Music – Instruments – Stringed
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-02
2001-11-20
Nappi, Robert E. (Department: 2837)
Music
Instruments
Stringed
C084S29700S
Reexamination Certificate
active
06320108
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
The present invention concerns a string instrument with one or more synthetic strings, including (a) a tailpiece with at least one string contact part as well as (b) an instrument bridge (in the following referred to as “bridge”) spaced apart therefrom, defining between the tailpiece and the bridge a conventionally not played, freely oscillating string segment.
The term “synthetic string” includes herein for example (a) a string of metallic wire and (b) a string with a core of natural cat gut, metal, or plastic with a slender thread (for example of a metal such as silver, aluminum, or titanium) tightly and evenly wound about it as well as (c) other conventional strings. Not included in the term “synthetic string” —and excluded from group (c)—is natural cat gut with or without textile wrapping and with or without chemically treated string outer surfaces.
The “synthetic string” includes in certain cases also a textile wrapping, which covers a segment of the string (in particular at its ends); string and textile wrapping in this case together form the “synthetic string”.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention in particular concerns string instruments such as the violin, the viola, the cello, and the double bass.
It was the task of the present invention to design a string instrument of the above-described type such that—after tuning of the instrument—a particularly pure sound is achievable. Although string instruments have been known for centuries, it is now as before not only the playing of the instrument, but rather also the manufacture of the instrument itself, that remains an art. The establishment of clear rules for improvement of the sound of an instrument is thus of interest to both the musician as well as the instrument maker.
The invention is based on the recognition, that the sound of the string instrument of the above-described type, that is, for example, the sound of a violin, a viola, a cello, or a double bass, is always determined in part by the string segment which is conventionally not played, that is, by the freely oscillating string segment between the tailpiece and the wooden bridge of the instrument in the area of the F-holes. This string section, and its effects upon the overall sound of the instrument, were however generally overlooked until now.
It has now been discovered as a result of the inventor's own research that a particularly good overall tone is produced when in a string instrument of the above-described type at least one synthetic string (preferably, however, all strings) over the entire segment between the string contact part of the tailpiece and the bridge possesses (possess) a uniform construction and a substantially constant diameter. A uniform construction and an essentially constant string diameter is present for example in a segment of a conventional synthetic string of the above-described type, wherein a core of cat gut, metal, or plastic is wrapped about by a thin thread (which is much thinner than the core) tightly and evenly, so that the outer string diameter is constant at every winding and adjacent windings abut each other.
Until now, no string instrument was known, in which a synthetic string was used of which the entire segment between the string contact part of the tailpiece and the bridge a uniform construction and a substantially constant diameter of this string was maintained.
This lies above all therein that the ends of conventional synthetic strings which is associated with the tailpiece are designed to be loop or pear shaped, wherein the free end of each one of the strings is looped back around, brought into contact with a section of the string a few centimeters before the loop, and secured thereto by wrapping around with a textile band. As a result, when in the tensioned condition parts of the textile wrapping are in the segment between the string contact part of the tailpiece and the bridge. A synthetic string segment of this type, which segment-wise is not comprised of a single string strand but rather comprises a doubled string strand and an associated wrapping with a textile material, obviously possesses neither a uniform construction nor a constant diameter. This non-uniformity results—as has now been determined—in a side note when the instrument is played which for the layman is hardly noticeable, but however for the educated ear is disturbing. After tuning the played area between the upper saddle and the bridge in a string instrument having synthetic strings of the type described in the above background section, there may result a purely coincidental tuning of the non-uniform unplayed area between the string contact part of the tailpiece and the bridge.
It was already been attempted to improve the sound purity of a string instrument by providing for each string respectively, in the area of the tailpiece, a slideable mounting saddle (with respectively one support part), in order to vary the length of the unplayed area. This approach was also based upon the recognition that the conventionally not played string segment has an effect upon the total tone of a string instrument. It overlooked, however, that in the case of the employment of synthetic strings the said wrapping of the string with a textile material has a disturbing influence. As a result, a tone modulation was attempted (and also achieved) by means of comparatively complex mechanical devices, while the present inventive approach to the improvement of the tone was overlooked. The present inventive solution produces, just as the described mechanical device, a harmonization of the total sound and it is in this respect even superior in the tone purity.
According to a preferred design of the inventive string instrument at least one slideable contact ridge is supplementally provided, such that the length of the free oscillating string segment between this contact ridge and the bridge can be varied. In this manner it becomes possible not only to achieve particularly pure sounds, but rather also the sound of a string can be modulated in desired manner. The person of ordinary skill would be enabled to produce such a variable contact ridge by the exemplary embodiments disclosed for example in Petty Patent DE 297 12 635.
In an inventive string instrument means are typically provided in order to span two or more synthetic strings over the segment between the bridge and a single, in certain cases slideable, contact ridge of the string holder, wherein the bridge and the individual contact ridge of the tailpiece run essentially parallel. The spanning means typically include one peg per string (for tensioning the string) and one string-fixing element, which is associated with the tailpiece. The string-fixing element is comprised in the normal case of a recess or an opening in the tailpiece, which in the tensioned condition of the instrument works together with a securing element on the synthetic string (see the following figures and associated text).
As already described above, the invention particularly concerns violins, violas, cellos, as well as double basses, and thus typically four or more strings are provided in an inventive string instrument, wherein one tone is naturally associated with which of the respective free oscillating segments between the bridge and the respective contact ridge of the tailpiece. These tones (four or more) preferably form intervals, which correspond to the intervals of the played area of the strings on the other side of the bridge. If, for example, a violin constructed in accordance with the invention is tuned to fifths, that is, if the tones of two adjacent strings in the freely oscillating played segments form an interval of five diatonic tone steps, so also the interval between the corresponding freely oscillating unplayed segments between the bridge and the contact ridge of the tailpiece form a fifth, wherein the respective tone depends upon the length of the unplayed segment. The same applies of course also in the case of tuning of the instrument to fourths or sixths, etc.
Since t
Lockett Kim
Nappi Robert E.
Pendorf & Cutliff
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