US2983178A - Accordion-organ - Google Patents

Description

May 9, 1951 F. N. SEARLES r-:TAL 2,983,178

AccoRDoN-ORGAN Filed March 10, '1958 2 sheets-sheet 1 ll Il May 9, 1961 F. N. sEARLEs ETAL 2,983,178

ACCORDION-ORGAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March lO, 1958 MASTER TO/VE GE/VERATR FREQUENCY D/V/DER FREQUENCY /V/DE/Q FREQUENCY D/V/DER AMPL/HER 2,983,178 Patented May 9, 1951 2,983,178 ACCORDIGN-ORGAN Fred N. 'Searles and Ralph G. Studemann, West Allis, Wis., assignors to Lesman Corporation, West Allis, Wis.

Filed Mar. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 720,480

Claims. (Cl. 84171) This invention relates generally to combined musical instruments. More specifically, this invention relates to a combined accordion and electric organ.

The music industry has been active for many years in trying to produce a variety of combined musical instruments. Specifically, much efort has been directed to combining additional instruments with keyboard instruments because two or more of these instruments could be played conveniently through a common keyboard. In most of these combinations the actuating elements were combined in one instrument but the sound producing elements of the diierent instruments were in separate casings. In other words, one instrument would have an attachment that was capable of actuating the sound producing elements of a second instrument removed from the first instrument. This was especially true with keyboard instruments that were used in conjunction with instruments whose sounds were produced by electrical apparatus.

The problem with the above described combined musical instruments is that two separate casings were required with some sort of a' connection usually electrical, between the instruments. 'This made a bulky combination that was awkward to play and expensive to build. Furthermore, if an electrical connection was used, a large number of wires were required between the accordion and the second instrument. Usually, these wires werecarried from one casing to-the other in the same casing or conduit and interference often resulted, causing inferior tones to be produced. When playing such an instrument the operators activity was limited because he was in effect tied to the second instrument even though the first instrument was portable.

This invention overcomes the problems encountered with the above described combined instruments by calling for a combined musical instrument inv which the sound producing elements of both instruments are entirely contained within a single casing. This instrument makes it possible for the player to produce a tremendous variety of tones and often gives him greater freedom of movement when playing.V Furthermore, the instrument is more compact, easierv to handle and less expensive than comparable prior art combinations requiring two separate instruments. Y

Therefore, it is the object of this invention to provide a newand improved combined musical instrument.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved musical instrument which combines an accordion with a second musical instrument.

Another object of this invention is to provide anew and improved accordion-electric organ that is contained within a single unit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved accordion-organ that is compactand easy to play.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved combined accordion-organ in which the organ and accordion can be played simultaneously or independently.

Objects and advantages other than those set forth above will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top View of the accordion-organ of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the accordion-organ taken along the line IL-II of Fig. 1, specifically showing the interior of the treble side of the instrument;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line IIL-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top view of the keyboard of the instmment with some of the keys removed, showing the switches for energizing the elements of the organ;

Fig. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram of the organ portion of the instrument; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a mounting block with the organ components mounted thereon.

The combined musical instrument of this invention is illustrated in the drawings in connection with a standard accordion and an electrical organ although the invention is applicable to any keyboard instrument in combination with any electrical Sound producing elements. Specifically both the accordion and the organ are played through a common keyboard and-may be played individually or simultaneously.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the combined musical instrument 10 of this invention comprises an accordion 11 having a casing including a treble side 13, a bass side 14, and an expansible bellows 15 intermediate the sides and enclosing the space therebetween. The accordion 10 is provided with a keyboard17 comprising a plurality of keys 18 pivotably mounted on a block 19 attached to the base plate 20. The keys 18 closely resemble the keys of a piano and have extension 22 for sounding a note of the accordion. Specifically, each extension 22 has a lap valve cover 23 positionable adjacent a valve opening 24 in a valve plate 25. Each valve opening 24 is associated with a corresponding reed, not shown, on one of the reed blocks 29. The accordion 11 operates in the usual way well known in the art in that the keys 18 are depressed and pivot the extensions 22 to allow air to escape through a selected reed and its associated valve opening 24 to thereby sound the desired note. Suitable springs 31 are positioned between each key 1S and the base plate 20 to urge the keys to their normal position as shown in Fig. 3 and to hold the valve covers 23 against the valve plate 25 to prevent any air leakage through the openings 24 when the key is not being depressed.

Adjacent to the valve plate 25 is a slide plate 33. The slide plate 33 is actuated by controls 34 mounted on the treble side 13 of the accordion casing 12. The controls 34 move the slide plate 33 to selectively block certain of the-valve openings 24 and thereby render that portion of the accordion inoperative. The slide plate 33 can be moved to block all the valve openings 24 thereby rendering the entire accordion inoperative to permit the playing of the organ 36 independently through the accordion keyboard 17. The slide plate 33 is operatively connected to the control 34 by means of suitable cams and levers. Such an arrangement is well known inthe music industry and most accordions are equipped with such a device to selectively control the number of reeds to be made operative at any one time. U.S. Patent No. 2,527,912, J. Burgari, illustrates such an arrangement in connection with a piano accordion.

The electric organ 36 is best explained in connection with the circuit diagram shown in Fig. 5. A source ot power is illustrated at 37. Connectedto the source of power is a master gtone generator 38. The tone generator can be any suitable tone generating device but preferably is a transistor circuit. The master tone generator 38 produces a highrfrequ'ency wave. For purposes of illustration, `assume that the tone generator 38 produces a` wave having' a frequency of 880 cycles per second. Frequency dividers 39 yare connected in circuit with and synchronized by the tone generators in a manner well known in the art. Although three frequency dividers 39 are shown, it is understood that any number of dividers may be used depending on the variety of sounds it is desired to produce. Each frequency divider 39 can divide the wave frequency received by any desired amount but preferably each frequency divider divides the frequency of the wave it receives in half. For example, the wave entering the iirst frequency divider 39 has a frequency of 880 cycles per second and the wave leaving the divider has a frequency of 440 cycles per second. The reason for dividing the frequency of the waves in half is that the sound produced by the wave divided in half is exactly one octave lower than the sound produced by the wave from which it is divided. The dividers can also be any suitable electric tone generating device but preferably they are transistor circuits. Transistor circuits are used for the master tone generator and the frequency dividers tofacilitate the mounting of these elements within the accordion casing.

Each of the frequency dividers 39 and the tone generators 3S are connected to contacts 41 positioned beneath the switch means 42. The switches 42 are positioned to engage the contacts 41 and thereby selectively throw into the circuit the Vfrequency dividers 39 and the tone generators 38. To iaccomplish this, the other end of 'the switches 42 are connected to bus bars 45 and 46 or other suitable connections which are in turn connected to the voicing unit 4'7. The voicing unit combines and lters the waves received to produce a desired tone sound wave. This wave is directed to an amplifier 48.

In the preferred instrument illustrated in the drawings, the accordion 11 has forty-one keys 18 and the organ 36 has ltwelve master tone generators 3S, each of which is divided down three or more times by' frequency dividers 39 so that there is a separate organ note for each key 18.

Both the accordion and the organ are designed to be played through ythe keyboard 17. To this end the switches 42 are mounted beneath each accordion key 18 for selectively connecting an associated note producing circuit of the organ to suitable iiltering and amplifying means. The switches are either made of spring material or are provided with spring means `for keeping the switch in a noncontaoting position as shown in Fig. 3. Any number of switches may be positioned beneath each key but preferably as shown in the drawings, a double switch whose contacts 50 are separateddby insulation 51 is mounted beneath each key. The free ends cf contacts 50 of the switches 42 are positioned to engage contacts 41 when their associated key is depressed. The other ends 52 of the contacts 50 Vare connected in any suitable manner to bus bars 45 and 46. The bus bars 45 andr46 are separated in space and extend longitudinally beneath the keyboard 17 and are connected to the voicing unit 47.v

The contacts 41 are wired to corresponding master tone generators 38 and frequency dividers 39 such 'as shown in Fig. 3. The tone generators 3S and the frequency dividers 39 are in turn connected -to `a. source of power through the medium of the jack, 53 `and its associated electric cord 54.

The voicing unit 47 may be any of the suitable units well known inthe yart and embodies tone iilter circuits suchras Formant iilters for combining and blending the waves received from bus'bars 45 Vand 46 and producing the desired tone. To this endV the voicing unit' 47 is provided with a plurality of filters, not shown, and associated controls 56 mounted on the treble side 13l of the accordion casing 12. Y The `controls 56 direct Vthe waves from bus fbars 4S, 46 through selected filters to produce sounds resembling the sounds produced by string, ute, horn andreed instruments as well as ordinary organ tones.

These controls 56 can also be used to silence the organ in the event that it is desired to play the accordion inproducing elements of the second instrument, in the preferred embodiment the electric organ 36, are mounted within the casing of the rst instrument shown as the accordion 11. To accomplish this in the preferred in strument a space Y60 within the treble side 13 of the aci cordion casing is provided for receiving the electrical sound producing elements of the .organ 36. Since the accordion is a Wind instrument, it is preferred that the space 60 for receiving the electric elements is enclosed such as by sides of the casing 12, the partition 61, and the cover 62 to assure that there is Vno air leak-age through the valve plate 25. As shown Figs. 2 and 3, this spacel 60 extends along the valve plate 25 between the last reed block ,29 and the side of the treble casing 13 of the casing 12.

Positioned within this space 60 in any suitable manner are a plurality of mounting blocks 64 on which 4the electrical sound generating elements of the organ 36 are mounted. As illustrated, twelve spaced apart blocks 64 are provided. Each block 64 has mounted thereon a master tone generating transistor circuit 38 and its associated frequency divider circuits 39. After the mounting blocks 64 are positioned in the space 60, the elements on the block are connected totheirv corresponding contacts .41 beneath the switches 42 and to the power source,`

not shown, through the jack 53.

The voicing unit 47 is also mounted within the accordion casing to provide a combination musical instrument in which all the sound producing elements are positioned within the accordion casing. Specifically, as shown, the voicing unit 47 may be mounted within the treble side 13 of the casing 12 just beneath the control knobs 56.

When playing the instrument 10 the keys 18 may be depressed to produce the sounds of the accordion 16 and the organ 36 simultaneously. As a key 18 is depressed, it ,pivots extension 22 which in turn moves ap cover 23 to release air through valve opening 24 to play an associated reed on one of blocks 29. At the same time, the key depresses switch 42, vcausing it to contact the contacts 41 and thereby selectively operate its associated tone generating organ circuit. 1f it is desired to play the accordion independently, the controls 56 are adjusted to render the organ inaudible. If it is desiredto play the organ independently, the controls 34 are actuated to move the: slide plate into a blocking position to render the ac-Y cordion inoperative.

Although but one embodiment is illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with the treble side of an accordion having the usual reed blocks and keys foractuating the same,` electric switchesv operatively associated withV at least some of said keys, said switches being in circuitry with a tone generator for producing current oscillations used in the production of musical touw, said tone generators being located in the said treble side of said accordion, whereby an amplifier and loud speaker may be separably connected to said circuitry to produce musical tones.

2. In combination with the treble side of an accordion having the usual reed blocks and keys for actuating the same, electric switches operatively associated with at least some of said keys, said switches being in circuitry with mastertone generators and frequency dividers for pro-V ducing current oscillations used in the production of musical tones, said master tone generators and frequency dividers being located in said treble side of said accordion, whereby an amplifier and loud speaker may be separably connected to said circuitry to produce musical tones.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said tone generators and said frequency dividers are transistor circuits.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which said tone generators and said frequency dividers are mounted 0n blocks removably mounted Within said treble side of said accordion.

5. In combination with the treble side of an accordion having the usual reed blocks and keys for actuating the same, an electric switch operatively associated with each key, said switches being in circuitry with a tone generator and frequency dividers for producing current oscillations used in the production of musical tones, tone lters in circuit with said generators and dividers, said tone generators, frequency dividers and tone filters being located in said treble side of said accordion, whereby an amplifier and loud speaker may be separably connected to said circuitry to produce musical tones.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,852,066 Schwarz Apr. 5, 1932 2,250,065 Koehl July 22, 1941 2,527,912 Bugari Oct. 31, 1950 2,599,088 Borzage June 3, 1952 2,672,068 Hanert Mar. 16, 1954 2,736,223 Seybold Peb. 28, 1956 2,811,069 Faulkner Oct. 29, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,074,959 France Apr. 7, 1954

Images