Robert Rice’s patent application argues that humans have natural tendencies to certain kinds of tempos, and these are often opposed from the artificial tempos imposed during music instruction.

As can be seen from the data shown in FIG. 1, the subjects did not produce a random distribution of tempos. Instead, subjects had a preference for particular tempos, noted by the various peaks. The experiments indicate that individuals have a natural tendency to produce these particular tempos, as opposed to “artificial” tempos that are typically used in music instruction. Several of these tempos correspond to the tempos described and claimed in this application. As a result, it is believed that calibrating a metronome, guitar trainer, drum machine, or other music training device to produce these tempos will make it easier for a musician to follow with the desired tempo.

This conclusion is further bolstered by the fact that in attempting to reproduce the various artificial tempos, subjects generally alternated between two “natural” tempos in order to attempt to duplicate the artificial tempo, resulting in the subject continually being slightly ahead or slightly behind the beat. If the tempo sought to be reproduced is a natural human tempo, it should be much easier for individuals to track and follow, as it would not be necessary to make the minute modifications to the individual’s “internal” tempo to attempt to reproduce the “artificial” tempo.

Rice, R. 2011. ‘Natural Human Timing Interface.’ In Justia Patents: US Patent for Natural Human Timing Interface Patent (Patent # 8,017,853). September 13, 2001. https://patents.justia.com/patent/8017853