US21990A - Pedal attachment eob pianos - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFCE.

WM. B. STETSON, OF TAYLOR, NEV YORK.

PEDAL ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,990, dated November 2, 1858.

To all whom 'Lr' may concern:

Be it known that I, Winnaar B. STnTsoN, of Taylor, in the county of Cortland and State of New York, have invented and made certain new and useful Improved Attachments to Keyboard Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a perspective view of a frame work, containing' a representation of the keys of a musical instrument, with the attachment combined therewith.

The nature of my improvements consists in applying to the keyboard of musical instruments, what T term a pedal-chord attachment, whereby a performer of any musical instrument, is enabled to operate the keys, or hammers, by the aid of the feet. and thereby produce the chords, or corresponding harmony of any melody or air, at one and the same time in the manner as will be hereinafter more fully shown.

The construction, application and operation of my said improvements, l will describe as follows:

Tn Fig. l, at a, a, c, a, a, is represented a platform, formed of sides, ends and a top part. This platform is hollow, and arranged within its interior, are series of parallel, longitudinal bars o, o, o, their ends extending outside slightly beyond the extremities of the platform a, 0., and to their ends are attached in any suitable manner yer-tical suspension rods c, c, c, c, c, c. To the central portion of the bars b, Z), b, are attached pedal pegs e, e, e, passing upward through the top of the platform, and an inch or so in length.

Upon the platform is placed the instrument represented by eZ, (Z, (Z, (Z. cross the keyboard of the instrument, and immediately over the keys are arranged parallel bars f, f, f, supported at each end by spiral springs g, g, g, g, g, g, coiled around suitable rods or wires of sufficient length, said rods at their upper ends passing through perforations in the ends of the bars 7', jt'. These rods or wires are inserted into a slight frame work z, 71 L, it, 7L, L, 7L, 7L, resting on the top of the instrument. The Vertical rods c, c, c, c, c, c, are hooked on to the ends of the parallel bars f, f, f. To said bars are connected pendent, finger rods, z', z', z', z', z', c', z', z', which rods rest immediately upon such keys of the instrument as are designed to be used to produce the desired chords to the required piece of music. For instance arrange the front series of finger rods so as to strike the harmony, chords, or keys, in the key or scale of F. And the second series of nger rods are arranged to suit the key or scale of C. rThe third series of finger rods are arranged in the key or scale of The fourth in the key of-l3 flat. The fifth in the key of D. The sixth in the key of A. The seventh in the key of E, and the eighth in the key of B. Thus each key, or scale can have its corresponding' chords of harmony, admitting of any degree of modulation, and transition from one set of chords to any other required set. Thus enabling the performer to produce the air or melody composition with the hands, while its corresponding' harmony can be produced by the feet acting on the pedal chord bars through the pegs e, c, e, which being pressed down, depresses the bars o, L, o, hooked to the vertical rods c, c, c, c, c, c, which are connected to the upper series of bars haring the finger rods 2'., i, i, 2f, v. attached, and w iich when operated strike the keys of the instrument as hereinbefore stated. Eind the moment the feet relieve the pressure of the pegs e, e, e, the bars f, are raised up from ottl the keys of the instrument, through t ie action of the spiral springs g, g, g, g, g, y.

Should it not be desirable to have the instrument mounted on a platform the devices L can be attached pendently to the bottom underneath the instrument, and the whole lan be constructed so light and of so eonvenient a form as to be readily attached and detached so as Vto use the instrument alone as in the ordinary manner.

ll" hat claim as new and useful and desire to have secured by Letters Patent of the United States, isH

The construction and arrangement of the pedal-chord bars Z), 7o, Z), connecting suspension rods c, c, c, c, c, o, and upper bars f", f, and finger rods z', fe', z', 2', t', fz', and operated as described in combination with key-board instruments and whereby the corresponding harmony of any melody or air is produced simultaneously therewith by the performer, through the agency of the feet substantially in the manner as herein set forth.

STEPHEN KELLOGG, JASPER L. G. KELLOGG.

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