GB2573337A - A plectrum - Google Patents

Abstract

A plectrum 10, for plucking a stringed musical instrument such as a guitar, comprises a housing 20 and a plucking element 30 at least partially arranged within the housing. At least a portion of the plucking element projects from the housing and is movable relative to the housing with a pivoting or bending motion. The relative movement may be achieved through the use of a hinge comprising a pintle and gudgeon and allows for different playing styles. The plucking element comprises a stud 40 arranged on its surface moveable with the plucking element relative to the housing in the pivoting or bending motion, the stud arranged such that it is grippable in use, together with the housing, to control the pivoting or bending motion of the plucking element relative to the housing. The apparatus may therefore operate as a flexible or stiff plectrum. The stud is preferably may be spaced apart from the housing or located adjacent to it, and may be located centrally to the width of the plucking element.

Description

The present invention relates generally to a plectrum for playing a musical instrument.

There are many different types of musical instruments that require strings to be plucked or struck in order to be played, such as guitars, banjos, mandolins and the like. The strings on these instruments can be plucked with one’s fingers but many musicians prefer the use of a plectrum, for comfort or for musical style. Plectrums can come in many different shapes and styles, depending on the desired musical output. Some are thinner than others, with greater flexibility, in order to produce a lighter tone, whereas thicker plectrums are ideal for greater control over picking and provide a clearer sound. Sometimes, it may be desirable to vary the controllability of a plectrum during a song or concert but presently this would require the user to swap one plectrum for another.

In a first aspect, the invention provides a plectrum for plucking a stringed musical instrument comprising a housing and a plucking element at least partially arranged within the housing, wherein at least a portion of the plucking element which projects from the housing is configured to be movable relative to the housing with a pivoting or bending motion, and the plucking element comprises a stud arranged on its surface moveable with the plucking element relative to the housing in the pivoting or bending motion, the stud arranged such that it is grippable in use, together with the housing, to thereby control the pivoting or bending motion of the plucking element relative to the housing.

The stud may be grippable in use, together with the housing, to control the pivoting or bending motion and may allow a user to alternate between two modes of using the plectrum. In a first mode, the plectrum may be held only on the housing by the user’s forefinger and thumb and as the user strums a guitar, the plucking element may pivot or bend through an angular range. In this way, the device may display the characteristics of a flexible plectrum. If the user wants to change the sound of the music or switch to a different picking style, they may decrease the relative movement of the plucking element with respect to the housing by gripping the housing and the stud together, preventing or hindering movement of the plucking element relative to the housing. In this second mode, the plectrum may display the characteristics of a stiff plectrum. In this manner, the plectrum provides more than one mode of operation, which can be easily alternated between by the simple shifting of the arrangement of a user’s fingers.

The plucking element may be generally relatively thin and in a tongue shape with two relatively large substantially planar opposite surfaces and a reduce width tip at one end. In plan view, it may resemble an isosceles triangle with rounded edges and corners. Alternatively, it may have the shape of an irregular pentagon where the edges and comers may be rounded, such that it has four vertices in a rectangular arrangement and a further vertex protrudes perpendicular from the midpoint of two of the vertices as the tip.

The plucking element may be arranged such that approximately half of its length is located within the housing.

The term ‘at least a portion of the plucking element which projects from the housing is configured to be movable’ may mean that only a portion of the plucking element that projects from the housing may be movable or it may mean that the whole plucking element, including the portion arranged within the housing, may be movable.

The plucking element may pivot or bend around one axis. The axis may be coplanar with the relatively large planar surfaces. The axis may be located at an end of the plucking element opposite to the tip. Bending may mean that the portion of the plucking element that moves does so due to deflection of the plucking element. Bending may mean that one end of the plucking element is fixed and the other end moves relative to it.

A stud may be in the form of a localised area of increased thickness. Alternatively, the stud may be in the shape of a lump, with a smooth increase in thickness. The stud may be shaped such that it is predominantly cylindrical or any other prismatic shape. The stud may be sized such that it covers a small area of a surface of the plucking element. The stud may have a thickness such that an upper surface of the stud is at least level with an upper surface of the housing. In other words, the top of the stud may be flush with the broad side of the housing. The thickness may be the distance that the stud projects from the surface of the plucking element. It may be that the stud may have a thickness such that an upper surface of the stud projects above an upper surface of the housing.

The housing may be comprised of more than one piece and include means for attaching the pieces together.

The housing may comprise two or more parts, of equal or unequal size. The housing may be made from metal, plastic, nylon or any other suitable material.

The plucking element may be releasably attachable to the housing.

The plucking element may be removed or inserted into the housing. This may allow for the substitution of the plucking element in case of damage or for aesthetic purposes. The plucking element may be joined to the housing directly, or by an intermediary element, for example a clip or a pin.

The pivoting or bending motion of the plucking element relative to the housing may be provided by a hinge.

The hinge may be integral to the plucking element or integral to the housing. The hinge may be an additional element that connects the plucking element to the housing.

The hinge may comprise at least one pintle and at least one gudgeon, wherein one of the housing and the plucking element includes the at least one pintle, and the other of the housing and the plucking element includes the at least one gudgeon.

A gudgeon may be a hole, a socket or a recess for receiving the pintle. A pintle may be an approximately cylindrical element to slot, clip or slide into the pintle in order to rotate. The hinge may be formed by the housing clamping onto the pintle, such that the gudgeon is created by the housing.

The at least one pintle and the at least one gudgeon may form a friction fit to increase the amount of force required to pivot or bend the plucking element relative to the housing.

A friction fit may also be a press fit or interference fit. This means that the fastening of the two elements in the joint is achieved by the friction between the pintle and the gudgeon, and possibly not by any other means. This may be achieved by the gudgeon being tight around the pintle. In this way, the movement of the hinge may be stiffer such that the plucking element moves more stiffly relative to the housing. Alternatively, or additionally, the two halves of the housing may be squeezed together by means of a screw being turned to thus increase the friction of the joint. Likewise, the two halves may be moved further apart by opposite rotation of such a screw to reduce the compression of the two halves together and thus loosen the friction of the joint. The screw may also be used for holding the two halves of the housing together.

The plucking element may comprise a thin portion that acts as the hinge.

A thin portion may be a region of the plucking element that has a reduced thickness. The thin portion may be located within the housing, at least partially within the housing or external to the housing. The thin portion may extend across the whole of the width of the plucking element or may extend at least only partially across the width of the plucking element. The width may be the lateral dimension across the planar face of the plucking element, from one side to the other side. The thin portion may have a thickness of approximately half the thickness of the plucking element. Alternatively, the thin portion may have a thickness that is less than half of the thickness of the plucking element.

The stud may be located approximately central to the width of the plucking element.

For instance, approximately central to the width may mean that the stud is equidistant to each side of the plucking element. In this way, the plectrum can be used by left handed and right-handed players alike in the same way. Alternatively, the stud may be offset from the centre of the width. In this way, it may suit different playing styles where the plectrum is not grasped uniformly.

The stud may be located immediately adjacent to the housing. Immediately adjacent may mean the distance between the stud and the housing may be between 0.1 and 2.0mm. In particular, it may be between 0.4 and 1.7mm, more particularly, between 0.7 and 1.3mm, for example, 1mm. In this way, it is easy for a player to shift the position of their finger(s) and thumb whilst playing the guitar to change between the two modes of operation.

The stud and the housing may be spaced apart such that the distance between the stud and the housing may be at least 2mm. In particular, it may be at least 3mm, more particularly, at least 4 or 5mm. Other dimensions such as up to 10mm are contemplated.

The housing may comprise a notch within which the stud is at least partially arranged, the stud projecting through the notch.

A notch may be a recess in the housing, an indentation or a groove to fit a portion of the stud. The term “at least partially arranged” may mean that the stud is positioned such that a portion is within the notch. The notch may project through the notch in the sense mean that the stud has a thickness which is greater than the distance between the planar surface of the plucking element and the broad surface of the housing.

The housing may comprise a hole within which the stud is arranged, the stud projecting through the hole.

In this way, the stud may be partially surrounded by the housing and it may become simpler for a user to switch between gripping only the housing and gripping the housing and the stud together. When gripping only the housing, a user’s fingers will usually be arranged to be a thumb on one side of the housing and the forefinger on the other. In order to grip the housing and the stud together, a user will slide their thumb such that it covers and grips the housing and the stud in order to control the movement of the plucking element relative to the housing. For instance, the plucking element could be held rigidly with the housing such that they move together as one with no relative movement therebetween. This task of manoeuvring the thumb during playing of an instrument or a concert is made simpler when the stud is immediately adjacent to the housing, or with the stud being located within the housing, such as in a notch or a hole.

The stud may extend across the width of the surface of the plucking element from one side to the other side.

In this way, there is a larger surface of the stud to grip and this arrangement may facilitate a wider range of plectrum handling styles as there are more positions available for a user to grip the housing and the stud together.

The housing may have a thickness greater than the plucking element.

By having a thickness less than the housing, the plucking element can be arranged to pivot or bend via a mechanism within the housing. The thicker housing may provide means for attachment of the thinner plucking element. A thicker housing may provide a better grip and hold in a user’s hand, whereas a thin plucking element is ideal for the playing of an instrument.

The plucking element may project from the housing with a fixed, unchangeable length.

Alternatively, the length of the plucking element may be changed. It may be changed by a sliding mechanism, by changing the position of the plucking element within the housing, or by removing the plucking element and replacing it with an alternative of different length, shape, or thickness. There may be multiple gudgeons within the housing, such that the plucking element can be positioned in various arrangements or any other means to hold the plucking element at various points. In this regard, the housing may be opened to move the plucking element and then reclosed.

There may be an additional stud arranged on an opposite surface of the plucking element to the first stud. The additional stud may be identical to the first stud and may be positioned directly opposite the first stud. Alternatively, the two studs may be off-set from one another.

An additional stud may facilitate a better and more even grip for the user. The plectrum may be symmetrical across the side of the plucking element and so may be used either way round, with either of the planar sides of the plucking element and housing facing upwardly. The provision of two studs may also provide for better control since both thumb and forefinger may grip an individual stud.

The housing may have an outer surface that further comprises a high friction region, in order to facilitate a better grip for a user.

The high friction region may be in the form of a textured surface, such as bumps, raised features or indents. Alternatively, the high friction region may be an additional substrate on top of the housing material, for example a material that has a substantially larger coefficient of friction that the housing material.

Where the housing may comprise more than one part, the parts may be joined by ultrasonic welding. Alternatively, they may be connected by snap-fit connections or be held together by a clip, or screws.

The housing may comprise an inner and an outer housing, such that the inner housing may be designed to hold the plucking element and provide the hinge, and the outer housing may be an aesthetic removable cover. In this way, the outer housing may be customisable and allow users to add personal touches to their plectrum. The outer housing may be the clip described above.

The plucking element may have a substantially uniform thickness apart from the tip or outer most edge. This thickness may be between 0.2 and 2.0 millimetres. In particular, it may be between 0.4 and 1.6 millimetres, more particularly, between 0.6 and 1.2 millimetres, for example, 0.75 millimetres. Alternatively, the thickness of the plucking element may vary along its length. For instance, it may be thicker within the housing and decrease towards the tip. The length and width of the plucking element may be substantially larger than the thickness, such as between 1 and 5 centimetres, in particular, between 2 and 4 centimetres, for example, 3 centimetres.

The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a plectrum;

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of another plectrum;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a further plectrum;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a different plectrum; and

Figure 5 is a cross sectional schematic view of yet another plectrum.

The present invention will be described with respect to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. Each drawing may not include all of the features of the invention and therefore should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, over, under and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that operation is capable in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment” or “an aspect” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or aspect is included in at least one embodiment or aspect of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in an aspect” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or aspect, but may refer to different embodiments or aspects. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics of any embodiment or aspect of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments or aspects.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Moreover, the description of any individual drawing or aspect should not necessarily be considered to be an embodiment of the invention. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in fewer than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form yet further embodiments, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practised without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

In the discussion of the invention, unless stated to the contrary, the disclosure of alternative values for the upper or lower limit of the permitted range of a parameter, coupled with an indication that one of said values is more highly preferred than the other, is to be construed as an implied statement that each intermediate value of said parameter, lying between the more preferred and the less preferred of said alternatives, is itself preferred to said less preferred value and also to each value lying between said less preferred value and said intermediate value.

The use of the term “at least one” may mean only one in certain circumstances. The use of the term “any” may mean “all” and/or “each” in certain circumstances.

The principles of the invention will now be described by a detailed description of at least one drawing relating to exemplary features. It is clear that other arrangements can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the underlying concept or technical teaching, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a plectrum 10 comprising a housing 20 and a plucking element 30 arranged such that at least a portion of it lies within the housing

20. The housing 20 is an approximate cuboid shape, with an open edge on one side forming a mouth 28, through which the plucking element 30 projects. The housing 20 is comprised of two parts 24, 26 which can be fixed together in any number of ways. The two parts of the housing 24, 26 are substantially the same shape and size such that they have the same thickness, length and width. The housing 20 has a uniform thickness. The plucking element 30 is thinner than the housing 20. It is arranged to pivot or bend relative to the housing. The plucking element 30 has a substantially uniform thickness, except for the tip 34 where the thickness decreases. The plucking element 30 is shaped such that its width reduces gradually from the mouth 28 to the tip 34. A stud 40 is located on one of the large planar surfaces of the plucking element 30, the stud 40 having a thickness such that an upper surface of the stud 42 is flush or level with an upper surface 22 of the housing 20. In this way, the upper surface 42 of the stud 40 and the housing 20 lie in the same plane. The stud 40 is a small element, relative to the size of the plucking element, and is located approximately central to the width of the plucking element 30, such that it is equidistant from both sides 32 thereof. The stud 40 is arranged to be distal from the housing 20 and is shaped as a cuboid with rounded comers (not shown). It is to be understood that the thickness of the stud may be configured such that it is always proud of the housing, sometimes proud of the housing, or never proud of the housing, depending on the position of the plucking element relative to the housing.

Figure 2 shows a cross section of an alternative plectrum 110 where the inside of the housing is visible. The housing is comprised of two halves 120A, 120B, which are joined together by at least one clip 129 having two parts, one arranged on each half housing 120A, 120B. The plucking element 130 is held in place inside the housing by a releasable pintle-gudgeon arrangement. Pintles 160 in the form of cylinders located on either side of one end of the plucking element 130, are arranged to rest in gudgeons 150 arranged on either side of the inside of each half of the housing 120A, 120B. The gudgeons 150 take the form of semi-circular depressions matching the pintles’ size and orientation.

In one example, not shown, the gudgeons are only provided on one half 120A of the housing. In this case the gudgeons may be arranged such that the pintles snap in to them, so that the joint formed by the pintles and gudgeons may form a friction fit, such that the pintles stay within the gudgeons unless a reasonable amount of force is applied to remove them.

In use, the plectrum may be assembled by placing the pintles 160 of the plucking element 130 onto the gudgeons 150 of the lower half 120B of the housing and arranging the upper half 120A of the housing onto the lower half 120B. a force is then applied to press the two halves together until the two parts of the clip 129 engage one another.

In this plectrum 110, the stud 140 comprises an approximate triangular prismatic shape with rounded corners, arranged on one of the larger plucking element 130 surfaces.

The upper half 120A of the housing includes a notch 133 in its side which forms part of the mouth through which the plucking element protrudes when assembled. This notch is arranged such that at least part of the stud 140 is located within it, in a similar manner to that shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 also shows that the lower half 120B of the housing also includes a notch 133. This is optional. If present it allows for a stud to also be arranged on the other side oft eh plucking element from the stud 140 shown.

The plucking element 130 is arranged with sides which includes portions 132A which are substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the mouth of the housing, and portions which extend towards one another to meet at the tip 134 in a gradually width reducing manner.

The upper half 120A of the housing includes parallel ridges 140 on its outer surface to improve grip of the plectrum.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of another plectrum 210. This plectrum 210 comprises a housing 220 with a notch 233 in one surface above the mouth 228 of the housing. The stud 240 is arranged partially within the notch 233. This provides a different manner of use since the fingers may be placed entirely on the housing. The notch 233 and the stud 240 are located centrally so that the plectrum 210 can be used by left and right-handed users alike. However, in one example, the notch may be off-set from the central position shown. The stud 240 has an oval shape and is located immediately adjacent to the housing 220. The notch 233 is shaped such that is similar to half of the perimeter of the stud 240 adjacent to it, in a semi-oval manner. The plucking element 230 is shaped such that the sides are not parallel but instead form a predominantly isosceles triangular shape with the tip 234 at the apex. The length that the plucking element 230 projects out from the housing 220 is larger than the length of the housing 220. The housing 220 has a width that is roughly double the length, and greater than the width of the plucking element 230.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of yet another plectrum 310. This plectrum 310 has no notch but instead includes a hole 333 within the upper surface of the housing 320. A stud 340 is arranged on the plucking element to be accessed via this hole 333. The upper surface of the stud 340 may project through the hole 333. Alternatively, the upper surface of the stud may be flush/level with the surface of the housing 320 in which the hole is located. However, in one example, the top of the stud 340 may be lower than the upper surface of the housing. Of course, it is to be appreciated that the movement of the plucking element within the housing may move the stud such that its upper surface is higher, level with, or lower than the upper surface of the housing, in use.

The hole 333 is shown centrally, width-wise, of the housing 320 and the stud 340 is arranged central within the hole 333. However, the hole 333 may be arranged in other locations as required.

Figure 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional side view of an alternative plectrum 510. This plectrum 510 has two studs 540A, 540B located upon opposite sides of the plucking element 530. The second stud 540B is identical in size, shape and position to the first stud 540A. This plectrum has a housing 520 with a thickness greater than the thickness of the plucking element 530. The upper stud 540A has a thickness which is chosen such that its upper surface lies below the plane in which the upper surface 522 of the housing 520 lies. Likewise, the lower stud 540B has a thickness which is chosen such that its lower surface lies above the plane in which the lower surface 523 of the housing 520 lies. In other words, the studs appear to be slightly depressed relative to the housing 520. It is, however, to be understood that other thickness of stud are possible.

The plucking element 530 comprises a thin portion 536 arranged within the housing, although other locations such as outside the housing are contemplated. The thin portion 536 may act as a hinge, so that in use the plucking element 530 may bend around the thin portion 536 allowing it to move in a similar way as if it were pivoting on a hinge. The plucking element includes a chamfered tip 534.

The plucking element 530 may be made of a material that is resilient to fatigue and which is able to bend for thousands of cycles before experiencing plastic deformation or failure. The studs 540A, 540B located upon the plucking element 530 may be comprised of a different material to the plucking element 530, such as rubber, which may have better grip. However, the studs may be moulded integrally with the plucking element.

Claims (16)

1. A plectrum for plucking a stringed musical instrument comprising a housing and a plucking element at least partially arranged within the housing, wherein at least a portion of the plucking element which projects from the housing is configured to be movable relative to the housing with a pivoting or bending motion, and the plucking element comprises a stud arranged on its surface moveable with the plucking element relative to the housing in the pivoting or bending motion, the stud arranged such that it is grippable in use, together with the housing, to thereby control the pivoting or bending motion of the plucking element relative to the housing.

2. The plectrum of claim 1, wherein the housing is comprised of more than one piece and includes means for attaching the pieces together.

3. The plectrum of either one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the plucking element is releasably attachable to the housing.

4. The plectrum of any preceding claim, wherein the pivoting or bending motion of the plucking element relative to the housing is provided by a hinge.

5. The plectrum of claim 4, wherein the hinge comprises at least one pintle and at least one gudgeon, wherein one of the housing and the plucking element includes the at least one pintle and the other of the housing and the plucking element includes the at least one gudgeon.

6. The plectrum of claim 5, wherein the at least one pintle and the at least one gudgeon form a friction fit to increase the amount of force required to pivot or bend the plucking element relative to the housing.

7. The plectrum of claim 4, wherein the plucking element comprises a thin portion that acts as the hinge.

8. The plectrum of any preceding claim, wherein the stud is located approximately central to the width of the plucking element.

9. The plectrum of any preceding claim, wherein the stud is located immediately adjacent to the housing.

10. The plectrum of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the stud and the housing are spaced apart.

11. The plectrum of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the housing comprises a notch within which the stud is at least partially arranged, the stud projecting through the notch.

12. The plectrum of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the housing comprises a hole within which the stud is arranged, the stud projecting through the hole.

13. The plectrum of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the stud extends across the width of the surface of the plucking element from one side to the other side.

14. The plectrum of any preceding claim, wherein the housing has a thickness greater than the plucking element.

15. The plectrum of any preceding claim, wherein the plucking element projects from the housing with a fixed, unchangeable length.

16. The plectrum of any preceding claim, wherein there is an additional stud arranged on an opposite surface of the plucking element.