US3735663A

US3735663A - Muscian{40 s pick

Info

Publication number: US3735663A
Application number: US00288908A
Authority: US
Inventors: H Cowell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-09-14
Filing date: 1972-09-14
Publication date: 1973-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-29

Abstract

A musician''s pick which includes a plectrum having a strumming tip supported on one end of a handle which is grasped within the fisted palm of the musician. The longitudinal axis of the handle is disposed at an angle to the normal plane of movement of the tip during strumming. By this arrangement the musician may relax the normal grip on the plectrum between the thumb and forefinger but the plectrum continues to be supported by the grasp on the handle thereby positioning the pick for immediate reuse when desired by the musician. The pick is formed from a resilient or flexible sheet material and the plectrum may be integrally formed with or detachably supported on the handle.

Description

1 51 May 29,1973

. [22] Filed:

[ MUSICIANS PICK [76] Inventor: Harold E. Cowell, Sr., 3044 Central St., Evanston, Ill. 6020] Sept. 14, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 288,908

Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-V. Miska Att0rney-Albert H. Pendleton, Sidney Neuman, Fred T. Williams et al.

[ ABSTRACT A musicians pick which includes a plectrum having a strumming tip supported on one end of a handle which is grasped within the fisted palm of the musician. The longitudinal axis of the handle is disposed at an angle to the normal plane of movement of the tip during strumming. By this arrangement the musician may relax the normal grip on the plectrum between the thumb and forefinger but the plectrum continues to be supported by the grasp on the handle thereby positioning the pick for immediate reuse when desired by the musician. The pick is formed from a resilient or flexible sheet material and the plectrum may be integrally formed with or detachably supported on the handle.

1 1 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures MUSCIAN'S PICK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a musician's pick and more particularly to a pick that is used by musicians for playing stringed instruments that are to be plucked or strummed such as banjos, mandolins, guitars and the like. Picks that have been used for instruments of this type are known as plectra and are normally grasped by the musician between the thumb and forefinger. However, if the grasping pressure is relaxed, the pick is often dropped and may become lost.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a musicians pick which will permit the musician to periodically relax is plectrum-holding pressure during intervals when the pick is not being actively used for strumming.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a pick which will be constantly positioned for immediate regrasping and use when desired by the musician.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a pick which may be readily formed to the desired size and curvature of the musicians hand.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a pick which may be easily formed from readily available materials.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a one-piece musical pick which may be readily formed from conventional and readily available sheet plastic material and which may be molded or otherwise manually formed into any desired configuration to suit the needs and desires of the musician.

A still further object of this inventon is the PROVI- SION OF A MISICIANS PICK IN WHICH THE PLEC- TRA MAY BE interchanged to suit the desires of the musician.

Further and additional objects of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a musicians pick is provided which comprises an elongated handle having a plectrum including a strumming tip supported on one end thereof. Thepositioning of the plectrum'with respect to the handle is such that the plane defined by the tip during normal strumming is at a substantial angle to the longitudinal axis of the handle so that while the handle is grasped within the fisted palm of the musician, the plectrum may at the same time be held between the thumb and the forefinger during normaLusecbythe musician. However, in the event that the musician wishes to rest andto relax the thumb and forefinger grip on the plectrum, he may do so without completely relaxing the finger and palm grip on the handle. Thus, the plectrum is retained in position and is ready for regrasping by the musician between the thumb and forefinger when the pick is again to be used for strumming. In order to provide a proper position of the handle in relationship to the plectrum so that the plectrum may be conveniently regrasped and used by the musician when the pick handle is being held, the angle between the longitudinal axis of the handle and the plane defined by the tip during strumming is preferably greater than about 60 and is suitably Both the plectrum and the handle are preferably formed from a flexible or resilient sheet material which may be readily formed or molded to fit the hand of the musician. The flexibility may be varied by selection of the material used and of the thickness of the sheet. Materials that are particularly useful for the formation of the pick are thermoplastic resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and the like. In order for the pick to conform to the hand of the musician and to provide the proper angle for the plectrum during strumming, it is preferred that the portion of the sheet material forming the handle and the portion of the sheet material forming the plectrum be formed or arranged so that they define surfaces which are disposed at a substantial angle to each other. Preferably this angle is also greater than about 60, suitably about 90.

In one form of the device, the plectrum and handle are integrally formed from a single piece of flexible sheet material and the desired configuration of the device is achieved by twisting the sheet adjacent the neck between the handle and the plectrum. The twist may be permanently set and applied during initial manufacture or in subsequent reforming according to the preference of the musician or the twisting may occur wholly or in part while the musician is holding the device. As previously indicated, it is preferred that this twist be substantial so that there is preferably imparted greater than 60 relative rotation along the axis of the device between the handle and the plectrum. Thus, a device is provided which may be readily formed from sheet material and is very inexpensive to manufacture.

In a second form of the device, the handle and plectrum are separately molded but are provided with detachable securing means so that the pick may be detachably secured to the handle. Again, the attachment is such that the plane of movement of the plectrum tip during strumming is at an angle of at least about 60 to the longitudinal axis of the handle and so that the plane in which the plectrum lies intersects the plane of the handle material at a substantial angle, preferably greater than about 60. Any suitable means may be used for detachably securing the plectrum to the handle. One such means comprises a pair of resilient arms molded or otherwise formed in one end of the handle which are provided with grooves and one or more notches which embrace the plectrum having complementary ribs and protuberances. This form of the device permits ready replacement of plectra, as may be desired by the musician.

SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an integrally formed musicians pick made in accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the pick shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view toward the left-hand end of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view toward the righthand end of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of the musician's pick;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view taken toward the left-hand end of FIG. 5; and

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 are different forms of plectra that may be used in connection with the device shown in FIGS. 5 to 7.

With reference to FIGS. 1 through 4, the musicians pick there shown is formed from a single piece of flexible sheet material. This piece comprises an elongated handle 10 and a plectrum 12 connected together by means of a neck portion 14. The handle 10 has a planar surface 15 adjacent the f'mger-engaging edge thereof and is provided with a palm-fitting skirt 17 having a curvilinear cross-section so that the handle may be readily and easily received within the fisted palm of the musician. The longitudinal edge of the handle defining the planar surface 15 is provided with a pair of shallow finger-receiving notches 16 to further permit comfortable and secure grasping of the handle by the musician.

The integral plectrum 12 is generally of conventional shape and is provided with a strumming tip or point 18. The plectrum is arranged to be grasped between the thumb and forefinger of the musician during use in the conventional manner. A twist 20 is provided in and adjacent the neck 14 between the handle 10 and plectrum 12 so that the tip 18 will be in proper strumming position when the pick is in use and the handle is comfortably grasped within the musicians fist during use. This twist in the device shown is imparted by an approximately 90 angular rotation between the plane 15 of the handle 10 and the plane of the plectrum 12. This twist may be permanent and imparted at the time of manufacture of the device or in cases where the'pick is made from a thermoplastic resin it may be imparted by the musician by appropriate molding operations involving heating, twisting and cooling to fit the individual desires of the musician.

It will be seen that in use the handle 10 including the surface 15 and the skirt 17 is grasped by the closed fist of the musician with fingers being received in the shallow notches 16. At the same time the plectrum 12 assumes a position which permits it readily to be grasped between the thumb and forefinger without further adjustment.

The device shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 is similar to that described above except that the plecu'um is removably secured to the handle so that it may be readily replaced as desired. In this form of the device, an elongated handle 24 having a skirt 25 and finger-receiving notches 26 along one longitudinal side adjacent the planar surface 27 thereof is provided. One end of the handle terminates in an enlarged portion 28 having a pair of integral plectrum-embracing

arms

30 and 34. The facing surfaces of the arms are provided with

elongated grooves

36 and 38 and notches 40 which are adapted to receive

ridges

42 and 44 of a detachable plectrum 46. In order to assemble the device, the plectrum is merely snapped to the plectrum through the thumb and forefinger of the musician. The arms serve primarily to hold the plectrum in position for regrasping when the pressure between the thumb and forefinger has been relaxed by the musician.

The plectra shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are essentially the same as that shown in FIG. 8 except for the shape of the pick points on the plectra.

It will be understood that a musicians pick has been provided which may be formed of soft pliable material which the musician can hold in his hand with little effort. The pick can be pressure molded with various shapes to fit the hand and style of the musician. By varying the thickness of the handle and the type of material, one can provide easy shaping qualities to fit the palm of the fist and at the same time to provide a proper positioning of the plectrum when the musician desires to grasp it for use in strumming of the instrument. The plectrum itself requires a certain degree of rigidity, as will be understood. However, the handle and neck portions may be provided with a high degree of suppleness or flexibility, in which event the twisting and contour shaping of the handle and neck may at least in part be applied by the musician when the pick is in actual use.

While several embodiments of this invention have been described in the foregoing, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that other modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A musicians pick comprising an elongated handle and a plectrum having a strumming tip supported on one end of said handle, the longitudinal axis of the handle being disposed at an angle to the normal plane of movement of said tip during strumming, said'plectrum being adapted to be held between the thumb and forefinger and the handle being formed to be grasped within the fisted palm of the hand whereby the plectrum is supported in a desired position even though the thumb and forefinger pressure on the plectrum is relaxed.

2. The pick recited in claim 1 wherein said angle is greater than about 3. The pick recited in claim 1 wherein said handle and said plectrum are each formed of flexible sheet material and wherein said sheet material forming the plectrum and at least a portion of the handle define surfaces which are disposed at an angle to each other.

4. The pick recited in claim 3 wherein said angle is greater than about 60.

5. The pick recited in claim 3 wherein the plectrum and handle are integrally formed from a single piece of flexible sheet material which is capable of manual deformation but of the plane of the sheet.

6. The pick recited in claim 3 wherein at least one finger-receiving groove is formed on one longitudinal edge of the sheet material forming said portion of the handle.

7. The pick recited in claim 1 wherein the plectrum is detachably secured to said handle. provision of a musicians pick in which the plectra may be has a pair of resilient arms for embracing and detachably supporting said plectrum.

9. A musicians pick comprising an elongated body of flexible sheet material capable of deformation out of the planeof the sheet, one end of said body forming a provided with a twist between the plectrum and the handle whereby the sheet material forming the plectrum lies in plane at an angle to the plane formed by the sheet material of the handle.

11. The pick recited in claim 9 wherein the angle defined by said plane of movement and said longitudinal axis and the angle between said plectrum plane and said handle plane are each greater than about 60.

Claims

1. A musician''s pick comprising an elongated handle and a plectrum having a strumming tip supported on one end of said handle, the longitudinal axis of the handle being disposed at an angle to the normal plane of movement of said tip during strumming, said plectrum being adapted to be held between the thumb and forefinger and the handle being formed to be grasped within the fisted palm of the hand whereby the plectrum is supported in a desired position even though the thumb and forefinger pressure on the plectrum is relaxed.

2. The pick recited in claim 1 wherein said angle is greater than about 60*.

3. The pick recited in claim 1 wherein said handle and said plectrum are each formed of flexible sheet material and wherein said sheet material forming the plectrum and at least a portion of the handle define surfaces which are disposed at an angle to each other.

4. The pick recited in claim 3 wherein said angle is greater than about 60*.

5. The pick recited in claim 3 wherein the plectrum and handle are integrally formed from a single piece of flexible sheet material which is capable of manual deformation out of the plane of the sheet.

7. The pick recited in claim 1 wherein the plectrum is detachably secured to said handle.

8. The pick recited in claim 7 wherein said handle has a pair of resilient arms for embracing and detachably supporting said plectrum.

9. A musician''s pick comprising an elongated body of flexible sheet material capable of deformation out of the plane of the sheet, one end of said body forming a plectrum having a strumming tip, the longitudinal axis of said body being disposed at an angle to the normal plane of movement of said tip during strumming, and the other end of said body being adapted to be grasped within the palm of the hand to provide a handle for the pick.

10. The pick recited in claim 9 wherein said body is provided with a twist between the plectrum and the handle whereby the sheet material forming the plectrum lies in plane at an angle to the plane formed by the sheet material of the handle.

11. The pick recited in claim 9 wherein the angle defined by said plane of movement and said longitudinal axis and the angle between said plectrum plane and said handle plane are each greater than about 60*.