Performance image information creating and reproducing apparatus and method

A method of creating performance image information for displaying an image showing a manner of playing a piece of music while playing the piece of music, comprising the steps of:

• creating a motion component database that stores a plurality of motion components each of which corresponds to a performance method and performance information, each of said motion components representing a trajectory of a fraction of performance motion of both a musical instrument and a player of said musical instrument;
• creating motion component information designating at least one of said motion components in accordance with a performance method and performance in formation on a time schedule determined by a predetermined musical time unit of music to be played, said performance information being information for performance of said music;
• and
• creating sequence information comprising said motion component information and said performance information.

A storage medium storing a program that is executable by a computer to practice a method of creating performance image information for displaying an image showing a manner of playing a piece of music while playing the piece of music, the program comprising:

• a module for creating a motion component database that stores a plurality of motion components each of which corresponds to a performance method and performance information, each of said motion components representing a trajectory of a fraction of performance motion of both a musical instrument and a player of said musical instrument;
• a module for creating motion component information designating at least one of said motion components in accordance with a performance method and performance in formation on a time schedule determined by a predetermined musical time unit of music to be played, said performance information being information for performance of said music;
• and
• a module for creating sequence information comprising said motion component information and said performance information.

A performance image information creating apparatus comprising:

• an information creating device that creates information comprising instruction information arranged on a time schedule determined by a predetermined musical time unit of the piece of music to be played, for instructing image information externally entered to be displayed;
• a sequence information creating device that creates sequence information comprising said information created by said information creating device, and performance information on the piece of music to be played;
• and
• a motion component information creating device that creates motion component information comprising designation information arranged on said time schedule, for designating one of a plurality of motion components each storing a trajectory of a fraction of motion of a player and a musical instrument, said one of the plurality of motion components corresponding to said performance information and a performance method being typical of said musical instrument, and wherein said sequence information comprises said information comprising said instruction information, and said motion component information.

A performance image information reproducing apparatus for generating musical tones corresponding to performance information and displaying an image showing a manner of playing a piece of music represented by the performance information, based on sequence information comprising the performance information, and motion component information used for displaying the image showing the manner playing the piece of music, comprising:

• a musical tone generating device that generates the musical tones based on the performance information;
• an image creating device that creates the image showing the manner of playing the piece of music con-responding to the performance information, based on the motion component information;
• and
• a motion component database that stores a plurality of motion components each of which corresponds to a performance method and performance information, each of said motion components representing a trajectory of a fraction of performance motion of both a musical instrument and a player of said musical instrument;
• wherein said image creating device reads out the motion components from said motion component database, based on the motion component information, and creates the image using the motion components read from the motion component database.

A method of reproducing performance image information for generating musical tones corresponding to performance information and displaying an image showing a manner of playing a piece of music represented by the performance information, based on sequence information comprising the performance information, and motion component information used for displaying the image showing the manner playing the piece of music, comprising the steps of:

• generating the musical tones based on the performance information;
• creating the image showing the manner of playing the piece of music corresponding to the performance information, based on the motion component information;
• and
• creating a motion component database that stores a plurality-of motion components each of which corresponds to a performance method and performance information, each of said motion components representing a trajectory of a fraction of performance motion of both a musical instrument and a player of said musical instrument;
• wherein said step of creating the image reads out the motion components from said motion component database, based on the motion component information, and creates the image using the motion components read from the motion component database.

A storage medium storing a program that is executable by a computer to practice a method of reproducing performance image information for generating musical tones corresponding to performance information and displaying an image showing a manner of playing a piece of music represented by the performance information, based on sequence information comprising the performance information, and motion component information used for displaying the image showing the manner playing the piece of music, the program comprising:

• a module for generating the musical tones based on the performance information;
• a module for creating the image showing the manner of playing the piece of music corresponding to the performance information, based on the motion component information;
• and
• a module for creating a motion component database that stores a plurality-of motion components each of which corresponds to a performance method and performance information, each of said motion components representing a trajectory of a fraction of performance motion of both a musical instrument and a player of said musical instrument;
• wherein said module for creating the image reads out the motion components from said motion component database, based on the motion component information, and creates the image using the motion components read from the motion component database.