Music – Instruments – Stringed
Patent
1988-01-29
1989-08-01
Hix, L. T.
Music
Instruments
Stringed
G10C 300
Patent
active
048524450
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a novel musical method for keyboard and struck string instruments or similar instruments, as well as a pedal mechanism adapted to this new method.
By similar instruments is meant for example electronic instruments simulating the sound of traditional string instruments.
With existing instruments, the musician has the choice between: as the finger releases the key, continues to resonate after the finger has released the key, struck chord may be "stored" if this tonal pedal is pressed, and resonate at the same time as the detached notes then played.
The possibilities of the loud pedal and of the tonal pedal are however limited. As has just been said, the tonal pedal can only store one chord. The limits of the loud pedal are clear from the musical examples given hereafter with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
In FIG. 1, it can be seen that each minim of the base corresponds to an arpeggio. All the notes form part of the harmony; if the loud pedal is used as shown by the letter P, no dissonance results therefrom.
On the other hand, referring to FIG. 2 it can be seen that there is a chord at each bar, but the grace notes indicated by create insurmountable discords if the loud pedal is actuated. To avoid such discords, there are two possible solutions, either playing without the loud pedal, or actuating the loud pedal eight times per bar, which would give a poor result.
The purpose of the present invention is to offer new possibilities of playing and writing.
This objective is reached in that, in accordance with the invention, the effect of the loud pedal with respect to notes about to be played is interrupted while keeping this effect with respect to notes which have just been played.
In the case of electronic instruments, the means used for putting this method into practice may be in the form of a memory whose practical construction is within the scope of a man skilled in the art basing himself on what is known from the tonal pedal point of view.
In the case of traditional instruments, the practical solution is mechanical.
These traditional instruments comprise a set of strings each capable of being struck by a hammer actuated by a key, each string being equipped with a muffler which, in an unsollicited position, bears against the string and prevents it from vibrating and which, in the sollicited position, is moved away from the string, the sollicitation of the mufflers being either global under the effect of a common bar, called loud bar, actuated by a loud pedal, or individual under the effect of a spoon controlled by each key.
With such instruments, the musician has the possibility: the muffler of said string moving away therefrom so as to let it vibrate as long as the finger presses the key and coming back into position as soon as the key is released, whereas all the other strings are prevented from vibrating by their respective mufflers, corresponding to the pressed key to vibrate, which vibration continues after the finger has released the key, but also that of the base strings which vibrate in sympathy with the string corresponding to the pressed key.
According to the invention, each muffler is individually subjected to a separable pair of sollicitation means one of which depends from a harmonic bar and the other of which depends from the muffler and a so called harmonic pedal is provided which actuates the harmonic bar in order to move the assembly of mufflers away from the set of strings, the simultaneous depression of the harmonic pedal and of a key causing the separation of the pair of sollicitation means with respect to the muffler of the string corresponding to this key.
Thus, when the harmonic pedal is actuated, the string corresponding to a key only vibrates while this key is pressed, the muffler muffling the note played while letting the harmonics of the base string sound which are generated by sympathy. That makes it possible to play a complete phrase of the same harmony, with the harmonic pedal pressed, without raising the pedal at each grace note, while respecting
REFERENCES:
patent: 767100 (1904-08-01), Blinn
patent: 780944 (1905-01-01), Earhart
Brown Brian W.
Hix L. T,.
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