US529928A - Accompaniment-player for musical instruments - Google Patents

Description

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R. W. LYLE.

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PANIMENT PLAYER.

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AGGGMPANIMBNT PLAYER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 529,928. Patented Nov. 27,1894.

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ROBERT WYLIE LYLE, OF WOODBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY.'

ACCOMPANIMENT-PLAYhER FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 529,928, dated November 27, 1894. Application flied January 8,1894. serai No. 496,218. er@ moda.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT WYLIE LYLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Woodbridge, in the State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new, useful, and valuable Improvement in Accompaniment-Players for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My present invention relates to improvementsin accompanimentplayers or charts and my invention has forits object to provide such a simple, comprehensive and inexpensive device whereby novices may be enabled to play their own accompaniments,as to commend itself to general use, especially by those who have never had the advantage of a musical education and by amateur musicians. It will also prove of inestimable value to the students of music and of great aid to music teachers.

It is a further object of my invention to construct a chart in two parts or sections which are flexibly connected together at their inner ends and adapted to be folded one upon the other, so that the characters for one hand only,

1 will be exposed to View at a time, whereby the player or user can practice the chords or notes of one hand without being confused by having those of the other hand before him.

Referringto the accompanying drawings- Figure lis a perspective view of a piano with my accompaniment player attached or applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one form of my chart in which the index characters are preferably colored. Fig. 3 is another form of my attachment showing the manner of hinging it and the manner of arranging two accompaniments on each face of the chart. Fig. 4 is another modiiicat-ion of my chart showing the index characters arranged in both vertical and horizontal alignment. Fig, 5 shows the manner of hinging several charts together latorally.

Each chart is ruled or spaced off vertically, and in the form shown at Fig. 4., I have also laid off horizontal spaces or rules and entitled them respectively, lfirst chord, second chord and third'chord. In the forms shown at Figs. 2 and 3, however, the spaces indicating each key are laid oft' vertically only, and the keys to be played as the first chord are all of one color,tl1ose to be struck as the second chord are another color, and those for the third chord still another color. thus presenting to the eye at a glance the keys which are to be struck for the respective chords.

I greatly prefer to employ a notched chart andv also to make it in two sections which are flexibly connected at their inner adjacent ends as shown at Figs. 3 and 4.

The advantages obtained by making the chart of two sections flexibly connected togetherare that such sections can be folded one upon the other when thc chart is not in use; andalso when it is desired to display merely the accompaniment for one hand; that is, as all of the index characters referring to keys to be played with the left hand are arranged on one section of the chart and those relating to keys to be played with the right hand are arranged on the other section, when it is desired to display only that portion of an accompaniment that is to be played with the left hand, the right hand section is folded against the rear face of the other section and the notches in the two sections align and receive the upper keys at one side of the middle ot' the key board of the instrument; and the chart is supported in the same manner as when extended its full length, t'. e. by supports clamped to two of the upper keys of the instrument.

Taking the form of chart shown at Fig. 3 as an example, it would be used substantially as follows: Supposing that it is desired to play the accompaniment to a piece written in the key of Ab, then after selecting the chart having that key upon it, set the notched edge A of the chartA upon the rear ends ot' the keys B and slide it along until it drops down over the keys, which it will not do until it is in exactly the right position, thus preventing the possibility of an error. After doing this attach the clamps C C to keys at either end of the chart and allow the latter to rest in the supports C', as shown, and thus preventing it from being shoved back or jarred over by the movement of the keys or hands. Now then,

press all keys indicated by red for iirst chord, all keys indicated by yellow for second chord and all keys indicated by blue for third chord.

In order to show which fingers to use each colored section is marked in accordance with the followingz-X indicates thumb; 1, first finger; 2, second finger; 3, third iinger; 4, fourth or little finger; and to show which hand to use each colored section is also marked L. H. to indicate that left hand is to be used, and R. II. for right hand.

In using a chart marked as shown in Fig. 4, the keys in vertical alignment with the upper row of horizontal index characters are struck to sound the iirst chord, those in vertical alignment witli the next lower row of horizontally extending characters to sound the second chord and those in vertical alignment with the third lowest row of said characters to sound the third chord.

The forni of chart shown at Fig. 2 is intended to be set between the back of the keys and the case I) of the instrument.

When not in use the forms of charts shown at Figs. 3, 4, and 5 may be folded up so as to occupy but little space.

I prefer to make the charts of cardboard, printing them on both sides and by arranging an accompaniment upon each edge as shown at Figs. 3 and 4, four accoinpaninients can be arranged conveniently upon each chart. I also find it of great service to arrange a bar of music F, as shown at Figs. 3 and 4 in the same key and accompaniment as the accompaniment below it as indicated by the index sections.

Instead of employing supports which clamp the keys as shown, I may choose to use notched pieces of wood to set loosely over the keys of the instrument and having wires extending upward to support the chart.

In fact many other modifications or changes can be made without avoiding the spirit ot' my invention.

` By notching each of the longitudinal edges of the chart I am enabled,as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, to arrange indexes for two accompaniinents on each face of the chart or four acconipaniments on each chart. When it is desired to change from the accompaniment being used to a different one it is only necessary to reverse the relative positions of the upper and lower edges of the chart or the faces thereof.

I. A musical chart composed of sections hinged together and adapted to be `folded back upon one another, said sections having notches on their upper and lower edges to Fit ovei' the upper keys of a piano or organ and having, adjacent to said notches suitable index characters indicating the keys to be struck, the characters to be played by the right and left hands being on dilerent sections, the notches in one section when the sections are folded, registering with the other section or sections, substantially as described.

2. A musical chart composed ol' sections hinged together and adapted to be folded back upon one another in both a horizontal and a vertical direction, and provided with characters indicating the keys to be struck by both hands, the characters to be played by the two hands being arranged upon separate sections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT WYLIE L'YLE.

Witnesses:

G. HowLETr Davis, II. V. WINNE.

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