US718346A - Scale for musical instruments. - Google Patents

Description

No. 718,346. PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903. D. H. HAYWOOD.

SCALE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION IILED DEC. 2, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

VINVENTOR A; ATTORNEYS I l l LlHlllllHll llllllllllllll WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CE.

DANIEL HOWVARD HAYWOOD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

SCALE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,346, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed December 2,1901. Serial No. 84,295. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL HOWARD HAY- WOOD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in New York city, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scales for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to scales for musical instruments, and particularly to scales adapted to be used in conjunction with the tracker and traveling music-sheet of an automatic musical instrument.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby an operator may be enabled to visually distinguish the tones played by an automatic musical instrument of the type employing a perforated music-sheet for its control. v

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the scale employed may be moved away from proximity with the music-sheet for the purpose of obtaining access thereto to remove or replace said musical sheet and to return same to its predetermined position for use when desired.

I will now proceed to describe a device embodying my invention and Will then point out the novel features in claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of certain parts of a musical instrument, showing my improved scale in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of same. Fig. 3 is a face view of a scale employed having a different'system of notation to that illustrated in Fig. 1 herein. Fig. 4 is a detail top or face view of a portion of a tracker. Fig. 5 is a View in transverse section similar to Fig. 2, but showing the scale adapted to a different class of instrument to that illustrated in the first two figures.

In the type of instrument to which my invention is particularly adapted a tracker is employed, over which a perforated musicsheet is'adapted to travel. I provide a scale having a system of notation thereon the signs or characters .of which correspond with the tones represented by the perforation in the music-sheet or the tones controlled through the tracker, and I mount said scale in close proximity to the tracker and music-sheet. It follows, then, that as the various perforations in the music-sheet pass the said scale their representing character or sign may be visually distinguished by the scale opposite the perforations at such times.

The scale may have thereon any desired system of notation, and in the drawings herewith I have shown two systems which may conveniently be employed.

In Fig. 1 the scale represents a miniature keyboard, and the signs representing the various finger-keys are arranged to be opposite or correspond with the tones controlled by the tracker through intervening mechanism corresponding to those which would be sounded it manually operated from a finger-keyboard. If the instrument were a combined automatic and manually-operated instrument, the operator could depress the key upon the keyboard corresponding to the character upon the scale and opposite to which the perforation in the music-sheet is passing. In this way the operator may augment the tone played automatically by the instrument to bring out the air more clearly, or by playing other notes in harmony therewith may introduce variations or play an accompanimentor obligato thereto.

In Fig. 3 the system of notation comprises a plurality of characters, such as are commonly employed in writing music to designate the various tones. Such scale may be written in the key in which the particular tune to be played is writtenthat is to say, only those characters representing the notes of the major scale of such key may be employed, while the spaces between them will represent the accidentals, in which case separate scales may be employed for each keyor a scale written in the key C major may be employed as a universal scale, such as is shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and in such case the sharps or flats, as the case may be, will be indicated above or below the characters representing the naturals of such notes. Instead of the characters on the scale the letters of such characters may be used either with or without the scaleas, for example, C 05, D Dfl, 85c.

The scale is designated in the drawings herewith by the reference character 1, and it is provided with ears 2, by which it may be supported in the instrument. Referring more particularly at first to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the scale is pivotally mounted at 3, so that in its operative position it will rest just above the tracker 4, which is here shown as being in the form ofa board having du cts or openings and traveling music-sheet 5. Stops 6 permit the scale to assume a position in close proximity to,but j ust out of contact with, the music-sheet. When it becomes necessary to obtain access to the rear roll upon which the traveling sheet is being wound during the playing of the instrument, the scale may be thrown around upon its pivotal support until it rests upon rear stops 7. The scale will rest by gravity against the stops, and access may then be had to the rear roll, and the musicsheet may be adjusted as may be desired, or the instrument may be, if desired, operated as formerly without the employment of the scale, because by the usual construction of the instrument the scale when so adjusted will practically be out of sight of the operator.

Fig. 5 shows the scale adapted for use with a somewhat different style of instrument that is to say, one in which the tracker-board is arranged in a horizontal instead of a vertical plane, as in Fig. 2. In this style of instrument the movable music-roll is mounted beneath the tracker-board and the windingroll is mounted above same. In order to permit the scale to be moved away from its operative position when desired, the pivotal supports in this style of instrument may be arranged at the rear of the journals of the winding-roll, and the ears 2 may arch over the said journals, substantially as shown in the drawings. A spring-tongue 8 or other convenient form of stop or lock may be employed to maintain the scale in its operative or out of operative position, the springtongue carrying a pin 9, adapted to enter suitable recesses 10.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a portion of the tracker board looking toward the face over which the music-sheet travels. This trackerboard will be seen to have a series of ducts, openings, or orifices 11, which lead to primary pneumatics, as is well understood in this class of instrument.

I have shown the scale herein as pivotally mounted for the purpose of swinging it into and out of proximity with the traveling sheet; but of course it will be understood that any desired method of mounting may be employed, and it will also be understood that I do not desire to be limited to any special system of notation for the scale, but intend to include in this application any system of notation which may indicate to the operator the tone or tones that are being played.

It will thus be seen that according to my invention one or more indicating means are provided in connection with an automatic musical instrument for indicating the tones or notes appropriate to a given perforation of the music-sheet when such perforation is in action, said indicating means being situate, as measured lengthwise of the sheet,in a position corresponding to the position of the perforation when such perforation is in action and being situate, as measured transversel y to the sheet, in position along the longitudinal line of perforations appropriate to such note in such sheet, whereby the succession of sounds, as well as the notes or chords, will be visually indicated by the combined moving sheet and indicating means.

In order that the indicating means may properly indicate the tones, it should not be arranged, as measured longitudinally of the sheet, too far away from the tracker-board, because the notation or characters on the scale would not then indicate the notes which were actually being played, for the tones indicated would not be in time with the music.

What I claim is 1. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination with a tracker-board, of a scale movably mounted adjacent thereto,said scale having a system of notation whose signs or characters are arranged opposite to the respective orifices of said tracker-board and correspond with the tones controlled through said tracker-board.

2. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination with a tracker-board, of a scale pivotally mounted adjacent thereto,said scale having a system of notation Whose signs or characters are arranged opposite to the respective orifices of said tracker-board and correspond with the tones controlled through said tracker-board.

3. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination with a trackerboard,over which a traveling music-sheet passes, of ascale pivotally mounted adjacent thereto, said scale having a system of notation whose signs or characters are arranged opposite to the respective orifices of said tracker-board, and correspond with the tones controlled through said tracker-board, and a limiting-stop whereby the said scale may be maintained in close proximity to, but out of contact with, the said tracker-board and the said traveling musicsheet operating in conjunction therewith.

4. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination with a tracker-board, of a scale movably mounted adjacent thereto, and having two positions, one in close proximity to, and the other away from, the said trackerboard, said scale having a system of notation whose signs or characters are arranged opposite to the respective orifices of said trackerboard, and correspond with the tones controlled through said tracker-board,and means whereby the scale may be maintained in either of said position to which it may have been adjusted.

5. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination with a tracker-board, of a scale pivotally mounted adjacent thereto, and havtrolled through said tracker-board, and stops lng two positions, one in close proximity to, for maintaining the scale in either said posiand the other away from, the said trackertion to which it may have been adjusted.

board, said scale havinga system of notation DANIEL HOWARD HAYWOOD. 5 whose signs or characters are arranged oppo- Witnesses:

site to the respective orifices of said tracker- J. G. GHAPIN,

board, and correspond with the tones con- A. H. PERLES.

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