US1101690A - Music-sheet for self-playing apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

R. A. GALLY. v

MUSIC SHEET FOR SELF PLAYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION IILED NOV. 4, 1912.

1 ,101,690 Patented June 30, 1914.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

ROBERT A. GALLY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BALDWIN COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

MUSIC-SHEET FOR SELF-PLAYING APPARATUS.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented June 39, 1914.

Original application filed May 11, 1903, Serial No. 156,623. Divided and this application filed November 4, 1912. Serial No. 729,350.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Ronnnr A. GALLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music-Sheets for Self- Playing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object the simpler and more perfect construction of a music sheet for actuating musical instruments efliciently with artistic elfects of part distinction, being particularly adapted for use with self-playing pianos.

This application is a division of my original application #156,623, filed May 11th, 1903, in which are claimed the instrument features of the present invention, which are only shown herein so far as needful in their relation to the music sheet now claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front view of the music sheet on the spools in the play- .ing mechanism, and the particular parts relating to the operation from present claimed features of the music sheet; and Fig. 2 is a larger scale View of the same music sheet.

In a music sheet as S having a chord or assembled group of notes as S S S which are to have their commencements of sounds together, but wherein it is desired to control one or more of the notes to sound more prominently than the others, the secondary notes, as S S are positioned slightly in advance of the important ones, as S and a lowered tension or efficiency of attack is secured during the first part of the opera tion of the self-playing devices of the secondary notes by a perforation as S in the music sheet arranged to control devices which act to reduce the tension or power by any suitable means as the change of reservoirs r 1, said perforation continuing until the time for the attack of the important notes of the same group, when the said perforation ceases and the consequent change of reservoir causes the tension or power to increase and thus accent only those notes the perforations of which were not advanced. in a piano the greater speed of movement of the piano hammer under high tension or power of actuating will cause the advanced and the normal note-perforations to produce an approximately even attack of tone of the notes of a group. Where the music has a much more frequently successive occurrence of important notes than of secondary notes, this system of reducing the tension or power on the secondary notes is much simpler than any device for increasing the tension or power for the important notes, a less amount of expression perforations and actuating being required for the reducing than for the other.

Tracker bar or scale reader T has tube connections from its note apertures or controllers to the power pneumatics P. Connections by tubes from the pneumatics as P of the shifting devices of the composite bellows chambers to corresponding apertures or equivalents of the tracker devices T enable the direct control of tension from the music sheet S.

The composite bellows consists of two or more reservoir chambers combined together and having a common movement, three chambers being shown herein, r 1' W. A spring or equivalent resistance to give tension to the air of the bellows is arranged to act constantly against the moving parts of the combined chambers, means being provided to throw into action any one or several of the chambers at one time, thus vary ing the air-tension proportionately to the inverse ratios between the constant resistance and the various active areas of the composite reservoir. To avoid any lapse of air-tension during shifts from one tension to another continuously active reservoir chamber T is provided, which may also serve the purpose of giving a substantial basic air-tension degree.

The shifting of activity from one chamber or combination to another should be effected by ports which will not only open each such chamber to active tension of air when in use, but will also open such chamber to the free air when not in use and other chambers are, so that the inactive chamber will then be free to move. The control of such ports may be by mechanical or any other means, pneumatic means being now shown. The feeder f, is connected to exhaust the air from the action chests, their connecting ports being either direct to the rigid chests, trunks or other air service spaces of the action, or through the continuous service bellows chamber T and wind-boxes above it as shown, but whichever way the feeders are connected to the action service the intermediate ports have self-acting valves on their seats toward the feeders, and the feeders have ports to the outside air having self acting valves on their outer seats. The reservoir chambers r r which are for interchangeable or combinable use each have a port to between it and the general air-service of constant bellows chamber 1*, and the feeders, and another port as 01: leading from such optional chamber to the outside free air. Valves as 11 o to these ports are arranged so that one is closed as the other is open, the normal condition being with valve port e0 open while valve-port 20 is closed by the tension of air on valve 11 A pneumatic as p is worked from the general air-service and connected by a crank shaft p to open valve o and close valve 01 whenever any automatic control causes pneumatic to operate.

The devices herein set forth are capable of use with electric control; electric wires are to be considered as the equivalents of tubes for the purposes stated; and in any and all the features of invention claimed herein it is to be understood that the claims are intended to cover the general uses to which said mechanisms may be put in any musical instrument or attachments, except such claims as may in their specific terms limit or determine a more restricted scope.

That I claim as my invention is:

1. A music-sheet for self playing musical instruments having openings therein for notes to be accented, openings therein for notes which are not to be accented, and supplemental openings therein for controlling the lighter stroke of the notes not to be accented, the front edges of the openings for the notes to be accented lying rearward of the rearward end of said supplemental openings and slightly to the rear of the front edges of the openings for the notes which are not to be accented, the said supplemental openings being designed to communicate with a supplemental passage in the tracker board of the instrument through which the mechanism for operating the keys for the notes of lighter stroke is controlled.

2. A perforated music sheet having the selected or melody note perforation cut in partial retard of the accompaniment-note perforations; in combination with a powerdiminishing perforation positioned entirely in advance of the normal tracker alinement for said melody-note perforation.

3. A perforated music sheet having the selected or melody note perforation cut in partial retard of the accompaniment-note perforations; in combination with a power diminishing perforation positioned entirely in advance of the normal tracker alinement for said melody-note perforations, and having its rearward end transversely approximately opposite the front end of the accompaniment-note perforations.

4. In a mechanical music sheet provided with groups of note perforations, the perforations for selected, accentuable or melody notes positioned therein with their leading ends retarded behind the normal alinement of the aceompanimcnt-note perforations pertaining to the same group; in combination with a power-diminishing perforation therefor positioned in advance of the retarded end of said selected-note perforation.

5. A music sheet having two or more note perforations or indications arranged to be sounded together, the commencement ends of one or more of said note perforations being in position lengthwise of the sheet slightly after the commencement ends of the other note perforation or perforations of the same chord or group, an expression perforation or indication approximately in transverse line with the advanced perfdration or perforations and adapted to operate tone retarding or diminishing devices of the automatic musical. instrument or attachment, by which the tones produced by the said advanced note-perforations are diminished in tone relatively to the tones produced by the said unadvanced note-perforations.

6. A music sheet having two or more note perforations arranged to be sounded together, a perforation adapted to coact with the control aperture of a diminishing means to reduce the power of the stroke on part of the notes, the perforations for the reduced-power notes being in advance of the perforations for the higher power notes, and the diminishing perforations being entirely in advance of the higher power note perforations.

7. A music sheet having two or more note perforations arranged to be sounded together, and having the front of the perforation of an accented note of said note perforations positioned rearward of the front of the perforation of an unaccented note, and an expression perforation in the sheet entirely in advance of the perforation to be accented and adapted to cooperate with an expression aperture to control the difference of stroke between the accented and unaccented notes.

8. A music sheet having two or more note perforations arranged to be sounded together, and having the front ends of the perforations of the accented and unaccented notes out of transverse alinement with each other, and an expression perforation in the sheet having its front end in advance of the front end of the perforation of the accented note or notes to cooperate with an expression diminishing aperture to control the difference of stroke between the accented and unaccented notes of the chord.

9. A music sheet having two or more noteperforations arranged to be sounded together, and having the front ends of the perforations of the accented and unaccented notes out of transverse alinement with each other, and an expression perforation in the sheet having its front end in advance of the front end of the perforation of the unaccented notes and adapted to cooperate with an expression aperture to control the difference of stroke between the accented and unaccented notes.

10. A music sheet having two or more note perforations arranged to be sounded together, and having the front end of the perforations of the accented and unaccented of said note-perforations out of transverse alinement with each other and an expression perforation in the sheet having its front end in advance of the front ends of both forward and rearward of said note perforations and adapted to cooperate with an expression aperture to control the difference of stroke between the accented and unaccented notes.

11. A music sheet having the accompaniment-note perforations arranged slightly in advance of the theme-note perforations, and provided with a series of supplemental perforations adapted to register with a supplemental duct of a tracker-board, said supplemental perforations being arranged entirely in advance of the theme-note perforations and having their rear ends terminating closely to the transverse alinement with the front ends of the immediately following theme-note perforation.

ROBT. A. GALLY. Witnesses S. M. lVAMAoKs, J. W. MACY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

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