GB931339A - Musical instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

931,339. Musical instruments; rod vibrators. F. BASCHET. Oct. 1, 1959 [Oct. 3, 1958], No. 33305/59. Classes 13 and 88 (2). A musical instrument includes a vibratory rod 12, Fig. 1, connected to a rigid member 9, 10, which is connected by a flexible seal 7 to one end of a tube 1. Seal 7 forms an air-tight closure for the one end of tube 1. The vibratory rod 12 is part of a vibratory assembly which, together with rigid member 9, 10 provides a system having a natural frequency of vibration substantially equal to that of the column of air in tube 1. Seal 7 permits movement of rigid member 9, 10 longitudinally of tube 1 in response to vibration of the vibratory assembly. The instrument is vibrated by subjecting a glass rod 19 to hand rubbing or by hitting an angle iron 21 with a mallet. The instrument is tuned by adjusting the effective length of rod 12 by shifting laterally nuts 14 and uprights 5. A number of instruments tuned to different notes may be mounted side-by-side to be played by a single player. In a second arrangement, Fig. 2, a vibratory rod 32 is fitted at one end into a rigid frame 24 and at its other end is connected to a weight 34 which is rigidly connected to frame 24 by a rigid rod 35. Piano wires 41 secured to frame 24 provide an echo effect when glass rod 40 is hand-stroked. A number of different notes may be played on an instrument having a telescopic tube assembly 43, 53, Fig. 3, cams 54 on tube 53 being of outline to provide adjustment of the effective length of rod 49 in accordance with the resonant frequency of the air column in the telescoped tube. A percussive instrument, Fig. 4, is tuned by acting on the effective length of spindle section 65 and on the mass or location of counterweight 66. Specification 678,827 is referred to.