Patent Publication Number: US-9899012-B2

Title: Thumb-mountable support for enhancing support and control of an instrument of the violin-family

Description:
FIELD 
     The present invention is generally directed to apparatuses for use with musical instruments of the violin-family, and more particularly to an apparatus for assisting a musician while playing an instrument of the violin-family. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Instruments of the violin-family include, for example, violins, violas, and the like. Such instruments are maintained in a proper playing position by: 1) holding the body of the instrument upon the musician&#39;s shoulder/collar bone area at the base of the musician&#39;s neck; 2) using the musician&#39;s support hand to support the neck of the instrument in a manner that allows the fingers of the support hand to access the fingerboard of the instrument; and 3) using a “bowing hand” to hold a separate bow, which produces sounds when stroked across the strings of the instrument. 
     Holding the instrument in the proper position at its body and neck can present many challenges for the musician. In some instances, the body of the instrument is equipped with a chinrest on its upper surface. When the instrument is resting upon the shoulder/collar bone, the chin is placed upon the chinrest to help secure the body of the instrument in its proper position. However, the back of the instrument often has a contoured surface, which may not sufficiently stabilize the instrument on its own, thereby allowing the body of the instrument to shift during play. 
     The neck end of the instrument is held by the musician&#39;s supporting hand. To this end, the musician forms a V-shaped region between the thumb and knuckle of the index finger. However, the musician does not engage the rear portion of the neck at the bottom of the V-shaped region. Nor does the musician engage the rear portion of the neck with a hand collapsed in such a way as to have the neck supported by the palm of the hand. Rather, the neck of the instrument is supported so that it rests upon the thumb of the support hand to allow the musician to allow the four fingers of the support hand to reach the strings at various positions so as to play the desired notes. 
     There are several issues with holding the neck of the instrument in this manner. For example, both the thumb and the neck of the instrument are rounded surfaces thereby making it difficult to maintain the thumb at its proper position. Further, the neck of the instrument is typically smooth, and friction between the rear portion of the neck and the support hand may make it difficult to keep them engaged as gravity pulls the neck down off of the thumb toward the bottom of the V-shaped region. These issues are intensified as the hand moves about to finger the notes while playing the instrument. If the support hand becomes too tense in these tasks, it loses a degree of dexterity and freedom of movement in fingering the notes and adding vibrato. 
     Further, it is desirable that the shoulder of the musician&#39;s supporting hand side remain relaxed during play. Otherwise, the musician will experience tension, discomfort, and perhaps fatigue and injury as the instrument is played. This problem may become acute when the instrument is played for extended periods of time, such as during concerts, extended practice sessions, etc. 
     One device that is used to provide additional support for the instrument and reduce the load upon the support hand is known as a “shoulder rest.” This device clamps to the underside of the body of the instrument. The shoulder rest is attached at some distance away from the end of the body of the instrument and rests upon the musician&#39;s shoulder to provide upward support. At this position, the shoulder rest becomes somewhat of a fulcrum. The musician&#39;s chin is placed upon the chinrest, which provides downward pressure to anchor the instrument in place. By way of the shoulder rest fulcrum, this arrangement reduces the load needed by the support hand to elevate the neck end of the instrument. 
     However, the issue with a “shoulder rest” is that, as mentioned above, the instrument is often played for extended periods of time, and the weight of the instrument is now partially supported by the clamping action of the chin/neck of the musician, which for many may cause discomfort and tension in the neck. Many musicians also feel that the addition of a shoulder rest that clamps to the back of the violin/viola may impede the free vibration of the instrument due to said clamping action, which may have an effect on the tone of the instrument. Shoulder rests also are known to fall off of the instrument, sometimes during a performance. 
     SUMMARY 
     A thumb-mountable apparatus for use on a thumb of a support hand of a musician to provide additional support for the neck instrument while playing a violin-family instrument is disclosed. Many of the problems associated with supporting the neck of the instrument are substantially eliminated and/or reduced thereby. 
     One exemplary embodiment of the apparatus includes a thumb ring configured to at least partially surround the thumb of the support hand to facilitate securement of the apparatus to the support hand. The exemplary embodiment also includes a saddle extending from the thumb ring and having a lower surface configured to engage a generally V-shaped region formed between a thumb and body of the support hand, and an upper surface configured to accept a rear portion of a neck of the violin-family instrument. 
     Various other aspects of this exemplary embodiment may include one or more of the following features. The apparatus where the thumb ring is configured to extend from a position proximate or above a first thumb knuckle of the musician and terminate at a position below a second thumb knuckle of the musician to thereby allow tactile contact between the thumb of the musician and the neck of the violin-family instrument. The apparatus where the saddle is configured to extend from the thumb ring and terminate at a position proximate a first knuckle of an index finger of the musician to thereby allow contact between fingers of the musician and a fingerboard of the violin-family instrument. The apparatus where the saddle is formed from resiliently deformable materials having varying densities. The apparatus where the saddle is formed from a resiliently deformable material selected from a group including foam rubber and neoprene. The apparatus where the upper surface of the saddle includes a low-friction enhancement surface disposed to engage the rear portion of the neck of the violin-family instrument to facilitate movement of the support hand along the neck of the violin-family instrument. The apparatus where the low-friction enhancement surface is selected from a group including: a velour material and/or a hook and loop material disposed to engage the rear portion of the neck of the violin-family instrument. The apparatus where the hook and loop material is configured to allow provision of multiple layers at the upper surface of the saddle to adjust a height of the saddle. The apparatus where at least one of the saddle and thumb ring are moldable by the musician. 
     A further exemplary embodiment of the apparatus includes a thumb ring formed from a first material and configured to at least partially surround the thumb of the support hand to facilitate securement of the apparatus to the support hand, the thumb ring including at least one pair of opposed side straps. The apparatus also includes a saddle formed from a second material and connected to the thumb ring by the at least one pair of opposed side straps, wherein at least a lower portion of the saddle is configured for engaging a generally V-shaped region formed between a thumb and body of the support hand. 
     Various other aspects of this further exemplary embodiment may include one or more of the following features. The apparatus where the first material and the second material have different densities. The apparatus where the thumb ring is configured to extend from a position proximate or below a first thumb knuckle of the musician and terminate at a position below a second thumb knuckle of the musician to thereby allow tactile contact between the thumb of the musician and a neck of the violin-family instrument. The apparatus where the saddle is configured to terminate at a position below a second knuckle of an index finger of the musician to thereby allow contact between fingers of the musician and a fingerboard of the violin-family instrument. The apparatus where the saddle is configured to terminate proximate a first knuckle of an index finger of the musician. The apparatus further including a low-friction enhancement surface at an upper surface of one or both of the thumb ring and the saddle to facilitate gliding of the apparatus along at least a rear portion of a neck of the violin-family instrument. The apparatus where the saddle is moldable by the musician. 
     A still further embodiment of the apparatus includes a thumb ring configured to at least partially surround the thumb of the support hand to facilitate securement of the apparatus to the support hand. The apparatus also includes a saddle extending from the thumb ring and having a lower surface configured to engage a generally V-shaped region formed between a thumb and body of the support hand, and an upper surface configured to accept a rear portion of a neck of the violin-family instrument. A moldable structure is configured with the saddle to allow the musician to deform the saddle to a desired contour. 
     Various other aspects of this still further exemplary embodiment may include one or more of the following features. The apparatus where the moldable structure comprises a thin ductile strip. The apparatus where the thumb ring is configured to extend from a position proximate or below a first thumb knuckle of the musician and terminate at a position below a second thumb knuckle of the musician to thereby allow tactile contact between the thumb of the musician and the neck of the violin-family instrument. The apparatus where the saddle is configured to terminate at a position below a second knuckle of an index finger of the musician to thereby allow contact between fingers of the musician and a fingerboard of the violin-family instrument. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of one embodiment of thumb-mountable support for use on a support hand of a musician. 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the thumb-mountable support shown in  FIG. 1  mounted on the thumb of the support hand of the musician. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the thumb-mountable support shown in  FIG. 1  mounted on the thumb of the support hand of the musician, where the thumb and index finger of the musician are in a generally vertical position. 
         FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the thumb-mountable support shown in  FIG. 1  mounted on the thumb of the support hand of the musician, where the thumb and index finger of the musician are generally separated from one another in a palm up position. 
         FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the thumb-mountable support shown in  FIG. 1  mounted on the thumb of the support hand of the musician, where the neck of the instrument is engaged by at least a portion of the top surface of the thumb-mountable support. 
         FIG. 6  is a side perspective view of another embodiment of an thumb-mountable support, shown mounted on the thumb of the support hand of the musician. 
         FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of the embodiment of the thumb-mountable support shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of a still further embodiment of a thumb-mountable support mounted on the thumb of the support hand of the musician. 
         FIG. 9  is a side perspective view of a still further embodiment of the thumb-mountable support for use on the support hand of the musician. 
         FIG. 10  is a further side perspective view of the embodiment of the thumb-mountable support shown in  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a front perspective view of the embodiment of the thumb-mountable support shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  as mounted on the thumb of the support hand of the musician. 
         FIG. 12  is a side perspective view of the embodiment of the thumb-mountable support shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  as mounted on the thumb of the support hand of the musician. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of one embodiment of a thumb-mountable support  10  for use with the support hand of a musician. The apparatus  10  is configured for wearing on the thumb of the support hand of a musician while playing a violin-family instrument. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the apparatus includes a thumb ring  20  and a saddle  30 . As shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , the thumb ring  20  is configured to at least partially surround the thumb  35  of the support hand  40  to facilitate securement of the thumb-mountable support  10  to the thumb of the support hand  40 . The thumb ring  20  includes an interior sidewall  45  configured to receive the thumb  35  of the musician. The thumb ring  20  may be formed as a complete thumb ring in which the interior sidewall  45  is continuous and completely surrounds the thumb  35 , such as the type shown here. Alternatively, it may be formed as a partial thumb ring in which the interior sidewall  45  is split and discontinuous. In this alternative construction, the interior sidewall  45  of the thumb ring  20  is allowed to spread and contract to accommodate thumbs of various diameters. A strip of ductile material may be disposed about the thumb ring  20  to allow the musician to mold it to a desired size and/or shape. 
     As also shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the saddle  30  extends from the thumb ring  20  and has a lower surface  60  and an upper surface  70 . With particular reference to  FIG. 5 , the upper surface  70  is configured to accept a rear portion  73  of a neck  75  of the violin-family instrument, while the lower surface  60  is configured to engage a generally V-shaped region  80  formed between the thumb  35  and body  90  of the support hand  40 . 
     One example of the extent to which the thumb ring  20  and saddle  30  may engage the support hand  40  is shown in  FIGS. 2-5 . In this embodiment, the thumb ring  20  may be configured to extend from a position proximate or below a first thumb knuckle  100  of the support hand  40  and terminate at a position proximate a second thumb knuckle  110 . Here, the thumb ring terminates at a position slightly below the rear portion of the second thumb knuckle  110 . It may likewise terminate at a position slightly below the front portion of the second thumb knuckle  110 . This configuration allows the thumb  35  to bend about one or both of the first thumb knuckle  100  and/or the second thumb knuckle  110  to thereby allow tactile contact between the thumb  35  and the neck  75 . 
     As also shown in this embodiment, the saddle  30  is configured to extend from the thumb ring  20  and terminate at a position proximate a first knuckle  120  of an index finger  130  of the support hand  40 . Here, the upper portion of the saddle  30  terminates at a position slightly below the first knuckle  120  as the musician supports the instrument. This configuration allows the index finger  130 , as well as the other fingers of the musician, to contact the fingerboard  140  while playing the instrument. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the thumb-mountable support  10  may further include a resiliently deformable flap  145  that may extend downward from the rear portion of the thumb ring  20 . In this embodiment, the resiliently deformable flap  145  forms part of the thumb ring  20  and extends from the principal body portion  160  of the thumb ring  20  to a position below the first thumb knuckle  100 .  FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the thumb-mountable support  10  showing the thumb  35  and index finger  130  of the musician in a generally vertical position. In this state, the resiliently deformable flap  145  prevents the apparatus from rotating from its preferred position on the hand during use.  FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of the thumb-mountable support  10  showing the thumb  35  and index finger  130  of the musician separated from one another in a palm up position. In this state, the resiliently deformable flap  145  prevents the apparatus from rotating from its preferred position on the hand during use. 
     The thumb ring  20  and/or saddle  30  may be constructed from a resiliently deformable material. If the resiliently deformable material is of a type that presents a substantial amount of friction with the material at the rear portion  73  of the neck  75 , the upper surface  70  of the saddle  30  and/or thumb ring  20  may be constructed to include a low-friction enhancement surface  150 . In such instances, the low-friction enhancement surface  150  is used to lower the friction experienced between the neck  75  and the apparatus  10  as the musician moves the support hand  40  along the neck  75  while playing the instrument. In some embodiments, the low-friction enhancement surface  150  may be formed from a velour material and/or a hook and loop material (i.e., Velcro®). When a hook and loop material is used, multiple layers of the material may be easily added and removed from the low-friction enhancement surface  150  to adjust the height of the saddle  30 . In this manner, the spacing between the generally V-shaped region  80  and the rear portion  73  of the neck  75  may be varied to allow the musician to customize the apparatus  10  for optimal support. 
       FIGS. 6-8  illustrate another embodiment of the thumb-mountable support  10 . In this embodiment, one or both the saddle and/or thumb ring are formed from resiliently deformable materials having varying densities. Higher density materials may be employed to optimize support at various portions of the thumb-mountable support  10 , while lower density material may be used in other areas to aid in flexibility and provide comfort to the musician. 
     With particular reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the thumb-mountable support  10  includes thumb ring  20  formed from a first material and configured to at least partially surround the thumb  35  to facilitate securement of the apparatus  10  with the support hand  40 . In this embodiment, the thumb ring  20  may be formed to include a first material. The thumb ring  20  includes at least one pair of opposed side straps  170  in fixed alignment with opposed exterior walls  180  of the saddle  30 . The saddle  30  may be formed from a second material and connected directly to the thumb ring  20  by the opposed side straps  170 . In this example, the first material has a density that is higher than the second material. As such, the thumb ring  20  provides substantial support to the thumb  35 , while the saddle  30  is more flexible to allow the index finger  130  to move with less effort about the fingerboard  140 . The material used to form the saddle  30  and thumb ring  20  may be selected from a wide range of resiliently deformable material, such as foam rubber, neoprene, and the like. Similar to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the saddle  30  may be provided with a low-friction enhancement surface  150 , placement of which is shown in  FIG. 8 . 
       FIGS. 9-12  illustrate yet another embodiment of the thumb-mountable support  10 . In this embodiment, the thumb-mountable support  10  includes a moldable structure configured with the saddle  30  to allow the musician to deform the saddle  30  to a desired contour. The moldable structure may be constructed in a number of different manners. Here, as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the saddle  30  is split to form opposing structures  190  defining an open groove  200  therebetween. A thin strip  210  of a ductile material extends between the opposing structures  190  and spans the open groove  200 . The thin strip  210  may be formed from one or more ductile materials, including a metal, such as copper with heat shrink covering, a moldable putty, etc. In this specific embodiment, the shape of the thin strip  210  may be molded by the musician. The width and shape of the open groove  200  adjusts based on the shape to which the musician molds the thin strip  210 . Together, the thin strip  210  and width of the open groove  200  help the musician to configure the saddle  30  to its desired contour. 
       FIG. 11  is a front perspective view of the embodiment of the thumb-mountable support shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  as applied to the support hand of the musician, while  FIG. 12  shows a side perspective view of the embodiment. Similar to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the saddle  30  may be provided with a low-friction enhancement surface  150 , placement of which is shown in  FIGS. 11 and 12 . 
     In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have been described. However, it is understood that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present teachings.