GB2265491A

GB2265491A - Musical instrument teaching aid.

Info

Publication number: GB2265491A
Application number: GB9305422A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Garstka
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-03-16
Filing date: 1993-03-16
Publication date: 1993-09-29
Also published as: GB9205810D0; GB9305422D0

Abstract

An aid for teaching the positional inter-relationship of notes on a string instrument, which aid comprises: (a) a display means (6) representing the strings (7) of a string instrument and being marked, in use, with note marks (17) to represent the relative position of the notes on the strings; (b) at least one structural group indicating means (16) for indicating on the string representations a structurally- related group of the note marks relating to, for example, a major, minor or pentatonic scale, or a chord; and (c) a position shifting means (14) to shift the group of note marks indicated by the structural group indicating means up or down the strings. The aid may comprise a software controlled computer, a self contained desktop or pocketable unit having a CPU and RAM storing data on note positions, or may comprise (Figs. 1-5) a base bearing representations of the strings and notes and transparent, slidable overlays each with markings representing a scale or chord. <IMAGE>

Description

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT TEACHING AID Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a musical instrument teaching aid and more particularly to an aid for teaching the positional inter-relationship of notes on a string instrument such as, for example, a guitar or banjo.

Background to the Invention Learning how to play a musical instrument effectively is a complex and demanding process involving acquisition and development of a wide range of skills including familiarisation with the location of individual notes and structurally-related groups of notes such as chords, scales and modes, on that instrument. In this respect the guitar and similar string instruments are particularly hard to master. Unlike the piano, for example, where the individual notes are logically arranged and scales and chords comparatively readily found, the position of notes on the strings of the guitar does not follow a simple pattern.

In common with students of other musical instruments, the dedicated guitar student conventionally is taught, or teaches himself, the position of individual notes and structurally-related groups of notes by laboriously referring to the various pages of tutorial books and pamphlets. This process is inherently time-consuming and does not provide a suitable basis upon which the association of notes upon the finger board of the guitar can be readily appreciated.

It is a general objective of the present invention to provide a device which will assist students of string instruments to teach themselves, or be taught, the position and inter-relationship of notes on the strings of their instrument, in a manner which enables far more rapid learning and better understanding of how to play the instrument.

Summarv of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an aid for teaching the positional inter-relationship of notes on a string instrument, which aid comprises: (a) a display means representing the strings of a string instrument and being marked, in use, with note marks to represent the relative position of the notes on the strings; (b) at least one structural group indicating means for indicating a structurallyrelated group of the note marks on the strings; and (c) a position shifting means to shift the-group of note marks indicated by the structural group indicating means up or down the strings.

Preferably a plurality of different structural group indicating means are provided. In one embodiment, where these are electronically generated, switch means are suitably further provided to enable the displayed structural group indicating means to be changed from one structural group indicating means to any other.

Advantageously, the or each structural group indicating means indicates the symbol identifying each respective note of the structurally related group of notes.

The display means preferably additionally represents a stave and means are further provided to indicate the stave position corresponding to each note of the structurally related group of notes indicated on the strings.

Suitably the display means comprises a frame having a base member, the base member having a first pace with an area representing the strings and having a substantially mutually parallel pair of side walls each along or substantially parallel to a respective side of said area; and the structural group indicating means and position shifting means comprises a transparent sheet of material adapted to slide over said area of the base member between the side walls, the sheet being marked to indicate the structurally-related group of the note marks on said area of the base member.

The side walls are suitably each provided with a rebate extending therealong to constrain one or more said transparent sheets slidably against said area of the base member.

Brief Description of the Drawings Two preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a first preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the device of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the device of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an end elevation of the device of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a plan view of a substantially transparent sheet of the first preferred embodiment marked to indicate the grouping of notes forming a major scale; and Figures 6 to 12 are plan views of a second preferred embodiment illustrating a range of different display settings.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to Figures 1-4, the device thereshown comprises an elongate frame formed of hard durable injection moulded plastic or other suitable material to resemble, at least in plan, the neck of a guitar.

The frame comprises a longitudinally extending base member having a pair of mutually parallel side members 2, 3 extending along the opposing sides thereof. As can be seen in Figure 4, the side members 2, 3 respectively provide side walls, 2a, 3a to a first face la of the base member 1 and similarly provide side walls 2b, 3b to the alternate face 1b of the base member 1. The alternate face ib of the base member 1 will, for convenience, be referred to as the underside of the device.

Each of the side walls 2a, 2b and 3a, 3b is provided with a respective rebate 4a, 4b and 5a, 5b to guide and constrain the edges of a sheet which is slideable over the respective face la or ib of the base member 1.

Each of the top la and underside ib faces of the base member 1 is marked to show six strings extending longitudinally of the base member 1 with bridge positions marked at intervals and the relative positions of notes indicated on the strings by white square each having the characteristic symbol of a respective note marked thereon.

Referring to Figure 5, a sheet of clear acetate or other suitable transparent material, is printed with translucent ink of a particular colour in a pattern which represents a grouping of the note marks on the base member which form a major scale. This sheet is sufficiently thin and of such width that it may be fed between the respective side walls 2a, 3a or 2b, 3b of the upper la or lower 1b face of the base member 1, with each longitudinal edge of the sheet entrained within a respective rebate 4a, Sa or 4b, Sb.

The sheet may be slided along the base member 1 to vertically align the coloured ink/dye markings of the sheet with note markings on the base member 1. By this means the key note may be selected and all notes of the major scale of that key will be readily indicated by the coloured translucent dye/ink markings on the sheet colouring the corresponding notes marked on the base member 1. By simply sliding the sheet along in either direction it is possible to transpose the major scale from one key to another.

Although only a sheet for indicating the grouping of notes of a major scale is illustrated, other sheets may be provided to indicate the grouping of notes of a minor scale or indicating groupings of harmonic and melodic minors or a pentatonic scale or for indicating grouping of different modes, for example.

Two or more such sheets may be superimposed and used simultaneously, greatly assisting the learning process. For example, the sheet indicating the major scale note grouping may be superimposed over a sheet indicating minor scale note grouping each aligned with respect to the same key note marked on the base member - This instantly shows which notes constitute the major and relative minor scales for any chosen key note. Using differently coloured translucent dyes/inks on the sheets will enable discrimination between the respective groupings and any overlap may be indicated by colour mixture.

Referring to Figure 2, the "underside" of the frame may be marked similarly to the top surface to represent the guitar finger board and show the relative positions of the notes. In this case, the symbols representing each note are on extended white background zones enabling two or more sheets to be super imposed thereover and markings from each sheet read off in relation to the base member without the need for both sheets to be differently colour marked. In the Figure 2 illustration a sheet marked to indicate intervals for chord construction is shown. The interval markings are indicated as roman numerals which, like the translucent dye markings are printed on a transparent sheet which over lies the underside 1b of the base member 1.

The rebated side walls 2b, 3b of the underside of the frame provide a useful facility for storing the differently marked sheets.

The base member,on one or both faces of the frame; may be marked to indicate staves to allow the stave notations to be illustrated in addition or alternative to the letter notation for each note.

Referring now to Figures 6 to 12, there is shown an alternative version of the device, which comprises a liquid crystal display screen 6 permanently or operatively marked to represent the strings of a guitar neck 7 and to show a music stave 8. The markings may be stored in a memory to be displayed upon activation of the device or may be etched or otherwise mounted to the screen 6.

The device further comprises a keypad 20 having switches 9-15 for selecting the structurally related group of notes 16 to be indicated amongst the note position markings 17 on the representation 7 of the guitar neck.

Operatively associated with the display screen 6 and keypad 20 is a microprocessor device having memory stores each of which contains data relating to a different structural group of-notes.

By pressing one of a first set of switches 9 a key note may be selected and a further selection made of whether the key should be sharp or flat.

A switch 10 is further provided to enable selection of display of scales for the already selected key note, and an associated group of switches 11 enable choice between a range of different types of scale including major and normal or harmonic minors, augmented and diminished or pentatonic scales.

In alternative to displaying scales the user may choose to press the chord selector switch 12 and select amongst a range of different chord types by use of one of the switches amongst the group of switches 13.

To enable the position of the selected structurally related group of notes to be shifted from a first position on the guitar string representation 7 to a second position, the keypad 20 further comprises a pair of position shift switches 14 to respectively move the position up or down the strings 7.

A final set of switches 15 enables selection amongst different modes for each key note.

Figures 7 to 11 each show a respective one of five ascending positions in the scale of C major. It will be appreciated that each position has a different pattern of grouping of notes and, most interestingly, although not illustrated, the pattern of each position is repeated in different scales. If the screen 6 were selected to display the first position of the scale of A major it would be seen that the pattern is identical to the pattern of the second position of the scale of C major shown in Figure 7. Patterns such as these are readily identified through use of the device of the present invention and underpin its remarkable qualities as a teaching aid.

The potential of the aid extends beyond teaching academic formal associations of notes since it may be used to teach riff patterns also. Such riff patterns, or note runs, may be displayed upon the screen 6 superimposed upon or underlying the afore-described structurally related note grouping display.

In the electronic embodiment of the invention the screen 6 and keypad 20 may be electronically generated through software on a computer or may be constructed as a self-contained desk-top or portable (pocketable) unit having its own CPU and ROM storing the data on the note positions. Data relating to specalised note groupings may be held on independent memory cards or other suitable means to be retailed independently of the device itself.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An aid for teaching the positional inter-relationship of notes on a string instrument, which aid comprises: (a) a display means representing the strings of a string instrument and being marked, in use, with note marks to represent the relative position of the notes on the strings; (b) at least one structural group indicating means for indicating a structurallyrelated group of the note marks on the strings; and (c) a position shifting means to shift the group of note marks indicated by the structural group indicating means up or down the strings.

2. An aid as claimed in Claim 1 wherein a plurality of different structural group indicating means are provided.

3. An aid as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the structural group indicating means are electronically generated and switch means are suitably further provided to enable the displayed structural group indicating means to be changed from one structural group indicating means to any other.

4. An aid as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each structural group indicating means indicates the symbol identifying each respective note of the structurally related group of notes.

5. An aid as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the display means additionally represents a stave and means are further provided to indicate the stave position corresponding to each note of the structurally related group of notes indicated on the strings.

6. An aid as claimed in any of Claims 1, 2, 4 or 5 wherein the display means comprises a frame having a base member, the base member having a first FaGe with an area representing the strings and having a substantially mutually parallel pair of side walls each along or substantially parallel to a respective side of said area; and the structural group indicating means and position shifting means comprises a transparent sheet of material adapted to slide over said area of the base member between the side walls, the sheet being marked to indicate the structurally-related group of the note marks on said area of the base member.

7. An aid as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the side walls are suitably each provided with a rebate extending therealong to constrain one or more said transparent sheets slidably against said area of the base member.

8. An aid substantially as hereinbefore described with respect to any suitable combination of the accompanying drawings.