US2805596A - Device for producing typed records of musical compositions - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 10, 1957 1.. w. PHYS-10C DEVICE FOR PRODUCING TYPED RECORDS OF MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS Filed Oct. 24, 1955 5 Shegts-Shaet 1 Lewis W. Phys/0c:

IN V EN TOR.

Sept. 10, 1957 L. w. PHYsloc 2,805,595

DEVICE FOR PRODUCING TYPED RECORDS OF MUSICAL. COMPOSITIONS Filed Oct. 24, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Lewis W. Phys/0c INVENTOR.

Sept. 10, 1957 w. PHYSIOC 2,8 7 DEVICE FOR PRODUCING TYPEID RECORDS OF MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS Filed Oct. 24, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Lew/s W. Phys/b0 INVENTOR.

BY Z5360? 8M5],

United States Patent DEVICE FOR PRODUCING TYPED RECORDS OF MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS Lewis W. Physioc, Hollywood, Calif. Application October 24, 1955, Serial No. 542,374 Claims. (Cl. 84-461) This invention relates to the recording of music by typed records and it has for its main object an apparatus which permits to make a typed record of musical compositions while the composer is at work.

It is a well known fact that many musical compositions are produced by improvisation and are lost if not recorded immediately or shortly after such improvisation. The composer as a rule composes while playing an instrument and the invention, therefore, essentially consists in providing means for recording what has been played by typed records using a kind of a musical stenotype which has to be transcribed or translated afterwards into the conventional musical script.

Such an apparatus is, therefore, distinguished from typewriters and other devices for typing music on music sheets by means of which an existing musical score is typed out on paper which has been provided with the lines of musical staffs. Such musical typewriters, as well known, are instruments similar to alphabetical typewriters and require operation by specially trained persons.

According to the invention, however, a recording instrument which is preferably an addition to the conventional piano, organ, harmonium or solovox, produces by means of the keyboard of one of the above mentioned intruments a kind of stenotype record of what has been played on the keyboard, which stenotyped notes then have to be transcribed. The transcription into the conventional musical script is made possible by producing marks indicating the pitch, the time value, and other characteristics of each note played on the keyboard.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an automatically advanced recording surface in the shape of a continuous web or strip for registering musical stenotype marks produced by operating the keys of the keyboard.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for indicating the pitch of each note played on the keyboard of a piano, organ, solovox or similar instruments, by allotting to each key of the keyboard a key or type lever with a type head carrying the type of a mark, said type levers being so arranged that the marks of all the type levers are placed along a transverse type line run ning at right angles to the directions of movement of the paper Web or strip, each type lever operated by one of the keys of the keyboard producing a mark at a definite place of the type line.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the automatically advanced continuous paper web or strip with ruled lines arranged to form musical staffs and to provide means for placing-said musical staffs-in proper relation to the type line so that the, marks produced by the type levers may be more easily interpreted.

It is a further object of the invention to determine the time value of each note by advancing the web or strip on which the recording is made by means of a metronomic device, such as a clockwork or a synchronously driven electric motor, preferably providing the paper strip or 2,805,596 Patented Sept. 10, 1957 web with indications in the shape of marks on transverse lines which permit a gauging of the time intervals.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means producing specific indications or marks for the half tones, this means including a separate series of type arms operated by the black keys of the keyboard, said separate series of type arms producing distinctive marks on the same spots of the type line on which the basic notes are typed.

It is a further object of the invention to arrange the recording web or strip on a transversely slidable carriage to provide means for a transverse shifting of said carriage in order to bring the lines of ditferent musical staffs on said recording web or strip into operative position relatively to the type line on which the typing of the marks occurs.

It is a further object of the invention to drive the paper web or strip forming the recording surface by means of sprocket wheels engaging perforations in said paper web or strip and to shift said sprockets and a slidable member, adapted to be shifted with the shifting of the carriage carrying the paper web or strip, while remaining in engagement with the drive shaft so that said sprockets, while shifted with the carriage, may be driven in any position of the same.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a metronomic device such as a clockwork or electric motor which is adjustable in order to adjust the speed of advance of the recording surface in conformity with the beatper-minuite time which corresponds to that of the composition played.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an electrical operation of the type arms by means of which the marks are placed on the recording surface, such electrical operation being produced by means of switches operated by the keys and of solenoids controlled by the switches and operating the type arm levers.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for securing a rapid impression of the marks on the uniformly advancing recording strip or web, said impression being sufliciently rapid not to interfere with the advance of the recording strip and. the duration of this impression being independent of the duration of the depression on the keyboard by the player.

A further object of the invention consists in preventing a repetition of the typing movement upon a return of the type or operating means, should such a return occur while the key is still held depressed.

Further and more specific objects will be apparent from the following detailed specification.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of example. It is however to be understood that the drawings are essentially diagrammatical intending to illustrate the principle of the invention and one mode of applying said principle. The drawings are essentially diagrammatical and do not illustrate the purely mechanical and constructive features which may be supplied by every expert in the art. It is therefore to be understood that insofar as mechanical constructive features are illustrated in the drawings, these may obviously be changed in accordance withthe specific instrument to which they are applied and that a departure from these constructive features which have been illustrated is not necessarily a departure from the principle of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is, a diagram illustrating the location of the two series of type arms, the location of the typeheads along a type line and the relative location of the type line and the recording surface provided with the rulings indicating musical staffs.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary illustration of a recording surface showing the marks which have been made when a composition has been recorded which marks form a kind of stenotype record of the composition.

Figure 3 arranged directly below Figure 2 illustrates a full transcription of the stenotype marks into the conventional musical script.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the mechanism shown in elevation and in section.

Figure 5 is a plan View of the instrument mounted on a piano, organ or solovox and it also illustrates a keyboard of the last named instrument.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the same type as Figure 5 illustrating more specifically the sprocket mechanism and the drive mechanism for the sprockets and for the rollers or spools on which the recording web or strip is wound. This figure also illustrates diagram matically the connection of the key with the solenoid which operates the type arm.

Figure 7 is an elevational sectional view through the keyboard of the instrument illustrating the way in which the keys operate the switches which control the operation of the solenoids.

Figure 8 is an elevational sectional view illustrating the gear driving the sprockets advancing the recording web or strip.

The principle of the invention consists in automatically producing a record of what has been played on the keyboard of a piano, organ, harmonium or solovoX while such playing proceeds by means of a kind of a stenotype or shortened marks applied to a recording surface which are capable of being transcribed easily and in a definite and non-ambiguous manner into the conventional musical symbols readable by any person with musical training. The record consisting of the above marks are produced by means of a type lever assembly, the type levers of which are allotted to the keys and are operated by a solenoid which in its turn is operated by the key to which the type lever is allotted is depressed. The operation of each of said type levers produces a kind of stenotype mark permitting to identify the tone or note corresponding to the key impressed when played, on an endless web or strip of recording material, preferably paper, ruled with the lines of musical staifs and advanced by a time keeping or metronomic device. Each key produces a mark on a typing line on a place which differs from the place on which other marks are made on the typing line. If the recording web with its ruled musical staffs is in proper position with respect to this typing line the mark will be placed on the ruled paper in such a manner that the mark is indicative of the pitch of the note played. The spacing between two successive marks on the advancing recording Web or strip in a bar indicates the time value of the note. Further, to facilitate the reading the half tone keys produce marks which difier from those of the basic notes of the octave, said marks being produced by a separate series of type levers of the assembly. Adjustment means for the metronomic driving device for the recording strip or web permits the acceleration or deceleration of the advance of the web to obtain conformity of the advance with the beat-per-minute time measure which is desired.

Referring now to the recording device as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 it is seen that this device comprises a keyboard 10 with the conventional white and black keys 11 and 12 which keyboard will usually be the keyboard of a piano, organ, harmonium or solovox or may be a keyboard identical with one of the keyboards of the instruments mentioned. Preferably, as above stated, an instrument of this type operating mechanically by means of the usual action or electrically may be used and the recording device maybe added to such an instrument. The addition which is necessary consists only in a micro switch to be added foreach key which is operated when the key is depressed. As seen in Figure 7, a conventional key 11, for instance the key of an electric piano, is shown in this .4. figure which is pivoted to the instrument in the conventional manner, not shown, and which is provided also in the conventional manner with a guide pin 16 guided within an aligned opening 17. It may be adapted for the purpose of this invention by providing it with a button or disk 20 which, when the key is depressed, depresses or moves the operating plunger 22 of a switch 25 which is preferably a so-called micro switch. The micro switch 25 controls the circuit represented by wires 27, 28 which circuit includes a solenoid 30 and is connected with a suitable source of current, not shown.

The recorder, as will be clear, forms a separate unit. This unit comprises a solenoid 30 for each of the keys of the keyboard, whether black or white, each solenoid operating a core member 32 which is preferably under the action of a return spring, not shown, and which carries a pin 29 entering a slot 31 of a lever arm 33. This lever arm is pivoted by means of a pivot 3- and carries a roller 44. The lever is attached to a spring 47 which returns the lever to its original position and is rocked around its pivot 34 by the solenoid.

The roller 44 mounted on a pin projecting from lever 33 enters a slot 35 of a first bellcrank lever 36 which is pivoted at to the shelf of the frame (not shown). The other end of the bellcrank lever 36 is pivoted to a link 37 which connects it with a second bellcrank lever 38, fulcrumed on a support 49 of the type segment. The support 49 also serves as a support for a series of in her three fingered bellcrank levers 3) fulcrumed to it at 52., one finger of the three fingered bellcrank lever being connected to the second bellcrank lever 38 by means of a link 41. To a second finger of the bellcrank lever 39 a spring 52 is attached the other end of which is attached to the frame and which returns the bellcrank lever into 0 its original position, as shown on the left side of Figure 4.

The third finger of the bellcrank lever 39 is connected by means of link 55 to the tail portion 56 of the type bar 40 which is pivoted at 57 in a slot 59 of the frame portion 58.

The series of linked bellcrank levers is in itself a well known construction designed to produce a quick move ment and a short timed striking of the type bar it? against the recording surface.

The type bar 49 which is normally held in its retracted position (shown in full lines on the left of Figure 4 and in dotted lines on the right of this figure) rests in its retracted position against a pad 53 held by the frame. Upon energization of the solenoid 3i resulting in an operation of lever 33 the type arm 40 moves rapidly and suddenly towards the position shown in full lines on the right side of Figure 4 and strikes with considerable force momentarily against the recording surface. After having performed its stroke the type bar 40 is immediately retracted by the springs 47, 52 aided by the solenoid core return spring.

In order to obtain a short timed type arm actuating stroke within an extremely short striking period which is independent of the duration of the depression of the key 11 or 12, the solenoid cores are provided with interrupter pins 62 which, upon energization of the solenoid strike a spring contact 63 thus separating a pair of spring contacts'63, 64 included in the energizing circuit of each solenoid 30. The interruption of the solenoid circuit which is the result of this separation of the contact springs 63 and 64 deenergizes the solenoid 3t whereupon the core 32 returns to its original position. A small electromagnet 65 with a high resistance winding, cutting down the energizing current of the solenoid-to a point where the solenoid can no longer operate, may bridge the contacts 63, 64 an i retain the contact spring 53 in its open position long as the key is depressed and the circuit 27, 28 is closed. Thus, in the event of a long lasting depression of the key a second energization of the solenoid after it has once returned to its original position is avoided and the solenoid can only be energized once when a key has been depressed.

The type arms are arranged in two series on the frame indicated at T and HT in Figure 1. One of said series, namely the series T, contains the marks corresponding to the tones in a certain number of octaves, five octaves being shown in Figure 1. The number of octaves, as will be clear, corresponds however to the number of octaves usually provided on an intrument. The type bars and type heads are not shown in Figure 5 in which the upper structure has been removed but it will be clear that the type bars and the bellcrank levers operating the same are held and pivoted and move within the slots 59 of the frame member, while some of the bellcrank levers move in slots 66 of the frame member 49. This section of the arrangement corresponds incidentally to the arrangement of alphabetical typewriters and will therefore be clear to the expert without further description.

Each type bar of the T-series carries a mark, say a dot, which may be the same for all types of the series. As seen in Figure 1, the striking points of the types of the series T are spaced along a transverse typing line and the spacing as will be explained below corresponds to the spacing of the lines of the musical staff which has been drawn on the recording surface.

The second series HT of type bars 40 is similar except that, when used in connection with the keyboard of a piano, etc., the number of type bars corresponds to the number of black keys on the piano keyboard. The spacing of these series HT also corresponds to the spacing of the black keys. The striking point of each half tone type arm is however the same as that of the note of the basic scale so that the mark is placed on the musical staff on the place of the type line on which a note of the basic scale is placed. In order to distinguish the marks or" the series HT from the marks of the series T the type heads are provided with a different sign indicating a half tone, for instance, by a dot marking the spot and an additional line or by the addition .of the symbol it or the like.

It will thus be clear that when a key or a plurality of keys is depressed each type arm may be moved down and will produce a mark along the line ab.

Along this typing line rt -b an inked ribbon 70 may be stretched shown as a fixed ribbon on the diagrammatic figures but which may also be a ribbon of the type used in alphabetical typewriters which is carried by spools moved by a type arm depression.

Below the inked ribbon the slide 100 of the paper carriage is arranged. This paper carriage carries the paper web 89 on which the record is made. The paper web 80 is held on spools which, during advance of the web are continuously winding and unwinding the said web. The advance of the paper web is produced by means of sprocket wheels 98, 99 engaging perforations 108, 109 made near the margins of the paper web. During the advance of the paper web 80 the latter is unwound from one of the spools 82 and wound on another spool 81 so that the paper web is stretched between the said spools and runs over a suitable support 85 arranged in the type line which forms the backing for the web along the line a-b. The paper web 80 may be ruled and in the modification illustrated it carries the lines for three musical stalfs (Figures 1 and 2). The series of lines must be so arranged that sufficient space is left between the staffs and between the latter and the margins of the web to cover the number of desired octaves. The lines of the two lower series in Figures 1 and 2 are so spaced that they form the basis of a single recording operation, along which lines the marks for the notes of the desired number of octaves may be placed. The upper or first lines form, for instance, the melody staff and it must be used separately and therefore must also be provided with a record separately. To make such a record this first staff has to be placed into proper relationship to the typing line ab along which the type heads will strike and therefore the spools 81 and 82 and the paper web 86 are mounted on a slide 100 adapted to slide transversely on the carriage 110. This transverse movement of the slide is produced by the operator who moves the slide whenever he wants to make a record in the melody line. In order to produce such a movement a pull rod 84 is provided which ends in a knob 86 which rod projects toward the keyboard 10 so that the knob 86 is within reach of the operator playing on the keyboard.

If the operator wants to make a record of a composition in which two musical staffs (treble and bass) are required he uses the slide in the position which is indicated in Figure 1. If he wants to make solely a record on the melody line he pulls the rod towards the keyboard, thus moving the slide carriage which is provided with grooves 88 engaging a guide ledge or feather 89 to its forward position. The carriage has preferably only two positions which may be marked for the operator by snap springs (not shown) snapping into place. The pull rod 84 may be movable in a bore of the slide which it may engage by means of a collar or pin in one of its extreme positions so that the rod may be pushed back after having been pulled out in order not to protrude over the keyboard.

The time value of each mark is found by gauging the time interval between the successive marks in a bar. To gauge the time value the paper web may be provided with a transverse ruling by means of lines 120 which are spaced equally so that, with uniform speed of advance in a longitudinal direction the number of transverse lines between consecutively made marks is directly proportional to the time value of a mark.

To advance the paper web at a uniform speed either continuously or intermittently a metronomic device is used which may be either a mechanically driven clockwork or a synchronous electric motor operable at ditferent speeds, for instance a polyphase synchronous electric motor. Regulation of the speed may also take place by means of a variable gear. The regulating means are indicated at 93 in the drawing (Figure 6). A motor, shown as an electric motor 91, drives by means of its gear the Wheel 94 shown as a wheel with two pins or teeth 92, said teeth meshing with the gear wheel 95 mounted on a square shaft 96. On this square shaft a sleeve 97 may slide, said sleeve being provided with a square bore fitting over the square shaft. This sleeve which may be journaled in suitable bearings 101 carries two sprocket wheels 98, 99 for advancing the paper web.

It will be seen that while the sleeve is stationary relatively to the slide 100 it may move with the carriage, the slide being driven by the square shaft along which it slides.

The adjustment of the speed of the driving appliance provides different speeds corresponding to the tempo with which the composition has to be played. The beats per minute (34, 4-4 time, etc.) are taken care of by assigning a suitable number of transverse lines to a basic time, for instance to the 4-4 time, in order to avoid double adjustment of the speed.

In order to keep the web tautly stretched under some tension between the spools or rollers 81, 82 any one of the customary means may be used, for instance spring pressure applied to the said spools. In the drawing spool 82 is under spring pressure (not illustrated) and spool or roller 81 is coupled with a small clockwork or electric motor 121 by means of a frictional coupling 122. The frictional drag will keep the paper web stretched under some tension all the time.

The motor 121 may, of course, also be arranged to drive spool 82 if desire In operation the composer who wants to make a record of his composition first decides whether he merely wants to make a record on the melody line or whether he wants a record including the treble and bass and adjusts the position 'of the slide on the carriage accordingly. He

plained) p 7 7 further selects'the tempo and makes an adjustment of the driving means in accordance with the tempo selected and then starts the clockwork or electrical motor. He then may start to play his composition on the keyboard of the piano, organ, solovox, etc. in the usual manner.

The mechanical and electrical operation will be clear from the foregoing description. Each key closes, upon depression, the micro switch 25 and thereby the circuit of the solenoid 3t) which by means of the system of levers above described causes the type bar to strike against the paper web. The type head corresponding to the key which has been depressed makes a mark on the paper web which is ruled, thus indicating the pitch of the note corresponding to the key which has been depressed during the playing of the composition. If during the playing the black keys of the keyboard have been depresse the type bars of the series HT have been operated and the marks therefore show the half tone.

The result of this recording operation is a stenotyped musical record such as shown in Figure 2 of the drawin". This stenotyped record has to be transcribed or translated into the conventional musical characters. In order to perform this translation the indications which have been above described are used and these indications are sutficient to produce a transcription, even if a third person should be called to make such transcription.

The stenotyped record has all the elements for editing. The composer knows, of course, what signature is to be used without recording it or, if the editing is done by a third person, he may make a record of the signature in pencil on the sheet. The marks forming the stenotype musical record are spaced between the transverse lines 12% which represent time.

The transcription starts preferably by marking the bars and by subdividing the bars to facilitate the indicating of the time (beats-per-minute time) by means of check marks placed on the subdivisions.

Referring to Figure 2 this figure shows the simultaneous recording of the melody and of the accompaniment. This, however is not automatically obtained by the recorder; for such a recording the paper web has to be moved back after the recording of the melody. This may of course be done by stopping the motor and reversing the motor 121, if connected with spool 82.

The reader, however, will not have great difficulties, if melody and accompaniment have been recorded successively.

Referring now in detail to Figure 2, the first mark of the first bar is a note followed by say thirty-two empty spaces between lines 126; which distance, with the time selected, indicates that the first mark corresponds to a whole note as will be seen in the transcription. The

marks, aswill be understood, will hardly be set with metronomic perfection but they will be sufficiently close to their position corresponding to such perfection that enables the reader to transcribe correctly.

In the first subdivision of the second bar, for instance,

three marks are shown which show immediately that the notes corresponding to the marks are not of equal values. Further it is seen that the first mark is followed by a space twice as long as the space between the following marks. This corresponds to an eighth time to two sixteenths notes. The next subdivision shows 4 sixteenth notes and 4 empty spaces which equal the required 8 spaces for this subdivision.

In the third subdivision 6 notes occupying 6 spaces in such a rapid succession suggest a trill followed by 1 space and a single note. The combination must equal a quarter note which properly fills this subdivision. 7

The last subdivision begins with a single note which being 8 spaces from the end must be a quarter note. The figure shows also the arrangement of the marks for the accompaniment and the editing of the accompaniment (or the arrangement which need not be further ex- From the above it will be seen that the recording of a composition is practically complete and can be performed with relatively little help from the interpreter or transcriber of the musical stenotype which is provided by the the apparatus. 7 i

it will be clear, in view of the fact that the showing illustrating the invention is essentially diagrammatic, that the details of the device may vary in order to accommodate the device to the various uses and that such variations will in no way change the essence of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A device for recording musical compositions played on an instrument provided with keys for each note of a definite pitch, said keys being provided with means for controlling the operation of type arms, each provided with a head producing a mark at a definite spot along a type line, comprising a record strip for making abbreviated symbolic record of the composition played, said record strip being moved at right angles to the type line, metro nornic means for moving said record strip with an adjustable, constant speed, said strip being provided with musical staff lines and being so placed relatively to the type line that the type arm moved by striking the key of a definite note places the mark on a place of the musical staff indicating the pitch, said recording strip being further provided with a succession of closely spaced transverse lines parallel to the type line, subdividing the musical units to such an extent that the number of subdivision lines between a mark placed on the record strip and a successively made mark within a musical unit indicate the time value of the note.

2. A device for recording musical compositions as claimed in claim 1 wherein the type arms operated by keys producing the natural notes and the type arms operated by keys producing half tones form two distinct series, each series arranged to strike, when operated, with their type heads along one side of the type line, the marks produced in each series being aligned along the type line, and the spacing of the marks of a series along a type line corresponding to the spacing of the musical staff on the recording strip, said type heads of the two series producing different marks, marks produced by the striking head of one series facing marks produced by the striking heads of the other series across the type line.

3. A device for recording musical compositions on an instrument provided with keys for each note of a definite pitch, comprising type arms provided with type heads, each type head being provided with means for impressing a mark, a record strip for making an abbreviated symbolic record of the composition played, means for producing an instantaneous impression of a mark on the record strip upon depression of a key, independent of the duration of such key depression, means for moving said record strip with an adjustable constant speed, said recording strip being provided with musical staff lines, the type arms being arranged in two series, each series including type arms the type heads of which, when making their impression, are brought down for instantaneous impression a transverse type line at right angles to the movement of the recording strip, each type head striking at a definite spot alongside said type line, the two series of type arms being arranged on opposite sides of the type lines and the impression made by the type heads facing each other, one of the series producing impr ssions of symbols for natural notes and the other series producing impressions of symbols for half tones, each impression produced by type heads in both series being placed on a definite spot on the musical staff lines on the record strip, the latter being further provided with equally spaced transverse lines parallel to the type line subdividing the musical units to such an extent that the ratio between the number of subdivision lines separating successively made marks and the number of dividing lines in each musical unit indicates the time value of each note.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the keys are divided into keys allotted to the natural tones of the scale and into keys allotted to half tones, and wherein the type arms are divided into two series each series provided with a distinctive mark corresponding to the natural tones of the scale and to the half tones respectively, and means for operating one series of type arms by the keys allotted to the natural tones of the scale and the other series of type arms by the key allotted to the half tones and wherein the two series of type arms are arranged on different sides of the type line, the type heads of eac series, when making impressions, contacting the recording strip along one side of the type line, and the type heads of the two series, when contacting the recording strip during impres sion, facing each other across the type line, the type arms operated by keys which produce natural and half tones recorded on the same place of a musical stafi having impression spots directly facing each other across the type line.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the recording surface formed by a paper web carries a plurality of rulings, each corresponding to that of a musical stafi, and wherein the paper web and spools on which the Web is wound and from which it is unwound are arranged on a movable carriage adapted to be moved along the typing line, and means for moving said carriage manually to bring a desired ruling or a combination of rulings in correct typing position relative to the typing line.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the recording surface formed by a paper web carries a plurality of rulings, each corresponding to that of a musical staif, and wherein the paper web and spools on which the web is wound and from which it is unwound are arranged on a movable carriage adapted to be moved along the typing line, and wherein said paper web is provided with perforations engaging sprocket means for engaging them, said sprocket means being journaled on the carriage and moving with the same, and wherein said metronomic means are driving means for said sprocket, said metro nomic driving means being provided with coupling means connecting the driving means with the sprocket means in all positions of the carriage.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the type arms is moved by a solenoid, an energizing circuit for said solenoid controlled by a switch operated by the key allotted to the type arm and self interrupting means controlled by said solenoid to interrupt the solenoid circuit upon operation.

8. A device as claimed in claim 7 comprising in addition contact springs normally in contact with each other, in the energizing circuit of the solenoid, a solenoid core operated by the solenoid upon energization and means on said solenoid core for separating the contact openings upon operation of the solenoid.

9. A device as claimed in claim 7, comprising in addition normally closed contact springs in the energizing circuit of the solenoid, one of said springs being provided with an armature, an electromagnet with a high resistance winding, arranged in parallel to the pair of springs and adapted to hold the armature on one of the contact springs, a solenoid core operated by the solenoid, means on said core for separating the contact springs upon operation and for interrupting the energizing circuit of the solenoid upon operation of the same, said electromagnet remaining energized as long as a key is depressed, but cutting down the current by its high resistance winding to a value insumcient to operate the solenoid, one of the springs after return of the solenoid core remaining in its open position by virtue of its armature being held by the energized electromagnet.

10. A device for recording musical compositions played on an instrument provided with keys for each note of a definite pitch, said keys being provided with means for controlling the operation of type arms, each provided with a head producing a mark at a definite spot along a type line, comprising a record strip for making an abbreviated symbolic record of the composition played, said ecord strip being provided with perforations and being moved at right angles to the type lines, metronomic means and record strip driving sprocket means, driven by said metronomic means for moving said record strip with an adjustable, constant speed, said record strip driving sprocket means being driven intermittently at uniform speed by means of an intermittently advanced toothed gear wheel, operated at each revolution of the metronomic device, means engaging said toothed gear wheel for advance of a tooth for a predetermined number of times during each revolution of the metronomic means, said record strip being provided with musical staff lines and being so placed relatively to the type line that the type arm moved by striking the key of a definite note places the mark on a place of the musical staff indicating the pitch, said recording strip being further provided with a succession of closely spaced transverse lines parallel to the type line, subdividing the musical units to such an extent that the number of subdivision lines between a mark placed on the record strip and a successively made mark within a musical unit indicate the time value of the note.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 133,987 Heydrick Dec. 17, 1872 1,847,282 Underwood Mar. 1, 1932 2,234,948 Allen et al Mar. 18, 1941 2,502,928 Clark Apr. 4, 1950

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