Music – Accessories – Teaching devices
Patent
1994-02-01
1996-07-30
Stanzione, Patrick J.
Music
Accessories
Teaching devices
84485R, G09B 1502
Patent
active
055401333
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to learning aids and, more specifically, to a learning aid for string instruments, such as the guitar, violin, fiddle, banjo, cello, base and double base, and wherein the player alters the length of one or more strings by manually depressing the string or strings against a fretboard or fingerboard and manually actuates the shortened string or strings, by plucking, strumming or by playing a bow across the shortened string or strings, to cause said shortened string or strings to vibrate. Such a musical instrument is, hereinafter, referred to as "an instrument of the type defined".
In, for example, the playing of a guitar, the player may play a single string, altering the length of the string as described above before actuating the altered string. Alternatively the player may play a chord, the lengths of the strings to be played for the chord being first selected and depressed against suitable locations on the fretboard after which the selected chord is played. Having played a first string or chord the player will then shorten the strings to be played for the second chord, again by pressing the strings against suitable locations on the fretboard, and those strings are then played.
Thus, for each chord, the player must know in advance which strings are to be used, at what locations on the fretboard the strings have to be manually depressed to give the desired lengths, which fingers are to be used to depress the strings, which strings are to be played and which fingers are to be used to play the strings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Learning aids, for playing the guitar, are generally in the form of books which, for each chord, identify the location of the points where the strings must be depressed against the fretboard, which finger to use to depress each string, and how to play the strings. However, in the book form, the strings to be actuated for a given chord are illustrated by a simple diagram accompanied by a written description explaining the figure and thus, for each chord to be played, the player must read the text, study the diagram, and then practise the lesson taught for that chord. Such book learning aids are therefore longwinded, tedious and boring.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to provide a learning aid for an instrument of the type defined which is convenient, simple to understand, and which is more versatile than learning aids known in the art.
According to the present invention there is provided a learning aid adapted to be attached to an instrument of the type defined, said learning aid being arranged to lie generally parallel with the fretboard of the instrument and to afford a visual display indicating the string or strings and the position at which said string or strings is or are to be depressed against the fretboard to obtain a desired musical note, chord or scale.
Preferably the learning aid displays a plurality of visual displays, there being one visible display for each note, chord or scale to be played, and more preferably the individual visual displays are identified for a desired order of play.
In one embodiment in accordance with the invention, the learning aid comprises a base plate and a top plate arranged to overlie the base plate. The top plate presents a fretboard and strings image, identical with or proportional to the fretboard and string arrangement of the instrument being played, and has a set of apertures therethrough. The apertures pass through the top plate at the locations in the fretboard presented by the learning aid and corresponding to the strings and the locations for pressing the strings to play a desired chord or scale on the instrument.
In such an embodiment, the top plate preferably has a number of sets of apertures in such spaced apart locations that each set of apertures identifies the positions for the strings to be depressed for the strings to achieve a desired chord, whereupon a plurality of chords can be identified and played in a desired sequence.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3379088 (1968-04-01), Fox
patent: 3403591 (1968-10-01), Weitzner
patent: 3827330 (1974-08-01), Ward
patent: 5386757 (1995-02-01), Derrick
Draper Stephen R.
Jenkinson Paul
Drucker William A.
Stanzione Patrick J.
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