GB2350473A - Instant guitar playing and learning device - Google Patents

Abstract

An instant guitar playing and learning device comprising a set of strips 1 having a length sufficient to span the six strings and extend vertically beyond the width of the fingerboard on each side, where an area on the back of each end 5 is coated with adhesive and covered with a protective sheet 4. Once a strip is slipped in place beneath the guitar strings and between two given frets, the protective sheets 4 are removed and both ends 5 are applied to the back of the neck, or where no longer possible to the body, of the guitar. The said strips bear color coded markings displaying the names of the notes 2 within a given scale, mode, arpeggio, key or chord and indicating where fingering should take place. A legend may be provided, on a separate self adhesive label, to help the student memorize the different modes and/or arpeggios.

Description

2350473 INSTANT GUITAR PLAYING AND LEARNING DEVICE This invention relates

to an instant guitar playing and learning device.

One of the biggest challenges faced by the aspiring guitarist is making sense of the guitar fingerboard. The duplication of notes scattered all over its length in different areas and the absence of markings make the fingerboard confusing. It is virtually ssible to pick up a guitar for the first time and play the minor pentatonic scale, for instance, in all the possible areas without some prior knowledge of the fingerboard and of intervals between notes. Furthermore using music theory books to learn to play the guitar may prove to be hard and off-putting for some, if not most beginners, as these can be difficult to understand and even harder to put into practice. In addition music theory books need to be manipulated as the lesson progresses. This manipulation, by being in addition to simple fingering of the guitar strings, tends to fi complicate rather than simplify the learning procedure.

In the past, various mechanical aids have been suggested for assisting the student in learning how to play the stringed instrument. The suggested systems range from simply providing coloured fingerboards as in U. S. Pat. Nos. 3 5 7 168, 1699 380 and 3 820 434, to the use of electrically powered lighting systems as described in U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4 286 495 to Roo or a specially designed neck which has a hollow space for receiving a specially encoded strip the code of which is seen through the neck as in U.S. Letters Pat. No. 2 225 613 to Alyn. The limitation is immediately apparent with these systems in that they require specially constructed stringed instruments and do not adapt to existing ones. Other systems were developed to assist in the learning of chords by the use of encoded flat cards positioned between the frets on the neck and the strings as in U. S. Letters Pat. No. 3 153 970 to Mulch or U.S. Pat. Nos. 826 379, 3 218 904 and 3 785 240. Similarly, U. S. Pat. No. 4 712 464 to Nance suggested a finger positioning guide described as having a flat surface, capable of being positioned between the strings and the neck and by virtue of slots adapted to fit around one or more frets on the neck. Such instructive aids, were developed primarily to assist in the learning of chords and may therefore prove to be impractical or cumbersome if they were to be extended to the teaching of scales, for instance, which require the student to play up and down the entire fingerboard.

Yet again, a plurality of varied and contrasting coloured sets of printed numbers within a circle having adhesive provided on the back were suggested as in U. S. Letters Pat. No. 1699 380 to Stewart; or the use of adhesive labels as in International Publication No. WO 87100952 to Beattie or U.S. Pat. No. 3 978 756 to Feldman. Regardless of their simplicity or complexity, all of the aforementioned systems using markers or labels having adhesive provided on the back do have certain practical and technical drawbacks in common. Indeed, the gap between the strings and the fretboard is minute. This would make it virtually impossible to try to insert a small, thin adhesive label without it sticking to fingers, strings or any other place it conies into contact with before it finally rests in place. It may also fold onto itself or become creased. This difficulty implies that the only practical way to affix the said labels would be to remove the strings. This is, in itself, another major problem for the beginner who, as all familiar with the guitar are aware, would find it difficult to have to reapply strings and retune the guitar frequently. Furthermore and as those familiar with the guitar also know, removing and refitting a steel guitar string can immediately break it.

Similarly, U.K. Patent Application GB 2312076 A to Humphreys and Tappy suggests the use of a flexible sheet of self-adhesive material containing slots to accommodate the frets, and which can be slid beneath the strings and wrapped over the neck of a stringed instrument. This may prove extremely tricky. Indeed 4 selfadhesive sheet of about half a millimetre in thickness, long and wide enough to wrap around the whole of the guitar neck, which also contains slots to accommodate frets as it was described; may make any attempt to insert h through the minute gap between the strings and the fretboard, ensuring at the same time that the plurality of slots are accurately aligned to accom date the said frets, even harder than affixing labels and the shed folding onto itself or becoming crumpled even more likely.

Furthermore, guitars come in different sizes and their necks are of different lengths and widths. This implies that several different sized sheets must be provided to fit different guitars, as U.K. Patent Application GB 2312076 A suggests. As it may be appreciated customising the device to suit different guitars may make it harder to manufacture/market and relatively more expensive.

Finally, it is important to note that further difficulties may be encountered on removal of both adhesive labels as well as sheets, after use; as the minute gap between the strings and the fingerboard would once again restrict room for manoeuvre and the removal of the strings may yet again be necessary.

The sheer volume of ideas and devices mentioned above shows that it has long been desired to provide a simple device to assist in the playing/learning and teaching of the guitar. It is further desired to have a device, which provides a complete practical guide to the learning/ playing of scales, chords, arpeggios and modes without the need to resort to books on the theory of music. It is desired yet further to provide an instant guitar playing and learning device that does not require a specially constructed instrument but rather adapts to existing constructions of guitars of all sizes and without mechanical modification or alteration of the conventional instrument. It has long been sought to provide such a device, which could be applied to the fret board of the guitar and removed after use without the need to remove the strings.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided an instant guitar playing and learning device comprising a set of strips, which indicate and display the names of all of the correct notes within a given scale, mode, arpeggio, key or chord; and which could be applied to any existing guitar without modifying the instrument in any permanent way and without the need to remove the strings.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of exajnple with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: - Figure 1 shows a portion of a guitar neck with an example of the instant guitar playing and learning device, laid flat beneath the strings.

Figure 2 illustrates the way strips are applied to the fingerboard of the guitar as well as protective sheets, which cover adhesive-coated areas.

Figure 3 shows the back of a strip where the protective sheets have been removed displaying both areas coated with adhesive as well as adhesivefree sections.

Referring to the drawing the instant guitar playing and learning device comprises a set of twenty-two strips I (only five of these are shown in Fig 1), which display the names of all of the correct notes within a given scale, mode, arpeggio, key or chord and indicate where fingering should take place.

The said strips I have a length sufficient to span the six strings and extend vertically beyond the width of the fingerboard by about 25 min on each side, as shown in 5 Fig. i.

An area of about 20mm to 22mm on the back of the ends 5 extending vertically beyond either side of the fingerboard is coated with adhesive as shown in 6 Fig.3, leaving the back of the section 8 Fig.3 spanning the strings as well as the tips 7 Fig.3 free of adhesive.

The adhesive coated areas 6 Fig.3 are covered with protective sheets 4 as shown in Fig2. The said protective sheets 4 Fig.2 combined with the absence of adhesive in any other area would make it possible to slide the strips beneath the strings without sticking to the fingers or the fretboard. Furthermore these protective sheets on each end of the strips would provide extra rigidity to facilitate handling and slipping of said strips beneath the strings.

In order to apply the instant guitar playing and learning device to the fingerboard, each strip I is slipped between two given frets, as in Figl, without the need to remove the strings. Once a strip is in place, the first protective sheet 4 Fig 2 is removed and the top end 5 of the said strip extending vertically beyond the fingerboard is applied to the back of the guitar neck. The said strip is then stretched firmly into place and the second protective sheet 4 Fig 2 is removed and the bottom end of the strip applied to the back of the guitar neck, as illustrated in I Fig 2.

The said strips are numbered as shown in 3 Fig I to indicate the position in which they should be applied on the fingerboard.

The width of the said strips would gradually decrease in accordance with the decreasing distance between frets along the length of the fingerboard.

Where it is no longer possible to apply strips to the back of the guitar neck these may be applied to the body of the guitar itself instead, thus allowing the said strips to reach along the entire length of the fingerboard.

Once they have served their purpose, the strips may be easily removed by simply lifting the adhesive free tips 7 Fig.3 and peeling them of again with no need to remove the strings. They may then be replaced with another set of strips to play and learn a new scale e.g. the minor scale or the pentatonic scale.

The example of the instant guitar playing and learning device comprising the set of strips illustrated by Figure 1, shows a portion of the Major Scale in the key of G. Practising scales is the best way of learning how to find any single note on any instrument; for fluency, it is no less than vital.

As illustrated by 2 Fig. 1, the strips display all of the notes of the scale. The displayed notes 2 would also exhibit letters, as shown in Fig 1, and/or numbers (not shown) indicating their names and their positions to help learning the said scale as well as the fingerboard in general, and develop the ability to distinguish diffierent intervals by ear. Additionally notes 2 may display symbols e.g. an arrow indicating a bend or a semi-bend applicable to a particular note as in the case of the blues scale (not shown).

Each note 2 of the said scale would be displayed in a different colour e. g. G in red, A in yellow, B in orange and so forth. This colour coding will help in the learning and playing of the different modes. Indeed each note of the major scale is also the first note of a completely new scale called a Mode. For example, if we take the second note of the major scale and play up to the same note an octave higher we have a new scale called the Dorian mode. If we take the third note of the major scale and play it up to its octave we have the Phrygian mode, and so on. By using each of the remaining notes of the original major scale as a starting note and playing up to its octave we have four more modes: the Lydian mode, the Mixolydian mode, the Aeolian mode and the Locrian mode.

The invention may also comprise a legend for these different modes e.g.--ared circle" to "a red circle" = Ionian mode (or major scale), "a yellow circle" to "a yellow circle" = Dorian mode, and so on. This indicates to the student that if he or she started from the second note of the major scale, for instance, and played up to the same note, one or two octaves higher he/she can play practise and learn the Dorian mode.

lhe legend may be provided on a separate self-adhesive, non-stick label of about five centemete&, which can be stuck on the topside of the body of the instrument allowing the student to refer to it and memorise the different modes without need to stop practising in order to refer tolmanipulate a theory book.

The use of different colours and the display of the names of the different notes as shown in 2 Fig. 1, will also allow the student to identify, play and learn different Arpeggios. Arpeggios are the single notes that make up chords. Major chords for instance, are constructed from the I't, 3rd and 5'h notes of the major scale. Arpeggios can be used as a soloing and improvisation technique. Furthermore, learning arpeggios would provide knowledge of the components of a chord, which is essential for understanding the basics of chord formation. Arpeggios also provide another approach to accompaniment where the notes of a chord are played consecutively (one after another) instead of simultaneously (all together). This is known as arpeggiating the chord.

By taking each note of the scale as a starting point and adding to it its third and its fifth, new chords and arpeggios can be formed. These chords are referred to as diatonic chords, made up only of notes contained within the original major scale. By placing all of the chords over each of their respective scale tones we have the harmonised diatonic scale. In other words, the chords formed from the original scale form the harmony to any melody or improvisation based on that particular scale.

The invention may also provide a legend for the different arpeggioslchords, which constitute the harmonised diatonic scale i.e. G major, A minor, B minor, C major, and so on. Again such a legend may be provided on a separate self-adhesive, nonstick label of about five centemeterJ, which can be stuck on the topside of the body of the instrument allowing the student to refer to h and memorise the different arpeggios.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide students with sufficient experience to enable them ultimately to perform music independently of the special apparatus and features of the present invention. To help achieve this objective, the set of strips may be provided on a card upon which the fretboard and the scale are duplicated. Once the student has gained enough knowledge and confidence to play and improvise using the scale, modes and arpeggios, helshe would be encouraged to remove the strips and practise everything they have learned in as many keys as possible e.g. two frets higher in the key of A or four frets higher in the key of B and so forth. At this stage the provided card would come in handy should the student forget any given pattern, mode or arpeggio; or simply for revision at a later stage.

The invention may also be provided m combination with an audio tape, containing back-up tracks in different keys and sample solos using the various modes and arpeggios.

Claims (4)

1 An instant guitar playing and learning device comprising a set of strips having a length sufficient to span the six strings and extend vertically beyond the width of the fingerboard on each side, where an area on the back of each end extending vertically beyond either side of the fingerboard is coated with adhesive and covered with a protective sheet, which provides extra rigidity to facilitate handling and slipping of the said strips beneath the strings, and without sticking to the fingers or the fretboard.

2 An instant guitar playing and learning device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the back of the section spanning the strings as well as the tips of each strip are free of adhesive to allow said strips to be easily slipped beneath the strings without sticking to the fingerboard; and be removed, once they have served their purpose, by lifting their adhesivefree tips and peeling them off with no need to remove the strings.

3 An instant guitar playing and learning device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein each strip is slipped between two given frets without the need to remove the strings and the first protective sheet is removed allowing the top end of the said strip, extending vertically beyond the fingerboard, to be applied to the back of the guitar neck or where no longer possible to the body of the guitar, then the said strip is stretched firmly into place and the second protective sheet removed to apply the bottom end to the back of the neck or where no longer possible to the body of the guitar.

4 The combination of an instant guitar playing and learning device as claimed in any preceding claim and a legend indicating various modes and/or arpeggios, provided on a ate self-adhesive, non-stick label, which may be stuck on the topside of the body of the instrument allowing the student to refer to it and memorise the different modes andlor arpeggios without need to stop practising in order to manipulate a theory book for reference.

An instant guitar playing and learning device substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1-3 of the accompanying drawing.