System and method of instructing musical notation for a stringed instrument

A computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable program code for instructing a user to read musical notation through interaction with a graphical user interface and an input instrument representative of a stringed instrument and configured to execute on a processor, the program code including instructions for performing the steps of:

• a) generating the graphical user interface, having a first mode, including a virtual fingerboard positioned substantially along a vertical extreme of the interface, the virtual fingerboard including:
• a1) a first linear array representing a first string having a first frequency range;
• a2) a second linear array representing a second string having a second frequency range, wherein the second frequency range overlaps the first frequency range;
• and
• a3) a plurality of note positions, each note position having a corresponding fingerboard position on the input instrument;
• a4) wherein the first linear array, the second linear array, and the plurality of note positions form a grid;
• b) displaying the first linear away and the second linear array in a second mode such that portions of the first linear away and the second linear array having overlapping frequency ranges are substantially vertically aligned;
• c) incorporating a music file into the graphical user interface, wherein the music file contains data corresponding to an arrangement of a plurality of musical notes in sequence, having a rhythmic pattern, and represented by at least one game object;
• and
• d) directing the game object in substantially vertical and substantially straight trajectory, toward a note position on the virtual fingerboard corresponding to the musical notes.

A system for instructing a user to read musical notation through interaction with a graphical user interface and an input instrument representative of a stringed instrument, the system comprising:

• a) a display module configured to display data;
• b) an input instrument module representative of a stringed instrument in communication with the display module, the input instrument module having a fingerboard, the fingerboard including a plurality of note positions, each note position being color indexed to a chromatic scale;
• c) a control module in communication with the display module, and comprising instructions for directing the display module;
• d) a graphical user interface module, the graphical user interface module comprising instructions for:
• d1) generating a virtual fingerboard positioned substantially at a top portion of the interface, the virtual fingerboard including:
• d1a) a first linear array representing a first string having a first frequency range;
• d1b) a second linear array representing a second string having a second frequency range, wherein the second frequency range overlaps the first frequency range;
• and
• d1c) a plurality of note positions, each note position having a corresponding fingerboard position on the input instrument, wherein the first linear array, the second linear array, and the plurality of note positions form a grid;
• and
• d2) displaying the first linear away and the second linear array in a second mode such that portions of the first linear array and the second linear array having overlapping frequency ranges are substantially vertically aligned.