Apparatus for making music database and retrieval apparatus for such database

A retrieval apparatus for retrieving a string of note data items representing musical notes from a musical database, said retrieval apparatus comprising:

• storage means for storing an index indicating relationships between note data items representing a music piece in the musical database and position data items representing positions at which the note data items are positioned in the music piece;
• input means for inputting a string of note data items to be retrieved from the musical database;.
• first retrieval means, coupled to said storage means and said input means, for selecting, from the note data items in the index stored in said storage means, a note data item equal to one of the note data items of the string input by said input means;
• second retrieval means, coupled to said first retrieval means, for selecting a note data item immediately following the note data item selected by said first retrieval means with reference to the index;
• and
• determination means, coupled to said second retrieval means, for determining whether or not the note data item selected by said second retrieval means is equal to a note data item immediately following the one of the note data items in the string input by said input means, so that the string of note data items is retrieved using a determination result obtained by said determination means.

A retrieval apparatus for retrieving a string of note data items representing musical notes from a musical data base, said retrieval apparatus comprising:

• storage means for storing a first index and a second index, the first index indicating relationships between note data items representing a music piece in the musical database and position data items representing positions at which the note data items are positioned in the music piece, the second index being a histogram indicating a frequency with which each of the noted data items occurs in the music piece;
• input means for inputting a string of note data items to be retrieved from the musical database;
• selecting means, coupled to said storage means and said input means, for selecting, with reference to the second index in said storage means, a note data item having a smallest frequency of occurrence from among the note data item in the string input by said input means;
• first retrieval means, coupled to said storage means and said selecting means, for selecting, from the note data items in the first index stored in said storage unit, a note data item equal to the note data item selected by said selecting means;
• second retrieval means, coupled to said first retrieval means, for selecting a note data item immediately following the note data item selected by said first retrieval means with reference to the first index;
• and
• determination means, coupled to said second retrieval means, for determining whether or not the note data item selected by said second retrieval means is equal to a note data item immediately following the note data item selected by said selecting means in the string input by said input means, so that the string of note data items is retrieved using a determination result obtained by said determination means.

A method for making a musical database, comprising the steps of:

• converting musical information representing a music piece into note data items representing musical notes, each of said note data items consisting of a set of values associated with both a period of a single sound denoted by a musical note and a scale level representing a pitch of the single sound denoted by the musical note;
• producing position data items for the note data items, the position data items representing positions at which the note data items are positioned in the musical information;
• producing a first index from the note data items and the position data items representing relationships between the note data items and the position data items;
• and
• storing the first index.

A method for retrieving a string of note data items representing musical notes from a musical database, comprising the steps of:

• storing an index indicating relationship between note data items representing a music piece in the musical database and position data items representing positions at which the note data items are positioned in the music piece;
• inputting a string of note data items to be retrieved from the musical database;
• selecting from the note data items in the stored index a first note data item equal to one of the inputted string of note data items;
• selecting a second note data item immediately following the first note data item with reference to the index;
• and
• determining whether or not the second note data item is equal to a note data item immediately following the one of the inputted string of note data items, so that the string of note data items is retrieved using a determination result obtained by the determination means.

A method for retrieving a string of note data items representing musical notes from a musical database, comprising the steps of:

• storing an index indicating relationship between sets of a plurality of note data items continuously arranged as musical data representing a musical piece and position data items representing positions at which the sets of the plurality of note data items are positioned in the musical information;
• inputting a string of note data items to be retrieved from the musical database;
• and
• determining whether or not the inputted string of note data items exist in the music information by comparing the string of note data items with the sets of the plurality of note data items in the index, so that the string of note data items is retrieved.