Patent Publication Number: US-2002005106-A1

Title: Percussion instrument

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The invention relates to a percussion instrument such as a drum, tambourine, bongo, conga or the like, comprising a main body with at least one opening over which a skin is stretched that is to be struck.  
       [0003] 2. Background Art  
       [0004] In the following, the term skin is to be understood in the widest sense. It includes a natural skin as well as a foil of plastic material, combinations of foils or other suitable materials.  
       [0005] The idea is that the skin is struck for playing and set vibrating, the vibrations being amplified and emitted by the resonance body of the percussion instrument.  
       [0006] For sounds of varying pitches to be obtained, skins and resonance bodies of varying diameters are used. The sound of the instrument may also be influenced by the tautening of the skin.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007] It is the object of the invention to further develop a percussion instrument of the type mentioned at the outset so that novel sound variations and possibilities of playing present themselves.  
       [0008] According to the invention, this object is attained by at least one web being fixed off-center underneath the skin, bearing against the skin and bridging the opening crosswise.  
       [0009] Such a web divides the skin into two sections of a larger and a smaller surface which, when struck separately, give varying pitches although one and the same resonance body is used.  
       [0010] In keeping with another embodiment of the invention, provision can be made for a damping strip of a comparatively soft material to be disposed between the upper side of the web and the lower side of the skin.  
       [0011] Furthermore, it can be provided that the web is adjustable in height and/or detachable. By the aid of height adjustment, the pressure against the skin may be modified or the web may be disengaged when the instrument is to be played conventionally.  
       [0012] Details of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description of a preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the drawing. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
     [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a drum according to the invention in the form of a timbale; and  
     [0014]FIG. 2 is an illustration of details on an enlarged scale.  
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0015] As seen in the drawing, a drum  1  includes a substantially cylindrical main body  2 , over the upper side of which a skin  3  is stretched by way of a holding ring  5 , which is underneath the skin and therefore not seen in the drawing and which has an encircling lateral shoulder  4 .  
     [0016] A first clamping ring  6  corresponds in cross section to the space recessed by the shoulder  4  so that it can be shifted over the periphery of the skin  3  and placed on the shoulder  4  in such a way that its upper edge  7  projects over the skin and the vertical outside is in alignment with the part of the holding ring  5  underneath the shoulder  4 .  
     [0017] Several tensioning lugs  8  are welded on the first clamping ring  6  at a distance from each other. Straining screws  9  are inserted in these tensioning lugs  8 , with the head  10  of the straining screws  9  resting on the upper side of the tensioning lugs  8 .  
     [0018] In the vicinity of the holding ring  5  for the skin  3 , the main body  2  has an encircling annular bead  11  in the form of a bulge of the main body  2  which is a sheet metal cylinder.  
     [0019] A second clamping ring  12  encircles underneath the annular bead  11 , resting by its upper edge  13  on the annular bead  11 . The second clamping ring  12  has a plurality of tensioning lugs  14  having the same angular distance as the tensioning lugs  8  of the first clamping ring  6 .  
     [0020] The straining screws  9  pass downwards through the second tensioning lugs  14 , with a shim  15  and a nut  16  being placed on the free lower end of the straining screws  9 .  
     [0021] When the nuts  16  are tightened, the first clamping ring  6  and thus the holding ring  5  are clamped against the second clamping ring  12  which bears against the annular bead  11 .  
     [0022] As a result of this construction, the tensile forces are distributed around the main body  2 , acting thereon totally uniformly. Consequently local tensile loads are avoided.  
     [0023] Another skin may be stretched over the free end  17  in the same way as the skin  3  described above.  
     [0024] According to the invention, provision is made for a web  17  which extends crosswise of the upper opening of the main body  2  that constitutes the resonance body, dividing the skin  3  into a small-surface section  18  and a large-surface section  19 .  
     [0025] A damping strip  20  of a soft felt material is disposed on the upper side of the web  17 .  
     [0026] When the small-surface section  18  is struck, the sound obtained is higher than that obtained when the large-surface section  19  is struck.