produced by Apple Computer, Inc., uses sampled real musical instruments and synthesized instruments to create or edit a piece of music. 
     Current GUIs for musical notation, however, require complicated workflow, which involves numerous actions by the user, including many mouse clicks and travel, to perform a single operation. For example, to change a duration of a note on a musical staff, a user needs to actually replace the note with the note with a desired duration. To perform this, the user needs to open a menu located on the toolbar outside the staff area, select the note with the desired duration from the menu, bring the note having the desired duration to the staff area, and then replace the note on the staff with the note having the desired duration. For example, changing the duration of a pedal also involves many steps, including opening a menu with a palette, dragging a start sign for the pedal from the palette to a desired position in the notation window corresponding to the beginning of the pedal, then going back to the palette to pick up the end sign for the pedal, and dragging the end sign to the desired position on the notation window corresponding to the end of the pedal. Current graphical user interfaces (“GUIs”) for musical notation also do not provide a direct manipulation of many features of the note, including control of the position of the note as it moves along the staff, changing a time duration of a note, changing a velocity of the note, and the like. 
     SUMMARY 
     Methods of changing time duration guiding a note along a beat ruler in a graphical user interface (“GUI”) for staff-based musical notation and a computer readable medium containing a program code for changing duration of time and guiding a note along a beat ruler are disclosed. Methods may simplify existing workflow for the GUI so that it requires fewer mouse clicks and involves less mouse travel. First, a notation window with at least one musical staff and at least one musical sign is displayed on a display device. The musical sign may be a musical note, a sign representing a pedal, a clef, or any other musical sign. Next, a selection of the musical sign to change a time duration is received. Subsequently, a time duration indicator at a selected musical sign is displayed (e.g. the duration indicator is displayed immediately adjacent to the selected musical sign or in some other manner relative to the selected musical sign to appear associated with the selected musical sign). Further, a user manipulation (e.g. through the movement of a moveable cursor on the display device) of the time duration indicator to adjust the time duration of the selected musical sign is received. The dynamically changed time duration indicator is displayed while receiving the user manipulation. 
     For one embodiment, when the selected musical sign is the note, the appearance of the selected note is modified in accordance to an adjusted duration. The note, modified according to the adjusted time duration, is displayed. For one embodiment, the dynamically changing time duration indicator is an extendable bar attached to a head of the selected note. The extendable bar has a length, which corresponds to the duration of the selected note. For one embodiment, an arc is added to the selected note, when the time duration indicator is extended beyond a measure. 
     For another embodiment, when the selected musical sign is the pedal sign, the dynamically changing time duration indicator is a line having a beginning and an end. The beginning of the line is attached to the pedal sign and a position of the end of the line sets the duration for the pedal. Next, the activation of the time duration for the pedal is received, and the duration indicator having a desired length is displayed. 
     For yet another embodiment, the time duration of the note is changed at a desired pitch. The selection of a position of the note on the staff within the notation window is received. Next, the selection of the duration of the note at the selected position on the staff, which corresponds to the desired pitch, is received. Further, the note of the selected duration at the selected pitch is displayed. For one embodiment, the selection of the duration of the note is performed by providing pop-up menu at the desired location of the note on the staff. For another embodiment, the selection of the duration of the note is performed upon receiving the signal from a user hitting a single key on a keyboard. 
     For one embodiment, one or more rests are added or removed according to the adjusted duration of the selected note. 
     For one embodiment, a velocity of the note may be changed directly at the selected note on the staff to provide a more streamlined GUI. A selection of the note is received within the notation window. A velocity indicator is displayed after a selection of the note is received. Next, the user manipulation of the selected note is received and the velocity of the note is adjusted. The adjusted velocity of the note is automatically displayed on the velocity slider while receiving the user manipulation of the selected note. 
     A notation window is displayed in response on an input signal from a user. A staff and a beat ruler are displayed within the notation window. One or more notes are displayed on the staff. The beat ruler represents a time domain for the notes and has time indicators. The time indicators include beat indicators (“beat marks”) and measures. 
     First, to guide a note along the beat ruler, selection of a note onto the staffis received. The beat mark, which corresponds to a selected note, is determined. The determination of the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note, includes finding the beat mark having the shortest distance to the selected note. Next, the beat mark corresponding to the selected note, is modified. The beat mark corresponding to the selected note is modified by changing in appearance, and more specifically in one embodiment, by changing in a size. Next, a modified beat mark, which is located within the closest distance to the selected note, is displayed on the beat ruler. 
     For one embodiment, the selected note changes a position on the staff along the beat ruler in response to an input from the user. For example, a selected note may be dragged to a position along the staff. The determining of the beat mark, which is located within the closest distance to the selected note, modifying the beat mark, and displaying the modified beat mark is repeated while the position of the selected note is changed (e.g. as the note is dragged from one position to another, different beat marks are modified). For one embodiment, the selected note appears as a ghosted note over the staff. The selected note is guided by the beat marks as the selected note moves in horizontal direction along the beat ruler that provides a unique visual control of the movement of the note within the notation window. The beat guide (“placement guide”) reflects a location of the selected note in the time domain and appears as a modified version of one of the beat marks on the beat ruler as the selected note moves along the notation window in time domain. For one embodiment, legger lines sprout at a head of the selected note if the selected note moves above or below lines of the staff while moving along the beat ruler in horizontal direction. 
     For one embodiment, the modified beat mark represents a legal drop point for the selected note. More specifically, the selected note is snapped to a position aligned vertically to the modified beat mark when the selected note passes such position. The beat ruler indicates the position where the note is to be positioned on the staff along the beat ruler. For one embodiment, an amount of displayed beat marks and the distance between the displayed beat marks within the measure changes when the resolution of the grid on the beat ruler changes. More specifically, the amount of the displayed beat marks within the measure increases and the distance between the beat marks decreases if the resolution of the grid increases. The amount of the displayed beat marks decreases and the distance between the beat marks increases if the resolution of the grid decreases. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. 
         FIG. 1  is a flowchart of a method to guide a note along a beat ruler within a notation window according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a notation window in a graphical user interface according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of a beat ruler according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  show a score editor in a notation window and in a piano roll window according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates a notation window, wherein a cursor is positioned over a desired location on a staff to place a note according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates the notation window of  FIG. 5A , after selecting the note and placing the note onto a desired position on the staff. 
         FIG. 5C  illustrates the notation window of  FIG. 5B , after moving the note beyond the staff in a vertical direction according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 6A-6D  illustrate a note at different positions along a beat ruler, which provides a beat guide for the note within a notation window according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 7A-7C  illustrate a notation window at various resolutions of a grid on a beat ruler according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a method to change duration of a musical sign within a notation window according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 9A-9E  illustrate notes of various durations with the duration indicators according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 10A-10F  illustrate a method to change duration of a pedal within a notation window according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart of a method to change duration of a musical note according to yet another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 12A-12C  illustrate changing a duration and a pitch of a note within a notation window according to yet another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 13A-13C  illustrate a method to directly change velocity of a note within a notation window according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a block diagram of a system that performs methods of manipulating musical signs according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 15  illustrates an input of a musical instrument within a display window, wherein the input has an octave picker according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 16A and 16  B illustrate a method to select a portion of an input of a musical instrument using an octave picker according to one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 16C and 16D  illustrate a method to select the portion of the input of the musical instrument using the octave picker according to another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The subject invention will be described with references to numerous details set forth below, and the accompanying drawings will illustrate the invention. The following description and drawings are illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, in certain instances, well known or conventional details are not described in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention in detail. 
     Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment”, “another embodiment”, or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “for one embodiment” or “for an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. 
     The present description includes material protected by copyrights, such as illustrations of graphical user interface images. The owners of the copyrights, including the assignee of the present invention, hereby reserve their rights, including copyright, in these materials. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever. Copyright Apple Computer, Inc. 2005. 
     Methods of guiding a note along a beat ruler and changing time duration within a notation window in a graphical user interface for staff-based musical notation and a system having a computer readable medium containing a program code for guiding the note and changing time duration are described below. Other methods and other features are also described. 
       FIG. 1  is a flowchart of a method  100  to guide a note along a beat ruler within a notation window according to one embodiment of the invention. The method  100  begins with displaying  101  a notation window with a beat ruler and a staff, wherein the beat ruler has beat indicators (“marks”) displayed on the beat ruler. 
       FIG. 2  shows a notation window  201  in a graphical user interface (“GUI”)  200  according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 2 , a staff  202  and a beat ruler  203  are displayed within the notation window  201 . Time indicators  204  are displayed on the beat ruler  203 . The time indicators  204  represent beats and measures, the units of musical time on the beat ruler  203 . For one embodiment, one or more notes  206  are displayed on the staff  202  within the notation window  201 . For one embodiment, the time indicators  204  are dynamic and shift automatically in response to note arrangements and placement on the staff  202 . For one embodiment, the notation window  201  includes a scroll bar  210  to move to different parts of a score along the horizontal axis in a notation window  201 . For another embodiment, the GUI  200  includes a zoom slider  209  to control the horizontal spacing between notes  206  within the notation window  201 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . For one embodiment, the GUI  200  has transport controls  205  with buttons to record music, to start or stop music, to move to different parts of the musical piece, and to turn on a cycle region, as shown in  FIG. 2 . For one embodiment, the GUI  200  may include a time display  207 , and a volume slider  208 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . For an embodiment, a vertical size of the notation window  201  is determined automatically by the height of the score area, such that a user does not need to scroll to see a content of the notation window  201 . For one embodiment, the GUI  200  displays a switcher  211  to toggle between the notation view (“notation window”) and a piano roll view (“piano roll window”) of the score. 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged view  300  of the beat ruler  203  having time indicators according to one embodiment of the invention. Measures  301  and beat marks  302  are displayed on the beat ruler  203 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . For one embodiment, the beat marks  302  are displayed as light gray dots and measures are displayed as lines or tick marks. For one embodiment, the beat marks  302  have different sizes, wherein larger beat marks  303  are positioned after a predetermined amount of smaller beat marks  304 , for example, after every third smaller beat mark to indicate every fourth beat, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  show a score system  400  in two views corresponding to a notation window  401  and a piano roll window  402  according to one embodiment of the invention. A region  410  of the notation window  401  and a region  420  of the piano roll window  402  represent two aspects of the score system  400 , wherein a piece of music may be encapsulated. As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B  the time indicators  403  on the beat ruler  404  of the notation window  401  are consistent with the time indicators  405  of the beat ruler  406  of the piano roll window  402 , because regions in both windows are tied to the length of measures and the beats within each measure. As shown in  FIG. 4 , numbers of the measures  407  appear in the beat ruler  404  and in the beat ruler  406  in both windows  401  and  402  that reinforces the connection between the two views. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 1 , the method continues with the operation  102  of receiving a selection of the note onto the staff within the notation window. For one embodiment, the note may be selected by the user from a menu containing various notes and placed on a desired position onto the staff. The placement may involve a drag and drop operation using a mouse. For example, a user may position a cursor over a note on the display, using a mouse or other cursors control device, drag the note onto the staff and horizontally along the staff. Next, at operation  103  a beat mark, which corresponds to a selected note, is determined. For one embodiment, the beat mark corresponding to the selected note is the beat mark, which is positioned on the beat ruler at a shortest distance to the selected note. Next, at operation  104  the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note, is modified. For one embodiment, modifying the beat mark, which corresponds to the selected note, includes changing a size of the beat mark. Further, at operation  105 , the modified beat mark is displayed. For one embodiment, the selected note may change position on the staff along the beat ruler in response to an input from a user. In this case, the determining  103  the beat mark, the modifying  104  of the beat mark, and the displaying  105  the modified beat mark is continuously repeated while the position of the selected note is changed (e.g. as the user drags the note horizontally along the staff). As a result, the selected note is guided along the staff as the position of the note along the beat ruler changes. 
       FIG. 5A  illustrates a notation window  500  having a beat ruler  501 , wherein a cursor  502  is positioned over a desired location on the staff  503  to place a note according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 5A , beat marks  504  are displayed on the beat ruler  501 . The beat marks  504  are displayed as dots of a predetermined size on the beat ruler  501 . 
       FIG. 5B  illustrates the notation window  500  having the beat ruler  501 , after selecting a note  505  and placing the note  505  onto a desired position on the staff  503  according to one embodiment of the invention. For one embodiment, the note  505  may be selected from a menu having various notes by clicking on the note  505  in the menu and then dragging the note  505  with a cursor  502  using a mouse, to the desired location onto the staff  503 . For another embodiment, the note  505  may be activated on the pop-up menu by a click of a mouse (e.g. the user positions a cursor, using a mouse, at the desired position, and then presses the mouse&#39;s right button or otherwise causes a signal to request the pop-up menu) and then placed onto the staff  503  by pressing a single key on a keyboard. For one embodiment, the single key on the keyboard is a COMMAND key, or a CONTROL key, or a combination thereof. As shown in  FIG. 5B , the beat mark  506 , which is positioned at the shortest distance to the selected note  505 , is determined. Further, the beat mark  506  is modified, such that the appearance of the beat mark  506  is changed relative to the original appearance and the appearance of the rest of the beat marks  508 . For one embodiment, when the single key is pressed on the keyboard, the beat mark  506  is enlarged, and the selected note  505  is displayed as a ghosted note, as shown in  FIG. 5B . For one embodiment, the beat mark  506  is enlarged, when the COMMAND key is pressed on the keyboard. 
       FIG. 5C  illustrates the notation window  500  having the beat ruler  501 , after moving the note  505  beyond the staff  503  along a vertical direction with the cursor  502  according to another embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 5C  leger lines  507  automatically appear on a head of the note  505  to indicate a pitch of the note. The beat mark  506 , which is closest to the note  505  in a horizontal direction along the beat ruler  501 , appears as an enlarged dot on the beat ruler  501  to indicate a position of the note  505  in a time domain, as shown in  FIG. 5C . For one embodiment, the leger lines  507  appear on the head of the note  505 , when the note is moved with the cursor  502  in the vertical direction, while the mouse is pressed and the COMMAND key is pressed on the keyboard. For one embodiment, the note  505  snaps horizontally to a position, which is aligned to the modified beat mark  506 , when the mouse is released. 
       FIGS. 6A-6D  illustrate a note  602  at different positions along a beat ruler  603 , which provides a beat guide (“placement guide”) for the note  602  within a notation window  601  according to one embodiment of the invention. A note  602  selected by a user with a cursor  604  is displayed as a ghosted note, as shown in  FIG. 6A . For one embodiment, the beat ruler  603  has beat marks  605 , wherein every fourth beat mark has a larger size relative to the other beat marks, as shown in  FIG. 6A . The beat guide provided by the beat ruler  603  appears as an enlarged version of one of the beat marks  605  in the beat ruler  603  as the note  602  moves along the beat ruler  603  in the horizontal direction. The beat guide indicates the position in time domain on the staff  606  along the beat ruler  603 , where the note  602  is to be placed. For one embodiment, the beat guide along the beat ruler  603  appears when a key on the keyboard is pressed. More specifically, the key on the keyboard to show the beat guide along the beat ruler  603  may be a COMMAND key, a CONTROL key, or a combination thereof. 
     After the note  602  having a first position on the staff  606  is selected, the beat mark  607 , which is closest to the selected note  602 , is determined. Further, the beat mark  607  is modified to be displayed having an appearance, which is different from its original appearance and the appearance of the other beat marks on the beat ruler  603 , as shown in  FIG. 6A . For one embodiment, the modified beat mark  607  appears as an enlarged dot, which has a color, which is different from the other beat marks on the beat ruler  603 , as shown in  FIG. 6A . 
       FIG. 6B  illustrates the notation window  601 , after the note  602  is moved along the beat ruler  603  in a horizontal direction to a second position. The beat mark  608 , which is closest to the second position of the note  602 , is determined. The beat mark  608  is modified to be displayed having a different appearance relative to the original appearance, as shown in  FIG. 6B . The beat mark  607  corresponding to the first position of the note  602 , is returned back to its original appearance, as shown in  FIG. 6B . For one embodiment, the beat mark  608  is displayed as an enlarged dot with modified color (or the same color), while the beat mark  607  is displayed back to its original size and color. For one embodiment, the note  602  is moved over the staff  606  by dragging the note  602  with the cursor  604  and dynamically as the note  602  is dragged, the closest beat mark changes its appearance. 
       FIG. 6C  illustrates the notation window  601 , after the note  602  is moved along the beat ruler  603  in a horizontal direction to a third position. The beat mark  609 , which is closest to the third position of the note  602 , is determined. The beat mark  609  is modified to be displayed having a different appearance relative to the original appearance, as shown in  FIG. 6C . The beat mark  608  corresponding to the second position of the note  602  is returned back to its original appearance, as shown in  FIG. 6C . For one embodiment, the beat mark  609  is displayed as an enlarged dot with a modified color (or the same color), while the beat mark  608  is displayed back to its original size and color, as shown in  FIG. 6C . 
       FIG. 6D  illustrates the notation window  601 , after the note  602  is moved along the beat ruler  603  in a horizontal direction to a fourth position. The beat mark  610 , which is closest to the fourth position of the note  602 , is determined. The beat mark  610  is modified to be displayed having different appearance relative to the original appearance, as shown in  FIG. 6D . The beat mark  609  corresponding to the third position of the note  602  is returned back to its original appearance, as shown in  FIG. 6D . For one embodiment, the beat mark  610  is displayed as an enlarged dot with a modified color, while the beat mark  609  is displayed back to its original size and color, as shown in  FIG. 6D . For an embodiment, the note  602  is snapped into a position (“a legal drop point”) aligned vertically to the modified beat mark  610 , when the note  602  passes over such position, as shown in  FIG. 6D . 
       FIGS. 7A-7C  illustrate the notation window  701  at various resolutions of a grid on a beat ruler  702  according to another embodiment of the invention. The resolution of the grid on the beat ruler  702  may be changed by changing an amount of beat marks  703  and changing a distance between each of the beat marks  703  within measure marks  704 , as shown in  FIGS. 7A-7C . For an embodiment, an amount of legal drop points, wherein the notes  706  may be snapped, as described with respect to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , may be changed respectively by changing the resolution of the grid, as shown in  FIGS. 7A-7C . 
       FIG. 7A  illustrates the notation window  701 , wherein the beat ruler  702  has four beats per measure. Four beat marks  703  are positioned within each pair of measure marks  704 , as shown in  FIG. 7A , meaning that each of the notes  706  has four legal drop points within the measure. For one embodiment, the resolution of the grid on the beat ruler  702  may be changed by opening a pop-up menu  705  and selecting a desired resolution, as shown in  FIG. 7A . 
       FIG. 7B  illustrates the notation window  701 , wherein the resolution of the grid of the beat ruler  702  is increased by a factor of two relative to the resolution illustrated in  FIG. 7A . As shown in  FIG. 7B , eight beat marks  703  are placed within each pair of measure marks  704  and the distance between each of the beat marks  703  is decreased. Accordingly, the amount of the legal drop points for each of the notes  706  is increased by a factor of two, as shown in  FIG. 7B . 
       FIG. 7C  illustrates the notation window  701 , wherein the resolution of the grid of the beat ruler  702  is increased by a factor of four relative to the resolution illustrated in  FIG. 7A . As shown in  FIG. 7C , sixteen beat marks  703  are placed within each pair of measure marks  704  and the distance between each of the beat marks  703  is decreased by a factor of four. The amount of legal drop points for each of the notes  706  is increased by a factor of four accordingly with the increased resolution of the grid. 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a method  800  to change duration of a musical sign, such as a musical note or a pedal sign, within a notation window according to one embodiment of the invention. The duration of the musical sign determines how long a sound represented by the musical sign lasts, measured in beats. The method  800  begins with displaying  801  a notation window with at least one musical sign at a desired location in the notation window as described above with respect to  FIG. 2 . The method  800  continues with the operation  802  of receiving a selection of the musical sign to change a time duration. Next, at operation  803  a duration indicator at the selected musical sign is displayed upon selecting of the musical sign. For an embodiment, the musical sign may be a note, a sign representing a pedal, or any other musical sign. For one embodiment, the duration indicator is displayed attached to or immediately adjacent a head of a note, when the note is selected (“activated”) by positioning a cursor over a head of the note and pressing (“clicking”) a mouse once. The duration indicator may alternatively be displayed above or below the note which is selected. 
       FIGS. 9A-9D  illustrate notes of various durations with the duration indicators according to one embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 9A  illustrates a whole note  901  on a staff  905  having a duration indicator appearing as a duration bar  902  attached to a head of the note  901 . As shown in  FIG. 9A , the duration bar  902  is a horizontal bar attached to the head of the selected note, wherein the length of the duration bar  902  corresponds to the duration of the whole note  902 . The duration bar  902  has an adjustable length to adjust to the duration of the selected note, as shown in  FIGS. 9A-9D . For one embodiment, the length of the duration bar  902  may be adjusted by positioning a cursor over the handle  903  of the duration bar  902 , clicking a button, such as a mouse&#39;s button and dragging the handle  903  with a mouse into a direction, which corresponds to a desired duration. For an embodiment, the duration bar  902  has a minimum length of about six pixels to the right of the head of the note  901 , such that substantially short notes may be changed. For an embodiment, the duration bar  902  has a subtle transparency, such that staff  905  and other notes are visible through the duration bar  902 . For an embodiment, the duration bar  902  has a height about the same as the height of the head of the note  901 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 8 , the method  800  continues with operation  804  of receiving a user manipulation of the duration indicator to adjust to a desired duration of the selected musical sign. Next, displaying  805  a dynamically changing duration indicator is performed while receiving the user manipulation. This user manipulation may be a direct manipulation of the duration indicator by using a cursor to drag the indicator to either length it or shorten it. Alternatively, once the indicator has been presented, other manipulations such as the use of the left and right arrow keys may also be used to change the length of the indicator and hence the duration of the selected note. The modified duration indicator corresponds to the desired duration of the note. Next, displaying  806  of the selected musical sign modified to correspond to the adjusted duration of the duration indicator is performed. 
       FIG. 9B  illustrates the note  901  with the duration bar  902  adjusted to a desired duration, which corresponds to a half note. The appearance of the note  901  is automatically modified to the half note to correspond to the adjusted duration bar  902 , as shown in  FIG. 9B  wherein the adjustment by the user of the bar  902  caused the system to automatically change the note to a half note. For one embodiment, rests are automatically added or removed by the system from the staff  905 , as a length of the duration bar  902  is reduced or increased.  FIG. 9B  illustrates a rest  904  corresponding to the half note added to the staff  905 . 
       FIG. 9C  illustrates the note  902  with the duration bar  902  adjusted to a quarter note. The appearance of the note  901  is automatically modified by the system to the quarter note in response to the user&#39;s adjustment of duration bar  902 , as shown in  FIG. 9C . Rests  904  corresponding to three quarter notes are respectively automatically added to the staff  905 , as shown in  FIG. 9C . 
       FIG. 9D  illustrates the note  902  with the duration bar  902  adjusted to one eighth of the note. The appearance of the note  902  is modified to the one eighth of the note to correspond to the adjusted duration bar  902 , as shown in  FIG. 9D . Rests  904  corresponding to a seven eighth of the note are respectively added to the staff  905 , as shown in  FIG. 9D . The sequence of  FIGS. 9A-9D  may be considered to represent a user input in which the user has dragged the duration indicator right to left to decrease the size of the indicator as the cursor moves right to left during the drag. 
       FIG. 9E  illustrates the note  902 , when the duration bar  902  is dragged beyond a measure  908  according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 9E , an arc  907  extending beyond the measure  908  is added to a head of the note  901 , when the duration bar  902  is dragged beyond the measure  908 . 
       FIGS. 10A-10F  illustrate a method to change duration of a pedal within a notation window according to another embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 10A  illustrates a notation window  1000  having a staff  1001 , notes  1002 , and a pedal sign  1003  below the staff  1001 . For one embodiment, the pedal sign  1003  is displayed as a ghosted pedal sign under a cursor  1004 , as shown in  FIG. 10A . The pedal sustains the sound of the note, extending duration of the note further. 
     Next, the pedal sign  1003  is activated by clicking a mouse when the cursor  1004  is over the pedal sign  1003 , as shown in  FIG. 10B . Next, the duration of the pedal sign  1003  is adjusted in a single GUI manipulation by dragging a cursor  1004  from the pedal sign  1004  to define the beginning and the end of the pedal duration, as shown in  FIG. 10C . As the cursor  1003  leaves the pedal sign  1004  and drags horizontally to the right from the pedal sign  1004  while the mouse is pressed, a star  1005  is displayed under the cursor, as shown in  FIG. 10C . The star is displayed as a ghosted sign, as shown in  FIG. 10C . The star  1005  sets the end of the duration of the pedal  1003 . A duration line  1006  may connect the star  1005  to the pedal sign  1003  while the cursor  1004  is dragged away from the pedal sign  1003  to adjust a duration of the pedal, as shown in  FIGS. 10C and 10D . The duration line  1006  represents the duration of the pedal sign  1003  and appears as a gray dotted line, as shown in  FIGS. 10C and 10D . The duration line  1006  has a beginning and an end, wherein the beginning is attached to the pedal sign  1003  and the end is attached to the star  1005 , as shown in  FIG. 10D . 
       FIG. 10E  is a view similar to the  FIG. 10D , after the mouse is released. As shown in  FIG. 10E , the star  1005  turns black and the duration line  1006  disappears. Next, the pedal sign  1003  is selected by a click of the mouse, as shown in  FIG. 10F . The pedal sign  1003 , the star  1005  and the duration line  1006  become the same color. In addition, the duration line  1006  may change, for example, to a solid line, as shown in  FIG. 10F . The length of the duration line  1006  represents the duration of the pedal sign  1003  and is adjustable, as shown in  FIGS. 10C-10F . 
       FIG. 11  is a flowchart of a method  1100  to change duration of a musical note within a notation window according to yet another embodiment of the invention. The method  1100  begins with receiving  1101  selection of a position on a staff, wherein the selection includes a desired pitch. The pitch is defined as a position on the staff, indicating how high or low the note sounds. 
       FIG. 12A  illustrates selecting a position of a staff  1201  by positioning a cursor  1202  over a desired position on the staff  1201  and pressing a button (e.g. a mouse&#39;s button), according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 11 , the method continues with the operation  1102  of displaying a pop-up menu at the selected position on the staff to select notes of various durations. For an embodiment, the pop-up menu may be displayed after pressing a single key on the keyboard, for example, by pressing a CONTROL key, or COMMAND key and another key or by pressing a key when the pitch position of the note is selected on the staff. For one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 12B , the pop-up menu  1203  displayed at or near the selected position on the staff  1201  is a palette having notes  1204  with various durations. For one embodiment, the pop-up menu to draw a note of a desired duration at a desired pitch may be invoked by positioning the cursor  1202  over the desired location and performing a CONTROL-click operation. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 11 , the method continues with the operation  1103  of receiving selection of the note of the desired duration. For one embodiment, the selection of the note may be performed from by positioning a cursor over the note with a desired duration in the pop-up menu and pressing a button (e.g. pressing a button on a keyboard or on a mouse). Next, the displaying  1104  the note with the desired duration at the desired location at the staff is performed. 
       FIG. 12C  illustrates displaying the note  1204  of the desired duration on the desired position on the staff  1201 , wherein the desired position on the staff  1201  includes the desired pitch of the note  1204 , according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 11 , the method  1100  may be performed without using the pop-up menu according to yet another embodiment of the invention. The operation  1103  of selecting the note of the desired duration and the operation  1104  of displaying the note of the desired duration may be performed upon receiving a signal from a single key on a keyboard. For an embodiment, a single key on the keyboard may be a number key pressed by a user. 
       FIGS. 13A-13C  illustrate a method to directly change velocity of a note (e.g. how hard a key on a piano is hit by a finger) within a notation window according to another embodiment of the invention. First, the selection of a note  1302  on a staff  1301  within a notation window  1300  is received, as illustrated in  FIG. 13A . The velocity of the note  1302  indicates how fast the note  1302  is played. For an embodiment, the selection of the note  1302  may be performed by positioning a cursor  1303  over the note  1302  and pressing a mouse. Next, a velocity indicator (“velocity slider”)  1304  of the note  1302  is displayed, as shown in  FIG. 13B . For one embodiment, the velocity indicator  1304  is displayed next to a head of the note  1302  and has a number readout indicating the velocity of the note  1302 , as shown in  FIG. 13B . Further, a user manipulation of the note  1302  is received and the velocity of the note  1302  in the velocity indicator  1304  is updated to reflect new settings, as shown in  FIG. 13C . For an embodiment, the velocity indicator  1304  is adjusted automatically as the note  1302  is dragged up or down in a vertical direction  1305 , as shown in  FIG. 13C , while a COMMAND key is pressed. 
       FIG. 14  shows a block diagram of an exemplary data processing system  1400  that performs methods of manipulating musical signs described above with respect to  FIGS. 1-13  and  15 - 16  according to one embodiment of the invention. The system may be a general purpose computer system or a special purpose data processing system. The system  1400  includes a microprocessor  1401  coupled to a bus  1403  and to a memory  1402 . Software that includes programs and data to perform methods described above with respect to  FIGS. 1-13  and  15 - 16  is written onto the memory  1402 , which is coupled to the microprocessor  1401  using the bus  1403 . For one embodiment, the memory  1402  may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a flash memory chip, a hard disk, a dynamic random access memory (“DRAM”), a battery backed memory, or any combination thereof. For one embodiment, the memory  1402  may include a portable disk, such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, or a floppy disk. The microprocessor  1401  executes the software written onto the memory  1402  to perform the methods of manipulating the musical signs within the notation window, as described above with respect to  FIGS. 1-13  and  15 - 16 . As shown in  FIG. 14 , the microprocessor  1401  and the memory  1402  are coupled through the bus  1403  to an input/output (“I/O”) controller  1406  and to a display controller  1404 . For one embodiment, the I/O controller  1406  is coupled to one or more devices  1408  having Musical Instrument Digital Interface (“MIDI”) to provide music input from the user. For one embodiment, the I/O controller  1406  is coupled to one or more speakers  1407 , as shown in  FIG. 14 . For one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 14 , the display controller  1404  is coupled to a display  1405  to display, for example, a notation window, wherein the methods described above with respect to  FIGS. 1-13  and  15 - 16 , are performed. 
       FIG. 15  illustrates an input  1510  of a musical instrument within a display window  1500 , wherein the input  1510  has an octave picker  1501  according to another embodiment of the invention. The octave picker  1501  is displayed over a portion of the input  1510  and may extend over one or more octaves, as shown in  FIG. 15 . Dots  1503  indicate octave divisions on the input  1510  of the musical instrument, as shown in  FIG. 15 . At least the portion of the input  1510  selected by the octave picker  1501  is displayed in an enlarged view  1520  below the input  1510  within the window  1500  and is visible to the user, as shown in  FIG. 15 . The input  1510  of the musical instrument appears as a bar above the enlarged view  1520  within the window  1500 , as shown in  FIG. 15 . For one embodiment, the octave picker  1501  highlights the portion of the input  1510  to indicate, for example, the exact number of piano keys visible to the user. For one embodiment, the octave picker  1501  is extendable to increase the portion of the input  1510  visible by the user in the enlarged view  1520 . The input  1510  may be a keyboard, an input of a string instrument, or an input of any musical instrument. As shown in  FIG. 15 , scroll arrows  1507  are displayed at sides  1502  in the enlarged view  1520  to scroll from the portion selected by the octave picker  1501  along the input  1510  in any direction to display various portions of the input  1510  in the enlarged view  1520 . For one embodiment, in the enlarged view  1520  the distance  1505  between keys  1504  and the sides  1502  is about 4 pixels to provide sufficient visibility of the keys  1504 . 
       FIGS. 16A and 16  B illustrate a method to select a portion of an input  1600  of a musical instrument using an octave picker according to one embodiment of the invention. First, the selection of a desired portion  1601  within the input  1600  is received, as illustrated in  FIG. 16A . For an embodiment, the selection of the desired portion  1601  may be performed by positioning a cursor  1603  over the desired portion  1601  on the input  1600  and pressing a mouse. Next, in response to the selection of the desired portion  1601 , the octave picker  1602  is moved directly to the desired portion  1601  on the input  1600 . Further, the octave picker  1602  is displayed over the desired region  1601  within the input  1600 . Further, the enlarged view  1520  of at least the desired region  1601  is displayed, as described above with respect to  FIG. 15 . 
       FIGS. 16C and 16D  illustrate a method to select the portion of the input  1600  of the musical instrument using the octave picker according to another embodiment of the invention. First, the selection of the octave picker  1602  is received, as illustrated in  FIG. 16C . For an embodiment, the selection of the octave picker  1602  may be performed by positioning a cursor  1603  over the octave picker  1602  on the input  1600  and pressing a mouse. Next, a user manipulation of the octave picker  1602 , which moves the octave picker  1602  to a desired portion  1601  is received. For one embodiment, the user manipulation is performed by dragging the octave picker  1602  with the cursor  1603 . Further, the octave picker  1602  is displayed as “jumping” over the respective portions on the input  1600  in response to the user manipulation. For one embodiment, the respective portions on the input  1600  extend to one or more respective octaves. Next, after the user manipulation of the octave picker  1602  is completed, the octave picker  1602  is displayed over the desired portion  1601  within the input  1600 . Further, the enlarged view  1520  of at least the desired region  1601  is displayed, as described above with respect to  FIG. 15 . 
     In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20050107
Publication Date: 20091027
Grant Date: 20091027
Priority Date: 20050107
Inventors: EVANS MATT
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G10H2220/121", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10H1/0008", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10H2220/126", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10H2220/121", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10H2220/126", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10H1/0008", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 41211071