GB2221847A

GB2221847A - Finger exerciser for guitar players

Info

Publication number: GB2221847A
Application number: GB8918095A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Patrick Mccann
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-08-10
Filing date: 1989-08-08
Publication date: 1990-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 2009-08-08
Also published as: GB2221847B; GB8918095D0; GB8819039D0

Abstract

An exercise device, which is of value in assisting the player of a stringed instrument in developing his fingering skills and/or the strength of his finger muscles, comprises a manually graspable rigid base (5) and a length of resilient wire (6), secured at its ends to the base and extending in a direction generally parallel to the surface of the base. <IMAGE>

Description

Finger Exerciser The present invention is a device which is able to assist in exercising the fingers.

Devices are available which are held in the hand and are intended to exercise the muscles of the hand and arm, as a feature of body development by means of a weight training program. However such devices are aimed at developing muscles of the hand and arm generally, including for example the biceps and the muscles of the wrist, and, to the extent that they benefit the hand muscles, are not devised specifically with the finger muscles in mind.

Players of stringed instruments are particularly concerned with exercising and developing the muscles of the hand, especially those of the fingers. Thus conventional handheld exercisers are of little direct interest to such players.

However there appears to be no device available which is specifically intended for exercising the fingers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide such a device.

The device according to the present invention comprises a manually graspable rigid base and a length of resilient wire, secured at its ends to said base and extending in a direction generally parallel to the surface of said base.

As indicated, the base is manually graspable; that is, it can be held and supported by one hand. Preferably the base is of elongated shape and preferably it is of such dimension transverse to its length that the hand may be closed around it.

For example, the base may be generally flat and may suitably have a width within the range from 20 to 40 millimetres. It is preferred that the length of the base be of the same general order of size as the dimensions of the palm of the adult hand, or a little more, for example within the range from 70 to 180 millimetres. Different devices which differ in length may be offered, for example intended for use by young children, older children and the adult possessors of smaller and larger hands respectively.

It its most preferred form, the base has rounded corners and is thus generally oval in plan view. The base may also be somewhat rounded, for example generally oval, in crossection.

The base may be made of metal or of a synthetic polymeric material, more preferably a hard-surfaced plastics material such as PVC. Less desirably, it may be made of wood, especially polished wood.

Secured at its ends to the base and extending in a direction generally parallel to the surface of the latter is a length of resilient wire. The securing of the wire to the base may be such as to make separation of these two camponents difficult, for example by zeans of a retaining bolt and/or nut, by welding or by moulding the base about the ends of the wire. Alternatively the wire may be detachably secured to the base. Thus, for example, the ends of the wire may be turned at an angle, preferably at right angles to its length, and the turned ends may then be inserted into holes in the surface of the base, wherein they may be retained by tension and/or the natural resilience of the wire.

The resilient wire functions somewhat as a substitute for an instrument string and it may therefore be desired to provide two or more parallel such wires, for example four wires. However the benefits of the exercise device are readily achieved using a single resilient wire and in general the provision of additional wires is unnecessary and tends to give a more bulky, and perhaps more expensive device.

Any suitable resilient wire may be used but wires of brass and related alloys have been found by experiment to be particularly suitable.

Preferably, the resilient wire is of a heavier gauge than a typical instrurrent string. For example, the wire may have a diameter of the order of 1 to 2 millirretres.

The finger exerciser according to the invention is intended for casual use in any convenient location and situation. It may be kept in a pocket and used lile still in the pocket or may be used in the open. An important advantage is that it may be used at any convenient time while the user is engaged in another activity, for example reading, in conversation or watching television or while waiting for an appointment o r travelling. The fact that the device is silent means that it may be used without distracting or disturbing other people.

Regular use allows the user to practise and develop all of the left-hand fingering skills entailed in the playing of a guitar, violin or other stringed instrument, including the techniques known as bends, hammers, pull downs and vibrato.

The device assists in building up strength in the finger muscles and in hardening the finger tips, which latter leads to a tighter playing sound.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one preferred form of the finger exerciser according to the present invention and its use and wherein: Fig. 1 is a plan view of the finger exerciser; Fig. 2 is a view from the side of the finger exerciser of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view of the fingerexerciser of Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig. 4 shows the method of using the exerciser.

The illustrated exerciser asmprises a base 5 moulded in polyvinyl chloride. The base, in plan view, is in the form of an elongated oval with parallel sides and semicircular ends. All the edges of the base are rounded or smoothed, giving the exerciser an oval transverse cross-section. In the illustrated embodiment the overall dimensions are approximately 160mm by 30mm by 12mn.

A single resilient wire 6 is mounted to extend centrally down one of the flat faces 7 of the base 5, close to the surface of that face. The ends 8 of the wire 6 are turned approximately at right angles to the length of the wire and are inserted in holes 9 in the base, wherein they are retained by the natural resilience of the wire. The wire in the illustrated embodiment is formed fran a length of brazing rod.

As shown in Fig. 4, the exerciser may be grasped in the left hand as though it were the neck of a guitar, for example, with the fingers resting upon the single wire 6. The fingering appropriate to the playing of single notes and chords may be practised upon the wire 6 silently and unobtrusively and in this way skill in fingering may be developed and the finger muscles entailed built up. The grip may be modified to practise more advanced playing techniques.

The exerciser is of value both for novices who wish to develop their playing skills and finger muscles and also for more experienced players, including professional musicians, who wish to keep in practice and in trim during intervals between periods of playing the instrument itself.

Claims

1. An exercise device comprising a manually graspable rigid base and a length of resilient wire, secured at its ends to said base and extending in a direction generally parallel to the surface of said base.

2. An exercise device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rigid base is elongated.

3. An exercise device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the width of the base lies within the range from 20 to 40 millimetres.

4. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the length of the base lies within the range from 70 to 180 millimetres.

5. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the base is of generally oval cross-Section.

6. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the rigid base is of PVC.

7. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the base is formed by moulding it about the ends of the wire.

8. An exercise device as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ends of the wire are turned at an angle to its length and the turned ends are inserted into holes in the surface of the base.

9. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the wire is of brass or a related alloy.

10. An exercise device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the diameter of the wire is of the order of 1 to 2 millimetres.

11. An exercise device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the acoampanying drawings.