US557661A - Musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

@AQPULLERTON MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Patented Apr. 7, 1896.

W/TNESSES: /NVENOH A TTOHNEY.

ANDREW B GRAHAM. PHoTouTrlaWAsHlN GTDNYD C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ARTHUR FULLERTON, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES E. MAYNADIER, TRUSTEE, OF TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 557,661, dated April 7, 1896.

Application tiled February 27, 1895. Serial No. 539,949. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ARTHUR FUL- LERTON, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Musical Instrument,

of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a partial plan with portions 1o broken away illustrating my instrument. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. f3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

My invention consists in a plurality of dampers arranged in a single row under the strings and forming a pick-line, with means to operate the dainpers forming that single row in sets for the chord desired, thus sounding different chords by drawing the pick along a single'line, the pick-line being always 2o at or near the middle line of the single row of dampers. For example, if there be thirtylive strings tuned in chromatic scale then there will be thirty-five dampers in a single row, each under its string, and a pick drawn across the strings at or near the middle line of the single row of dampers will if one set of dampers be operated sound the nine strings not damped for the tonic chord; but if drawn along the same pick-line when another set of 3o dampcrs is operated it will sound the eleven strings not damped for the dominant seventh, and so onfor all the chords in any key, the set of dampers in the single row for damping the strings not required for any chord being 3 5 operated before the pick is drawn along the single line of pick, but all the chords in any key being sounded by drawing the pick along the saine pick-line. This is the main feature of my invention, for although I am not the first to use dampers under the strings, (that being shown in llammerls patent, No. 510,857, dated December 12, 18923,) yet I am the first to provide a single pick-line over a single row of dampers which are operated in sets, so that when one set is operated a pick Y drawn over the middle line of the single row of dampers will sound one chord, and when another' set is operated a pick drawn over the same line will sound another chord.

In the drawings I have shown a portion of a harp including one full octave and part of another. I have also shown each damper a mounted on its carrier a and these carriers shown as levers a controlled by six rockershafts B B B2 B3 B4 B5, each rocker-shaft 55 having its working' arms l) arranged to take the proper levers a'. These rocker-shafts are controlled by the finger-levers D Dl D2 D3 D'L D5-that is, all the strings will be damped if the lever D be depressed except those re- 6o quired for the tonic chord, and all exceptv those required for the dominant seventh when lever D is depressed, and so on as to the other finger-levers, as will be clear from Fig. 1.

The rods F and F serve as guides for the pick used in playing, and while the instrument can be played by a skilled person just as well without those rods as with them they are important for learners, the advantages of this feature being that even unmusical per- 7o sons can readily learn to play the instrument, for the pick is guided always in the same playing-line by the guide-rod F and the end of the pick thereby kept always in the line of the dampers without attention on the part of the player. The rod F has no important function, although I prefer to use both rods A F and F as a finish 'for the row of dampers, as they hide the edges of the dampers, which are usually rectangular pieces of felt or soft 8o leather, carried by the damper-levers a.

I have shown the rock-shafts Il, &c., adjustable endwise across the strings, this, as will be clear without description, increasing the number of chords; but my invention 8 5 will of course be embodied with or without this feature.

I am aware of the patent to Richie, No. 513,512, dated April 17, 1894, and disclaim all that is shown therein, for although Richie 9o shows a row of vdamper-s those dampers are over the strings and not under the strings, and there is no hint or suggestion in the Richie patent of dampers with the double function of dampcrs for the strin and supports for the end of the pick.

Vhat I claim as my invention is 1. In a stringed instrument a single row of dampers under the strings, and means for operating the individual dampers in sets to Ico damp the strings not required for the desired chord; combined to form a single line of pick,

near the middle line of the single row of of levers; and finger-levers to Operate the dempers, for all the Chords; substantially as rock-shafts, substantially as described.

described.

2. In combination a series of dempers each GEORGE ARTHUR FULLERTON. 5 on its lever; those damper-levers; a series of Ttnessesz rock-shafts crossing the damper-levels 5 arms J. .E MAYNADIER,

from each rock-shaft each to opeme one set.l JOHN R. SNOW.

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