Music – Instruments – Stringed
Patent
1984-01-12
1985-09-10
Franklin, Lawrence R.
Music
Instruments
Stringed
84267, G10D 306
Patent
active
045398879
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The subject invention relates to a string instrument of guitar type. The instrument is intended both for playing individual notes and chords, that is, both for playing melodies and for accompaniment. The instrument may be electric or acoustic and may be provided with the desired number of strings, preferably 4 to 13, depending on the intended field of use and purpose of the individual instrument.
Conventional guitars are tuned in such a manner that there is a pitch difference of five semitones between the tones obtained with the individual strings when open, except between the fourth and the fifth string where the pitch difference is four semitones. In addition, there is a pitch difference of one semitone between each fret. This means that whem major scales are played the player starts from one note, then moves his fingers two frets, that is, two semitones, to play the following note of the scale, then advances a further two frets to the third note of the scale, yet another fret to the fourth note of the scale, and so on. Consequently, the player is required either to have learnt the positions of the notes on the guitar or he must find the note obtained with the open string and establish the positions of other notes on the basis of that note. Obviously, it therefore becomes a rather complex operation to learn to find the positions of the various notes on a conventional guitar. This makes the guitar unsuitable as a beginner's instrument.
The piano, which is the instrument that is most commonly used for basic music teaching, i.e. it is the first instrument to be taught, has a note system which is very easy to learn. Beginners easily learn the positions of the individual notes on the piano keyboard. However, the disadvantages of the piano are that it is an expensive instrument and a bulky one.
The majority of the printed music and music books is written for the piano. Composers also largely write for the piano. The development of modern music (rock and popular music) has, however, popularized the guitar, it being the predominant instrument in the execution of these types of music. In this respect it is a considerable disadvantage that only a comparatively small proportion of the music that exists in printed form is written for an instrument as popular as the guitar.
The purpose of the subject invention is to design and construct a string instrument which allows the player to find the desired notes on the guitar very easily and with the aid of which it becomes considerably much easier to play melodies as well as chords, for instance when playing classical music where melodies are mingled with accompaniment in the form of chords.
A special purpose is to provide an instrument in accordance with the invention, which is coordinated with the existing piano literature and conventional music books without the music therein having to be rewritten or specially adapted to the string instrument.
A further purpose of the invention is to make it easier to write music for the piano and for the string instrument in accordance with the invention. This becomes possible because the subject instrument and the piano are adapted to one another in a way that the conventional guitar and the piano are not.
In addition, the string instrument in accordance with the invention is more closely adapted to the traditional occidental harmony of music than is the traditional guitar.
In accordance with the invention these purposes are obtained in an instrument which easily lends itself to be played at the beginner's level as well as professional levels.
The above and other purposes are achieved in a string instrument in accordance with the subject invention, the instrument being characterised in that each fret on the fingerboard represents a whole tone and in that adjacent strings are tuned in such a manner that the open string notes of these strings are distinguished from one another by alternately four and three semitones, that is, they are tuned alternately to major and minor thirds.
Further characteristics will appear from the dependent cl
REFERENCES:
patent: 524114 (1894-08-01), Parker
patent: 3269247 (1966-08-01), Connors
patent: 3344698 (1967-10-01), Ferrara
patent: 4291606 (1981-09-01), Lepage
patent: 4483233 (1984-11-01), Benson
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