US708805A - Mouth-organ. - Google Patents

Description

Patented sept. 9, |902.

- R. FIELD A. HANSUN.

MOUTH ORGAN.

(Appl cat on ledFh 24 1902) 2 sheets-sheet s.

(No Model.)

No. 708,805. Patented se t. s |902 n. FIELD & A. HANsoN. p

MOUTH ORGAN.

(Application led Feb. 24: 1902.]

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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we News Fsrsns co. PNoTaLxTNo., WASHINGTON. nA c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT FIELD AND ALBERT HANSOII, OF IIUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND.

MOUTH-ORGAN.

SPECIFICATION fo; 1. ing part of Letters Patent No. I708,805, dated September 9, 1902. Application filed February 24, 1902. Serial No. 95,422. (No model.)

T0 MZ whom, t muy] concern:

Be itknown that we,ROBERT FIELD and AL- BERT HANSON, subjects of the King of Great Britainnesiding at Huddersfield,in the county of York, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mouth Organs or Harmonicas; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full, cleaigand exactdescription of the invention, such as Will enable others skilledin theart to whichitappertains tomake and use the same. y

This invention relates to mouth organs or harmonicas which comprise a number of reeds arranged side by4 side in a casing provided with openings communicating with each reed, through which openings as controlled by the tongue'and movement of the mouth across the organ wind is blown or drawn to produce the requisite notes of any tune, piece of music, or simple air within the compass of the instrument. 1

The object of our invention is to construct, arrange, and combine with the ordi-nary mouth organs or harmonicas, as above, a second or auxiliary instrumentor sets of reeds to be played with the same wind-action as the mouth-organ, whereby a new and novel musical mouth instrument is obtained by which an accompaniment to any solo playable on the mouth-organ can be executed or produced simultaneously and a greater range of music played upon or by the instrument.

Our invention consists in the novel and peculiarconstruction of a musical mouthinstrument for the purpose above stated, as Will be hereinafter fully described.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View ot' the mouth instrument constructed according to our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line A A of Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on line BB of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on line C C of Fig. l.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 is the ordinary and Well-known mouth harmonica or organ,whichis secured at eacheud to side arms 2 2, attached to or made integral with a baseboard 3 and projecting outward to the front for a little distance to conveniently hold the mouth-harmonica 1. The mouth-organ 1 is secured to the side arms 2 2 by screws or pins 4, passed through slots 2, so that it can be readily detached from said side arms when it has become defective through usage and a new harmonica substituted in its place.

To the base-board 3, near each lateral edge thereof and in lines at right angles to the mouth-harmonica l, we secure two reed-cases 5 6, each containing a double set or series of reeds 7 S 9 l0 and 11 12 13 14, respectively, having corresponding iinger-keys '7' S 9 10 and ll 12' 13/ 14@ the vertical spindles of which are secured at theirlower ends to valves 7" 9" 10H and ll 12 13/l la" for controluing the admission or passage of wind to or from the reeds,these said keys being-depressible by the fingers against the resistance of springs 7" 8 9"/ 10 and 11"' 12" 13"' 14" to move the valves away from the bottoms of the openings communicating with each reed and returned to their normal positions and the valves closed by the expansion of said springs whenvthe pressure ofthe fingers is removed ott the keys. There are in lthis instance four keys for manipulation by the iingers of the left hand and four for manipulation by the ngers of the right hand, the notes or reeds 1l l2 13 14 on the right hand corresponding to the bass notes 7 8 9 10 on the left hand to give the proper chords when actuated in unison. There may be more or less reeds contained in the supplementary instrument; but for ordinary purposes and to obtain a perfect scale or complete musical effect four reeds in each set will suice.

An air channel or passage 15 is formed or provided in the base-board 3 and communicates at each end with the chambers 16 17, in which the valves to each set of reeds are lo cated and work. Connected to said air-passage 15 by an elbow or other form of joint and a iexible coupling 18 is a tube 19, which may be D or cresent shaped in cross-section or may be round or of other suitable shape, the front end of such tube being slightly flattened or provided with a mouthpiece, which rests upon the mouth-harmonica 1 and projects a little beyond the front edge of same. The flexible coupling 13, consisting of a short length of indiasrubber or similar tubing, allows the tube 19 to be carried easily by and with the mouth as it is moved to and fro across the harmonica 1 to the extents indicated in dotted lines to bring the mouthpiece of said tube over any portion of the mouth-harmonica 1 from end to end of same in playing it IOC in the usual maunerwithout withdrawing the mouthpiece from thc mouth.

Instead of the-flexible coupling lhthe rear end of the tube 1f) could be pivoted or centered where it is jointed to the air-passage for the same purpose.

The mouthpiece on the end of the movable tube l!) is in a position to enter the month ot the performer over the tongue without interfering with the action of the tongue or of the lower lip in selecting the notes on the mouthharmonica 1 in performing thereon in the ordinary manner, and in forcing or drawing the breath into or through the openings to the reeds in thel mouth-harmonica wind is also in the same action and without effort blown into or drawn through the tube 19, providing any ot' the finger-keys on the supplementary instrument are depressed and the valves opened. Therefore by actuating the I keys singlyor in pairs or in anydesired combination to open any of the valves controlling the admission ot' air through the respective reeds in the series 7 8 t) 10 and 11 12 13 14E an accompaniment. to the solo or air being played on the mouth-harmonica 1 is obtained simultaneously by the same action of the mouth, and tunes and pieces of music which cannotbe produced or only im perfectly produced on a mouthharmonica can by means of the aforesaid supplementary reed instrument be played with `good effect and' in perfect harmony. For instance, the first bass Vnote in each bar of the accompaniment can be obtained, and similarly other notes not produceable within the compass of an ordinary mouth harmonica or organ can be got correctly. Whereas ordinary mouth-harmonicas only possess two chords-namely, the tonic and the dominantwe obtain by the reeds on the left hand of the supplementary instrument-that is, in the reed-case -the following bass notes, namely: reeds 7, (lirst tingen) tonic; reeds 8, (second iinger,) dominant; reeds 9, (third nger,) subdominant, and reeds 10, (fourth-tingen) supertonic seventh, while the corresponding reeds 11 12` 13 14e on the right hand (which are in duplicate, as shown) complete the chords to same. The reeds in each reed-case 5 6 are in pairs, one reed in each pair for giving the note or notes when wind is blown into the reed opening or openings and the other for giving the note or notes when wind is drawn through the reed opening or openings, as in ordinary mouth-harmonicas.

It is usualin mouth-harmonicas of the wellknown form to omit two notes from the bass end to enable the second or dominant chord to be obtained; but with the supplementary instrument combined therewith all the notes or perfect scale can be put in, thus allowing many tunes or airs or pieces of music to be played on the center octave of the harmonica 1 which could not be played on the ordinary harmonica alone as previously arranged.

It will be obviousthatthe mouth-harmonica 1 may be readily detached from the side arms 2 2 and played alone, while a second person could accompany the tune or air upon the supplementary instrument, blowing or drawing the wind through the tube 19.

lt will be understood that the details of construction vot' our improvements may be varied, if desired.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secureA by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a solo-harmonica, of an accompaniment -harmonica secured thereto, and a movable blow-tube connected to the accompaniment-harmonica and provided with a mouthpiece which slides opposite the blow-openings ot the said solo-harmonica, so that both harmonicas are played simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a solo-harmonica, of two accom paniment-harmonicas secured at the rear of the solo-harmonica, and a movable blow-tube common to the two said accompaniment-harmonicas and provided with a mouthpiece which is normally arranged opposite the middle part ot' the said solo-harmonica and which slides opposite all its blow-openings, so that the three harmonicas are played simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a base-board provided with projecting arms, anld a solo-harmonicadetachablyconnectedto the said arms; of an accompaniment-harmonica,carried by the said base-board, and a movable blow-tube connected to the accompaniment-harmonica and provided with a mouthpiece which slides opposite the blow-openings of the said soloharmonica, so thatv both harmonicas are played simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

t. The combination, with asolo-harmonica, of an accompaniment harmonica secured thereto, a blow-tube provided with a mouthpiece which slides opposite the blow-openings of the said solo-harmonica so that both harmonicas are played simultaneously, and a pipe-joint ot' flexible material connecting the said blow-tube with the air-channel of the said accompaniment-harmonica, substantiall y as set forth.

5. The combination, with two harmonicas secured together, of a movable blow-tube connected to the main air-channel ot' one of the said harmonicas and provided with a mouthpiece which slides opposite the blow-openin gs of the other said harmonica, so that both harmonicas are played simultaneously, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we aftix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

RoRERT FIELD. ALBERT HANsoN.

Witnesses:

THOMAS H. BARROW, JOHN WM. GODDARD.

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