Indicating what should be played in a piece of music with a music document, including: displaying a part of the music document when a user plays the piece; receiving a real-time audio signal of the playing; automatically determining a playing position within the piece of music based on the real-time audio signal; automatically scrolling the music document on a display depending on the playing position; estimating at least the following from the real-time audio signal: activity; tonality; and tempo used in automatically determining the playing position determined from playing speed of the user. The estimating of the activity includes detecting whether the user is producing any sounding notes. The estimating of the tonality is based on an array of chord models that represent different chords that appear in the music document and allow calculating the probability that the corresponding chord is being played in various real-time audio signal segments.

A computer-implemented reproduction control method includes reproducing sound from sound data representing a series of sounds including first sound and second sound that follows the first sound. The method includes starting reproducing the first sound, continuing the reproduction of a first sound until an end of the first sound in response to receiving a first instruction in a reproduction period of the first sound, stopping the reproduction of the first sound, and after the stopping of the reproduction of the first sound, starting reproducing the second sound in response to receiving a second instruction provided by a user.

A computer-implemented reproduction control method includes reproducing sound from sound data representing a series of sounds including first sound and second sound that follows the first sound. The method includes starting reproducing the first sound, continuing the reproduction of a first sound until an end of the first sound in response to receiving a first instruction in a reproduction period of the first sound, stopping the reproduction of the first sound, and after the stopping of the reproduction of the first sound, starting reproducing the second sound in response to receiving a second instruction provided by a user.

Musical score acquisition section acquires musical score information representing a musical score of a music piece to be practiced by a user. Target portion setting section sets a plurality of portions of the music piece as target portions for training, respectively. Target musical score acquisition section acquires target musical score information indicative of partial musical scores of the respective target portions for training set by the target portion setting section. Display control section controls, on the basis of the target musical score information acquired by the target musical score acquisition section, a display device to display two or more of target musical scores in a side-by-side arrangement. Thus, a user can easily grasp the plurality of target portions for training.

Musical score acquisition section acquires musical score information representing a musical score of a music piece to be practiced by a user. Target portion setting section sets a plurality of portions of the music piece as target portions for training, respectively. Target musical score acquisition section acquires target musical score information indicative of partial musical scores of the respective target portions for training set by the target portion setting section. Display control section controls, on the basis of the target musical score information acquired by the target musical score acquisition section, a display device to display two or more of target musical scores in a side-by-side arrangement. Thus, a user can easily grasp the plurality of target portions for training.

For each sound of a model performance, performance information designating a sound generation timing and sound are supplied, and for each of a plurality of phrases into which the model performance is divided, intensity information indicative of an intensity of sound for the phrase is supplied. In accordance with a progression of a performance time and for each phrase of the model performance, the intensity information is acquired ahead of a start timing when a performance of the phrase is to be started, and the intensity of sound common to sounds in the phrase is presented based on the acquired intensity information. The intensity of the sound is presented in a visual or audible manner. In this way, a human player can know, through a visual display and/or an audible sound, an intensity of a key depression operation for each phrase of the model performance before starting the phrase. As a result, the human player can practice the performance while being aware of the intensity of sound for each phrase.

For each sound of a model performance, performance information designating a sound generation timing and sound are supplied, and for each of a plurality of phrases into which the model performance is divided, intensity information indicative of an intensity of sound for the phrase is supplied. In accordance with a progression of a performance time and for each phrase of the model performance, the intensity information is acquired ahead of a start timing when a performance of the phrase is to be started, and the intensity of sound common to sounds in the phrase is presented based on the acquired intensity information. The intensity of the sound is presented in a visual or audible manner. In this way, a human player can know, through a visual display and/or an audible sound, an intensity of a key depression operation for each phrase of the model performance before starting the phrase. As a result, the human player can practice the performance while being aware of the intensity of sound for each phrase.

The information providing method includes: sequentially identifying a performance speed at which a user performs a piece of music; identifying, in the piece of music, a performance position that is performed by the user; setting an adjustment amount in accordance with a temporal variation in the identified performance speed; and providing the user with music information corresponding to a time point that is later, by the adjustment amount, than a time point that corresponds to the performance position identified in the piece of music.

The information providing method includes: sequentially identifying a performance speed at which a user performs a piece of music; identifying, in the piece of music, a performance position that is performed by the user; setting an adjustment amount in accordance with a temporal variation in the identified performance speed; and providing the user with music information corresponding to a time point that is later, by the adjustment amount, than a time point that corresponds to the performance position identified in the piece of music.

Systems and methods for mapping parts in a digital sheet music file for a harmony. The method may include receiving a selection of a music segment for part mapping, receiving a digital sheet music representation of the selected music segment, and determining a plurality of plausible part mapping for the digital sheet music representation. A part mapping identifies one or more distinct musical parts in the digital sheet music representation, each of said one or more distinct musical parts corresponding to a performer of the harmony. The method may also include analyzing one or more features of the plurality of plausible part mapping to identify a highest probability part mapping based on previously stored information, and outputting the highest probability part mapping.