US786941A

US786941A - Stringed musical instrument.

Info

Publication number: US786941A
Application number: US7551101A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank X Audet
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1901-09-16
Filing date: 1901-09-16
Publication date: 1905-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 1922-04-11

Description

PATENTED APR. 11, 1905.

F. X. AUDET. STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1(3, 1901.

fiflfitffli M )6 QMM wifizesws Patented April 11, 1905.

PATENT OEEIcE.

FRANK X. AUDET, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,941, dated April 11, 1905.

Application filed September 16,1901. Serial No. 75,511.

To all 1072/0721, 712? may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK X. AUDET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to stringed musical instruments of the cithern type, particularly to that class of such instruments known as toy harps. In instruments of this class as usually constructed the strings are tuned to produce when struck in regular order a complete scale. The execution upon such instruments of music comprising both a melody and accompanying chords requires in the absence of special selective devices, such as damping bars or shields, great skill on the part of the performer, since the strings belonging to the chords of the accompaniment are separated by intervening strings and must be selected and separately struck by the performer.

The object of the present invention is to produce a toy harp in which, without the addition of bars, strings, or extra parts of any kind, but by a mere rearrangement of the ordinary complement of strings, the playing of chords may be facilitated; and to this end the invention consists in an instrument having a series of strings tuned to produce, without duplication, all the tones of a scale but arranged, at least in part, in such order that strings used in playing the principal chords are adjacent to one another, so that the performer is relieved of the necessity of selecting and separately striking the strings required to produce such chords.

The drawing is a plan view of a zither embodying the present invention.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a sounding-board 1, strings 2, bridges 3, pins 5, and wrest-pins 6, all of ordinary or suitable form. The manner in which the strings are arranged is indicated by the letters and numerals on the sounding-board beneath the strings. The instrument has a series of fifteen strings (exclusive of the lowermost three strings in the figure) tuned to produce when sounded in proper order two octaves of the scale of C; but the lowest four of these strings are not arranged in the order of their positions in the scale, but are arranged in such order that strings belonging to the principal chords of the scale are adjacent. The chords to which the strings belong are indicated on the sounding-board by the figures at the right of the brackets. The upper strings are arranged in the order of the scale. WVith the strings arranged as shown all of the strings of the tone-scale are employed, as in the ordinary harp, in playing the melody, while all or a part of the same strings may be employed without great skill on the part of the performer in playing chords. The invention thus retains the compactness and simplicity of the ordinary harp, while securing also the ease of playing previously secured by the addition of independent accompaniment strings or the use of bars or shields.

In addition to the series of strings arranged as above described the illustrated embodiment of the invention is provided with three bass strings tuned to lower 0, F, and Gr, re spectively, which may be used to cooperate with the chord-strings to produce chords. These bass strings are not essential to the invention and maybe omitted in the simpler forms of the instrument.

With the strings arranged as illustrated the principal chords can be played with great facility. Thus to play the first chord the thumb is placed on bass C and the first two lingers or one only, if preferred, are close together on e c. To play the next chord, the whole hand remains in exactly the same position and merely moves up one string. To play the next chord, the hand is simply moved up another string, and to play the first chord the hand is moved back to its original position.

The invention being thus described, what is claimed is A stringed musical instrument having a series of strings tuned to produce all the tones of a scale without duplication, a portion of such strings being arranged with each string next to and betWeentWo strings tuned respectively to the next note of the scale above it and the next note of the scale below it, and the remainder of such strings being arranged with each string next to one forming a chord therewith, substantially as described. T0 In testimony whereof I. aflix in y signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK X. AUDE'L. \Vitnesses:

FRED O. FIsH, ALFRED H. HILDRu'rn.