US490509A

US490509A - Musical key and transposition guide

Info

Publication number: US490509A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1893-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 1910-01-24

Description

(No Model 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. F. SHOWALTER.

MUSICAL KEY AND TRANSPOSIT'ION GUIDE;

No. 490509. "Patented Jan. 24,1893. 4

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(No Model.)

I 2 Sh eets-Sheet 2. J. B. F. SHOWALTER. MUSICAL KEY AND TRANSPOSITION GUIDE. No. 490,509. Patented Jan. 24, 1893.

MAJOR WITNESSES lw VENTOR 7.25: P ,swwazwn 2 Mg ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. BENJAMIN F. SHOWALTER, OF VALPARAISO, INDIANA.

MUSICAL KEY AND TRANSPOSITION GUIDE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,509, dated January 24, 1893.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. BENJAMIN F. SHO- W'ALTER, of Valparaiso, in the county of Porter and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Musical Key and Transposition Guides, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in musical key and transposition guides and has for an object to provide a simple novel means whereby there may be instantlyand accurately determined, the signature of any given key, the notes sharped or flatted in said key, the designation of the major and relative minor key and the accidental incidentto the relative minor.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction and the combinations of parts as will be'hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawingsFigures l and 2 are face views of the guide showing respectively the flat and sharp keys. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the shaft or axis of the guide and Fig. 4 is a detail view of a part of the signature section.

In carrying out my invention Iprovide sections A, B and O which for convenience of reference I term respectively the signature section, the indicator or pointer section, and the minor accidental section. The sections A and O are fixed With respect to each other and are movable relatively to the section B, and the several sections A B and O are preferably circular and concentric as shown. The

. signature section is made larger than the indicator section and the latter larger than the accidental section so that a portion of the face of the indicator section is exposed between the accidental and signature sections and a portion of the signature section is exposed outside of the indicator section as clearly shown in the drawings. The indicator section is supported by uprights or standards D from the base E, and furnishes a bearing for the shaft F which supports the signature and accidental sections. On the signature section are formed live circular lines constituting a musical staff which is divided into key sections G which sections G are sub-divided and contain in one sub-division the signatures of the treble and tenor clefs and in the other Application filed June 8, 1892. Serial No. 436,026. (No model.)

that of the bass clef of the particular key. Below the section G is a space H containing at one end at h the designation of the major key Whose signature is shown in the section G above, and in the opposite end of the space H is shown at h the designation of the relative minor key, While between said designations it h are presented at h2 the notes sharped or fiatted in the particular key. In will be understood that on one side the guide presents the natural and the succeeding sharp keys while its opposite side presents the natural and succeeding fiat keys.

In the sub-divisions G are represented an open note do on the major key or tonic space do, and a closed or black note la on the minor key note space.

The accidental section 0 is fixed to and moves with the section A and is provided with designations of the notes sharped, fiatted or naturaled in the relative minor keys and such designations are fixed relative to their corresponding keys on the signature section. This accidental section is inscribed with the words Accidentals in relative minor keys. On the indicator section are provided pointers or indicator sections 1, 2 and 3 the first pointing to the major key designation and the second to the minor key designation on the signature section and the third to the accidental incident to said key and represented on the accidental section, the first indicator being inscribed Maj or key the second Minor key and the third Accidentals.

On each indicator section are inscribed the words Major key note is (white) do and Minor key note is (black) la these referring to the representations of do and la on the signature section as before described. One of the indicator sections is inscribed Transposition by flats and the other Transposition by sharps corresponding to the keys represented on the signature section.

Manifestly the guides maybe made of wood, card board, sheet metal or other suitable material and may be made of any suitable size.

key its sharped or flatted notes and its relative minor, and minor accidentals as well as the location of the do of such major and minor keys will be appreciated by teachers and musicians generally.

It will be seen that the minor accidentals presented on the accidental section are those of the harmonic minor but it will be understood that those of the melodic minor maybe produced if desired.

In order to stop the signature section in accurate registerwith the pointer section I provide what may be termed a detent I formed of a spring bar or rod secured to the pointer section and arranged to engage in notches i in the signature section the said spring being arranged to adjust out of said notches when the signature section is forcibly turned.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A musical key and transposition guide comprising a signature section, a minor accidental section, and a pointer or indicator section, the said sections being relatively movable and fixed substantially as set forth.

2. A musical key and transposition guide comprising a signature section, a minor accidental section, and a pointer or indicator section arranged between the signature and accidental sections substantially as set forth.

3. A musical key and transposition guide comprising a signature section, and a minor accidental section fixed with relation to each other, and an indicator or pointer section concentric with the signature and minoraccidental sections, substantially as set forth.

4. A musical key and transposition guide provided with relatively fixed and movable sections and having representations of the signatures of the several major and minor keys and the designations thereof and also having inscribed the several accidentals of the different minor keys and indicating means whereby to couple or connect the said accidentals with the designations of their respective minor keys substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a musicalkey and transposition guide a signature section inscribed on one side with the signatures of the several sharp keys and upon its opposite side with the signatures of the several flat keys, said signatures being in circular series and accompanied by inscriptions designating the corresponding major and relative minor keys substantially as set forth.

6. In a musical key and transposition guide the combination of the circular signature sections the circular indicator or pointersection and the accidental section concentric with and fixed to the signature section and arranged on the opposite side of the pointer section from the signature section substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a musical key and transposition guide thecombinationwiththesignature section provided with the signatures of the several keys and the designations of the major and minor keys corresponding to said signatures, and the accidental section fixed with relation to the signature section and having represented thereon the accidentals incident to the several minor keys, of the section having pointers indicating the registered major and minor keys and a pointer indicating the accidental incident to the indicated minor key substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. In a musical key and transposition guide the combination with the base and the opposite indicator section connected and fixed with respect to said base of the signature section supported to turn between said indicator sections and the minor accidental sections connected to turn with the signature section and arranged outside the indicator sections substantially as set forth.

J. BENJAMIN F. SHOlVALTER.

\Vitnesses:

T. H. HEARD, KATE B. WHITooMB.