US2827818A - Chromatic mouthorgan - Google Patents

Description

March 25, 1958 H. BIBUS 2,327,818

CHROMATIC MOUTHQRGAN I Filed Nov. 5, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet '1 INVENTOR HANS BIBU S March 25, 1958 H. BIBUS CHROMATIC MOUTHORGAN 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 5, 1948 INVENTOR HANS BIBUS BY M March 25, 1958 H. BIBUS CHROMATIC MOUTHORGAN 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 5, 1948 March 25, 1958 H. BIBUS 2,827,818

CHROMATIC MOUTHORGAN Filed Nov. 5, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 F IG.|O FIGQH mvsm on HANS BIBUS United States Patent CHROMATIC MOUTHORGAN Hans Bibus, Zollikon-Zurich, Switzerland Application November 5, 1948, Serial No. 58,583

Claims priority, application Switzerland November 5, 1947 9 Claims. (Cl. 84 -377) The present invention relates to mouth organs or harmonicas, and more particularly to chromatic mouth organs or harmonicas.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a mouth organ which in harmonical regard makes possible an unlimited application so that it permits faithful and correct musical renditions to be made.

Accordingly, the instrument is constructed pursuant to the present invention so as to make possible not only the rendering of each tone of the chromatic scale individually, but also in conjunction with any other tones as chords; in other words, each melody tone can be accompanied by any desired chord, and in any desired key. Furthermore, this instrument is so constructed that it may be played by exhaling or by inhaling and allows the formation of chords of a tone range of at least one octave.

The realization of an instrument having these properties presents two major problems: First, the mechanism controlling the air flow must allow the choice of each single tone individually, or its combination with other tones of the same octave into a chord; on the other hand, the reeds necessary for playing the twelve tones of an octave by exhaling and inhaling must be spatially so compact that their air channels lie within the reach of the mouth.

As explained in the following description of. different embodiments of the invention, the simultaneous solution of these basic problems of the invention has been achieved by a novel arrangement of the reeds and control of their cells.

In the mouth organ according to the present invention, each two reeds are arranged one behind the other in a common reed cell, which is controlled independently of the other cells of the same octave.

The accompanying drawings illustrate two examples of the construction of a mouth organ according to the present invention. In said drawings,

Fig. l is a cross section through one constructional embodiment;

Figs. 2 to 6 illustrate a complete constructional example of an instrument according to the present invention,

Fig. 2 being a plan view of the mouth organ with a part of the casing broken away,

Fig. 3 a transverse section along line IIIIII of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 a transverse section along the line IV-IV of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 a perspective view of a control element as used in this constructional example, and

Fig. 6 a diagram of the wire connections for the operating mechanism of part A according to Fig. 2;

Fig, 7 is a longitudinal section along the line VII-VII of Fig. 1 showing the tone structure of an instrument tuned on the same tone;

Fig; 8 is a cross section through a mouth organ embodying a second constructional example;

Fig. 9 shows a longitudinal section along the line IXIX of Fig. 8;

Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate two diagrams of tone structure for instruments not tuned on the sametone; and

2,827,818 Patented Mar. 25, 1958 Fig. 12 shows an example of the wiring of a chord key.

In all figures of the drawing, 1 stands for the air channel's, 2 for the mouth piece, 3 for the reed plates and 4 and 5 for the upper and lower reed cells, respectively, while 7 stands for the central dividing wall or plate.

The instrument shown by way of example has 25 air channels 1 in mouth piece 2, and 25 each of upper and lower reed cells 4 and 5. These reed cells are controlled by the upper and lower slide valves 13 and 14 which cooperate with the air channels 1 of the mouth piece 2 and apertures 15 of central plate 7 arranged between the reed cells. In Fig. 3 these slide valves are in their position of rest, pressed against mouth piece 2 by springs 16 which are arranged between the gasket 10 and the spring support 21. The wires 19 which are fastened to the slide valves are led through the springs 16, spring support 21 and bores 23 in levers 22 and connected with the levers by means of driving elements or stops 24 (see Fig. 5). Keys 25 and 26 are fastened to shafts 29 by means of swinging levers 27 and 28 in such a way that of each pair of swing levers carrying a key, one lever 27 is fixed to one shaft 29 whilst the other lever 28 rests rotatably on the opposite shaft 29.

Fig. 4 shows that by pressing down a key 25 an upper shaft is turned counterclockwise, while by pressing down a key 26 a lower shaft 29 is turned clockwise. The shafts 29 are arranged parallel to each other between the keys, andare journalled in borings of the instrument frame 30 and the stiffening member 31. Besides bearing the keys 25, 26, the shafts 29 serve to move simultaneously all slide valves spaced by one octave, and therefore carry levers 22 which are secured at intervals of an octave from each other, the draw wires 19 running through the bores 23 of the levers. Fig. 4 shows a key 26 in depressed position; accordingly, the associated shaft 29' appears in a rotated position and the upper slide valve 13 is shifted to the rear position by lever 22 and draw wire 19'.

The instrument in question has 25 sets of two pairs of reeds disposed one above the other, i. e. a total of reeds. These reeds are so tuned that the tone intervals between each reed and its upper reed is always half a tone, while the interval between two reeds lying side by side is always a full tone. Fig. 7 shows this tuning system; the two-way reeds of the upper reed plate 3 are tuned to one whole-tone scale C D E F-sharp G-sharp A-sharp; while the reeds of the lower-reed plate are tuned to the whole-tone scale C-sharp D-sharp F G A H. The reeds of each cell arranged one behind the. other, of which one responds to blowing and the other to drawing, are tuned to the same tone. All twelve tones of an octave may therefore be played both on blowing and on drawing. For each octave there are required six ducts with 24 reeds, the total tone range of the instrument thus being four octaves and a half-tone.

Analogously to the chromatic tuning of the reeds the keyboard has also been chromatically arranged. Since the slide valves of all identical tones of the four octaves are coupled by the shafts 29 and therefore can be operated by the same key, 12 keys would generally be SUfilClEIlt, i. e. one for each half tone of an octave. To render fluent playing easier, particularly the playing of chords, the keys operating the twelve tones have been repeated and arranged in such a way that the distance between any two of the keys in any given direction always corresponds to the same tone interval. The designation of the keys in Fig. 2 shows that the interval in direction a always amounts to half a tone, in direction b three half-tones and in direction 0 four half-tones. This arrangement has the great advantage that each touch corresponds to a definite chord; the same touch applied on various points of the keyboard produces the same chord in different keys.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing which slide valves, draw wires, levers, shafts and keys are interconnected. Each of these elements of the mechanism is marked with the associated blow tones; the two shafts 29 arranged one above the other, as e. g. H and E and valves 13 and id are shown in this diagram side by side. The connections between the shafts and the draw wires and represented by black dots are so constructed that the draw wire 19 is carried along by the lever by means of driving ball 24, but not vice versa. The circled dots, on the other hand, represent connections whereby the draw wire 1% which passes through thee bore 23 carries a driving ball 24 at each side of the lever 22 so that the draw wire is carried along by the lever, and also the lever by the draw wire. If, for instance, the G-sharp key 26 is depressed. the G-sharp shaft 2? is rotated by the swing lever 27', the draw wire 19' is carried along by the lever 22 and the shaft 29" rotated by the lever 22. The four levers 22' arrange on the G-sharp shaft 29" thereby draw all four G-sharp slides 13 (one in each octave) by way of wire 19 into the fear position. If, on the other hand, the G-sharp key 26" is depressed, only the G-sharp shaft 29" is rotated and also all four G-sharp slides shifted; however, the G-sharp shafts 2.9 and 29" remain unturned, because the draw wire 19' moves through the bores of the levers 22' and 22" without becoming coupled thereto. Fig. 6 shows only the wire connections of the right half of the in strument shown at A in Fig. 2; the wiring of the left half is arranged analogously.

The above described instrument represents merely one example of the practical application of the inventive idea. Without deviating therefrom, the relative position of the upper and lower reed cells as well as the manner of controlling the same may be varied. So, for instance, Figs. 8 and 9 show an embodiment in which the upper and lower reed cells are displaced against each other by half a tone. According to Fig. 8, the reed cell member 7 lying between the reed plates 3 extends up to the rim of the mouthpiece, so that each cell has its own duct. Thereby it becomes possible to separate with the mouth the half-tone intervals occurring in a chord. The individual control of each cell is effected in this embodiment by clack valves 6 behind, and not in front of, the reeds.

The turning system as shown in Fig. 7, according to which the same tones are produced both on blowing and drawing, may also be changed. Figs. and 11 show two examples of the tuning of the reeds, whereby the played tone or chord becomes lower by a half-tone, or higher by a full tone, if the direction of the air flow is changed.

The key mechanism of the reeds also represents only one example of practical application of the invention, I

which may be varied or amplified in different ways. For instance, it is possible also to fit the instrument with chord keys instead of only with single-tone keys, as above described, so that to play the most frequently employed chords, it is not necessary to depress whole groups of keys, but only single chord keys, thus considerably simplifying the playing of the instrument. This possibility, when applied to the above-described instrument, does not require constructional changes of any kind. Only the wire connections of the levers belonging to the chord keys areditferent from those belonging to the single tone keys, while all shafts and their connections with the slide valves may remain the same.

Fig. 12 shows by way of example the wire connections for the key C associated with the diminished seventh chord of the key of C. Both swing levers 32 and 33 carrying this key are rotatably mounted on the D-sharp and G-sharp shafts. The upper swing lever 32 simultaneousy acts as a draw lever for the draw wire 34 disposed on the central plane of the instrument, and draw wire 34 in turn carries along levers 35 disposed on the shafts A, C, D-sharp and F-sharp, thereby rotating the said four shafts.

Consequently, all A, C, D-sharp and F-sharp slide valves are simultaneously shifted when the C key is 4 depressed, so that the C chord can be played in every key of the instrument on exhaling. The levers 22 and draw wires 1 are indicated in Fig. 12 by dots, since they are disposed in the plane of the associated slide valves and not in the plane of the section.

I claim:

1. Chromatic mouth organ comprising groups of pairs of reeds, means defining reed cells in which the reeds are disposed, the reeds of each pair being arranged one behind the other in a common reed cell, means for controlling each reed cell independently of the other reed cells of the same octave, a plurality of keys, each individual control means being connected with a key and being actuated thereby, and a spring arranged between the control means and its key and operative to return the control means to its initial posiiton.

2. Chromatic mouth organ having a mouthpiece along which the mouth is adapted to slide and extending'for substantially the width of the instrument, said mouth organ including groups of pairs of reeds encompassing a plurality of octaves, means defining reed cells in which the reeds are disposed, the reeds of each pair being mounted for operation one by exhaled and the other by inhaled air, and being arranged one behind the other in a common reed cell in the direction of how of the air through the cell and transversely to the direction of the mouthpiece, means for controlling the flow of air to and from each reed cell independently of the other reed cells of the same octave, and a plurality of keys, each individual control means being connected with a key and being actuated thereby, and a continuous shaft between the control means and its key, said shaft coupling a plurality of control means which are spaced by one octave, said continuous shaft carrying the said keys.

3. Chromatic mouth organ according to claim 1, said control means including slide valves.

4. Chromatic mouth organ according to claim 3, said slide valves being respectively arranged in the cells themselves and being movable longitudinally of the cells.

5. Chromatic mouth organ according to claim 4-, said reed cells defining means being provided with apertures through which air flows, the longitudinally moving slide valves cooperating with said apertures.

6. Chromatic mouth organ according to claim 1, said keys being arranged in rows and being so connected with each individual control means that the distance between any two keys in a given direction corresponds to the same tone interval.

7. Chromatic mouth organ according to claim 6, the keys being so arranged that the tone interval between two keys in one direction amounts to a half-tone, in a econd direction to three half-tones and in a third direction to four half-tones.

8. Chromatic mouth organ according to claim 1, said pairs of reeds being disposed one above the other, said reeds being so tuned, that the tone interval between each reed and its co-ordinated upper reed always amounts to a half-tone, while the tone interval between two reeds disposed one beside the other always amounts to a full tone, so that adjacent reeds correspond to a full-tone scale.

9. A chromatic mouth organ having a mouthpiece along which the mouth is adapted to slide and extending for substantially the width of the instrument, said mouth organ comprising a plurality of reed cells, said reed cells having valve openings therein, groups of pairs of reeds encompassing a plurality of octaves, said groups of pairs of reeds being disposed in said cells, one of the reeds of each pair of reeds being mounted for operation by exhaled air and the other reed of each pair of reeds being mounted for operation by inhaled air, the reeds of each pair of reeds being arranged one behind the other in a common reed cell of said plurality of cells in the direction of flow .of air through said cell and transversely to the direction of said mouthpiece, clack valves for controlling the fiow of air to and from each reed cell independently of the other reed cells of the same octave, said clack valves being disposed behind said reed cells and being movable to open and close said valve openings, a plurality of keys, each of said clack valves being 5 connected with one of said keys, and a spring arranged between each of said clack valves and the one of said keys associated therewith to return said clack valves to initial position after actuation and release of said keys.

References Cited in the file of this patent 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Hill June 20, 1911 Dusinberre Dec. 9, 1924 Hostetter Nov. 12, 1929 Lederfine Jan. 7, 1941 Magnus May 16, 1944 Magnus Sept. 11, 1945 Borel Feb. 15, 1949 Bibus Aug. 16, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Dec. 19, 1922 Great Britain of 1925 Great Britain June 17, 1926 Switzerland of 1936 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1944

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