WO2021035567A1

WO2021035567A1 - A mouthpiece for use with a musical instrument and a method of manufacturing thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2021035567A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/103000
Authority: WO
Inventors: Koji MATSUNOBU
Original assignee: The Education University Of Hong Kong
Priority date: 2019-08-28
Filing date: 2019-08-28
Publication date: 2021-03-04
Also published as: JP3238130U

Abstract

It provides a mouthpiece for a musical instrument having a tubular structure. The mouthpiece (20) comprises a body (22) defining a central bore (24) with open ends (26, 28). The body (22) comprises a connecting portion (30) for releasably connecting the mouthpiece (20) to a top end (10) of the musical instrument; and a lip engaging portion (40) receivable by lips of a user, the lip engaging portion (40) defining an air passageway (42) separate to the central bore (24) and adapted to direct an air stream from the user's lips towards a part of an internal peripheral edge (14) at the top end (10) of the tubular structure of the musical instrument. It further provides a method for manufacturing the mouthpiece (20).

Description

A Mouthpiece For Use With A Musical In-strument And A Method Of Manufacturing Thereof

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a mouthpiece for a musical instrument and, particularly, but not exclusively, to a mouthpiece for use with a vertical flute.

Background of the Invention

A variety of wind musical instruments including woodwind instruments provided in various forms and configurations are available. Among them, vertical flutes can be cat-egorized into types including ducted flutes, which may include, for example, common recorders, etc.; and rim-blown flutes (also called edge-blown flutes or end-blown flutes) , which may include, Asian flutes such as the Japanese shakuhachi, the Chinese dong xiao, and the Korean danso, for example. Playing of Asian flutes is known to be challenging, and that general players and particularly, learner players or young players may often find it difficult to produce a proper note of sound, sometimes even after weeks or months of practice. The difficulty in playing Asian flutes, such as by taking the Japanese shakuhachi as an example, may be attributed to the unique structure of the instrument. Particularly, in contrast to the commonly known western counterpart of the Asian flute such as the recorder, which generally comes with a windway (also called a fipple) for directing the air stream towards an internal cut edge provided within the flute body; the shakuhachi is configured at its top end with a wide opening (as shown in Fig. 1) , and that decent sound production is only achievable if the player can precisely blow an air stream towards an internal peripheral edge or rim at the top opening or at its upper end at an appropriate blowing angle. Furthermore, the player would have to position his or her chin to cover or partially cover the top opening to thereby vary the effect of sound production. This special technique in varying the pitch of the generated sound, which is also known as the “pitch bending effect” , is a unique and characteristic musical effect of Asian flutes, and is structurally impossible to provide by western flutes such as recorders.

A number of mouthpieces in the prior art have been developed to allow easier sound generation by Asian flutes. However, most of the prior art technology merely provides a “recorder” type of mouthpiece or beak having a confined windway for directing the air stream towards the blow edge of the top opening, such as those as shown in the examples of Figs 2 and 3. These kinds of mouthpieces, however, are still structurally incapable of allowing the user to exercise the “pitch bending” effect, which is un-desirable.

Objects of the Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a mouthpiece for a musical in-strument such as a vertical flute.

Another object of the present invention is to mitigate or obviate to some degree one or more problems associated with known vertical flutes or mouthpieces for a vertical flute, or at least to provide a useful alternative.

The above objects are met by the combination of features of the main claim; the sub-claims disclose further advantageous embodiments of the invention.

One skilled in the art will derive from the following description other objects of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing statements of object are not exhaustive and serve merely to illustrate some of the many objects of the present invention.

Summary of the Invention

In a first main aspect, the invention provides a mouthpiece for a musical instrument having a tubular structure. The mouthpiece comprises a body defining a central bore with open ends, the body comprising: a connecting portion for releasably connecting the mouthpiece to a top end of the musical instrument; and a lip engaging portion re-ceivable by lips of a user, the lip engaging portion defining an air passageway separate to the central bore and adapted to direct an air stream from the user’s lips towards a part of an internal peripheral edge at the top end of the tubular structure of the musical instrument.

In a second main aspect, the invention provides a method of manufacturing a mouthpiece according to the first main aspect. The method comprises providing a body defining a central bore with open ends; providing a connecting portion at the body for releasably connecting the mouthpiece to a top end of the musical instrument; and providing a lip engaging portion at the body, the lip engaging portion defining an air passageway separate to the central bore; the air passageway being adapted to direct an air stream from the user’s lips towards a part of an internal peripheral edge at the top end of the tubular structure of the musical instrument.

The summary of the invention does not necessarily disclose all the features essential for defining the invention; the invention may reside in a sub-combination of the disclosed features.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The foregoing and further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments which are provided by way of example only in connection with the accompanying figure, of which:

Fig. 1 is a front, perspective view showing a top end portion of a traditional shakuhachi showing the opening at the top end and a notched blow edge;

Fig. 2 is a mouthpiece of the prior art attachable to the top end of a shakuhachi;

Fig. 3 is the mouthpiece of Fig. 2 attached to the top end of the shakuhachi;

Fig. 4 is a front, perspective view showing a first embodiment of the mouthpiece of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a side view showing the mouthpiece of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a top view showing the mouthpiece of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 shows the mouthpiece of Fig. 4 attachable to the top end of a shakuhachi;

Fig. 8 is a front, perspective view showing a second embodiment of the mouthpiece of the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a side view showing the mouthpiece of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a top view showing the mouthpiece of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 shows the mouthpiece of Fig. 8 attached to the top end of a shakuhachi;

Fig. 12 is a front, perspective view showing a third embodiment of the mouthpiece of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a side view showing the mouthpiece of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a top, perspective view showing the mouthpiece of Fig. 12; and

Fig. 15 shows the mouthpiece of Fig. 12 attached to the top end of a recorder.

Description of Preferred Embodiments

The following description is of preferred embodiments by way of example only and without limitation to the combination of features necessary for carrying the invention into effect.

Reference in this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the em-bodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification are not nec-essarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative em-bodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features are described which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others. Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirements for some embodiments but not other embodiments.

The present invention relates to a mouthpiece for a musical instrument, and par-ticularly but not exclusively, to a mouthpiece for a vertical flute such as, but not limited to, the rim-blown or edge-blown flute and, more particularly, to Asian flutes such as, for example, the Japanese shakuhachi, the Chinese dong xiao, the Korean danso, or the like. As described earlier, it is a characteristic structural feature of most traditional Asian flutes for their top end 10 or head portion 10 to comprise a relatively wide and substantially circular top opening 12, which is configured to extend along the length of the flute body in forming a hollow, cylindrical bore 13 of the tubular flute structure, as shown in Fig. 1. To generate sound, a player would have to precisely blow an air stream towards an internal peripheral rim or edge 14 (also called a blow edge 14) at the top opening 12. The player may further arrange his or her chin to partially close or cover the top opening 12 to vary the blowing angle and to adjust the pitch of the generated sound. In its traditional configuration, the blow edge 14 of an Asian flute can be either notched or un-notched. A top end 10 of a traditional shakuhachi having a round top opening 12 and a notched blow edge 14 is illustrated in Fig. 1 as an example.

As mentioned, the wide, circular opening 12 at the top end 10 is known to be a unique structural feature of Asian flutes, and particularly, the top opening 12 allows the player to perform “pitch bending” of sounds which is a characteristic musical effect achievable only with these rim-blown, vertical Asian flutes. The “pitch bending” of sounds allows the player to exercise substantial control and variation of pitch by adjusting the blowing angle and by partially closing or covering the top opening 12 via relative movement between the player’s chin and the top end opening 12. Also as mentioned earlier, due to these unique structural features, the traditional Asian flutes are known to be much more difficult to learn and to play when compared with western vertical flutes such as recorders.

The present invention is therefore designed to provide a mouthpiece which assists in providing an easier sound production and, more particularly, allowing pitch bending of the produced sound which is a characteristic musical effect of Asian flutes such as the shakuhachi. In the context of the present description, the reference to “rim-blown flute” , “Asian flute” , “vertical flute” , “flutes” and “shakuhachi” may be used inter-changeably for a general type of rim-blown, vertical flute which, as indicated earlier, may include, but is not limited to, various Asian flutes such as, the Japanese shakuhachi, the Chinese dong xiao, the Korean danso, or other vertical flutes with similar structures. It should also be understood that, any reference to a specific type of rim-blown flute such as the shakuhachi in any specific embodiments or illustrations shall not be considered as limiting. Instead, a person skilled in the art based on the present description will understand that the present invention is readily applicable to any musical instrument with similar structures or functionalities.

Referring to Figs. 4 to 7, shown is a first embodiment of the mouthpiece 20 of the present invention. The mouthpiece 20 comprises a body 22 defining a central bore 24 with two open ends, i.e. an upper open end 26 and a lower open end 28, with the upper open end 26, the lower open end 28 and the central bore 24 being spatially connected in forming a single, continuous air pathway. In one embodiment, the central bore 24 preferably substantially conforms in shape and dimension with the top end opening 12 of the tubular flute body of the shakuhachi, such that, when the mouthpiece 20 is attached or mounted to the top end 10 of the shakuhachi, the central bore 24 is allowed to conform with and to join the cylindrical bore 13 of the flute body so as to form a smooth and continuous air pathway or conduit.

Preferably, the body 22 of the mouthpiece 20 may further comprise a connecting portion 30 for releasably connecting or attaching the mouthpiece 20 to the top end 10 of the shakuhachi. For example, in the embodiment as shown in Figs. 4-7, the connecting portion 30 is configured to releasably connect the top end 10 of the shakuhachi by engaging or receiving at least part of an external peripheral wall 15 at the top end 10 of the flute body, as shown in Fig. 7. In an alternative arrangement, the connecting portion 30 can be configured as being receivable by an internal peripheral wall 16 at the top end 10 of the shakuhachi, and this embodiment will be discussed later in greater detail. More preferably, the connection portion 30 is adapted to connect the top end 10 of the shakuhachi by means of frictional engagement, and thus, the connection portion 30 preferably substantially conforms in shape and dimension with the external or internal periphery of the

peripheral wall

15 or 16 for a close fitting between the connecting portion 30 and the top end 10 of the shakuhachi.

It is important to note that, after the mouthpiece body 22 is attached to the top end 10 of the shakuhachi via the connecting portion 30, the open ends 26, 28 of the central bore 24 allows spatial/air communication along the body 22 of the mouthpiece and the cylindrical bore 13 of the flute body with the open air. More specifically, the open end 26 of the mouthpiece 20 and thus the top opening 12 of the shakuhachi will remain open to the air, with the size of the open end opening 26 being substantially similar to the size of the open end 12 and also the cylindrical bore 13 of the shakuhachi after the mouthpiece 20 is mounted at the top end 10 of the shakuhachi, so that the characteristic pitch bending of the shakuhachi can be effected by the user’s manipulation of the upper open end 26 of the mouthpiece 20. This is in contrast to most of the releasable mouthpieces in the prior art, such as those as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in which the upper end is inherently closed except for the narrow duct path or ripple of the mouthpiece, by which it is structurally impossible to provide the pitch bending effect.

Preferably, the body 22 of the mouthpiece 20 may further comprise a lip engaging portion 40 receivable by lips of a user when in use. The lip engaging portion 40 is configured to define an air passageway 42 for directing an air stream from the user’s lips towards the blow edge 14 at the top end 10 of the flute body at a preferred angle to thereby facilitate easy sound production. Specifically, the air passageway 42 is provided separate to the central bore 24, and is preferably spaced from the top end 10 of the flute body such that a clearance distance is kept between an outlet 44 of the air passageway 42 and the blow edge 14 at the top end 10 of the shakuhachi. This spacing is found to be critical in sound production: if the distance is too short, the volume of the sound generated will become smaller, and the quality of sound will become more stagnant; if the distance is too long, the volume of sound may increase, but the quality of sound will become more dispersed. In one embodiment, it is preferred that the outlet 44 of the lip engaging portion 40 is to be spaced from the blow edge 14 of the shakuhachi by a distance of about 2mm to about 10mm to allow production of an ac-ceptable quality of sound, and more preferably, by a distance of about 5mm to about 6mm for the production of a decent quality of sound. In the embodiments as shown in the figures, the lip engaging portion 40 can be configured to define an air passageway 42 with a cross-sectional area in the shape of a circular segment or crescent (see Fig. 6) . However, it will be understood that the air passageway 42 need not be restricted to this specific embodiment, but any variation in the shape and configuration of the air passageway such as in the shape of a semi-circle, a rectangular shape or a polygonal shape, etc. shall also be encompassed.

In one embodiment, the body 22 of the mouthpiece 20 may further comprise an opening 50 provided at a peripheral side wall of the body 22. Preferably, the opening 50 is configured to longitudinally align with an air flow axis (z-z) of the air passageway 42 of the lip engaging portion 40, thereby allowing the directed air stream which exits the air passageway 42 from the outlet 44 to impinge the blow edge 14 at the top end 10 of the shakuhachi at a preferred blow angle for easier sound production. More preferably, it is a part of this opening 50 which provides the clearance spacing or the distance between the lip engaging portion 40 and the blow edge 14. In one further embodiment, the opening 50 may further define a mouthpiece blow edge 54, which is arranged to be spaced from the outlet 44 of the air passageway 42 at a distance A, as shown in Fig. 6. Preferably, the mouthpiece blow edge 54 is substantially aligned with the outlet 44, and is traverse to the air flow axis (z-z) of the air passageway 42. More preferably, the mouthpiece blow edge 54 is arranged to be substantially aligned and coincide with the blow edge 14 of the shakuhachi for sound production. In one specific embodiment, the distance A between the outlet 44 of the air passageway 42 of the lip engaging portion 40 and the mouthpiece blow edge 54 is preferred to be about 2mm to about 10mm to allow production of an acceptable quality of sound, and more preferably, by a distance of about 5mm to about 6mm for the production of a decent quality of sound.

In one embodiment, the mouthpiece blow edge 54 may comprise an arc-shaped edge arranged substantially traverse to the air flow axis (z-z) of the air passageway 42 of the lip engaging portion 40. Alternatively, the mouthpiece blow edge 54 may be configured to comprise a straight horizontal edge, a straight angled edge or the like, as long as the mouthpiece blow edge 54 is provided substantially traverse to the flow direction of the air stream. In one further embodiment, the mouthpiece blow edge 54 is preferably tapered, with the sharp edge facing toward the air stream, and more preferably, at an acute angle of about 10 deg to about 50 deg. The mouthpiece blow edge 54 thus optionally functions to replace or to work cooperatively with the blow edge 14 of the shakuhachu to thereby provide the air-stream cutting edge for sound production. The air stream impinging the cutting edge will then be split, with one of the split sub-streams entering the cylindrical bore 13 to resonate the column of air therein to generate sound.

In one embodiment, the central bore 24 may define a maximum bore diameter D _max and the lip engaging portion 40 may define a maximum width W _max of the air passageway 42, as shown in Fig. 6. It is preferred that the maximum width W _max of the air passageway 42 and the maximum bore diameter D _max are provided in a ratio of about 1∶1.1 to about 1∶2.5. For example, in one specific embodiment, the maximum bore diameter D _max of the mouthpiece body 22 can be about 10mm to about 60mm, while the maximum width W _max of the air passageway 42 can be about 5mm to about 20mm, and more preferably, about 8mm to about 14mm. The lip engaging portion 40 may further define a maximum height H _max perpendicular to the maximum width W _max of the air passageway 42, as shown in Fig. 6, and that the maximum height H _max and the maximum width W _max are preferred to be in a ratio of about 1∶3 to about 1∶20.

In one further embodiment, for a standard size shakuhachi having a bore diameter of about 20 mm, a suitable mouthpiece 20 can be provided with a maximum bore diameter D _max of about 18 mm to about 20 mm; a maximum width W _max of about 7 mm to about 13 mm, and more preferably, about 9.5 mm; and a maximum height H _max of about 1 mm to about 3 mm, and more preferably, about 1.8 mm. It is appreciated that variations in the dimensions of the various parts of the mouthpiece are possible to affect the quality of sound as produced by the mouthpiece and the instrument. For example, an air passageway 42 having a rectangular cross-section with a dimension of about 13 mm (width) x about 3mm (height) may produce a sound with adverse quality.

Referring to Figs. 8-11, shown is a second embodiment of the mouthpiece 20 of the present invention, in which the connecting portion 30 is arranged to be at least partially receivable by the internal peripheral wall 16 of the top end 10 of the shakuhachi when the mouthpiece 20 is positioned or attached to the shakuhachi. Apart from this structural variation of the connection portion 30 when compared to the previous embodiments, the mouthpiece 20 of this embodiment is structurally and func-tionally similar to and can be operated in a substantially similar manner as the examples as previously described. For example, the embodiment as shown in Figs. 8-11 may also comprise a central bore 24 with two

open ends

26, 28 spatially connected to form a single, continuous air pathway and, more preferably, the central bore 24 is configured to substantially conform in shape and dimension with the top end opening 12 of the shakuhashi such that, when the mouthpiece 20 is mounted at the top end 10 of the shakuhashi, the central bore 24 forms a continuous pathway or conduit with spatial/air communication with the cylindrical bore 13 of the shakuhachi. The upper open end 26 is substantially opened to the atmosphere, so that pitch bending can be effected by the user’s manipulation of the upper open end 26 of the central bore 24 by partially closing or covering the open end 26 with his or her chin. This is, again, in contrast to the operation of the mouthpieces in the prior art, in which the upper top end is known to be completely closed except for the narrow duct path or ripple of the mouthpiece, which makes it structurally impossible to effect pitch bending.

Similarly, the mouthpiece 20 as shown in Figs. 8-11 may also come with a lip engaging portion 40 defining an air passageway 42 separate to the central bore 24 and spaced from the blow edge 14 of the shakuhachi. The mouthpiece 20 may further comprise an opening 50 configured to longitudinally align with the air blown direction or air flow axis (z-z) of the air passageway 42 thereby allowing the directed air stream exiting the outlet 44 of the air passageway 42 to impinge the blow edge 14 of the shakuhachi at a preferred angle to facilitate easier sound production. In one further em-bodiment, it is preferred that the opening 50 defines a mouthpiece blow edge 54 which is spaced from the outlet 44 and, more preferably, substantially conforms in shape and is aligned with the blow edge 14 of the shakuhachi such that the mouthpiece blow edge 54 may substantially coincide with the blow edge 14 of the shakuhachi for sound production.

Referring to Figs. 12-15 shown is a further embodiment of the present invention in which the flute body 22 is configured to comprise an extending portion 25 between the connecting portion 30 and the lip engaging portion 40. One possible application for the mouthpiece 20 with such an extension is that the extended mouthpiece 20 may then be used to attach to the head portion of a duct-flute type of instrument such as a recorder as in the form of a head joint, as shown in Fig. 15. Once attached, the recorder can then be operated to produce sound with pitch bending effect like the Asian flute such as the shakuhachi.

Preferably, the mouthpiece of the present invention is integrally formed in one piece. It will be understood that the mouthpiece of the present invention can be formed of any known materials such as, but not limited to, polymeric materials such as plastics, wood, bamboo, ceramics or even metals, etc. However, it is preferred for the mouthpiece of the present invention to be formed by molding or three-dimensional printing of plastics, especially in view of the relatively low cost, versatility in design and simplicity of the manufacturing process, etc.

In one further aspect of the present invention, it is provided a method of manu-facturing the mouthpiece 20 as discussed in the embodiments above. The method may comprise the steps of providing the body 22 defining a central bore 24 with

open ends

26, 28; providing a connecting portion 30 at the body 22 for releasably connecting the mouthpiece 20 to the top end 10 of the shakuhachi; and providing, at the body 22, the lip engaging portion 40 which defines the air passageway 42 separate to the central bore. The method further comprises the step of providing an opening 50 at a peripheral side wall of the body 22, with the opening 50 being configured to longitudinally align with the air flow axis of the air passageway 42 to thereby allow the directed air stream exiting the air passageway to impinge the blow edge 14 of the shakuhachi at a preferred angle to facilitate easier sound production. In one further embodiment, the method may further comprise the step of providing a mouthpiece blow edge 54 at the opening 50. The mouthpiece blow edge 54 is arranged to substantially align with the outlet 44 of the air passageway 42 and is arranged traverse to the air flow axis of the air passageway 42 of the lip engaging portion 40. When in use, the mouthpiece blow edge 54 is arranged to substantially align and coincide with the blow edge 14 at the top end 10 of the shakuhachi. In one further embodiment, the above method steps can be performed by molding or three-dimensional printing by using one or more polymeric materials such as plastics thereby forming the mouthpiece in a single, integral structure.

The present invention provides a mouthpiece for use with vertical flutes and, more particularly but not exclusively, for use with Asian style rim-blown flutes having a substantially wide open top end which enable users to exercise its characteristic pitch bending effect. The pitch bending effect, being a unique musical characteristic of typical Asian vertical flutes such as the Japanese shakuhachi, the Chinese dong xiao, and the Korean danso, etc., cannot be produced by the western type of vertical flutes such as recorders, as their top ends are substantially closed or blocked. The present invention is therefore advantageous in providing a mouthpiece which is releasably at-tachable to the top open end of Asian vertical flutes such as a shakuhachi. The mouthpiece of the present invention comes with a lip-engaging portion which defines an air-passageway to allow a guided air passage in directing the in-blown air stream from the user’s lips towards either the blow edge at the rim of the top end of the shakuhachi, and/or the mouthpiece blow edge of the mouthpiece at a preferred angle for easier sound production. Unlike the structure of recorders or other mouthpieces in the prior art, the mouthpiece of the present invention further allows the top end of the shakuhachi, after being mounted with the mouthpiece of the application, to remain sub-stantially open via the upper open end of the mouthpiece, such that users can ma-nipulate the upper open end of the mouthpiece to exercise the characteristic pitch bending effect of the shakuhachi.

Applications of the mouthpiece of the present invention can be highly versatile such that it can be attached to most of vertical flutes which may include Japanese shakuhachi, Korean danso, Chinese dong xiao, and many other types of pan pipes formed by three-dimensional printing. The mouthpiece itself can also be formed by three-dimensional printing which is known to be a relatively low cost, simple and convenient process, with structures, dimensions and configurations of the mouthpiece design being easily customizable and adjustable. An extension of the mouthpiece can also be included to the mouthpiece to thereby convert the mouthpiece into a head joint for the recorder, and that once attached, the recorder can be used to produce sound like the shakuhachi with the possibility to produce the pitch bending effect. The mouthpiece of the present invention may further allow development of new flutes with new capabilities to execute different scales in different tuning systems, as the mouthpiece is adapted to be attached to a simple plastic pipe such as a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe of any size. Furthermore, the present invention is beneficial in providing a cheap and convenient alternative for learners and especially children and young students to practice traditional Asian vertical flutes, which are otherwise known to be difficult to learn. The mouthpiece allows easier sound production with traditional Asian vertical flutes, without having to compromise the musical characteristics of the instruments.

The present description illustrates the principles of the present invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope.

Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only exemplary embodiments have been shown and described and do not limit the scope of the invention in any manner. It can be ap-preciated that any of the features described herein may be used with any embodiment. The illustrative embodiments are not exclusive of each other or of other embodiments not recited herein. Accordingly, the invention also provides embodiments that comprise combinations of one or more of the illustrative embodiments described above. Modifications and variations of the invention as herein set forth can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and, therefore, only such lim-itations should be imposed as are indicated by the appended claims.

In the claims hereof, any element expressed as a means for performing a specified function is intended to encompass any way of performing that function. The invention as defined by such claims resides in the fact that the functionalities provided by the various recited means are combined and brought together in the manner which the claims call for. It is thus regarded that any means that can provide those functionalities are equivalent to those shown herein.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art is referred to herein, such prior art does not constitute an admission that the prior art forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art.

Summary of Invention

Technical Problem

Solution to Problem

Advantageous Effects of Invention

Claims

A mouthpiece for a musical instrument having a tubular structure, the mouthpiece comprising:

a body defining a central bore with open ends, the body comprising:

a connecting portion for releasably connecting the mouthpiece to a top end of the musical instrument; and

a lip engaging portion receivable by lips of a user, the lip engaging portion defining an air passageway separate to the central bore and adapted to direct an air stream from the user’s lips towards a part of an internal peripheral edge at the top end of the tubular structure of the musical instrument.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the central bore is configured to substantially conform in dimension with an opening at the top end of the tubular structure of the musical instrument.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, further comprising an opening provided at a peripheral wall of the body, the opening being configured to longitudinally align with an air flow axis of the air passageway of the lip engaging portion to thereby allow the directed air stream exiting the air passageway to impinge the part of the internal peripheral edge at the top end of the musical instrument.
The mouthpiece according to claim 3, wherein the opening is adapted to provide an open space between the lip engaging portion and the part of the internal peripheral edge.
The mouthpiece according to claim 3, wherein the opening further defines a blow edge arranged to substantially align with an outlet of and traverse to the air flow axis of the air passageway of the lip engaging portion.
The mouthpiece according to claim 5, wherein, when in use, the blow edge is arranged to substantially coincide with the part of the internal peripheral edge at the top end of musical instrument.
The mouthpiece according to claim 5, wherein the blow edge is tapered at an angle of about 10 deg to about 50 deg.
The mouthpiece according to claim 5, wherein the blow edge comprises a straight horizontal edge, a straight angled edge or an arc-shaped edge arranged substantially traverse to the air flow axis of the air passageway of the lip engaging portion.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the air passageway of the lip engaging portion defines a cross-sectional area substantially in the shape of a crescent, a semi-circular shape, a rectangular shape or a polygonal shape.
The mouthpiece according claim 1, wherein the open ends of the central bore affords open air communication along the body of the mouthpiece and the tubular structure of the musical instrument.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the central bore defines a maximum bore diameter and the lip engaging portion defines a maximum width of the air passageway, the maximum width of the air passageway and the maximum bore diameter being provided in a ratio of about 1∶ 1.1 to about 1∶ 2.5.
The mouthpiece according to claim 11, wherein the maximum bore diameter is of about 10mm to about 60mm.
The mouthpiece according to claim 11, wherein the maximum width of the air passageway is of about 5mm to about 20mm.
The mouthpiece according to claim 11, wherein the lip engaging portion defines a maximum height perpendicular to a maximum width of the air passageway, the maximum height and the maximum width being in a ratio of about 1∶ 3 to about 1∶ 20.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the lip engaging portion is spaced from the part of the internal peripheral edge at the top end of the tubular structure of the musical instrument by a distance of about 2mm to about 10mm.
The mouthpiece according to claim 5, wherein the outlet of the air passageway of the lip engaging portion is spaced from the blow edge by a distance of about 2mm to about 10mm.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece is provided for use with a vertical flute.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece is provided for use with a vertical flute with open top end.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the body further comprises an extending portion between the connecting portion and the lip engaging portion.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is adapted to be received by an internal peripheral wall at the top end of the tubular structure of the musical instrument.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the connecting portion is adapted to connect the top end of the musical instrument by engaging at least part of an external peripheral wall at the top end of the musical in-strument.
The mouthpiece according to claim 1, wherein the body is integrally formed in one piece.
The mouthpiece according to claim 22, wherein the body is formed of polymeric materials.
The mouthpiece according to claim 23, wherein the body is formed by molding or three-dimensional printing.
A method of manufacturing a mouthpiece according to claim 1, comprising the steps of:

providing a body defining a central bore with open ends;

providing a connecting portion at the body for releasably connecting the mouthpiece to a top end of the musical instrument;

providing a lip engaging portion at the body, the lip engaging portion defining an air passageway separate to the central bore; the air passageway being adapted to direct an air stream from the user’s lips towards a part of an internal peripheral edge at the top end of the tubular structure of the musical instrument.
The method according to claim 25, further comprising the step of providing an opening at a peripheral wall of the body, the opening being configured to longitudinally align with an air flow axis of the air passageway of the lip engaging portion to thereby allow the directed air stream exiting the air passageway to impinge the part of the internal pe-ripheral edge at the top end of the musical instrument.
The method according to claim 26, further comprising the step of providing a blow edge at the opening, the blow edge being arranged to substantially align with an outlet of and traverse to the air flow axis of the air passageway of the lip engaging portion.
The method according to claim 27, wherein, when in use, the blow edge is arranged to substantially coincide with the part of the internal peripheral edge at the top end of the musical instrument.
The method according to claim 25, wherein the method steps are conducted by molding or three-dimensional printing of the mouthpiece as an integral structure.