Portable keyboard tremolo musical instrument

• US 6,740,800 B1
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Felder Cunningham
• Original Assignee: Robert Felder Cunningham
• Inventors: Cunningham, Robert Felder
• Primary Examiner(s): LOCKETT, KIMBERLY R
• Application Number:
  US10/366,243
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 844/23.R, 842/67, 844/24, 842/90, 842/91, 844/25, 844/30, 844/31, 844/41, 844/53, 844/54, 844/55
• US Class Current: 84/423.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 1/14 Struck string instruments, e.g. dulcimers
• CPC Class Codes: G10D 3/08 Fingerboards in the form of keyboards

Abstract

A portable instrument with strings hammered by strikers operated by keys of a chromatic keyboard is described. The unique tremolo sounding of the strings is sensitively controllable by a players'"'"'s touch on the keys as well as by manipulation of the instrument during play while holding the instrument by means of shoulder strap, the player standing or walking.

Claims

1. A stringed musical instrument with finger-operable keys for playing tremolo notes, said instrument comprising:

a hollow sound box with horizontal top that supports a plurality of metal strings tuned to the chromatic scale of musical notes of a range of about two octaves, said sound box of a size that can be conveniently carried and supported by a shoulder strap in a playing position by a player;

a manifold attached by attachment means to the top of a sound box, from which manifold a plurality of finger-operable keys extend forward toward a player, and from which a plurality of hammers extend rearward to make contact near the midpoints of said strings;

an apparatus associated with each key that actuates a hammer to play tremolo notes on a string when said key is pressed down in a single downward motion by a player'"'"'s finger, said apparatus enabling control of frequency of tremolo by the distance that said key is pressed;

a device associated with each key that quits the motion of a hammer when said key is released, said device stopping said hammer in a position that is a small distance over said string so that vibration of said string may continue unobstructed by contact with said hammer; and

tilted mounting of said keys and of said hammers that assist a player in additionally varying the frequency of tremolo.

2. A manifold according to claim 1 comprising:

an assembly of flat partitions equal in number plus one to the number of strings on said stringed musical instrument, holes being provided in said partitions to receive pivot rods and attachment rods through said assembly;

a number of spacers of equal length provided with holes to receive said attachment rods, said spacers placed between said partitions;

said manifold comprised of said partitions, spacers, and rods all held in rigid assembly by nuts screwed onto the ends of said rods, said ends extending slightly beyond the ends of said manifold;

a plurality of hammers equal in number to the number of strings, said hammers pivotally mounted by a common pivot rod extending through holes provided in said hammers and through partitions at either side of said hammers; and

a plurality of keys equal in number to the number of strings, said keys pivotally mounted by a common pivot rod extending through holes provided in said keys and through partitions at either side of said keys.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 comprising means whereby a key pressed a partial distance downward by a player'"'"'s finger causes a hammer to be tossed in an upward arc of rotation from a string.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means whereby a hammer which has traversed an upward arc of rotation recoils from a spring attached to a key, the length of said arc and likewise the time duration of said traversing determined by the distance that said key is pressed by a player'"'"'s finger.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means whereby a hammer, following recoil by a spring, traverses a downward arc of rotation terminating with a strike on a string and bounce from said string to produce an audible musical note, said bounce causing said hammer to repeat an upward arc of rotation.

6. A means according to claim 3 comprising:

a key pivotally supported in a manifold, said key having a finger-operable member forward of its pivot and a hopper connected at its rearmost end, said hopper rotatable on an axis parallel to the pivot axis of said key, said hopper abutting a fixed member of said manifold and rotatable by said abutment when said key is pressed downward by a player'"'"'s finger;

a hammer pivotally supported in said manifold, said hammer pivot located behind said key pivot, the axes of hammer and key pivots being parallel;

a foot-like extension of said hammer located above said hopper, said extension in a location to receive an upward impetus when said hopper is raised by the pressing downward of said key, said impetus causing a hammer to be tossed in an upward arc of rotation; and

a hopper rotatable clear of a path of contact with a foot-like extension of said hammer when said hopper is raised by the pressing downward of said key.

7. A means according to claim 4 comprising:

a key pivotally supported in a manifold, said key having a finger-operable member forward of its pivot and a spring attached behind its pivot;

a hammer pivotally supported in said manifold, said hammer having a hammer cam forward of its pivot, said hammer cam located above said spring; and

a gap between said hammer cam and said spring that is widest when a key is in a released position and smallest when a key is pressed fully downward, the width of said gap determining a larger or smaller arc of upward rotation of said hammer when said key is pressed by a lesser or a greater distance, respectively, by a player'"'"'s finger.

8. A means according to claim 5 comprising:

a hammer pivotally supported in said manifold, said hammer having a weighted striker attached at its rearmost end, said striker located over a musical string; and

a musical string tuned to a note of the chromatic scale, playable by said striker following rotation of said hammer through a downward arc of rotation and bounce of said striker from said string to then repeat an upward arc of rotation.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means enabling a player to accurately sense the distance a key is pressed down, thus control by sense of touch the frequency of tremolo, said means comprising:

a key pivotally supported in a manifold, said key having a finger-operable member forward of its pivot, said member stopped at a lowest position by a coiled spring attached to a fixed member of said manifold, the compression of said spring being sensible to a player'"'"'s finger;

as well as

a hopper pivotally connected at the rearmost end of said key, said hopper rotatable on an axis parallel to the pivot axis of said key, said hopper abutting a fixed member of said manifold and rotatable by said abutment when said key is pressed downward by a player'"'"'s finger, said rotation producing compression of a second coiled spring, the compression of which being sensible to a player'"'"'s finger.

10. A device that quits the motion of a hammer according to claim 1 comprising:

a hammer pivotally supported in said manifold, said hammer having a weighted striker attached at its rearmost end, said striker located over a musical string, and said hammer having a hammer cam extending forward of its pivot;

a key pivotally supported in a manifold, said key having a finger-operable member forward of its pivot and a key cam extending rearward of its pivot, said key cam located above said hammer cam;

said key cam in a lowest position when said finger-operable portion is released by a player'"'"'s finger, said key cam in contact with said hammer cam preventing rotation of said striker onto said string and holding said striker a small distance over said string; and

said key cam in a raised position when said finger-operable portion is pressed downward by a player'"'"'s finger, said key cam not in contact with said hammer cam permitting rotation of said striker onto said string.

11. Tilted mounting of said keys according to claim 1 whereby finger-operable members of said keys that extend forward toward a player are tilted down by some angle such as 15 degrees from horizontal assisting more convenient fingering to a player when said instrument is held by a player at an upward tilt;

and

tilted mounting of said hammers according to claim 1 at some angle such as 15 degrees from horizontal enabling a player to decelerate the period of tremolo by tilting said instrument to bring said hammers off of the horizontal by an angle greater than 15 degrees, said hammers there acted upon by a lessened moment of gravity on weighted strikers at the rearmost ends of said hammers.