Music – Instruments – Drums
Patent
1987-08-27
1989-04-04
Hix, L. T.
Music
Instruments
Drums
84453, G10D 1302
Patent
active
048174890
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a device seeking to facilitate the training of percussion musicians, and also to devices for applying said process.
It may be recalled that percussion musicians are usually trained in the movement of beating the diaphragm of the instrument in a free movement of the wrist; this movement consists in opening and closing an angle of a maximumum of 80.degree. between the diaphragm of the instrument and the flank of the stick; the stick is gripped at one end in the hand, with the wrist as its axis of rotation; this movement must be made in an approximately vertical plane. The freedom of the movement results in inaccurate movements and laborious progress, further increased by the physical difficulties of the musician, who has to pay constant attention to his movements.
It has been attempted to obviate the abovementioned difficulties by means of devices intended to immobilize the forearm by the use of splints (U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,307), or to limit the movability of the stick by articulating it to a fixed support (U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,471). These devices have provided only a partial solution of the problems of training a musician, and they entail beating conditions too different from free beating.
The aim of the present invention is to provide means assisting the training of a percussion player, which entail a minimum of constraint in the player's movements, while at the same time freeing him from the need for constant attention to the position of the stick.
The process of the invention consists in general in guiding the player's sticks in a sliding movement along one or more ramps suitably disposed above the diaphragm of the instrument.
According to the present invention, furthermore, a device forming a guide means for the sticks of a percussion player in his beating movements is characterized in general in that it is composed of at least one ramp forming a slide guide and of means for holding said ramp at least in a substantially vertical position above the diaphragm.
The means for holding the ramp or ramps, or slide guide or slide guides, above the diaphragm may consist either of a tripod standing on the ground or of a fastening means in form of a clip attachable to the periphery of the instrument.
The holding and/or fastening means may be common to a pair of ramps or slide guides, or be intended for a single ramp or slide guide.
In a first embodiment the device forming the object of the invention is characterized in that it comprises two slide guides disposed in a substantially vertical plane at right angles to the plane of the diaphragm of the percussion instrument. The user supports the right-hand stick against the right-hand slide guide and the left-hand stick against the left-hand slide guide. Through the force of the wrists the sticks are moved downwards and upwards along a rectilinear path dictated by the slide guides. The player imitates perfectly his future movement by beating the instrument on each downward movement of the stick.
In one form of construction of the device the bottom end of the slide guides is disposed a short distance, usually a few millimeters, from the diaphragm of the percussion instrument, in order not to distort the sound.
In another embodiment the slide guides are mounted on a support structure.
In yet another embodiment the slide guides are mounted on a swivel joint so as to be adjustable in position, said swivel joints being in turn fastened to the support structure.
In a different device according to this embodiment the swivel joints are selflocking, so that after adjustment of the slide guides they will be immovable relative to the support.
In another embodiment the support structure is composed of an articulated tube having a certain flexibility, thus enabling each individual player to adjust the desired distance between the slide guides an to position the sticks on the inside or the outside of the guide device.
In another embodiment the support structure is fastened by clipping to the musical instrument. The clip is fixed on the rim serving to
REFERENCES:
patent: 2524518 (1950-10-01), D'Arcy
patent: 3443471 (1969-05-01), Di Muzio
patent: 3604307 (1971-09-01), Vono
Brown Brian W.
Hix L. T,.
Robinson, Jr. Lee C.
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