US1325104A - Musical-game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

D; MILLER. MUSICAL GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.14. I918.

-1 325,104. Patented Dec. 16,1919.

:6 samfi M Q e 1 (q INVENTORZ DOROTHY MILLER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

MUSICAL-GAME APPARATUS.

Application filed November 14, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOROTHY MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical-Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to musical games and more especially to key-board games, and my object is to produce apparatus constituting a game whereby one may learn the names and locations of notes on the treble and bass clefs and on the keys on the keyboard of a piano entertainingly and subconsciously. A further object is to provide a competitive game of the character set forth for the purpose of stimulating the interest and concentration and therefore quickening and strengthening the memorizing and reasoning faculties of the players.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that the invention may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which: a

Figure 1, is a plan view of a key-board game apparatus embodying the invention.

Fig. 2, is a cross section on'the line IIII of the same.

In the said drawing a board 1, preferably rectangular in form and constituting a field, is inclosed by marginal strips forming a wall 2, on the upper surface of one side of which is represented a piano key-board 3, only one being shown, and said wall is provided with pockets 4 for the keys of the key-board, the preferred construction being to produce a pocket in each key.

On the field is represented a treble clef 5, and a bass clef'6, the treble clef stafi being supplemented by one added line below, and the lines and spaces of the staffs may con tain the proper identifying marks or letters (not shown), to serve as guides in the placement on the staffs of correspondingly lettered marbles 7 The board is placed upon a small table 8, and the game is preferably played by no more than four players seated at the table Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Serial No. 262,475.

around the board, and each player will be provided with a shooter marble or taw 8 to be shot or rolled by the player in the attempt to displace the lettered marbles from the staffs.

Upon starting the game one of the players will shoot or roll his shooter marble or taw on the field in the attempt to knock or displace a lettered marble from its staff. If he succeeds he picks up the displaced marble and upon observing its letter, or, if it is unlettered, the position from which it was driven, announces that it represents a certain note and that such note is located at a certain place on the key-board, mentioning the place with respect to the black keys thereof, as I have foundthat the locating of the keys in the minds of children is greatly expedited by utilizing the groups of two black keys and three black keys as a basis for the identification by name and location of the white keys. If the player fails in his attempt to displace a lettered marble from a staff or' to properly call and locate said marble in the corresponding pocket of the key-board, he loses his turn at play and another player takes his turn, and when he fails the next player, etc., until all of the field marbles have been displaced and properly stationed on the key-board. In practice it is preferable that there shall be a key-board for each player so that the result of the play shall appear at a glance. Of course, the result of the play may be noted upon a tab, butthis method of keeping score is not desirable or altogether practicable where small children are the players.

In teaching the game to children I have found that it is advisable to require them to amiounce the location on the key-board of a displaced marble by referring to either the groups of two black keys or the groups of three black keys, for example, if the displaced marble represents a C, the player will announce that C is the first white key to the left of the two black keys. I have also found it advantageous to have the players play on the C marbles first so that they shall by repetition learn where the Us occur on the treble and bass clefs, and then take up the letters of the other keys, learning the location of the white keys C, D and E with respect to the group of two black keys, and then learning the location of the white keys F, G, A and B with respect to the group of three black keys. The game not only teaches the location of the white keys with respect to the black keys but also teaches where the corresponding keys are in the treble and bass stafis.

To illustrate more clearly the location of the white keys with respect to the two groups of black keys, it will be learned that C and E are respectively to the left and right of the group of two black keys and that D is between said two black keys, and that the key F is to the left of the three black keys, and that the key D is to the right of the three black keys, that the key G is the lower white key, and that the key A is the upper white key within the group of three black keys, said keys being termed lower and upper respectively because of their difference in tone or pitch.

The game is very entertaining to children because it is a competitive game and a child quickly learns the location of the keys on the staff and on the key-board.

By means of this game one can readily learn the location of any note upon the bass stall with respect to the middle C on the key-board, for example, when the marble representing A on the bass staff is displaced, the player is required to state that A is the first bass space and is the second A below middle C on the key-board; that C is the second bass space and the first 0 below middle C on the key-board; that E is the third bass space and the first E below middle C on the key-board; that G is the fourth bass space and the first G below middle C on the key-board. The location of the lines with respect to the key-board is learned in a similar manner. In winning the game of spaces or lines, the board may have to be cleared a number of times, as the first one who succeeds in collecting and properly locating the marbles F, A, C, E, or E, G, B, D and F wins the game.

From the above description it will be seen that I have produced a device of the character described which possesses all of the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have illustrated and described the preferred form of the invention it is to be understood that I reserve the right to make all changes properly falling within the principle of construction involved and the spirit and scope of the ap' pended claims.

I claim:

1. A musical game apparatus, comprising a field containing one or more musical stalls, inclosed by a wall, objects to be positioned on the lines and spaces of the staff or stafi's, taws to be shot or rolled on the field for effecting the displacement of said objects from the staff or stafils, and a representation of a piano key-board, the displaced objects representative of particular notes, being adapted to be placed on the corresponding keys of said key-board.

2. A musical game apparatus, comprising a field containing one or more staffs and inclosed by a wall, objects to be positioned on the lines and spaces of the sta'tl' or staffs and bearing characters of identification corresponding to the respective lines and spaces of said stall or staffs, taws to be shot or rolled in the field ior elfecting the displacement of said objects from the stall or stalls, and a representation of a piano key-board, the displaced objects representative of particular notes being adapted to be placed. on the corresponding keysoit said key-board.

3. A musical game apparatus, comprising a field containing one or more staffs and inclosed by a wall, objects to be positioned on the lines and spaces of the stafl or stali's, taws to be shot or rolled on the field for ofltecting the displacement of paid objects from the staff or staffs, and a representation or a piano key-board, )revided with a pocket for each key for the reception respectively of objects displaced from corresponding lines or spaces of the staff or staffs by the shooting or rolling of a taw or taws.

l. A musical game apparatus, comprising a field containing one or more staffs and in closed by a wall, objects to be positioned on the lines and spaces of the staff or stalls, and bearing characters of identification corre spending to the respective lines and spaces of said staff or stafis, taws to be shot or rolled on the field for effecting the displacement of said objects from the stafi or staffs, and a representation of a piano key-board provided with a pocket for each key for the reception respectively of objects displaced from corresponding lines or spaces of the start or by the shooting or rolling of a taw.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

DOROTHY MILLER.

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