Abstract:
In a brass musical instrument having two substantially parallel adjacent braces between portions of the instrument windpath tubing, the improvement comprising a cross-brace extending in planes substantially parallel to a plane of the parallel braces and having two opposed edges each with two spaced contact regions secured to a respective one of the parallel braces and a recessed region between the contact regions, thereby allowing elimination of other windpath bracing and providing a beneficial site for sound-modifying components.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based on U.S. Provisional Application 61/201,949 filed on Dec. 17, 2008. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to musical instruments and, more specifically, to brass instruments and devices for windpath bracing thereof. The invention is also related to sound modification for brass instruments. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The sound emanating from a brass musical instrument is affected by numerous physical parameters. As is well-known, such sound is much more than just the frequency of the fundamental note being played by the musician but also includes the resonances of the various parts of the instrument, all of which provide the “color” to the sound being produced by the musical instrument. 
     A brass instrument produces a musical note when the air column in the instrument is excited into resonance by the musician introducing air into the windpath through a mouthpiece. The process of sound formation is extremely complex and even includes the musculature of the musician and the instant muscle tone thereof. Among the physical parameters of the instrument which are important are the windpath tubing material and material thicknesses, the shape of the windpath, and the location and type of bracing used. Thus, bracing is an important element in the determination of the character of the resulting sound. 
     Musicians often characterize an instrument as having a certain “feel,” and the feel of the instrument is affected by the resonances of the instrument. Changing the feel involves changing anything which affects the resonances of the instrument. Musicians would like to be able to change the feel and sound of an instrument depending on the type of music being played without the expense of having multiple instruments with different materials, shapes, bracing, etc. For example, early-period music requires a lighter, more transparent sound than more contemporary music, and thus there is a need for brass instruments which can produce many different types of sound simply by carrying out an adjustment of the instrument. 
     In the construction of brass musical instruments, the use of bracing is required for structural integrity while limiting the number of braces helps to keep stresses out of the instrument and also reduces manufacturing cost. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a simple way to vary the sound of the instrument without the often extensive modifications required such as but not limited to changing the material used for the instrument itself, varying the shapes of the bell, varying the material thickness of the windpath tubing and/or bell, and so forth. 
     Another object of the inventive musical instrument is to provide a convenient, cost-effective location for the placement of a variety of sound-modifying components. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a brass musical instrument in which the number of windpath tubing braces may be reduced. 
     Yet another object of the invention is to provide an instrument which maintains or increases the structural integrity of the instrument while eliminating some bracing. 
     Yet another object of the invention is to provide an instrument on which the “feel” of the instrument can be easily modified. 
     Yet another object of the invention is to provide an instrument on which the “feel” of the instrument can be rapidly modified. 
     Yet another object of the invention is to provide an instrument on which the “feel” of the instrument can be modified to produce a wide variety of different results. 
     These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an improved brass musical instrument, such brass musical instrument having two substantially parallel adjacent braces between portions of the instrument windpath tubing, and the improvement comprises a cross-brace extending in planes substantially parallel to a plane of the parallel braces and having two opposed edges each with two spaced contact regions secured to a respective one of the parallel braces and a recessed region between the contact regions. Such improvement allows other windpath bracing to be eliminated and providing at least one site for securement of at least one sound-modifying component. 
     In some embodiments of the improved brass musical instrument, the cross-brace has at least one through-hole transverse to the planes of the cross-brace and each through-hole is adapted for receiving a sound-modifying component. 
     In other embodiments, the improved instrument further includes a sound-modifying component within a through-hole. 
     In preferred embodiments of the brass musical instrument, the cross-brace has opposed substantially flat faces extending in planes substantially parallel to a plane of the parallel braces with a plurality of the through-holes arranged therealong. In some of these embodiments, the sound-modifying component is adjustably received within the corresponding through-hole, thereby facilitating sound modification to a musician&#39;s preference. In other preferred embodiments, the sound-modifying component is a pillar. 
     In yet other preferred embodiments of the improved brass musical instrument, the pillar is adjustably received within the corresponding through-hole, thereby facilitating sound modification to a musician&#39;s preference, and in some of these highly-preferred embodiments, the through-hole and at least a portion of the pillar therein are threaded to facilitate adjustability. In some of these preferred embodiments, the threading provides an interference fit between the pillar and the through-hole. 
     In highly-preferred embodiments of the improved brass musical instrument, each of the contact and recessed regions of each opposed edge is in alignment with the corresponding region of the other opposed edge, and the cross-brace has opposed end regions each extending beyond a corresponding pair of contact regions. In some such embodiments, each end region has a pair of end-edges converging to a point region. Further, in some of these embodiments, the point regions are along a centerline of the cross-brace and are symmetrical to one another. 
     In yet other embodiments, the present invention is a cross-brace for bracing the windpath tubing of a brass musical instrument. The cross-brace comprises a unitary substantially flat metallic body having two opposed edges each with two spaced contact regions for non-removable attachment to a portion of the brass instrument and a recessed region between the contact regions, thereby providing at least one site for securement of at least one sound-modifying component. 
     In some embodiments of the invention, the cross-brace spans between portions of the windpath tubing, and some instruments include a pair of cross-braces. 
     In other embodiments of the improved brass musical instrument having windpath braces between portions of the instrument windpath tubing, the improvement includes at least one brace which is a unitary substantially flat metallic body having two edges with contact regions for non-removable attachment to a portion of the brass instrument and a region between the contact regions which provides at least one site for securement of at least one sound-modifying component. Some of the inventive instruments are trumpets, some of which may include a pair of cross-braces. 
     In some other embodiments of a brass musical instrument having windpath braces between portions of the instrument windpath tubing, at least one windpath brace is a sound-modifying brace which includes at least one through-hole for adjustable securement of a sound-modifying pillar, a pillar being adjustably secured in such through-holes. Some of these embodiments include a plurality of pillars, each secured in a respective through-hole. 
     The use of the term “brass” to describe a type of musical instrument does not, of course, limit the material out of which such instruments are made but rather indicates a category of musical instrument which includes but is not limited to trombones, trumpets, euphoniums, tubas, french horns, and the like. 
     The term “point region” as used herein refers to an end portion of a structure which has transverse dimensions (transverse to the direction pointing toward the end portion) which decreases toward the end portion. The point region may reduce in transverse dimension to a sharp point, to a rounded point, or to a variety of other such transverse-dimension-reducing shapes. 
     The term “pillar” as used herein refers to a rod-like structure which passes through or extends from the cross-brace and has a generally-constant cross-section. Pillars may have circular cross-sections but are not limited to such configurations. Further, pillars may be threaded or partially-threaded along the length thereof. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective drawing of a prior art trombone (brass musical instrument). 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of an improved musical instrument (trombone) with the mouthpiece removed. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective drawing of the inventive cross-brace in the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4A  is a perspective drawing of the inventive cross-brace. 
         FIGS. 4B ,  4 C, and  4 D are the three orthographic projection views of the inventive cross-brace of  FIG. 4A . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective drawing of one embodiment of the inventive cross-brace mounted in the instrument of  FIG. 2 , the cross-brace having three sound-modifying components (pillars) of various lengths. 
         FIGS. 6 and 7  each show a portion of the perspective drawing of  FIG. 5  illustrating the sound-modifying components (pillars) adjusted to different lengths in the instrument of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIGS. 8 and 9  each show a portion of the perspective drawing of  FIG. 5  illustrating the sound-modifying components (pillars) made from different materials and adjusted to different lengths in the instrument of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 10  shows a portion of the perspective drawing of  FIG. 5  illustrating the sound-modifying components (pillars) made of different materials, adjusted to different lengths, and including modified pillars as two of the three sound-modifying components in the instrument of  FIG. 2 . All of the variations of sound-modifying components shown in  FIGS. 5-10  vary the sound of the instrument of  FIG. 2  according to the needs of a user. 
         FIG. 11  is perspective drawing of another embodiment of the inventive musical instrument, in this instance a trumpet with two inventive cross-braces spanning between portions of the windpath tubing. 
         FIG. 12A  is a frequency spectrum of a representative tone from a prior art trombone such as that of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 12B through 12H  are frequency spectra of representative tones from the improved trombone of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective drawing of an F valve section of a prior art tenor trombone  1 , a brass musical instrument, and many of the elements of the instrument are identified in  FIG. 1  since the inventive brass musical instrument of the present invention includes many of the elements of such instrument. Prior art trombone  1  of  FIG. 1  includes a B-flat wrap  2  with a B-flat tuning slide  3  which slides within a tuning slide receiver  5  to enable the musician to finely adjust the pitch of trombone  1 . B-flat tuning slide  3  includes a brace  7  attached to slide  3  with two ferrules  9 , and tuning slide receiver  5  includes brace  11  attached to receiver  5  with two ferrules  13 . Braces  9  and  11  provide structure to slide  3  and receiver  5 , respectively. 
     Prior art trombone  1  also includes an F branch (or F wrap)  15  which is included (adds length) in the windpath of trombone  1  when a F rotor valve  17  is actuated. F branch  15  includes an F tuning slide  19  which slides within a tuning slide receiver  21  to enable the musician to finely adjust the pitch of trombone  1  in a fashion similar to that of B-flat slide  3 . F tuning slide  19  includes a brace  23  attached to slide  19  with two ferrules  25 , and tuning slide receiver  21  includes brace  27 . Braces  23  and  27  provide structure to slide  19  and receiver  21 , respectively. 
     Prior art trombone  1  also includes two braces  29  which provide a structural connection between B-flat tuning slide receiver  5  and F tuning slide receiver  21 . 
       FIG. 1  shows only a very small portion of the bell  31  of trombone  1 . 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective drawing of an embodiment of an improved musical instrument (improved trombone  30 ) with the mouthpiece removed. (Components of trombone  30  which are similar to components of prior art trombone  1  have been given the same reference numbers as in the description of prior art trombone  1  in  FIG. 1 .)  FIG. 2  shows the main telescopic slide  33  of trombone  30  by which the musician changes the length of the windpath tube in order to change the fundamental frequency (pitch) of the sound produced by trombone  30 . 
     Improved trombone  30  includes a cross-brace  35  which is secured to two parallel braces  37  and  11 . Brace  37  is within F wrap  15  of trombone  30 , and brace  11  is within B-flat wrap  2  of trombone  30 . 
     Shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , cross-brace  35  includes three transverse through-holes  39  into which sound-modifying components  41  may be placed. (In  FIG. 2 , one such sound-modifying component  41  is installed.) It should be noted that cross-brace  35  alone, without the addition of sound-modifying components  41 , itself modifies the resonances of trombone  30  in a significant way. In this embodiment of cross-brace  35 , which has three transverse through-holes  39 , any combination of one, two or three sound-modifying components  41  may be used, depending on the needs of the musician. 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , cross-brace  35  extends in planes substantially parallel to braces  11  and  37  and includes four spaced contact regions  43  along two opposed edges  45 . One pair of such spaced contact regions  43 , in one of the opposed edges  45 , contacts brace  11 , and the other pair of spaced contact regions  43 , in the other opposed edge  45 , contacts brace  37 , and these regions of contact provide areas at which structural connections are made with, for example but not limited to, a soldering and/or brazing process, to provide both a strong structural connection as well as a sonic pathway. Cross-brace includes two recessed regions  47  between the pairs of spaced contact regions  43 . Each spaced contact region  43  and each recessed region  47  of each opposed edge  45  is in alignment with the corresponding region of the other opposed edge  45 . 
     Also shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , cross-brace  35  also has two opposed end regions  49  which extend beyond a corresponding opposing pair of spaced contact regions  43 . Each such end region  49  has a pair of end-edges  51  which converges to a corresponding point region  53 . Point regions  53  are along a centerline  55  of cross-brace  35  and are symmetrical to one another. 
       FIG. 5  is a perspective drawing of one embodiment of inventive cross-brace  35  mounted in the instrument of  FIG. 2 . In this embodiment, cross-brace  35  has received three sound-modifying components  41 , in this case, pillars  41  of three different lengths. Pillars  41  are mounted in three transverse through-holes  39 . Pillars  41  and through-holes  39  are threaded and sized such that pillars  41  are held firmly in place with an interference fit with through-holes  39 . 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  each show a portion of the perspective drawing of  FIG. 5 , and each figure illustrates sound-modifying components  41  (pillars  41 ) adjusted to different lengths in trombone  30  to produce different sound quality or “feel” according to the preferences of the musician playing trombone  30 . 
     In  FIGS. 5-7 , pillars  41  are drawn to indicate that the material of which pillars  41  are made is, in this case, copper. In  FIGS. 8-10 , pillars  41  are drawn and labeled to indicate that different materials are used to fabricate pillars  41 . Pillar  41 A is made of brass; pillar  41 B is copper; pillar  41 C is nickel; pillar  41 D is nickel; and pillar  41 E is brass. In the embodiments illustrated, the sound-modifying components  41  (pillars  41 ) are all made of metallic materials. However, this is not intended to limit the materials that may be used in any way. Materials such as ceramics, composites, fiber-loaded composites, and wood, have a variety of sonic properties which can be used to modify the sound of the instrument, depending, again, on the needs of the musician. Both the material itself and the hardness of the material, as well as the geometry of the sound-modifying component, affect the resonances of the instrument. 
     In  FIG. 10 , sound-modifying components  41 A and  41 B are modified pillars each including a threaded metallic nut  57  which modifies the sonic properties for pillars  41 A and  41 B. Nuts  57  may be made of any suitable material and are not limited to being metallic. Nuts  57  provide another “degree-of-freedom” to the adjustment of the performance sound of trombone  30 . Nuts  57  are but one example of numerous ways in which the sonic properties of sound-modifying components  41  may be altered. Nuts  57 , when tightened, change the internal stresses in pillars  41  and cross-brace  35  which can alter the sonic properties of such components. 
     All of the variations of sound-modifying components  41  shown in  FIGS. 5-10  vary the sound of improved trombone  30  according to the preferences of the musician playing trombone  30 . 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective drawing of another embodiment of an improved musical instrument, in this case a trumpet  60  with two braces  61  spanning between portions of the windpath tubing. (In  FIG. 11 , trumpet  60  has several portions of the windpath tubing removed to more easily illustrate the position of braces  61 . The mouthpiece of trumpet  60  is not shown.) In  FIG. 11 , braces  61  are each a unitary substantially flat metallic body  63  having two edges  65  with contact regions  67  for non-removable attachment to a portion of the brass instrument and a region  69  between contact regions  67  which provides three sites  71  for securement of at least one sound-modifying component. One such sound-modifying component, pillar  41 , is shown in  FIG. 11 . 
     The use of such bracing provides the musician with even more “degrees-of-freedom” of sound modification by virtue of both brace  61  location and the presence of more transverse through-holes  39  into which sound-modifying components  41  (one shown) may be placed. Braces  61  are in themselves sound-modifying braces. 
     The embodiment of crossbrace  35  in  FIGS. 2-10  extends in planes substantially parallel to a plane of parallel braces  11  and  37  to which crossbrace  35  is secured. Likewise, the embodiments of braces  61  in  FIG. 11  have the same physical shape as that of crossbrace  35  but with different regions at which braces  61  are secured to instrument  60 , which is in this case trumpet  60 . The geometry of braces  61  may differ from the geometry of these embodiments and is not limited to having such a shape. For example, brace  61  could be an existing brace of instrument  60  modified to receive and include a sound-modifying component  41 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 12A-12H ,  FIG. 12A  is a frequency spectrum of a representative tone from prior art trombone  1 .  FIGS. 12B through 12H  are frequency spectra of representative tones from trombone  30 . Each frequency spectrum illustrates relative sound amplitude in decibels (db) as a function of sound frequency. The abscissa of each spectrum is a logarithmic scale of frequency from 10 Hz to 22.5 kHz. The representative tones of each of  FIGS. 12A through 12H  are the same musical note (same fundamental pitch) played in the same fashion as much as is possible by a trained musician so that comparisons among the spectra are meaningful.  FIGS. 12B-12H  are intended to illustrate the sound differences that can be achieved between various configurations and not any particular correlation of spectra with any specific configuration of sound-modifying components. 
     Comments included for each of  FIGS. 12A-12H  were made by the trained musician who played the representative tones on trombone  30  as configured for each figure as shown. Note that differences in the “feel” of an instrument that may be quite small to the ear of an average listener may in fact be large to the ear of a trained musician and significant to how a musician wishes to present a particular piece of music. Comments made are only a small portion of the comparisons of the sound spectra which can be seen in  FIGS. 12A-12H . 
       FIG. 12B  is a frequency spectrum of the representative tone played on trombone  30  configured to include cross-brace  35  without any added sound-modifying components. The trained musician stated that the instrument felt more resonant and faster than trombone  1  in  FIG. 12A . This difference is at least partially shown as more sound energy in the high mid-range frequencies as indicated by the regions  101  and  103  in  FIGS. 12A and 12B , respectively. Region  103  contains relatively more energy in the indicated frequency range than region  101 . 
       FIG. 12C  is a frequency spectrum of the representative tone played on trombone  30  configured to include cross-brace  35  with sound-modifying components configured with three threaded copper pillars  41  of three different lengths.  FIG. 12D  is a frequency spectrum of the representative tone played on trombone  30  configured to include cross-brace  35  with sound-modifying components configured as for  FIG. 12C  but with the longest copper pillar  41  adjusted in its through-hole  39 . The trained musician stated that the instrument for  FIG. 12D  felt more “open” and “free-blowing” and sounded more “broad” (less “centered”) than the instrument of  FIG. 12C . “Broad” indicates relatively more high-frequency overtones, and “centered” indicates relatively fewer high-frequency overtones. These differences are at least partially shown as more sound energy in the frequency range as indicated by the regions  105  and  107  in  FIGS. 12C and 12D , respectively. Region  107  contains relatively more energy in the indicated frequency range than region  105 . 
       FIG. 12E  is a frequency spectrum of the representative tone played on trombone  30  configured to include cross-brace  35  with sound-modifying components configured as for  FIG. 12D  but with one pillar  41  made of nickel.  FIG. 12F  is a frequency spectrum of the representative tone played on trombone  30  configured to include cross-brace  35  with sound-modifying components configured with three nickel pillars  41  of different lengths. 
     In comparing the instruments for  FIGS. 12E and 12F , the trained musician stated that the instrument for  FIG. 12F  felt “smoother” and more transparent at the fundamental frequency (pitch of the note being played) and that the instrument for  FIG. 12E  felt “wider” with more mid-range overtones. These differences are at least partially shown by comparing regions  109  and  111  in  FIG. 12E  and regions  113  and  115  in  FIG. 12F . In comparing regions  109  and  113 , the spectrum in the frequency range around the fundamental frequency in region  113  contains much less energy around the fundamental frequency than region  111 . Thus the sound is “smoother” at the fundamental frequency for the instrument for  FIG. 12F . A comparison of regions  111  and  115  shows that the instrument for  FIG. 12E  has more mid-range highs than that for  FIG. 12F . 
       FIG. 12G  is a frequency spectrum of the representative tone played on trombone  30  configured to include cross-brace  35  with a single nickel sound-modifying pillar  41 .  FIG. 12H  is a frequency spectrum of the representative tone played on trombone  30  configured to include cross-brace  35  with a single sound-modifying pillar  41  configured identical to that for  FIG. 12G  but with a copper pillar instead of a nickel pillar. The trained musician stated that the instrument for  FIG. 12H  felt more “stable” and more “comfortable” than that for  FIG. 12G . These differences are at least partially shown by regions  117  and  119  in  FIGS. 12G and 12H , respectively. Region  119  shows relatively more energy than in the corresponding frequency range of region  117 . 
     While the principles of this invention have been described in connection with specific embodiments, it should be understood that these descriptions are made only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.