JP2009223157A - Bow for stringed instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bow for a stringed instrument, which automatically adjusts the tension of bow hair. <P>SOLUTION: The bow 2 for a stringed instrument includes a tension sensor 14 for measuring the tension of bow hair 12 and a motor 16 for adjusting the tension of the bow hair 12 based on the difference between the value measured by the tension sensor 14 and a reference value. The tension sensor 14 and the motor 16 are provided, thereby automatically adjusting the tension of the bow hair 12. The tension of the bow hair can be kept constant even during the performance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a bow for stringed instruments such as violins, violas, cellos, and contrabass. In particular, the present invention relates to a bow that can automatically adjust the tension of bow hair stretched on the bow.

In stringed instruments such as violins, violas, cellos, and contrabass, a musical tone is generated by rubbing a string stretched on the instrument body with bow hairs stretched on a bow. In order to generate a musical tone of a desired tone color from these stringed instruments, it is necessary to tune the strings stretched on the instrument body and to adjust the tension of the bow hair stretched on the bow.
The bow hair is stretched between the head of the bow and the frog. The frog is slidably attached to the bow via a ball screw. A screw that rotates the ball screw is attached to one end of the bow. Bow tension is adjusted by manually rotating the screw. As the screw rotates, the frog moves in the longitudinal direction of the bow, and the tension of the bow hair stretched between the frog bow hair mounting portion and the bow head is adjusted.

The timbre of a stringed instrument changes slightly depending on the tension of the bow hair. For a performer, particularly an unskilled person, it takes time to adjust the tension of the bow hair until a desired tone is produced.
Patent Document 1 discloses a bow for stringed instruments that includes a tuner that detects and displays the frequency of bow hair in order to facilitate adjustment of bow hair tension.

JP 2006-220723 A

Even if the technique of Patent Document 1 is used, it is necessary to manually adjust the tension of the bow hair. The tension of bow hair changes from moment to moment due to the influence of temperature and humidity. For example, the tension changes during performance due to the heat of the lighting. Even using the technique of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to quickly adjust the tension of the bow hair in a short time such as between performances.
The present invention solves the above problems. The present invention provides a bow for a stringed instrument that can automatically adjust the tension of the bow hair.

The bow for stringed instruments of the present invention includes a tension sensor that measures the tension of the bow hair, and an actuator that adjusts the tension of the bow hair based on the difference between the measured value and the reference value of the tension sensor.
In the bow for stringed instruments of the present invention, the actuator automatically adjusts the tension of the bow hair according to the tension of the bow hair. Therefore, there is no need to manually adjust the bow hair tension. Adjustment of bow hair tension does not take time and adjustment can be performed quickly.
The actuator adjusts the tension of the bow so that the measurement value of the tension sensor matches the reference value.

In the bow for stringed musical instruments of the present invention, the tension sensor is preferably a strain sensor attached to a stick. In this case, the tension sensor measures the strain amount of the stick, and measures the tension of the bow hair from the strain amount. Since there is a correlation between the bow hair tension and the stick strain amount, the stick strain amount can be regarded as a physical quantity equivalent to the bow hair tension.
When measuring the tension of the bow hair, it is easy to accurately measure the tension of the bow hair if the tension sensor is directly connected to the bow hair. For example, in the technique of Patent Document 1, a vibration sensor is mounted on the frog's bow hair mounting portion, and the vibration of the bow hair is directly detected. However, if the tension sensor is directly connected to the bow, the sensor itself may vibrate with the bow. When the tension sensor itself vibrates together with the bow hair, the vibration of the tension sensor may affect the tone of the stringed instrument.
In the bow for stringed instruments of the present invention, the tension sensor is attached to the stick. Therefore, the tension sensor does not vibrate with the bow hair. The bow hair tension can be adjusted automatically without affecting the timbre of the stringed instrument.

  It is preferable that the actuator for adjusting the tension adjusts the position of the frog. The frog is originally slidable so that a person can adjust the string tension. By using this configuration, the tension adjustment mechanism can be realized at low cost.

  The bow for stringed musical instrument according to the present invention further includes manual adjustment means for the player to manually adjust the tension of the bow hair, and the actuator stores the tension of the bow hair when adjusted by the manual adjustment means as a reference value. It is preferable to do. The tension of bow hair has a preference depending on the sensitivity of each instrument player. Therefore, it is preferable that the performer can freely adjust the tension of the bow hair when time is available. By further providing a manual adjustment means, the tension of the bow hair can be changed to a tension that each musical instrument player likes (a tension that produces a favorite tone). The actuator operates to maintain the favorite tension adjusted by the performer by storing the tension of the bow hair as adjusted by the manual adjustment means as a reference value.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a bow for stringed instruments that automatically adjusts the tension of the bow hair.

The main features of the embodiments described below are first organized.
(Feature 1) The bow hair is formed in a ring shape. Ring-shaped bow hair is wrapped around the bow head and frog. One of the bow hairs stretched between the head and the frog passes through the inside of the stick. A tension sensor is attached to the bow hair inside the stick and directly measures the bow hair tension.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a bow 2 for a stringed instrument that is a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by a broken line in FIG. In FIG. 2, the internal structure is shown by a solid line for explanation. The bow 2 for stringed instruments includes a stick 4, a frog 6, a tension sensor 14, and a motor 16.
The stick 4 has a head 10 at one end and a screw 8 at the other end. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the stick 4 includes a ball screw 20, a slider 22, and a fixing screw 24 inside the side on which the screw 8 is provided. The slider 22 is screwed into the ball screw 20 and is fixed to the frog 6 by a fixing screw 24. The screw 8 is fixed to one end of the ball screw 20. By rotating the screw 8, the ball screw 20 rotates and the slider 22 moves in the longitudinal direction of the ball screw 20. Accordingly, the frog 6 fixed to the slider 22 also moves in the longitudinal direction of the ball screw 20 (which is equal to the longitudinal direction of the stick 4). That is, the screw 8, the ball screw 20 and the slider 22 constitute a mechanism for moving the frog 6 in the longitudinal direction of the stick 4.
A bow 12 is stretched between the head 10 of the stick 4 and the frog 6. In the bow 2 for stringed instruments, the player can adjust the tension of the bow 12 by turning the screw 8.

The tension sensor 14 is mounted near the center of the stick 4. The tension sensor 14 is a strain sensor, and measures the tension of the bow 12 by measuring the amount of strain of the stick 4.
The amount of distortion of the stick 4 changes according to the change in tension of the bow 12. When the tension of the bow 12 is large, the tension applied to the head 10 of the stick 4 is large. The amount of distortion of the stick 4 increases. On the contrary, when the tension of the bow hair 12 is small, the tension applied to the head 10 of the stick 4 is small. The amount of distortion of the stick 4 is reduced. That is, the strain amount of the stick 4 shows the tension of the bow hair 12 equivalently, and the tension sensor 14 can measure the tension of the bow hair 12 based on the measured strain amount of the stick 4. In the bow 2 for stringed musical instrument of the present embodiment, the tension sensor 14 is mounted near the center of the stick 4, so that the strain amount of the stick 4 can be accurately measured using the tension sensor 14. That is, the tension of the bow hair 12 can be measured with high accuracy. Since the tension of the bow hair 12 is equivalent to the strain amount of the stick 4, hereinafter, the strain amount of the stick 4 will be described as the tension of the bow hair 12. The tension sensor 14 transmits a measurement value M of the tension of the bow 12 to the controller 15.

The bow 2 for a stringed musical instrument according to this embodiment includes a motor 16 that rotates the screw 8 and a controller 15 that controls the motor 16. The motor 16 and the controller 15 may be collectively referred to as an actuator 17. The controller 15 stores a reference value B in advance. The reference value B may be rewritable from the outside.
The controller 15 compares the measured value M sent from the tension sensor 14 with the reference value B. The controller 15 drives the motor 16 based on the difference between the measured value M and the reference value B. The screw 16 is rotated by the motor 16 to adjust the tension of the bow 12. The actuator 17 (motor 16 and controller 15) adjusts the position of the frog 6 so that the measured value M of the bow 12 tension matches the reference value B. When the measured value M of the tension sensor 14 is larger than the reference value B, the actuator 17 rotates the screw 8 so that the frog 6 approaches the head 10 and weakens the tension of the bow hair 12. Conversely, when the measured value M of the tension sensor 14 is smaller than the reference value B, the actuator 17 rotates the screw 8 so that the frog 6 moves away from the head 10 and increases the tension of the bow 12.
The reference value B is set in advance according to the desired tension of the bow (the tension at which a desired tone color is produced).

  In the bow 2 for stringed musical instruments of this embodiment, not only the tension of the bow 12 is measured using the tension sensor 14 but also the tension of the bow is automatically set to a preset reference value B using the actuator 17. Match. There is no need to repeat the measurement of the tension of the bow hair 12 and the operation of manually rotating the screw 8. The labor of manually adjusting the bow hair tension can be saved. Even in a situation where the state of the bow hair changes due to lighting or the like, the tension of the bow hair can be automatically maintained constant.

(Second embodiment)
A bow 102 for a stringed instrument according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 shows a partially enlarged view of the bow 102 for a stringed musical instrument. The bow for stringed instruments 102 includes a dial 9 (manual adjustment means) for the player to manually adjust the tension of the bow hair. The dial 9 is fixed to the screw 8. The player can adjust the tension of the bow 12 by turning the dial 9. The controller 115 of the stringed instrument bow 102 stores the measured value M of the tension sensor 14 when the performer adjusts by turning the dial 9 as a new reference value B. After that, when the tension of the bow hair changes and the measured value M of the tension sensor 14 changes, the actuator 117 (motor 16 and controller 115) adjusts the bow hair so that the measured value M matches the new reference value B. Adjust the tension.

  In the bow for stringed instrument 102 of this embodiment, each musical instrument player first turns the dial 9 to adjust the tension of the bow 12 so that a tone color suitable for the sensitivity of each musical instrument player is produced. The controller 115 of the actuator 117 stores the tension of the bow hair 12 (measured value M of the tension sensor 14) when adjusted as a new reference value B. The actuator 117 maintains the tension of the bow hair at the new reference value B. The bow for stringed instruments 102 can maintain a favorite tension (a tension when a favorite tone color is produced) adjusted by each musical instrument player himself.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 4 shows a bow 202 for a stringed instrument that is a third embodiment of the present invention. The bow 202 for stringed instruments uses bow hair 212 formed in a ring shape. The ring-shaped bow hair 212 is wound around two pins 240 a and 240 b provided in the head 210, a pin 241 provided in the frog 206, and a pin 242 provided on the frog side of the stick 204. It is hung. In other words, a ring-shaped bow hair 212 is wound between the head 210 and the frog 206. The inside of the stick 204 is hollow, and one of the wound bow hairs 212b passes through the inside of the hollow.
Inside the cavity, a tension sensor 214 is directly attached to the bow 212b.
In the stringed bow 202, a ring-shaped bow hair 212 is wound between the frog 206 and the head 210, so that the tension of the bow hair 212 is adjusted by operating the actuator 217 (motor 216 and controller 215). can do. Since the structure and function of the actuator 217 are the same as the structure and function of the actuator 17 of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

In the stringed instrument bow 202, the tension sensor 214 is directly connected to the bow hair 212, and the tension of the bow hair 212 can be directly measured. As described above, if the sensor directly attached to the bow hair vibrates with the bow hair, the vibration of the sensor may affect the timbre generated by the stringed instrument. The bow 202 for the stringed instrument of this embodiment directly measures the tension of the bow hair 212, but the tension sensor 214 is used for the two bow hairs 212a and 212b stretched between the frog 206 and the head 210. Of these, it is attached to the bow hair 212b that does not come into contact with the strings of the instrument. One bow hair 212b vibrates between the pin 240b and the pin 242. On the other hand, the bow hair 212a in contact with the string of the instrument vibrates between the pin 240a and the pin 241. That is, the tension sensor 214 is isolated from the vibration of the bow hair 212a in contact with the string. Therefore, the influence of the vibration of the tension sensor 214 on the timbre generated by the stringed instrument can be suppressed.
The tension sensor 214 may be fixed to the stick 204. When the tension sensor 214 is fixed to the stick 204, the influence of the vibration of the tension sensor 214 on the timbre generated by the stringed instrument can be further suppressed.

As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described in detail, these are only illustrations and do not limit a claim. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above.
The tension sensor is not limited to a strain gauge (strain sensor). If the sensor can measure the tension of the bow hair, the type is not specified. Moreover, the measuring method is not limited. The bow tension may be measured using other methods (for example, vibration method).
Further, in this embodiment, when adjusting the tension, the structure in which the screw 8 is rotated by the motor 16 and the frog 6 is moved by the motor 16 is described based on the structure of the conventional bow for stringed instruments. The method of movement is not limited to this. For example, when there is an actuator that can directly operate the slider 22 built in the stick 4, the frog 6 may be moved using the actuator. In addition, a mechanism for moving the frog 6 may be replaced by using a commonly used moving mechanism and actuator.
Instead of moving the frog, a mechanism may be adopted in which the head is configured separately from the stick and the head is moved in the longitudinal direction of the stick.

  The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology exemplified in this specification or the drawings can achieve a plurality of objects at the same time, and has technical usefulness by achieving one of the objects.

The bow for stringed musical instruments of the 1st example is shown. An enlarged view of a bow for stringed instruments is shown. The bow for stringed musical instruments of the 2nd example is shown. The bow for stringed musical instruments of the 3rd example is shown.

Explanation of symbols

2, 102, 202: Stringed bow 4, 204: Stick 6, 206: Frog 8: Screw 9: Dial 10, 210: Head 12, 212: Bow hair 14, 214: Tension sensors 15, 115, 215: Controller 16 216: Motor 17, 117, 217: Actuator 20: Ball screw 22: Slider

Claims (4)

A tension sensor that measures the tension of the bow hair;
A bow for stringed instruments, comprising an actuator for adjusting the tension of a bow based on a difference between a measured value of the tension sensor and a reference value.   The bow for a stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the tension sensor is a strain sensor attached to a stick, and the tension of the bow hair is measured from the strain of the stick.   The bow for stringed instruments according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the actuator adjusts the position of the frog.   The player further comprises manual adjustment means for manually adjusting the tension of the bow hair, and the actuator stores the tension of the bow hair when adjusted by the manual adjustment means as a reference value. Item 4. The bow for stringed instruments according to any one of Items 1 to 3.

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