US1671882A - Musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

May 29, 1928.

W. BARTHOLOMAE MUS I CAL INSTRUMENT Filed Septv S, 192.6 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR M571 .a/lolomae ATTOR Nl-:Ys

May 2 9, 1928.

1,671,882 W. BARTHOLOMAE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Sept. 8, 192 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES ATTORNEY Patented May 29, 1928.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BARTH-omnes, r repetir-YN, NEW vomi.

MUSIC-#i INSTeUMEsT Application file/1,1 September 8, Serial No. 134,289.

This invention relates to musical instruments and has for an object to provide "a vibratile member andl means associated therewith whereby the pitch of the vibratile member may be changed and the change indicated on a diagram or "special ysheet of music.

Another object of the invention is to provide va musical instrument wherein a vibratile member Vis provided for producing a sound with means associated therewitlr'including a special sheet oimusic for permitting playing a tune by varying the action oiy the vibratile member with 'the variations indicated o-n the sheet of'm'usic.

` A still further object'of the invention is to provide a musical instrument in which there isa vibvraltile"member"and a special sheet of music associated therewith together' with a hinged xswinging structure for indieating onthesheetof music the particular note produced by the 4vibratile member. 'u

111th@ accompanying drewrlgs- Figure 1 lis" a perspective .View of a vmusicall instrument disclosing an embodiment of the invention. A," FgureQ isan enlarged top plan yview iof the instrumentlsliown 'in Figure l1. A Figure 3 is an edge View of the instrument shown in Figure 2. l'

Figure i is a sectional view through Figure lBwon linea-4, the same showing a modified operating member for the vibratile memblY il Figure 5 is a side view of a modified form of musical yinstr ument to that shown in Figure 1. v`

vFigure 6 is a top plan view of .the musical instrument shown inFigure Referring to the accompanying drawings by numerals, l indicates a flat vibratile member'formed of metal7` wood or other vibratile material whereby the same will lproduce a sound ywhen struck. A pair oi' plates 2 and 23 is clamped `to none :end of the vibratile member 1, 4saidplates being preferably wood. A second pair of plates L and 5 is clamped by screws or any desiredA means with the opposite end of the vibratile member' 1, said plates fl and 5 being of wood and acting t'o'fn'ot only grip the vibratile member 1 but to receive a hand .operated yniember .,6. This .member maybe a wooden handle or may be a metal wire bent to a desired shape and secured to plate 5 tor instance.

This handle grasped and swung .toward the opposite end 4ot the vibratile member as shownin dotted-lines'in Figure l3 when the device is in operation. "A third vset of clampingV plates 7 and 8 is provided a` shorty dis'- tance from the plates 2 and 3, said third set carrying an abutment or ,handle 9 which may be wood or a looped piece of wire, said abutment acting to normally rest against the leg oit the person using the instrument. Ordinarily, thehandle 9 rests against the left leg ot the person using the instrument the handle 6 is grasped by the lefthand of the person using the instrument. By moving the'handle 6 toward and tromhandle 9, the yibratile member l will be bowed more or less and when struck or operated on by a violin bow will prod uce a sound, the sound varying in pitch according to the amount ot' bending provided. Plate Lifcarries a yholder or rclip 10 which is adaptedto hold in a givenposition a sheet 11 having a special musical outline 12 Vprovided thereon. This outline consists ot' a number or" dots 13 indicatingthe notes and aline 1 4 connecting these notes'. i i

`Whentlie instrument is being played, the cross bar l5 is brought tothe vnotez lz'n'ea'r the head `of arrow 16 and the vibratile'member `1 caused ,to function. After this'note has Vbeen'p rodnced,'the'han'dle 6 is moved slightly until bending' of the vibratile member 1 brings the 'second note 13 beneath bar 1.5. The vibratile member is then caused tofunction a gain AbyYA being struck orA` by being operated on. abow.l 4Thisa'ction is continued until all xofthe notes on the sheet l2 have beeni'produced. ABy producing .these notes inV the proper' time, a piece of music is y correctly yplayed andmay be'played by a person lnotfia,`1 i:i`i l iar' with music. Itwill b e noted that is bent at 17 andv forms an arm 18 whichis'piyotally connected to the 19 at .20. The bar 19 is rigidly secured to the. plate 7, though ii' desired, it could s wingably" or hingedly connected with said plate.

in order to easily strike the vibratile member l and ,to 4produce a double sound, balls 2l and 22 are provided, yeach ,of said Vballs being connected to a resilient member 23, Said resilient members being preferably a strip of thin steel. lllie ends of members 23 are rigidly secured yto a block Qliwhich in turn is rigidly secured to a. bari` 25 swingably connected with the lplates 2 and 3 by a suitable pivotal pin 26, which pin may be in the j way as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2Q nature of a screw; and may be part of the means ior clamping the plates 2 andw in place. v Y Y n When the device is in operative position, the balls 21 and 22 are in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. When these balls are not desired they may be swung out oi' the Vhen-the balls are swung out of the way as shown in Figure 2, a bow of any kind, as for instance, a v.violin bow 27, may be rubbed across kthe edge 28 of the vibratile member 1 and a sound produced. By bowing the vibratile member 1 as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3 and at the same time operating 22y are in the position shown in Figure 2.`

This would result in the music being played by thebow 27 with the balls 21 and22 acting in a certain sense as an'accompaniment by reason of the shaking of the device as handle 6 is moved back and forth. The balls 21 and 22 are positioned near the vibratile'member 21 and the shaking action justmentioned would permit these balls to gently strike the vibratile member.

In Figures 5 and 6, a modified form is shown wherein the vibratile structure consists of one or more strings 29 mounted on a hollow sounding member 30. This `may be of the kind shown or may be built like a violin, mandolin or banjo. The essential feature is to have one or more vibratile members 29, which are preferably supported by a bridge 31'and held at one end by a suitable support 32 and the opposite end by supports 83, saidsupports 33 being of a kind to vary the tension on the vibratile members for t-he purpose of tuning. A holder or clip 34 is connected with the sounding member 30, saidholder carrying a sheet 35 having specially formed music indications 36. The music indications or legends 36 consist of a number of dots 37 indicating the notes and a line 38 connecting said notes, said line guiding the operator in going from one note to the other. A swinging member 39 is associated with the vibratile members 29 and .the sounding member 30. This swinging member is formed with sections 40 and 41, section 41 being hingedly connected at 42 to the sounding member k30 while section 40 is hingedly connected to section 41. Section 40 is provided with a fitting 43 which is formed with a tubular portion 44 adapted to receive one end of lthe tube 45. The tube 45 may be made from celluloid or any desired material and is adapted to rest on the various vibratile members 29 while at the same time presenting means for receiving the end portion 46 of the guiding bar 47. This bar is provided with a vertical section adapted to pass in front of the sheet 35 with a horizontal section 48 adapted to slide along the topof the sounding member 30 or along a specially'prepared support and a connecting Y section 49vfor connecting section 48 with the f 40 is grasped near the tubular member 45 c and this tubular member is slid back and forth while in contact with the vibratile member 26. lVhen it is desired to playthe music shown on sheet 85, the parts are shitted until the bar 47 covers the dot 37 nearest" to the arrow 50. Vhen bar 47is in this position, the vibrati-le members 29 are either struckv by a pick or with the fingers whereby they will vibrate and produce a sound. As soon as this sound has` been produced and held forV the 'desired time, member 45 is quickly moved over to the Isecond dot 37 and the action repeated. After the second note has been produced, member 45, together with the bar 47, again move until bar 47 is over a third dot 37.` Thevibratile member 29 "is then sounded as just described. This 1. A musical instrument comprising a' body, a vibratile sound producing member extending across said body, a bridge for said vibratile sound producing member, a swinging member positioned with one end resting on said vibratile sound producing member, said end being movable-along the vibratile sound producing member for at least half of the length of the vibratile sound producing member, a guideV carriedl by said swinging member, and means co-acting with the guide for indicating the particular note produced when the vibratile sound producing member has been actuated.

2. In a musical instrument provided with a vibratile sound producing member a swinging member co-acting with said vibra'- tile sound producing memberformed with means normally resting on the vibratile sound producing member, said swinging member being jointed so that the end rest-y ing on the vibrgltile sound producing member may be moved longitudinally of the vibratile sound producing member while in contact therewith and thereby vary the pitch of the vibratile sound producing member, a guide carried by said swinging member, and means `co-acting with said guide for indieating the particular note produced when the vibiatile sound producing member has been actuated.

3. In a musical stringed instrumenta swinging member hingedly mounted and formed into a plurality ot parts hingedly connected together", means on one of said parts positioned to engage the strings of the instrument and be moved longitudinally thereof for varying the pitch, and a guide carried by one ol said parts for indicating by its position the particular pitch of the stringed instrument at any one actuation.

e'. ln a musical instrument provided with a vibratile sound producing member, a swinging member formed with a hingedly mounted section adapted to swing independently of the remaining part of the swinging member, a Contact member movable longitudinally of the vibratile member and carried by the hinged section positioned to contact with said vibratile sound producing member whereby the pitch of the vibratile sound producing member will be varied as said contact member is moved longitudinally thereof and in contact therewith, a guide h movable longitudinally ot the vibratile sound producing member carried by said Contact member, said guide extending substantially at right angles to the vibratile sound producing member and means co-act ing with said guide for indicating the particular note produced when the vibratile sound producing member has been actuated.

5. In a stringed musical instrument, a swinging member positioned so that one end will normally rest on the strings ot said stringed musical instrument, said swinging member comprising a body divided into a iXed section hingedly mounted at one end and tree at the opposite end and a free section hingedly connected at one end to the treer end ot said iixed section, a bracket carried by the tree end ot said tree section, a contact member carried by said bracket, and a guide carried by said contact member, said guide having a portion extending into the contact member, a second portion acting as a support and a third portion acting as an indicating arm.

VILLAM BARTHOLOMAE.

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