Ordnance – Firing devices – Safety
Patent
1996-06-07
1998-06-02
Spyrou, Cassandra C.
Ordnance
Firing devices
Safety
G10D 306
Patent
active
057603227
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to the tuning of the conventional guitar or similar fret bearing stringed musical instrument which specifically encorporates the use of fixed standard right angle frets on the face of the fretboard, with said frets as fundamental to the selection of notes produced by the instrument.
There is disclosed a measured deviation in the fret architecture for the purpose of improving the tuning accuracy of the instrument, principally within the `primary` or `first position` playing area of the fretboard--FIG. 2.1--1 depicts this as the area of the fretboard contained within the first three frets adjacent to the fixed nut at the head of the instrument.
DISCUSSION OF BACKGROUND ART
Conventional art provides a bridge (3) which is located in the lower portion of the instrument, the body (4) the strings are tensioned from fixing points (5) over the bridge and across the full length of the fretboard (6) then over a fixed nut (7), similar to a small bridge, and finally being fixed to tuning keys (8) located on the head (9) of the instrument.
As is well documented in patents relevant to the art; the frequency of a note played on a fretted stringed musical instrument is determined by the distance between the aforementioned fret and the bridge, a point of permanent fixture for the string. In essence, the pitch of a string is dictated by its tension, thickness and length when played. The conventional fretboard provides straight wire frets (10) affixed at right angles over the length of the fretboard. All frets are positioned parallel to each other and at diminishing intervals on said fretboard in the direction away from the head towards the body of the instrument.
The strings passing perpendicularly over the fretboard do so in an equidistant manner at each fret interval as a result of the straight and parallel positioning of said frets on said fretboard. The tuning of the conventional instrument constructed in this manner is termed `equal temperament tuning`, a direct reference to the equal positioning of the parallel fret intervals over which all the strings traverse.
Mass produced quantities of the guitar of various makes and quality currently provide for the tuning of these instruments exclusively in equal temperament by way of parallel conventional fret architecture. The invention of predetermined deviation to conventional fretting herein disclosed was born out of observing an inherent tuning flaw in strict parallel fretting. The said tuning flaws appearing as pitch `sharpening` being present in correctly tuned guitars of varying makes and quality. This `sharpening` of pitch being distinctly pronounced upon the application of two or more `fretted` notes simultaneously i.e.: chords and principally within the area of the primary or first position referred to in the aforementioned technical field.
As this first position is the most universal playing area of the fretboard for guitar players of various abilities, said pitch sharpening produced by conventional parallel fretting detracts from the tuning accuracy of the instrument and therefore also from performance quality.
It should be noted that discrepancies in tuning accuracy of fretted musical instruments has long been problematic to players, lutanist having been known centuries earlier to `fine tune` their instrument prior to performances. This was simply achieved by adjusting the gut string frets which were wrapped around the neck of the instrument and tied in place.
In 1829 a 30 page booklet of instructions accompanied the first fret adjustable guitar invented by englishman T. Perronet Thompson. This instrument required specific refretting for each of the 12 musical keys of the diatonic or western music scale. The impractical task of repositioning each singular fret required for key changes was further complicated by having to sit with the body tilted backwards, as the `frets` were prone to falling out of their pre-drilled position holes.
In the 20th century the first guitars to use `unusual` fretting were built in 1920 by mexic
REFERENCES:
patent: 3635116 (1972-01-01), Pelensky
patent: 4132143 (1979-01-01), Stone
patent: 4852450 (1989-08-01), Novak
patent: 5133239 (1992-07-01), Thomas
Article in Publication "Acoustic Guitar"-by John Schneider entitled `Fine Tuning` Issue No. 24 May/Jun. 1994, USA.
Gorman Ian
Ward Nic
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