US1722032A

US1722032A - Drum

Info

Publication number: US1722032A
Application number: US228272A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry A Bower
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1927-10-24
Filing date: 1927-10-24
Publication date: 1929-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 1946-07-23

Description

H. A. BOWER DRUM 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 24, 1927 July 23, 1929.

H. A. BOWER 1,722,032

DRUM

Filed Oct. 24, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 if, Q

Y W I 1 7 7 Patented J uly 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES HARRY A. BOWER, OF HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

DRUM.

Application filed October 24, 1927. Serial No. 228,272.

My invention refers to a snare drum and is devoted particularly to the snare construction and means for manipulating same.

An object of my invention is the construction of snares for a drum, in which the snares are provided with a plurality of individual snare elements preferably in the form of tightly coiled wires which may be individually tensioned or loosened to adapt each snare 1O element to react to different sound vibrations. In addition to this, my invention provides a snare shoe frame, or the like, which may be operated to loosen or tighten the individual snare elements collectively.

A further object of my invention is the mounting of the snare shoe frame on the snare head of the drum, this mounting being adapted to increase or decrease the tension with which the shoe is held to the snare head i of the drum. This arrangement may be considered as having a manifold effect on the operation of the snares, considered as a whole, in the action of drumming.

Another object of my invention is the construction of snares and their mounting on a drum so that these may be quickly shifted to eliminate the snare effect, and causes the drum to sound as an ordinary muflled drum. In connection with this change I use a foot operative device to bring the snares into contact with the snare head of the drum or quickly remove it therefrom, this being of particular use in giving syncopated effects when drumming.

5 My invention will be more readily understood from the following description and drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a face view of the under side of the drum showing my snare attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the drum showing the snare head with the snares attached thereto. V

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the drum inverted, with the snares shifted to their inoperative position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the drum with the batter head up and illustrating my foot attachment to actuate the snares.

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view showing the clip device for tightening the springs, holding the snare shoe on the snare head of the drum.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the construction of Fig. 5 taken in the direction of the arrow 6.

Fig. 7 is a detail elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 7 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View as if taken on the line 88 of Fig. 1 showing the manner of tightening the individual snare elements.

The drum, designated generally by the numeral 11, has a batter head 12 anda snare head 13., These are illustrated as having hoops 14. on which the skin of the heads is attached. The hoops have eyes 15 which are drawn together by turn-buckles 16 and bolts 17, the skins being drawn tight over a construction on the upper and lower ends of the drum wall 18.

On opposite sides of the drum wall there is secured a bolt or stud 20 and over each of these bolts there is looped a coiled spring 21. These springs extend laterally and down wardly from the studs overlapping preferably two of theeyes 15. The ends of the springs are each connected to hooks 22 utilized as hereunder mentioned to hold the snare shoe. On each of the springs there is threaded a clip or catch 23, each catch having an aperture 24 and having side notches 25. The clip has an end 26 extending underneath the springs 21 these then pass through the aperture 24 and spread laterally, catching in the notches 25 which are formed in a downwardly bent section 27 of the clip. The clip then has a section 28 extending substantially parallel to the wires and an upwardly bent end 29 which comes up between the spread wiires and forms a finger grip to actuate the c 1p.

The snare shoe is designated generally by the numeral 30 and has a central section formed of a pair of sleeves 31 which have a plurality of perforations 32. These two sleeves are rigidly connected by a bolt 33 having spacing sleeves 34 and clamp nuts 35. Slidably mounted in each of the sleeves 31 there are

end bars

36 and 37. The bar 36' is adjustable in the sleeve 31 by securing pins 38 which extend through the perforations 32. The

bars

36 and 37 preferably have a section 39 in alignment with the sleeves 31, and outwardly therefrom are spreading sections 40, joined by a cross end 41, the cross end having a series of perforations 12. l

The bar 37 has a cross plate 43 mounted thereon, such plate being held in position by means of pins 44. An adjusting bolt 45 has an eye 46 through which the bolt 33 passes, the free end 47 passing through the plate 43; there being a nut 48 on the bolt 45 having a knurled having the free ends bent downwardly through the apertures 42 as indicated at 56.

By this arrangement I may,if desired, employ V coiled springs of different weight material and having different tightnesses of coil; and in addition I may stretch or elongate each of the springs to a greater or lesser extent. The passage of the ends of the springs through the apertures 42 holds them in position. This gives a species of separateadjustment to the snare elements.

Connected to one of the cross ends 41 I utilize a U-shaped bar 60 which has its free ends 61 passing through holes in the cross end 41 and being clamped tight thereto by nuts 62.

- The end is bent downwardly as indicated at 63. Pivotally connected to the cross piece 64 of the U-shaped bar there is a latch eye 65. i

This has side pieces 66 through which the cross piece 64 passes, these side elements being 7 spaced by a sleeve 67 The end 68 catches in a latch hereunder set forth. A pair of apertures 69 are formed in the side element 66 and through these there is passed a coiled spring 7 0 which is drawn up and wound around the sections 40 of the side bar 36, the ends of this spring being caught in perforations 71. This gives a tension, drawing the latch eye towards the wall 18 of the drum.

Ala-tch has a base 76 secured to the wall 18 of the drum, a reverse bend 77 and an upwardly extending part 78; this latter having a forwardly bent hook end 79. There is a spring member 80 secured to thepart 7 8, this having an inwardly bent end 81. The end 81 andthe end 79 catch and hold the cross piece 68 of the latch eye 65, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, when it is desired to hold this above the snare end of the drum;

- In order to give certain syncopated effects,

. such as used in jazz music, I attach a strap of the latch eye. A foot pedal 87 is attached 7 to the other end of the strap and has a pludrunn the eye 65 preferably occupies a po'sirality'of adjustable pegs 88 which engage the fioor,'preventing slipping of the foot pedal and holding it in the desired pos tion.

. In playing the drum as an ordinary snare tion shown in Fi g. 2, but the drum is reversed. The spr1ngs'21 hold the snare shoe frame snugly against the snare head of the drum and the spring 70 retains the latch eye 65 in engagement with the latch 75. As above mentioned, the individual snare wires 55 may be individually adjusted and they may be provided with the proper tension to cause the individual wires to respond to their harmonic vibrations communicated by playing on the drum head.

In addition to this, the snare shoe frame may be elongated or shortened by sliding the end bars 36 and 37 in the sleeves 31, and thus collectively varying the tension of the individual snare wires which will manifestly produce different effects in the playing of the drum and, as above noted, these changes may be readily and quickly made.

My snare shoe as a'whole also has a manifold type of action in that in loud playing of the drum the snare shoe is bodily shifted from the snare head and returned by the springs 21. 'This gives adifferent type of action, as the springs 21 can be adjusted at an suitable tension to ive a relativelslow or quick return of the snare shoe frame to the snare head of the drum.

If it is desired to give a muliled effect, the

snare shoe may be shifted into the position shown in Fig. 3, the latch eye 65 becoming engaged in the latch 75. If it is desired to give syncopated or other similar effects, the

.strap may be attached to the eye 65 and the foot pedal manipulated to give alternating muflied and snare effects to the drum, and

.to give these in any desired suitable time.

It will be noted that a characteristic feature of my snares is that the snare shoe is mounted completely on the snare head of the drum without the snare elements extending beyond the periphery of the head, and it is not necessary to have the snare shoe or the snare elements attached to the shell of the drum, as the spring wires 21 hold the shoe complete in the desired position. It is, therefore,manifest that if desired, the latch eye 65 and the latch 75 may be dispensed with. together with the Ushaped bars 60 and the spring 70 connecting the latch eye to the snare shoe proper. The snare shoe frame is adapted to contact with the head of the drum.

Various changes may be made in the prin- .ciples of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof, as set forth in the description, drawings and claims.

1 I claim: V

1. A drum having a snarehead, a

shoe frame held adjacent said head to contact therewith said frame havin a luralit of snare elements thereon, and means to adjust the length of said shoe to increase and decrease the tension of said elements collectively. r T i 7 2. A drum having a snare head,- a snare shoe frame, means resiliently attaching said frame to the drum whereby theshoe may contact with the head, snares mounted in said frame, sald reslh'ent mounting allowing'the snare lid snare shoe to separate bodily from the snare head of the drum in playing the drum.

3. A drum having a snare head, a snare shoe frame mounted thereon to engage therewith, a plurality of snare elements mounted in said frame, each of the elements being separately adjustable as to tension, and means to lengthen or shorten the said frame to collectively increase or decrease the tension of the snare elements.

4. A drum, as claimed in claim 3, the mounting of the shoe frame on the drum comprising springs attached to opposite sides of the drum and extending over the snare head of the drum, and means to adjust the tension of said latter springs to change the action of the snare shoe frame as a whole.

5. In the art described, a snare shoe frame having a sleeve, slidable bars connected to the sleeve, each of the bars having a cross end, and a plurality of snare elements adjust-ably secured to said cross ends, allowing separate adjustment of each of said elements as to tension.

6. A drum, as claimed in claim 5, means forming an adjustable connection for at least one of said bars to the sleeve to extend or decrease the distance apart of the cross ends of the said bars to collectively vary the tension of the snare elements, hooks attached to the said sleeve, springs adjustably connected. to the hooks, said springs being adapted for attachment to the sides of the drum holding the snare shoe frame connected against the snare head of the drum with varying degrees of tension.

7. In the art described, a snare shoe frame having a plurality of sleeves spaced parallel to each other, a pair of U-shaped cross bars having their ends slidable in the sleeves from opposite directions, each bar having a cross end, and a plurality of snare elements adjustably connected to the said cross ends.

8. A drum, as claimed in claim 7. a cross bolt connecting the sleeves, a cross plate having an engaging connection with one of the said bars, a longitudinal bolt engaging the cross bolt and passing through the plate with nuts thereon to adjust the position of the plate relative to the cross bolt and thereby vary the distance apart of the said cross ends, and hence vary collectively the tension of the snare elements.

9. A drum, as claimed in claim 7 a hook secured to each of the sleeves, a looped spring attached to each hook and means adapted to connect the free ends of each spring to the wall of a drum, a clip having an aperture through which the two strands of the loop of each spring passes, each clip having a notch to engage the springs, the clips being slidable on the springs to vary the tension and adapted to hold the snare shoe against the snare head of the drum with varying degrees of tension.

10. A drum, as claimed in claim 7, a latch eye pivotally connected to one of the cross ends, and a latch adapted to be secured to the side .of a drum, said latch engaging the latch. eye and holding one end of the shoe frame away from the snare head of a drum.

11. In the art described, a snare shoe frame having a plurality of parallel sleeves spaced apart, U-shaped bars slidably connected to the sleeves, each bar having a cross end, snare elements between said cross ends, a foot pedal, and a strap and connecting means connecting the foot pedal to the cross end of one of the said bars.

12. In the art described, as claimed in claim 11, the means connecting the strap and the cross end comprising a latch eye, means pivotally connecting said latch eye to one of the said cross ends, the said strap being detachable from the eye, and a latch adapted to be attached to the side of a drum to hold one end of. the shoe frame away from the snare head of the drum.

13. In the art described, as claimed in claim 11, the snare elements being individually adjustable between the said cross ends, and means to slide at least one of the bars longitudinally of the said sleeves to vary collectively the tension of the snare elements.

14. In the art described, as claimed in claim 11, the snare elements being individually adj ustable between the said cross ends, means to slide at least one of the bars longitudinally of the said sleeves to vary collectively the tension of the snare elements, looped springs having tensioning clips attached thereto, and means to attach said springs to the said sleeve, and means adapted to attach said looped springs to the wall of a drum.

15. In the art described, as claimed in claim 11, a latch eye, means pivotally connecting said eye to one of the said bars, a latch adapted for attachment to the side of a drum, and a spring interengaging the latch eye and one of the said bars, bringing said latclh eye into engagement with the said late 1.

16. The combination of a drum having a snare head, a longitudinally adjustable snare shoe frame having a plurality of snare elements thereon, means to individually adjust the snare elements, means to collectively adjust said elements by adjusting the length of the shoe, and means to attach the shoe to the drum, said means retaining the shoe completely within the periphery of the snare head and on the outside thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY A. BOWER.