JPH02179685A - Muting device for stringed instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To suppress unnecessary oscillation of strings with muting members by providing plural muting members, which are brought into contact with each string to control its oscillation, in the vicinity of a string fixing part on the head side. CONSTITUTION:In a muting device 1, contact parts 48 brought into contact with strings 50 are provided in front ends of contact pressure adjusting screw rods 45. Adjusting screw rods 45 are relaxed to reduce the contact pressure to strings 50 by contact parts 48 and are tightened to increase this contact pressure, and thus, the contact pressure due to the contact part 48 is adjusted for each string and the best muting state for each string is set. Since a slide member 21 supporting muting members 42 through a shaft 41 is freely slided to a base 11 in such direction that strings are stretched, plural screws 26 are relaxed to slide the slide member to the body side or the head side by a desired extent and are tightened, and thereby, the position in the string stretching direction of the member 21 is adjusted and contact positions to respective strings 50 due to contact parts 48 of members 42 are adjusted at a time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a muting device for stringed instruments such as guitar synthesizers and electric guitars.

[Prior art and its problems] Stringed instruments such as guitar synthesizers use pickups installed independently for each string on the body to detect the vibration of the picked string and convert it into a corresponding electrical signal. There is a system that extracts the pitch (fundamental frequency) from this electrical signal and instructs the sound source to start producing a musical tone with a pitch corresponding to the extracted pitch.

In such stringed instruments, multiple frets are arranged on the fingerboard to indicate the pitch of the musical sound to be generated, and fret operations performed on the fingerboard are performed by pitch extraction based on string vibration as described above. It is designed to detect the location.

Operations on the fingerboard are performed by pressing the strings against the frets by pressing the strings against the fingerboard surface with fingers.

However, in conventional stringed instruments like this, even if the frets are operated normally, the strings collide with the frets, and if a person presses the strings with a strong force, the strings collide with the frets more strongly, resulting in damage to the strings. There were times when the strings on the head side would vibrate slightly but unnecessarily from the frets that were pressed against them, causing sound to be produced.

In this way, if the strings on the head side vibrate unnecessarily from the frets the strings are pressed against, this vibration will be propagated to the body via the neck, and eventually.

This propagated to the pickup installed on the body, making the waveform for pitch extraction unstable, making it difficult to extract pitch accurately, causing noise, and resulting in unnatural playing conditions. . Furthermore, if the strings on the head side vibrate unnecessarily from the frets against which the strings are pressed and produce sound, the player may feel uncomfortable.

Also, when the fingerboard is released and the strings are opened, the strings that were previously pressed will vibrate slightly but unnecessarily due to the reaction force, producing noise and causing undesired sound. This may result in a natural playing state or cause discomfort to the performer.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned problems also apply to stringed instruments such as electric guitars. In other words, in the case of a stringed instrument such as an electric guitar, the vibration of the string is converted into a corresponding electrical signal by a pickup, and this electrical signal itself is analog-processed and produced as a musical tone, so the above-mentioned guitar synthesizer etc. As in the case of stringed instruments,
If the strings on the head side vibrate unnecessarily from the pressed frets and produce sound, or if the open strings vibrate unnecessarily and produce sound, noise may occur and the performance may become unnatural. , which sometimes caused discomfort to the performers.

Additionally, there is a tapping technique, in which the fingertips of the left or right hand fingers (mainly the index finger or middle finger) are tapped against the strings on the fingerboard, producing a musical tone with a pitch corresponding to the fret position that the tapped string touches. When performing a playing technique that generates sound, the tapped string vibrates at the same time as the string part on the low-pitched pitch side (head side) and the string part on the high-pitched pitch side (body side), centering on the above-mentioned bread position. becomes. For this reason, the musical tone you want to obtain with the tapping operation is a musical tone generated by the vibration of the string part on the high pitch side, that is, a musical tone of the pitch specified by the fret position, but the Due to the vibration of the strings, unnecessary musical sounds were often generated at the same time.

Incidentally, it is possible to temporarily solve the above-mentioned problems by suppressing unnecessary vibrations of the strings by using capotasts, rubber bands, etc. However, when using capotasts, rubber bands, etc., all strings are pressed down and fixed at the same time, so for example, depending on the piece of music you are playing, you may not be able to open only certain strings. In addition, the pressing condition for each string is fixed uniformly, and the pressing condition cannot be adjusted for each string.
Furthermore, there is a problem in that attachment and removal are rather troublesome, and furthermore, the work of pressing the strings and releasing the pressure is rather troublesome.

[Object of the invention] This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to suppress unnecessary vibrations of the strings, and also to make only certain strings open strings. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a muting device for stringed instruments.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mute device for a stringed instrument that can adjust the pressing state of each string.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mute device for a stringed instrument that can easily press and release strings.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mute device for a stringed instrument that can be removed when unnecessary.

Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a mute device for a stringed instrument in which the position of the pressure applied to each string can be adjusted at once.

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 makes contact with each string in the vicinity of the string fixing part on the head side of the main body of a one-stringed musical instrument, and transmits the vibration of the string to each string. The main point is that a plurality of mute members are provided to suppress the noise.

The main point of the invention as set forth in claim 2 is that each mute member is provided with a contact pressure adjustment mechanism for individually adjusting the contact pressure with respect to each string.

The main point of the invention as set forth in claim 3 is that each mute member is rotatable around a support point relative to the main body of the stringed instrument.

The main point of the invention as set forth in claim 4 is that each mute member is detachable from the main body of the stringed instrument.

Furthermore, the main point of the invention as set forth in claim 5 is that each mute member is simultaneously movable in the longitudinal direction of each string with respect to the main body of the stringed instrument.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1 shows the main parts of a mute device for a stringed instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This mute device 1 is arranged near open string frets 4 provided on a nut board 3 provided on a neck 2 that constitutes a part of a stringed instrument main body (body, neck, and head).

This mute device 1 includes a base 11. The base 11 is provided with leg portions 13 extending in the string installation direction (longitudinal direction of the strings) at two places on the left and right on the lower surface of the flat base main body 12, and a recess 14 is provided in the center of the upper surface of the base main body 12. The base body 12 has a structure in which guide portions 15 extending in the string tensioning direction are provided at both left and right end portions of the upper surface of the base body 12. The base 11 is disposed on the upper surface of a stepped portion 16 provided on the upper surface of the neck 2 on the head side of the open string frets 4, and is removably fixed by a plurality of screws 17.

A slide member 21 is provided on the upper surface of the base 11. The slide member 21 is a flat slide member main body 2.
A square hole 23 is provided in the center of the slide member body 22, support pieces 24 are provided on both left and right end surfaces of the upper surface of the slide member main body 22, and guided portions are provided at both left and right end surfaces of the lower surface of the slide member main body 22 and extend in the string tensioning direction. 25 is provided. The slide member 21 connects the guided member 25 to the base 11.
is disposed on the upper surface of the base 11 so as to be slidable in the string tensioning direction while being engaged with the guide portion 15 of the screw 2.
6 is fixed to the base 11 by being pressed against the upper surface of the recess 14 of the base 11.

A leaf spring 31 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 22 of the slide member 21. The leaf spring 31 has a comb-teeth shape, and has a structure in which six protruding pieces 33 are protruded from a band-shaped base end 32 at equal intervals.

The leaf spring 31 has six protruding pieces 33 attached to the slide member 2.
The proximal end portion 32 of the slide member 21 is fixed to the main body 22 of the slide member 21 by a presser bar 34 and a plurality of screws 35 while being bridged above the rectangular hole 23 of the slide member 21 . A shaft 41 is horizontally suspended between the two support pieces 24 of the slide member 21. Six mute members 42 are provided on the shaft 41 at equal intervals. Since all six mute members 42 have the same structure, only one of them will be explained.

The mute member 42 has a base end i: an arm 43 rotatably attached to the i-axis 41, and a contact pressure adjustment screw rod 4 screwed into a screw hole 44 provided at the tip of the arm 43.
5, and a contact pressure adjustment screw rod 45 with the top surface of the tip of the arm 43.
A compression coil spring 46 provided around the contact pressure adjusting screw rod 45 between the head of the contact pressure adjusting screw rod 45 and the contact pressure adjusting screw rod 45
It consists of a nut 47 screwed onto the tip of the nut 47, and a hemispherical contact portion 38 made of rubber or the like adhered to the lower surface of the nut 47. Among these, the side surface shape of the base end portion of the arm 43 is square.

The base end of this square-sided arm 43 is disposed above the protruding piece 33 of the leaf spring 31 that bridges above the rectangular hole 23 of the slide member 21 . And arm 43
When the arm 43 is rotated clockwise and folded down as shown in FIG.
The arm 4 is aligned along the upper surface of the protruding piece 33, while the arm 4
3 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure to stand up, the other side surface 42b of the proximal end of the arm 43 is in a state along the upper surface of the protruding piece 33 of the leaf spring 31. . That is, when the arm 43 is rotated, the ridgeline 43c between both side surfaces 43a and 43b of the base end of the arm 43 is aligned with the leaf spring 3.
When the protruding piece 33 of the leaf spring 31 is displaced while being pressed, and one side 43a or the other side 43b of the proximal end portion is in a state along the upper surface of the protruding piece 33 of the leaf spring 31, the rotation of the arm 43 is restricted. It is designed to remain stable and stationary in this state. The side surface shape of the base end of the arm 43 may be any other shape, as long as it can perform the above-described operation.

On the other hand, one end of each of the six strings 50 stretched over the stringed instrument body is supported by a string bridge or the like provided on a body (not shown) that constitutes a part of the stringed instrument body. The other ends of each of the six strings 50 pass through the open hole fret 4 and then connect to the neck 2.
The head (which forms part of the stringed instrument body) passes through the space formed between the upper surface of the stepped portion 16 and the lower surface of the base 11.
(not shown).

The six mute members 42 of the mute device l configured as described above are arranged above each string 50, and when the arm 43 is rotated clockwise in FIG. The protruding end surface of the portion 48 is adapted to come into contact with a string 50 on the body side near the open string 7 let 4.

In this way, in this mute device l, the mute member 4
When the arm 43 of No. 2 is rotated clockwise in FIG. This means that unnecessary vibrations of each string 50 at the time can be suppressed by the contact portions 48 of each mute 42.

In addition, in this mute device 1, since the contact portion 48 that contacts the strings 50 is provided at the tip of the contact pressure adjustment screw rod 45, when the contact pressure adjustment screw rod 45 is loosened, the contact pressure of the contact portion 48 against the strings 50 is increased. becomes weaker and becomes stronger when screwed in. Thus, the contact pressure by each contact portion 48 can be individually adjusted for each string 50, and the best mute state can be set for each string 50. The compression coil spring 46 is connected to the contact pressure adjusting threaded rod 45 and the threaded hole 4.
This eliminates the play between the contact pressure adjusting threaded rod 45 and
This is to stabilize the screwing position of the string into the screw hole 44 and, in turn, stabilize the contact pressure of the contact portion 48 against the string 50.

In addition, in this mute device I, the slide member 21 that supports the mute member 42 via the shaft 41 is slidable with respect to the base 11 in the string tensioning direction, so by loosening the plurality of screws 26, the slide member 21 is Slide the desired amount toward the body or head side, then tighten the screws 2
6, it is possible to adjust the stirrup position of the slide member 21 in the string tensioning direction, and in turn, the contact position of each mute member 42's contact portion 48 with respect to each string 50 in the string tensioning direction can be adjusted at once. You will be able to do so.

In addition, in this mute device N1, a mute member 42 is provided for each string 50, and the arm 43 thereof is rotatable, so that when the arm 43 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. Only the string 50 corresponding to the erected arm 43 can be an open string. Also, when the contact portion 48 is brought into contact with or separated from the string 50.

It is only necessary to rotate the entire mute member 42, and the operation is extremely simple. Furthermore, when the upright mute member 42 is brought down again, the contact pressure of the contact portion 48 against the string 50 can be made the same as the previously set contact pressure, that is, the previous contact pressure setting state is changed. It can be maintained as is.

In addition, in this mute device 1, when all the strings 50 are open strings, if the mute member 42 in the upright state interferes with the performance, a plurality of When all the screws 26 are loosened, the mute member 42 can be removed from the base 11 along with the slide member 21, etc., so that the mute member 42 in the upright state can be prevented from interfering with the performance. Moreover, it can be removed regardless of the tensioned string 50. If the base 11 also gets in the way, the base 11 can also be removed by removing all the screws 17 for fixing it.

Further, in this mute device 1, for example, if only a certain string 50 is always left open, and the mute member 42, which is always in an upright state in order to keep this certain string 50 always open, becomes a hindrance to the performance. In this case, only the mute member 42, which is always in an upright state, is removed, and instead, a spacer made of a pipe or the like having the same length as the width of the base end of the arm 43 of the mute member 42 is attached to the shaft 4. You can also.

In the above embodiment, since the hemispherical contact portion 48 of the mute member 42 is only in contact with the string 50, the string 5
If 0 vibrates in the horizontal direction.

There is a risk that the contact portion 48 may separate from the string 50.

Even if the contact portion 48 is made into a disk shape instead of a hemispherical shape, there is still a risk of separation.

Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG.
A slit 55 extending in the direction in which the strings are strung is formed on the upper surface side of the protrusion on the head side of the nut base plate 53.
Further, an open string fret 58 is fixed to the upper surface of the nut board 53 on the body side via a string height adjusting plate 57 with a plurality of screws 59, and each string 56 after passing through the open string fret 58 is fixed to the upper surface of the nut board 53 on the body side. The strings 5 on the body side in the vicinity of the open string frets 58 are inserted through the corresponding slits 55.
For example, if the contact portion 48 of the mute member 42 as shown in FIG. 0 string height adjustment plate 57 that can prevent the contact portion 48 of the string from separating from the string 56.
Several types are available with different thicknesses, and by changing them appropriately, the height of the string 56 on the open string fret 58 side can be adjusted.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to stringed instruments such as guitar synthesizers and electric guitars, but can also be applied to other stringed instruments such as acoustic guitars, violins, and Hawaiian steel guitars.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the invention described in claim 1, each string is brought into contact with the vicinity of the string fixing portion on the head side of the main body of the stringed instrument, and the vibration of the string is transmitted to each string. Since a plurality of mute members are provided for suppressing unnecessary vibrations of the strings, these mute members can suppress unnecessary vibrations of the strings. Furthermore, if only the mute member corresponding to a certain string is removed, only that certain string can always be an open string.

Further, according to the invention as claimed in claim 2, since each mute member is provided with a contact pressure adjustment mechanism for individually adjusting the contact pressure on each string, the pressing by each mute member for each string is can be adjusted individually.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, each mute member is rotatable around the support point for the stringed instrument body, so it is extremely easy to press and release the pressure on each string by each mute member. Can be done.

Furthermore, according to the invention as claimed in claim 4, since each mute member is detachable from the main body of the stringed instrument, 1, for example, if each mute member interferes with the performance, it is possible to remove all of the mute members. can.

Furthermore, according to the invention set forth in claim 5, each mute member is simultaneously moved in the longitudinal direction of each string with respect to the main body of the stringed instrument.
Since it is movable, the position of pressing each string by each mute member can be adjusted at once.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a part of a mute device for a stringed instrument according to another embodiment of the present invention.

l...Mute device, 2...Neck,
3... Nut board, 4... Open string fret, 11... Base, 21... Slide member, 31... Leaf spring, 41...
Shaft, 42... Mute member, 43...
Arm, 45... Contact pressure g: I screw rod, 48
...Contact part, 50...String.

Patent applicant: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) In a stringed instrument in which a plurality of strings are stretched between a pair of first string fixing parts and second string fixing parts provided at a predetermined interval on the main body of the stringed instrument, the first string fixing part 1. A mute device for a stringed instrument, characterized in that a plurality of mute members are provided in the vicinity of the section for suppressing vibration of each string by contacting each string. (2) The mute device for a stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein each of the mute members is provided with a contact pressure adjustment mechanism for individually adjusting the contact pressure with respect to each of the strings. (3) The mute device for a stringed instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the mute members is rotatable about a support point relative to the stringed instrument main body. (4) The mute device for a stringed instrument according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each of the mute members is removable from the main body of the stringed instrument. (5) The mute device for a stringed instrument according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein each of the mute members is movable simultaneously in the longitudinal direction of each string with respect to the stringed instrument main body. .