E-Basic Online Prospectus

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his page was made for possible investors in the device described below.


Purpose:

This mechanism will assist the new piano player in the reading and playing of music by using E-Basic notation in conjunction with a midi device which "scrolls" the notation or plays the music itself.

There are two fundamental modes

  • In the incremental mode, the music advances only as you "hit" the right notes. Thus, until you have played the correct notes in the play zone, the music will not advance to the next line of music. This is especially appropriate for the beginner ... and ... one would use this mode in conjunction with music composition and editing.
  • In the continuous mode, the music advances at a rate chosen by the player. If the notes in the play zone are not "hit" correctly, the music simply scrolls on. This is useful for someone playing "at speed" or slightly behind who does not wish to be stopped for every little error. In conjunction with the record mode, one simply plays anything and it is recorded continuously and can be later edited in the incremental mode.

    • Visual appearance while playing

    This system requires multi-colors or shades of a single color.

    The notes themselves should appear in E-basic as white for white notes (outlined in black on a white background or plain white on a somewhat darker background) and plain black for the numbered black notes to facilitate easier reading.

    When the player hits the correct note it should turn green. A wrong note must show up red on the screen in the position it would normally take. This allows the player to see how far he is off the mark without having to take his eyes off the display.

    The Metronome button and Scroll Speed knob

    the upper right button toggles the metronome on-off. The rate of the beats goes with the music scrolling. Both scrolling speed and metronome are controlled by the "soeed knob" on the lower right. One might wish to scroll the music slowly but without stopping during a piece of music which is "fairly" familiar for the purpose of practice.

    Continuous repeat and Stop buttons

    The red middle button pauses whatever the machine is doing ... then resumes when it is pushed again. This facilitates not losing your place when going to the can or answering the telephone, etc.
    The continuous repeat button when depressed, causes whatever selection is playing to repeat over and over. Pushing it a second time reverts to the default ... on play only ... then ... stop. The default setting on start up must be "continuous repeat".

    Tab and Select buttons

    Tab allows one to move through options in the options mode or through the music itself ... then ... Select the option or start point in the music which is desired.

    The On-Off button ...

    Powers the machine on or off.

    The Select mode ...

    Allows the user to scan the contents of the floppy disk inserted into the disk player-recorder. And to find a place on the disk to record, edit, etc.

    The Options mode allows the user to:

  • Create a "favorites list"
  • Display left or right hand only
  • Send music to computer or printer for editing or hard copy
  • Translate the music into other styles such as horizontal Standard notation or E-basic advanced notation (all letters designed to facilitate easy memorization)
  • Change the sound of the metronome
  • Edit the inserted disk
  • Play selected music like a player piano (in conjunction with the midi keyboard or other compatible instrument)
  • Remove empty vertical space in the music
  • Remove the Play Zone and time controls and play Rubato
    Note: In this style, the music is displayed without empty space between lines of music. Playing from top to bottom, the lines disappear as you play and begin to fill again from the top as you near the bottom. The player then returns to the top of the display to continue the piece. There is therefore no break in the music to distract the player and the display is functionally similar to playing sheet music.
  • And any other option that one might think of ...

    • There is a Windows type scroll bar at the left side of the display

    In conjunction with a "touch screen" one may scroll through the music and/or select a small portion of music to be replayed continuously to facilitate practice of the "hard parts".

    There are four standard connection wires

    1. Power cord
    2. USB optional connectivity to computer
    3. Midi in
    4. Midi out

    Alternatively ... and perhaps a better idea ...

    One could produce the screen without the storage unit and make computer connectivity mandatory ... Then, one might use the computer's cd-rom or cd rewritable drive in place of the 120 mb floppy drive. The software would then be entirely installed on the player's computer. One then needs a longer USB cable to reach the midi-keyboard which may be somewhat distant from the computer. Much cheaper this way, eh?
    "If I have left anything out, feel free to point out my omission. Clearly, any reasonable requirement can be worked into the design." - EBTX 
    

    


    

    

    


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