JP2020109458A - Stringed instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a stringed instrument capable of securing stability of sound without any decrease in playing property while improving portability and carrying properties in order to solve the problem that a conventional stringed instrument is physically large and therefore has portability and carrying properties spoiled, and the problem that mere reduction in physical size for improvement in portability and carrying property results in a decrease in playing property and instability of sound.SOLUTION: A stringed instrument according to the present invention secures all of portability, carrying properties, playing properties, and stability of sound by devising the size and structure thereof while decreasing the number of strings that the stringed instrument has to not many, but one. In addition, problems associated with playing properties and durability are solved by devising shapes and positions of respective parts of a stringed instrument body so as to prevent playing properties from being spoiled even when the size is reduced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

This section describes technologies related to the structure of musical instruments, manufacturing methods, etc.

People have traditionally played various musical instruments to enjoy the cultural activity of music. There are various types of musical instruments, and for example, wind instruments, percussion instruments, keyboard instruments, etc. are widely played. A string instrument is another type of instrument that is widely played. A stringed instrument produces a sound by vibrating a string, and the vibrating sound has a different timbre from other types of musical instruments such as a wind instrument, so that people have enjoyed the timbre peculiar to the stringed instrument. Typical string instruments include guitars, ukuleles, violins, cellos and kotos. Although these stringed instruments have a plurality of strings, the player can play various music by vibrating the strings by striking or rubbing them to produce a sound. Although it is possible to carry any of these musical instruments, there are several problems, such as portability and transportability, due to their large physical size. An object of the present invention is to provide a stringed instrument capable of solving such a problem.

Japanese Patent Application 2009-541637 "Travel String Instrument System" Reference 1 discloses a structure relating to a foldable guitar in order to improve the portability of the guitar.

Jindaihei 7-8844, "Portable Single-String Instrument" Reference 2 shows the structure of a single-string musical instrument intended to be played while being carried.

"Guitar Masterpieces and Masterpieces" Shigeru Hamada, Kaori Murahiji, Natsume, May/2011 On page 52 of Non-Patent Document 1, the structure of a guitar, which is a widely known stringed instrument, is described. A plurality of strings are stretched across the body (body) and the neck (sole), and the performer plays by striking the strings with his/her finger on the stringed surface of the body. The body is designed to be larger than the neck where the performer (if the dominant hand is the right hand) presses the strings with the fingers of the left hand. The spool is attached to the tip of the neck.

"World folk musical instrument pictorial book" supervision by Minne Music Museum, Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2018/July The 25th page of Non-Patent Document 2 shows the structure of an instrument called a single string harp. Like a normal koto, it has a structure in which the torso is placed on the pedestal so that it can be placed on the floor and played, and its size is large (100 cm or more), and this instrument is not held with one hand. Nor is it played by pressing the strings against the instrument.

Conventional stringed instruments (for example, the stringed instruments as shown in Non-Patent Document 1, Non-Patent Document 2, Patent Document 1, and Patent Document 2) have a large physical size, and thus portability and transportability are impaired. For example, if you want to carry a guitar, ukulele, or koto as shown in the prior art document, prepare a case with a relatively large size in each of the length, width, and depth directions, and store the instrument in it. It is common to carry it. If you try to carry or carry a stringed instrument that has a physically large size body, is stored in a large size case, and has a large weight, it will not only be a heavy physical burden, but also other than musical instruments. At the same time, there was a problem that the number and size of luggage that could be carried was limited. Further, there is a problem that it is difficult to load or carry it on a vehicle (for example, a bicycle, a car, a bus, etc.) as a transportation means. There is also a problem that a large musical instrument occupies a large space even when it is stored in a house, and it is difficult to own it in a house that does not have a large space. For these reasons, there is a problem that it is difficult to easily carry, carry, and store a stringed instrument to enjoy the performance.

Considering another similar example, when a student such as an elementary school student carries an musical instrument for the purpose of studying music, the musical instrument may be placed together with or in a bag for carrying belongings such as a school bag. It is desirable to be able to carry. Conventional string instruments are a guitar, etc. harp becomes inevitably large size to have a like body structure or internal cavity, the bag together to put the thing in a situation as described above, or which are placed in the bag It was difficult to carry. Further, the curved surface structure of a guitar or the like (for example, Non-Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 1) or the pedestal structure of a koto or the like (for example, Non-Patent Document 2 or Patent Document 2) is storable in a bag for holding such belongings It was difficult to reduce the size. Therefore, in music education at elementary schools and the like, it was difficult for each student to own a stringed instrument and carry it between his home and school and practice the playing method.

Similarly, considering another example, when a manufacturer of musical instruments transports a large number of musical instruments to a distant place after manufacturing, the musical instruments need to be loaded and transported on a transportation means such as a truck, a ship, an airplane. At this time, if the physical size of the musical instrument is large, the number of musical instruments that can be loaded on the transportation means (truck, ship, airplane, etc.) is small, and the transportation cost per instrument is high. There was a problem. Even if the manufacturer of the musical instrument can reduce the cost by devising the manufacturing method of the musical instrument itself, the transportation cost will not change, so one instrument including manufacturing and transportation is included. There was a problem that the total cost per unit could not be easily reduced.

On the other hand, even if the physical size of the stringed instrument is simply reduced in order to improve portability and transportability, this does not always solve the problem. There arises a problem that playability is deteriorated, or that sound stability cannot be ensured. For example, consider the case where the size of a guitar or ukulele is reduced by a factor of 1/n. Here, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems regarding portability and transportability, it is necessary to keep in mind that n needs to have a size of at least 2 to 3 or more for convenient carrying. is there. In this case, the mutual spatial spacing of a plurality of strings becomes 1/n times the original size, and the fact that a person draws a plurality of strings when playing the instrument is the original (before shrinking). ) There is a problem that it becomes much more difficult than a stringed instrument and the playability is significantly impaired. Further, even if one string is focused on, the fret interval that determines the pitch difference of a conventional musical instrument is also 1/n, which makes it difficult to insert a finger into this narrow interval and the playability is impaired. there were.
Furthermore, if the size of the conventional stringed instrument is simply reduced, the difficulty of playing increases and the problem of sound stability also arises. This is because when the stringed instrument is reduced to 1/n, the string length also becomes 1/n, so that the pitch becomes remarkably high under the condition that the strings are stretched with the same tension. If you try to correct (restore) this to the original pitch, you will have to reduce the tension of the string considerably. However, if the tension of the strings is low, it becomes difficult to keep the pitch stable, and as a result, there is a problem that the expressiveness of the musical composition to be played is seriously affected. There is also a problem in that the player's performance of playing the strings becomes difficult because the appropriate force when playing the strings is considerably smaller than that of an ordinary musical instrument.

A conventional technique (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique relating to a foldable guitar in order to enhance portability. The foldable guitar is effective in shortening the length in the longitudinal direction, which is an obstacle to carrying the guitar, and thus has a feature that portability is improved. However, even if it is a foldable type, the total weight does not change, and therefore there is still a problem that the difficulty of portability/transportability regarding weight cannot be solved. Further, when a guitar or the like is folded, the structure at the folding point becomes a discontinuous point on the material, which affects the resonance vibration of the strings and deteriorates the original sound quality of the musical instrument. Furthermore, if there is a folding point, that portion often becomes a weak part in the structure, and there is a problem that it is more easily broken than an instrument integrally formed of wood. Further, although the structure of the folding point is devised, there is also a problem that it takes a manufacturing cost to realize it.

Further, the conventional stringed instrument having the structure shown in Non-Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 is characterized in that a structure having a large body or a cavity produces a loud sound when a string is played. However, there are cases where you do not want to increase the sound depending on the situation, such as when practicing a stringed instrument at night. However, there is also a problem that it is difficult for the conventional stringed instrument to reduce the sound according to the situation. In some cases, the sound can be reduced by attaching a silencer or the like, but the cost for separately preparing these in addition to the musical instrument is required. In addition, there is a problem that it is troublesome to store and manage these devices other than musical instruments.

As described above, while the conventional stringed instruments have a plurality of problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve portability and transportability, and at the same time, to reduce playability and sound instability. It is to provide a stringed instrument capable of simultaneously solving a plurality of problems such as a problem of sound quality deterioration, a problem of fragility, a problem of rising manufacturing cost, and a problem that volume cannot be reduced.

In order to solve the problem described in the above “Problems to be solved by the invention”, the present invention according to claim 1 solves the problem by providing a stringed instrument (FIG. 1) having the following features. That is, the stringed instrument of the present invention is a stringed instrument (101) having a rectangular parallelepiped main body structure capable of stretching one string (102), and the string is stretched on the surface of the rectangular parallelepiped on which the string is stretched. The length (103) of the main body, which is also the longest side of the rectangular parallelepiped direction, is 200 mm or more and 600 mm or less, and the width (104) of the side other than the longest side is 10 mm in the stringed surface. 30 mm or less, the depth (105) at the side perpendicular to the surface on which the strings are stretched is 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less, and the main body is held to hold the entire musical instrument with fingers. It has a part (106), and also has two support bases (107, 108) serving as a base on which one string is stretched, and one of the strings placed on the two support bases is a string fixing part of the main body part. It has a mechanism to be fixed to the part (109), and the other half of the string has a mechanism to be housed in the string winding part (110) for changing the tension of the string.

The reason why the stringed instrument of the present invention solves the problems of portability and transportability is as follows. First, in the stringed instrument of the present invention, the number of strings to be mounted is limited to one. This is because if you install multiple strings like a guitar or ukulele, the size of the main body, which is the base necessary to install these multiple strings, will increase by that much, and the weight will also be heavier. This is because the transportability is impaired. By limiting the number of strings to only one, it is possible to reduce the physical size and weight of the main body that is the base for mounting such strings. It should be noted that one string is stretched on two support bases fixed to one of the six surfaces of the rectangular parallelepiped body. In addition, in this document, this one surface is referred to as a "stringed surface".

Further, instead of taking the structure of the neck and body generally found in the structures of guitars, ukuleles, etc., a rectangular parallelepiped integrated body structure is adopted. This has the problem that if the structure of the musical instrument is to have a large body separated from the neck, the physical size of the entire musical instrument will inevitably increase, and in addition, the shape of each part causes the box to be different. This is because there is a problem that a space larger than the actual volume is occupied when the space is stored in a storage space such as a storage space. That is, the stringed instrument of the present invention has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped structure so that a large body is eliminated to reduce the size, and the storage box does not occupy a space considerably larger than the actual volume. There is. Further, in such a structure in which the body and the neck are separated, the sound quality is affected by the discontinuity of the resonance of the string vibration occurring at the connection portion, but in the rectangular parallelepiped integrated structure of the stringed instrument of the present invention, Such a problem can be avoided. The main body of the stringed instrument of the present invention does not have to be strictly a rectangular parallelepiped as long as it has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and there is no problem in holding it during performance. For example, it may not be a strict rectangular parallelepiped due to processing such as rounding of corners or cutting out for mounting parts, but it goes without saying that they are also included in the stringed instrument of the present invention.

Further, in the stringed instrument of the present invention, the physical size of the main body as the base is devised. First, the size of a part of the main body is limited so that the length (103, L) of the main body, which is the longest side of the rectangular parallelepiped in the direction in which the string is stretched on the surface where the string is stretched, is 200 mm or more and 600 mm or less. .. Then, the size of a part of the main body is limited so that the width (104, W) of the side other than the longest side on the surface where the string is stretched next is 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less. Furthermore, the size of a part of the main body is limited so that the depth (105, D) at the side perpendicular to the surface on which the string is stretched is 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

The reason why the length, width, and depth sizes are limited as described above is related to the typical performance mode (first typical performance mode) of the stringed instrument. A typical playing form of this musical instrument is (in the case of a right-handed player) the holding portion (106) of the stringed musical instrument of the present invention with the right hand (for example, one to three fingers of the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger). Hold it like a guitar and hold the string with your left hand finger to determine the string length to determine the pitch, and then use your empty finger on the right hand (to hold it). This is to produce sound by striking a string using a finger other than the finger, such as the index finger, the middle finger, or the index finger and the middle finger.

Since the holding portion is a portion that is held by being pinched by a finger in such a playing mode, it is necessary that the upper surface and the lower surface have a parallel positional relationship as much as possible. Since the stringed instrument of the present invention has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, it has a structure suitable for such holding.

The stringed instrument of the present invention is small in size and light in weight and does not require a bow or the like for performance. Therefore, it is possible to hold it with the dominant hand and at the same time play the string with an empty finger.

The stringed musical instrument structure suitable for such a playing mode is required to have a size in the depth direction that does not cause a problem when held by a person, as a structure that can be easily held and held by the right hand. As a result of careful experimentation and consideration of the size, we conclude that by limiting the depth (105, D) to 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less, a person can hold the string instrument without problems. This is because if it is smaller than 10 mm, it becomes difficult to hold it stably due to excessive tension in the hand, and if it is larger than 50 mm, the fingers for holding the knob are too wide to apply force.

Next, regarding the width (104, W), it is necessary to have enough space to stretch one string, the performer can hold the main body without problems, and it is excessive in order to improve portability and transportability. Careful decisions must be made to meet multiple conditions, such as not growing. According to our experiments and consideration, by limiting the width (104, W) to 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less, it is possible to secure sufficient holding stability while not affecting portability and transportability. It was concluded that it is possible to control the overall size.

Further, regarding the length of the stringed instrument of the present invention, one string mounted on the stringed instrument can play a certain range of scale (for example, a scale range equivalent to one octave or more can be played), Carefully determined to satisfy multiple conditions, such as having a string length that does not cause the problem of sound instability as shown in the task, and not making it too large so as not to impair portability and transportability There is a need to. As a result of careful examination by us, it was concluded that in the stringed instrument of the present invention, it is preferable that the stringed instrument be 200 mm or more and 600 mm or less.

In addition, the above-described typical performance form enables a stringed instrument of the present invention to be played while standing without adding a strap, etc. It is characterized by high playability because it can move freely in the space. This is an advantage that can be realized only by the small size and light weight of the stringed instrument of the present invention and the structure of a proper holding portion.

In the stringed instrument of the present invention, since the length of the string itself can be made approximately the same as that of the conventional stringed instrument, there is a problem of instability of the sound caused by shortening the string length and weakening the tension of the string. Can also be avoided.

Furthermore, since it has only one string and does not have a large body, there is no problem that the volume becomes excessively large unlike the conventional musical instruments, and it is possible to practice the musical instrument easily even at nighttime situations. is there.

Based on the rectangular parallelepiped structure having the specific depth, width, and length as described above, the structure of the string fixing part, the winding part, and the holding part devised to keep only one string is used. Problems in portability and transportability in multiple scenes, problems in playability, sound instability, or problems in which volume cannot be reduced, as illustrated in "Problems to be solved". Can be solved simultaneously.

Next, the present invention as set forth in claim 2 provides a stringed instrument (a in FIG. 2) having the following features in relation to the typical playing mode of the musical instrument of the present invention as described above. It is possible to improve playability. That is, the stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the string is mounted on the support base (108) at a position 8 mm or more (201) away from one end in the width direction of the main body. And Then, the finger used for holding (204 in the top view shown in FIG. 2c, for example, the middle finger/ring finger) does not touch the string when holding the stringed instrument of the present invention, and the certainty is ensured. It is possible to hold the main body high. If the distance from the end is less than 8 mm, the chances of the finger touching the string when holding the stringed instrument of the present invention increases, giving unnecessary interference to the vibration of the string. I will end up. According to our careful experiment and consideration, it is concluded that it is preferable to set this distance to 8 mm or more in relation to the size of a human finger.

Furthermore, in the present invention as defined in claim 3, the string instrument (b in FIG. 2) having the following features is provided in the same manner as the above-described typical performance pattern of the musical instrument of the present invention. The structure makes it possible to improve playability regardless of the dominant hand of the performer. That is, the stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the position where the strings are mounted on the support base (108) is 8 mm or more (202 and 203) away from both ends in the width direction of the main body. It has a different structure. In the structure described in claim 2 above, the position of the string on the support base is separated from the end on one side, whereas the structure described in claim 3 is separated from the ends on both sides. In this way, if you look at the center of the length direction and keep the distance from the ends of the strings on the support base away from both ends, you can play in any case, whether your dominant hand is the right hand or the left hand. It is possible to prevent the holding finger at the time of interference with the vibration of the strings. Generally, a musical instrument such as a guitar is usually made differently depending on the left and right hands, but the stringed instrument of the present invention does not need to be made differently for right-handed and left-handed instruments. As a result, it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of manufacturing facilities or separate manufacturing steps, and it is possible to contribute to improvement in mass productivity.

Further, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 4, it is possible to further improve portability/transportability and playability by providing a stringed instrument (a, b in FIG. 3) having the following features. .. That is, the stringed instrument according to claim 1, which has a structure (301, 303) in which a part of a rectangular parallelepiped is deleted, and a part or all of the string winding part or the string fixing part (302, 304) in the deleted space. Has a structure to store. According to such a structure, the string winding portion, which is arranged so as to project outside the rectangular parallelepiped main body in the stringed instrument of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, is partially or wholly inserted inside the rectangular parallelepiped. Therefore, not only can the physical size of the entire stringed instrument be reduced, but it is possible to prevent the musical instrument from being caught by a body or an object during carrying, carrying, or playing.

Further, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 5, it is possible to further improve portability/transportability and playability by providing a stringed instrument (a, b in FIG. 4) having the following features. .. That is, the stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the stringed instrument has a structure (301, 303) in which a part of a rectangular parallelepiped is deleted, and the string winding part or the string fixing part (302, 304) is housed in the deleted space. In addition, it has a structure having lids (401, 402) that restore the rectangular parallelepiped shape before deletion by covering the deletion space. According to such a structure, the string winding portion or the string fixing portion, which is arranged so as to project outside the rectangular parallelepiped main body in the stringed instrument of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, is entirely inserted inside the rectangular parallelepiped. Therefore, not only can the physical size of the entire stringed instrument be reduced, but it is also possible to completely prevent the body or object from being caught during carrying, carrying, or playing. Because the string winding part and the string fixing part are completely hidden by the lid, it is possible to completely eliminate the external exposure of the part to be caught. As for the method of attaching the lid, in FIG. 4, the case of attaching from the bottom to the top in the depth direction is shown, but it is also possible to attach the lid from the outside direction to the inside direction of the body in the length direction. It is possible and the lid may be attached by any method.

Further, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 6, by providing a stringed instrument (FIG. 5) having the following features, it becomes possible to improve playability and generate a scale in a sufficient range. That is, the stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of frets (501), which are protrusions that enable a string length for determining a specific scale to be realized by pushing down a finger, are provided between two support bases. And the position (502) in the length direction of the main body where these frets are placed does not intersect with the position (503) in the length direction of the holding part, and the holding part has two positions in the length direction. It has a structure in which it is arranged within ½ of the length between the support bases (504) between the support bases on the side close to the string winding part. According to such a structure, when the performer holds the stringed instrument of the present invention by holding it, a place where the restriction of the fret arrangement is not imposed by the existence of the holding portion is secured, and the fret is installed at the secured place. By doing so, it becomes possible to add a sufficient range of scales.

Further, in the present invention as set forth in claim 7, it is possible to improve playability by providing a stringed instrument (b in FIG. 5) having the following features. That is, the stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein, of the two support bases (107, 108), the support base (108) on the side closer to the string winding portion when viewed in the longitudinal direction is on the side closer to the string winding portion of the main body. The structure is arranged within 100 mm (505) from the edge (506). The reason why the playability is improved by using such a structure is apparent in relation to a typical performance mode (second typical performance mode) different from the above-described performance mode of the stringed instrument of the present invention. Become.

That is, in another typical performance mode, the player performs with a small plate called a pick for playing a string. Alternatively, instead of using the pick, the player returns the belly of his thumb to play the strings by the same principle as the pick. In this case, it is desirable that the base of the belly of the palm (a little above the wrist) can be fixed at any place in order to stabilize the movement when the player plays the string with a pick. In the stringed instrument of the present invention, the end surface (506) on the side closer to the string winding portion side in the length direction of the main body is suitable as a place for fixing the base of the palm. This is because even if the palm of the hand is placed on the same surface and a force is applied, the stringed instrument of the present invention only applies a force parallel to the upward direction in FIG. This is because the force can be balanced by pushing in the opposite direction (downward) with the hand. However, if it is attempted to fix the base of the palm to the side close to the string winding part in a plane parallel to the direction in which the strings are stretched (left side in the body of FIG. 5b), the stringed instrument of the present invention has an elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape. Due to this, a force is applied to a portion having a large radius of rotation around the hand opposite to the hand holding the pick, and the entire stringed instrument is easily rotated, making it difficult to play. In addition, it is very difficult to apply a force to cancel this force from the upper part of the left side of the figure main body or from the lower part of the right side of the figure main body with the hand opposite to the hand holding the pick during playing. difficult.

For the above reasons, if the end face (506) on the side closer to the string winding side in the length direction of the main body is used as the place for fixing the base of the palm, the side closer to the string winding part will be considered as follows. The arrangement of the support base (108) of the above is determined. That is, when the performer plays the string with a pick (or thumb), the place where the player plays the string needs to be between the two supports, so the support near the string winding part has the finger (or the string) holding the pick. It is necessary for the thumb to play) to reach the vicinity of the support on the side closer to the string winding part. However, at the same time, it is necessary to fix the base of the palm to the end face (506) on the side close to the above-mentioned coiled portion. In order to satisfy both of these two conditions, in the arrangement of the support base (108) on the side closer to the string winding part, the support base (108) should not be too far from the end face (506) on the side closer to the string winding part in the length direction of the main body. You need to determine its location. According to our experiments and consideration, if the support base is placed within 100 mm from the end face (506) on the side close to the chord winding part in the length direction of the main body, the above-mentioned performance form can be easily achieved. It turned out that Therefore, the stringed instrument of the present invention is characterized in that the support base (108) is arranged within 100 mm (505) from the end (506) on the side close to the string winding portion of the main body.

Further, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 8, by providing a stringed instrument (c in FIG. 5) having the following features, playability is enhanced, safety is enhanced, and man-hours at the time of production are reduced to reduce production cost. Can be reduced. 5c shows the stringed instrument of the present invention viewed from the side close to the string winding portion (110) in the longitudinal direction, which is the stringed instrument according to claim 1 and has a rectangular parallelepiped main body structure ( 101) four surfaces that are long in the length direction, that is, the surface on which the strings are stretched (upper surface, 507), the surface located on the opposite side (lower surface, 508), and the surface sandwiched between the upper surface and the lower surface (side surface, 507). 509), at least one of the two corners between the lower surface and the side surface is rounded (510). With this structure, when moving the hand that holds the string (the hand playing the string is the right hand and the hand holding the string is the left hand) to change the scale, the palm of the hand is the main part of the stringed instrument. Since it is possible to smoothly move the part in contact with, playability is improved, and at the same time, even if it is moved quickly, the sharp corners do not hurt the hand and the safety is improved. At the same time, it is possible to reduce the number of manufacturing steps by rounding only the corners between the lower surface and the side surface and not rounding the corners between the upper surface and the side surface. The time and cost required for manufacturing are closely related to the manufacturing man-hours, and reducing this is effective in reducing time and cost. Rounding only one of the corners between the bottom surface and the side surface is effective for a stringed instrument with a fixed right-handed hand, such as a right-handed one. When creating, it is effective to apply rounding processing to both the corners between the lower surface and the side surface.

Further, according to the present invention as set forth in claim 9, by providing a stringed instrument (a, b in FIG. 8) having the following features, it is possible to easily and easily store even a house having no large space. It becomes possible to provide a stringed instrument. That is, the stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein four surfaces that are long in the length direction and two surfaces (801 and 802) that are orthogonal to each other in the rectangular parallelepiped main body structure, that is, near the string fixing portion side and the string winding portion side. At least one of the surfaces formed by the lines in the width direction and the depth direction has a structure in which hook-shaped hangings (803, 804) are provided. With such a structure, the stringed instrument of the present invention can be easily hung on nails or screws struck on columns or walls, or on holes on the sides of shelves or racks placed on the floor. In that case, the required depth of the space is only about several tens of mm because the size of the stringed instrument of the present invention in the width direction or the size in the depth direction is sufficient. Therefore, the occupation of the place can be minimized, and the house can be stored in a house without a large space without difficulty.

The location of such hangings (803, 804) needs to be carefully considered, but it will be shown that problems will occur if this is decided arbitrarily. That is, let us consider a case where the cuboid main body structure is arranged on any one of four long surfaces in the length direction. Considering the first typical performance pattern of the musical instrument shown above, the above four surfaces are places where either the left or right hand passes (the hand is placed or moved) during performance. Therefore, the presence of a hanging tool on these surfaces hinders smooth performance. In addition, even if you perform the performance by force, your hands will be caught and there is a safety problem. Therefore, as a result of an experiment and consideration regarding the location of the hangings, it is necessary to place the hangings on four long planes and two orthogonal planes (801, 802) in the lengthwise direction of the rectangular parallelepiped main body structure as in the present invention. Only these can solve these problems. In addition, when equipped on only one side as shown in FIGS. 8a and 8b, it is possible to hang it on a wall or the like so that the length direction stands vertically, and when equipped on each of two surfaces as shown in FIG. 8c. It is possible to hang it on a wall or the like so that the length direction becomes horizontal. That is, it is possible to change the way of hanging according to the situation of the empty space in the room.

Furthermore, the present invention as set forth in claim 10 can prevent the stringed instrument from being broken and extend its life (b in FIG. 7). That is, the stringed instrument (101) according to claim 1 has a structure in which one metal or resin cylinder (702) is embedded in a through hole formed in the main body in the string fixing portion. The reason why such a structure can prolong the life of the stringed instrument is as follows. That is, when the material forming the main body (101) is a soft material such as wood or resin, when the string is simply opened and the string is passed therethrough, the string has a strong tension, A phenomenon occurs in which the wood or the resin of the main body bites along the narrow width of the string. This damages the body material and leads to the destruction of the instrument body. However, in a structure in which a strong metal or resin tube (pipe) is embedded in the through hole, the tension of the strings is dispersed so as to be applied to the main body material throughout the entire tube, and deterioration of the main body material is suppressed. Is possible. Even if the tube itself is destroyed by the tension of the string after a longer time, the main body can be used as it is, and the stringed instrument can be continued to be used by replacing only the tube part.

Further, the stringed instrument of the present invention is shown to improve portability and transportability as follows. That is, the effect of improving portability and transportability is visually clear when compared with the size of the adjacent rectangular box that houses the musical instrument body (a and b in FIG. 6). Since a conventional stringed instrument (601) such as a guitar having a large size and a curved body has a wasteful space (603) that is not effectively used in the rectangular box (602) that houses it, the result is Requires a fairly large space. Even if a close-fitting curved storage box is prepared, when it is loaded and transported in a rectangular space such as a vehicle, a wasteful space is inevitably formed outside the storage box. However, the rectangular box for accommodating the stringed instrument of the present invention only needs to be provided with a rectangular-shaped accommodating box (604) slightly larger than the small rectangular parallelepiped stringed instrument body (101). The portability and transportability are significantly improved. This difference is clear if the number of musical instruments that can be loaded on vehicles having the same volume is compared.

The stringed instrument of the present invention has higher portability and transportability than the conventional stringed instrument, and enables the performer to take it out and enjoy it more easily. When carrying and transporting this instrument, it is sufficient to occupy a rectangular parallelepiped space with a maximum depth, width, and length of 50 mm + chord height, 30 mm, and 600 mm, which is the space occupied by conventional string instruments. (For example, a guitar has a rectangular space of 80 mm + string height, 350 mm, and 1000 mm, and a ukulele has a rectangular space of 200 mm, 70 mm, and 600 mm). Its portability and transportability are significantly improved. Further, regarding the weight, a conventional stringed guitar has a weight of several kilograms, and an ukulele has a weight of several hundred grams, whereas the stringed instrument of the present invention is made of wood and has a weight of several tens to 100 grams or less. To be done. This greatly improves portability and transportability.

The figure which showed the structure of the stringed instrument of this invention. The figure which showed the string mounting part on the support stand of the stringed instrument of this invention. The figure which showed the string winding part and string fixing part of the stringed instrument of this invention. The figure which showed another structure of the string winding part and string fixing part of the stringed instrument of this invention. The figure which showed the projection view, top view, and side view of the stringed instrument of this invention. The figure explaining the difference in the storage of the stringed instrument of the present invention and the conventional stringed instrument. The figure which showed the constructional example of the string fixed part of the stringed instrument of this invention. The figure which showed the stringed instrument with hanging equipment of this invention.

FIG. 1 shows a basic embodiment of the stringed instrument of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the stringed instrument of the present invention eliminates the large-sized curved structure or hollow body of conventional stringed instruments such as guitars, ukuleles, violins, cellos, and kotos. -Having a single rectangular parallelepiped structure (101) with a defined depth greatly improves portability and transportability. The material of the rectangular parallelepiped part may be wood, resin, or metal. The space (physical size) required around a sound-producing string is considerably smaller than that of a conventional stringed instrument, which makes it extremely easy to carry and carry. The musical instrument is equipped with only one string, but the material may be made of resin, metal, or biological parts such as animal intestines. For example, the string length is about 350 mm to support the string. Supports are installed on the surface of a rectangular parallelepiped main body at equal intervals.

The material of the support base may be wood, resin, or metal. The string length error is reduced by making the contact length of the string supporting part on the support stand with the string relatively short.

The string winding part is installed so as to penetrate the main body of the rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the part around which the string is wound appears on the surface on which the string is stretched (hereinafter referred to as the upper surface), and the turning part for winding the string faces the upper surface. It comes out from the related surface (hereinafter referred to as the lower surface). The winding part is arranged at a distance of about several tens of mm from the support base on the side close to the winding part.

In the present embodiment, the string fixing portion is installed on the lower surface at a position opposite to the string winding portion in the length direction. An object called an end piece is attached to the string in advance, and the string is configured to be wound around this end piece so as not to come off. This string is passed through a through hole provided in the main body, and at this time, the end piece is forcibly pressed against the main body using the tension of the string, so that the end piece is firmly fixed to the main body. Usually, since the string generally has a considerable tension by being wound by the string winding portion so as to generate a sound, the string does not come off from the body and is firmly fixed.

The holding portion is provided between the two support bases on the side close to the string winding portion. A place of several tens of millimeters or more is secured in the length direction so that a person can hold the knob, and this place is for determining the scale of frets and other attachments (accessories). The holding operation is not hindered by the above. In consideration of the arrangement conditions of the main body, the string winding portion, the string fixing portion, and the support base as described above, the string instrument of this embodiment has a size of about 450 mm in the longitudinal direction as a result.

Next, in the present embodiment, the size required for holding one string and holding the knob is about 20 mm in the width direction. Finally, with respect to the depth direction, the thickness is set to about 25 mm as an example of the thickness with which the knob holding operation can be reliably performed. Considering the above conditions, the stringed instrument of the present invention has a rectangular parallelepiped structure having lengths, widths, and depths of about 450 mm, 20 mm, and 25 mm, respectively. It can be seen that this occupies a significantly smaller space than conventional stringed instruments. It should be noted that the length, width, and depth may be within the ranges described in the claims, and are not limited thereto.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a main body including a holding portion of the stringed instrument of the present invention, a string winding portion, and a string support base. According to its typical playing form, the holding part is a part that is held by pinching with fingers, so the upper surface and the lower surface are in a parallel positional relationship as much as possible, and there is no extreme outs. Is preferred. However, there is no problem that surface treatment such as fine porridge is applied for the purpose of preventing slipping. This does not require special treatment if the rectangular parallelepiped part is made of a material that is relatively non-slip, such as wood, but if it is a material that is easily slippery with resin or metal, it may be necessary to provide fine outs such as anti-slip. In some cases, it is desirable. Further, in order to give the player a guide for the holding portion, color coding such as coloring may be performed. In fact, in the example of the present invention, the holding portion is color-coded from the other parts of the main body to give the player an indication of the holding position.

The string winding part is equipped with a through hole in the main body, the string is wound on the upper part, and the winding part is arranged on the lower part.

The support base is installed on the upper surface of the main body and may be fixed to the main body with an adhesive or a screw, or may be fixed to the main body by a fitting type structure. Only one string is stretched, but its position on the support base is separated from the end in the width direction by a certain distance (8 mm or more, for example, 10 mm in this embodiment), so that the finger used for holding the string. Can be prevented from touching the strings, and unnecessary interference with the string vibration can be suppressed.

FIG. 7a shows an embodiment relating to the structure of the string fixing portion of the stringed instrument of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the string fixing portion has a structure in which the end piece to which the string is fixed is fixed to the lower surface which is parallel to the upper surface (the surface on which the strings are stretched) of the rectangular parallelepiped main body. However, the surface to which the end piece is fixed by the string fixing portion is not only fixed to the surface in parallel with the upper surface, but also the surface in non-parallel relationship with the upper surface as shown in FIG. It is also possible to fix it on a surface inclined at 45 degrees. In this case, since the strings are sent out obliquely toward the support base, it is possible to prevent the strings from being bent at a right angle on the support base. As a result, the support base does not receive an excessively large force in the right-hand direction of the main body, and there is an advantage that the support base can be less likely to break down from the main body.

Further, FIG. 7B shows another embodiment relating to the structure of the string fixing portion of the stringed instrument of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the string fixing portion has a structure in which not only the through hole is provided in the main body but also a metal or resin tube (702) is embedded in the provided hole. The reason for embedding such a metallic or resin cylinder is as follows. If the material of the main body is wood or a relatively soft resin material, and if the string is simply passed through and a string is passed through it, the string will not be attached to the main wood or body resin due to the strength of the tension. The problem of biting can occur. This leads to a serious damage to the material of the main body over time and shortens the life of the musical instrument main body. However, if a strong metal or resin tube is embedded in the through hole as in the present embodiment, the string only directly contacts the tube, and the tension is maintained throughout the tube. It is dispersed so that it can be added to the material. Therefore, there is an advantage that deterioration of the material of the main body can be suppressed. Further, when the cylinder is broken, the main body can be continuously used by replacing only the cylinder part.

Involved in manufacturing, sales, storage, and use of stringed instruments, entertainment and entertainment, performance education, maintenance, and exhibition and use of works of art.

Claims (10)

A stringed instrument having a rectangular parallelepiped main body structure capable of straddling a single string, the main body being the longest side of the rectangular parallelepiped in the direction in which the string is stretched on the surface on which the string is stretched. Has a length of 200 mm or more and 600 mm or less, and has a width of 10 mm or more and 30 mm or less in a surface other than the longest side on the surface on which the string is stretched, and is a side in a direction perpendicular to the surface on which the string is stretched. However, the depth is 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less, the main body portion has a holding portion for holding the entire musical instrument with fingers, and also has two support bases that are the bases on which one string is stretched. However, one of the strings placed on the two supports is fixed to the string fixing part of the main body, and the other one of the strings is housed in the string winding part for changing the tension of the strings. Characterized by having a mechanism. The stringed instrument according to [claim 1], wherein the position where the strings are mounted on the support is arranged at a position 8 mm or more away from one end in the width direction of the main body. The stringed instrument according to [claim 1], characterized in that the position where the strings are mounted on the support is arranged at a distance of 8 mm or more from both ends in the width direction of the main body. The stringed instrument according to [claim 1], which has a structure in which a part of a rectangular parallelepiped is deleted, and a part or all of the string winding part or the string fixing part is housed in the deleted space. thing. The stringed instrument according to the above-mentioned [claim 1], which has a structure in which a part of a rectangular parallelepiped is deleted, wherein the string winding part or the string fixing part is entirely housed in the deleted space, and the deleted space is covered. It has a lid that restores the rectangular parallelepiped shape before deletion. The stringed instrument according to [claim 1], wherein a plurality of frets, which are protrusions that enable a string length for determining a specific scale to be realized by pushing down a finger, are arranged between two support bases. The positions in the length direction of the main body part where these frets are arranged are arranged so as not to intersect the position in the length direction of the holding part, and the holding part is close to the chord winding part between the two support bases in the length direction. It is characterized in that it is arranged within one half of the length between the support bases on the side. The stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein, of the two support bases, the support base on the side closer to the string winding portion in the longitudinal direction is arranged within 100 mm from the end of the main body on the side closer to the string winding portion. Characterized by The stringed instrument according to the above [claim 1], wherein four surfaces that are long in the length direction of the rectangular parallelepiped main body structure, that is, the surface on which the strings are stretched (upper surface), the surface located on the opposite side (lower surface), In a surface (two side surfaces) sandwiched between an upper surface and a lower surface, at least one of the two corner portions between the lower surface and the side surface is rounded. The stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the rectangular parallelepiped main body structure has four surfaces that are long in the lengthwise direction and two surfaces that are orthogonal to each other, that is, the widthwise direction and the depth close to the string fixing portion side and the string winding portion side. A hook-shaped hook is provided on at least one of the surfaces formed by the lines in the vertical direction. The stringed instrument according to [claim 1], wherein the string fixing portion has a structure in which one metal or resin tube is embedded in a through hole formed in the main body.