US678718A - Solo attachment for musical instruments. - Google Patents

Description

No. (name.

(No Model.)

Patented July l6, I90l.

T. CASSON.

SOLO ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. (Application filed Aug. 2, 1900.)

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS OASSON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SOLO ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,718, dated July 16, 1901.

Application filed August 2, 1900. Serial No. 26,675. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, THOMAS CASSON, a citizen of England, residing at 19 Manor Mansions, Belsize Grove, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Melody Attachment-s for Musical Instruments, (for which I have applied for. a patent in Great Britain, dated July 11, 1900, No.12,509,) of which the following is a specification.

In instruments of the nature of the pianoforte having strings struck either directly or through intermediate mechanism by pneumatic levers operated by Wind-pressure, also in instruments having reeds sounded directly by wind, it is often desirable when a number of notes constituting harmony are played to emphasize the melody by causing the highest note of. the treble harmony or the lowest note of the bass harmony, or both of them, to sound louder than the other notes of the harmony.

My invention relates to means of effecting this as I shall describe, referring to the accompanying drawings, which show the application of my invention to the operation of pneumatic levers, which may act upon strings like those of a pianoforte.

Figure 1 is a tranverse section on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2, which is a part-sectional plan on the line 2'2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a part-sectional plan on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 of apparatus according to my invention for emphasizing the highest notes of a treble harmony.

a is one of a range of pneumatic levers arranged in any known manner to act upon a hammer or key of a pianoforte-action. a is charged with wind from the chamber a, when by pulling down the rod 0 the valve 1) is opened and the valves e and h are closed, and when the rod 0 is allowed to rise the valve 1) is closed and the valve 8 opens to discharge the contents of a.

The rods 0 for the range of pneumatic levers may be moved by studs on barrels or on boards by cam-levers passing through perforations in sheets or by pneumatic motors actuated by perforated sheets or otherwise. For reeds the rod 0 may be similarly moved or by finger-key action.

The chamber it forms part of a note to note conduit, the chamber for each note communicating with that for the next lower note through an inclined passage Z, so that wind admitted by a duct d to the chamber a of the highest note when the valves h are open, as they usually are, can pass down through the hole f to Z, thence up through the hole 9 to the chamber 'LZ of the next lower note, and so on throughout the whole range of treble notes. When the rod descends, the valve h closes the hole f, shutting off the chamber Z, and consequently the chamber u of the next lower note which communicates with Z through the hole g. Thus the closing of any valve 7L cuts off the chambers u of all lower notes from communication with its chamber u, and therefore from communication with the duct (Z. Thus the wind from d supplies only the motor of the highest note that is sounded by pulling down the rod 0. A tappet on the rod 0 acting on a lever in the'chamberl lifts a valve m, opening a hole to a continuous conduit n, which is supplied with Wind of suitable pressure for playing harmony, while the duct (1 is supplied with wind of higher pressure for emphasizing the melody. As the valves 'm are all free to rise, wind of the lower pressure can always pass them from 1 n into the chambers Zand chambers it to sound the lower notes of the harmony, while at the same time the highest note of the harmony is sounded by wind of the higher pressure from (Z, all the chambers Z and u belonging to the lower notes being cut off from the high-pressure air by the closing of the Valve h of the highest note. As the closing of any valve his accompanied by the opening of m, all the chambers Z are thus cutoff, which, until the closing of h may have in them wind of the higher pressure, have that pressure at once reduced, as the wind can pass by the opened valve m to the conduit 42, containing Wind of lower pressure.

When the bass melody has to be emphasized, thc chambersZ have to be oppositely inclined and the wind of higher pressure is supplied to the chamber it of the lowest bass note, so that the lowest note of the bass harmony is sounded by the wind of higher pres sure.

Although I have described the pneumatic levers as being distended by air under pressure, arrangements of ducts like those above described with suitable inversions of valves might be employed for causing collapse of the pneumatic levers by vacuum, the rarefaction for the highest notes of the treble harmony or for the lowest of the bass harmony being greater than that for the other notes, so as to produce the desired emphasis. Suitable inversions of valves may also be used for collapse by exhaust of pneumatic levers inclosed under pressure, the levers for the harmony discharging into a channel equivalent to a charged with wind of lower pressure than that surrounding the pneumatic levers, which are thus choked in their exhaust, and consequently move less energetically than the pneumatic lever of the emphasized note which has free exhaust.

For emphasizing the melody in a reed instrument the same arrangement of chambers and their communications is employed; but the pneumatic levers CL and discharge-valves e are dispensed with, the holes covered by a being permanently closed and the wind which passes the opened valves h going directly to the reeds. Suitable inversions of the valves would be employed for reeds blown by suction.

Having now particularly described the nature of my said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I claim- In a pneumatically-operated musical instrument, the combination with the chambers u, and ducts Z arranged alternately in series and having communicating passages therebetween, of two air-pressure conduits, one of which communicates with one of said chambers and the other with all of said duets, said conduits supplying air of different pressures, means whereby several of said chambers may be opened at the same time to their respective pneumatics, and valves for cutting off all but one of said opened chambers from one of said conduits and valves for establishing communication between the remaining opened chambers and the other conduit, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS CASSON.

\Vitnesses:

WALTER J. SKERTEN, GERALD L. SMITH.

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