Improvements in Pianofortes and Pianettes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1896-Accepted, 27th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pianofortes and Pianettes.
1, JOSEPH STRONG, of Lismore, in the Colony of New South Wales, Music
Seller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention relates to musical instruments of the pianoforte and pianette class.
It consists firstly in a certain attachment for use with such instruments whereby
the movements of certain keys are each referred to a plurality of keys in the piano
or pianette, which in turn, causing the hammers to strike corresponding strings
proluce chords; and it also consists in certain improvements in the "action" of
the instruments named..
The attachment, in which the first part of my invention consists, is a key
compounding mechanism. The keys on the keyboard of the piano or pianette or
parts connected therewith are acted on by strikers or fingers on the compounding
bars in the attachment, which bars are each separated by a single key. The
strikers or fingers on the compounding bars are placed in such positions that the
depression of the bars will cause them to operate such of the keys of the instrument
as will produce a "chord." Thus when the finger keys of the compounding bars
of the attachment are struck, the corresponding chord is sounded just as if all the
keys on the keyboard of the instrument had been struck in the ordinary way.
There is a compounding bar provided for the treble of every chord, and the
finger keys of these bars are marked to indicate their values and to shew which
of them correspond. Thus the keys of the group connected with the middle
octave (treble) are numbered from 1 to 7 and there is a plate beside them inscribed
"Major Chords," or words or letters to that effect. Other groups are similarly
indicated, and for greater clearness the keys controlling chords of the minor are
indicated by red coloring or figuring whilst those of the major are indicated by
black coloring or figuring. A similar system of coloring or figuring is in use for
the bass, where simply keys and not compounding bars are preferably used. The
finger keys referring to all major chords are marked 1 to 7; those referring to the
minor 8 to 12; and those referring to modulating chords 13 and 14.
The attachment is adapted to be placed over the keys (or connected parts) of a
piano or pianette, whose ordinary construction must be somewhat altered to allow
of this being done; this alteration involves the doing away with the common
keyboard and the substitution for it of a keyboard all the keys of which are of
equal width and on the same level. The attachment is so set up that it can be
moved along the keyboard just as a typewriter carriage can be moved on its bed;
by such a movement it can be set to any key in a moment, with which end in view
it is provided with a pointer which moves across an indicator plate on the piano
frame, on which plate the names of the tonic notes corresponding to the several
positions of the attachment are inscribed.
The strikers on the compounding bars are spaced so that they will strike keys
separated by the proper intervals. As the chords of any key are severally produced
by striking keys the intervals between which are alike for corresponding chords,
the positions of these strikers will be always correct whatever key the attachment
may be placed for. Thus the first major chord will consist of sounds between
which there are fixed intervals irrespective of the key, and so on through the

page_text: 7 major 5 minor, and two modulating chords which the attachment is adapted to
produce. To produce the first major chord of the key to which the attachment is
set, the finger key marked 1 (in black) of the group bracketed as major is struck
with a finger of the right hand, whilst one of or the two finger keys in the bass
marked 1 (in black) and separated by the distance of a complete octave are struck
with the left hand. Any other of the thirteen remaining chords is struck in the
same manner. In the treble, the series of chords is duplicated in the upper octave,
whereby the player is given opportunity to play the chord in the two octaves, or
to choose either octave at will.
The broadly novel principle in this part of the invention is the operating of
chord keys by means of compounding mechanism whereby one finger key is made
to actuate a plurality of strikers.
The other parts of the invention relate to the "action" or that part of the
instruments named which lies between the finger keys and the hammers. Two
actions have been devised for use in an instrument adapted to be operated by the
attachment herein before described; they differ structurally in some respects from
known actions and the arrangement of the parts is such than an ordinary keyboard
is provided and may be used at the same time as the chord playing attachment and
without interfering with it. In both these actions, the movements of the finger-
keys are first conveyed to balanced bars or levers whose motion is in turn
communicated through beaks or hoppers to the hammers though they have been
devised to permit of the use of the attachment hereinbefore referred to, they are
usable in connection with instruments with which the attachment is not employed.
Referring to the annexed sheets of drawings,
Fig. I is a section through a piano to which my invention is applied; Fig. 2 a
plan of same, the top of the case being removed; Fig. 3 a front view thereof;
Fig. 4 a section through another piano having a different action, and also having
the compounding attachment connected with it; Fig. 5 a plan of the arrangement
sectioned in Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 longitudinal section illustrative of the construction of the key compounding
attachment; Fig. 7 a top plan of sane; Fig. 8 a bottom plan of same;
Figs. 9 and 10 detail of compounding bars.
Referring to Fig. 1, A is the piano wire, B one of the ordinary keys, C the
compounding attachment, D the hammer, d the hammer butt, d' a toe piece thereon
faced with felt, d the centrepin of the hammer, E the sticker connected flexibly
at its ends to the key B and to the intermediate bars E' which are supported and
sustained in normal position by a spring carrier e. On the outer end of the bar E
a beak or claw G is mounted; it is set on a screwed pin G on which are two
nuts G2 which bite it and keep it in place so that it may be adjusted to fit the toe
of the hammer. H is a damper whose pad h lies normally in contact with the
wire A, in which position it is kept by the spring , its outer end being in
contact with the bar E. I is a spring for tripping back the hammer to which it
is connected by a wire loop I. When the key B is depressed it acts through the
sticker on the intermediate bar E' which it depresses, thereby bringing down the
hammer and raising the damper at the same moment as in ordinary piano actions.
The compounding attachment acts on the bars E' just as the keys do. Referring
to Figs. 4 and 5 illustrative of the alternative action, similar letters of reference
refer to like parts. The hammer is provided with a counterbalanced butt J, and
the forward part of the butt is connected by a flexible stirrup K to the intermediate
bar E', which is mounted on a pin el and counterbalanced by a weight e².
hopper L is pivoted at L to the bar E' and a light spring L2 thereon acts upon
it tending to push it backward. Its point works in the notch L³ in the butt J.
M is a check buffer whose shank M' works in a carrier M on the hopper, there
being a set screw M³ to bite it. The damper is operated by connections almost
identical with those described in the previous arrangement; the intermediate
bar E' is connected to the power end of the damper lever through a sticker N.
The

page_text: Near the top end of the hopper a wiper arm or escapement is set pivotally
upon it; this wiper is acted upon by a setting screw O' which works through
a bracket 02 on the hopper. 03 is a stop or check to prevent the hopper
overrunning. The wiper arm O slides on the edge of the escapement rail P,
its contact with which causes the toe of the hopper to move towards the
hammer head; the point at which the escapement action commences is
determined by the setting of the screw O'. Q is the key centre pin, and Q' the
key balance pin; Q2 is a light spring on the key rail Q³, and Q' is a connection
joining the spring Q and the intermediate bar E. The bars E' are of equal
width and spacing; one of them is provided for every key. It will be seen on
reference to the drawings that the compounding attachment C is placed between
the keys B and the outer or guided end of the intermediate bar E', and that it need
not be removed to allow a performer to manipulate the keys B, which he raay do
independently of the attachinent or to procure additional effects. The working
surfaces of the parts in the action are shod with felt or other substance ordinarily
used by piano makers for this purpose. Either of the actions may be fitted with
pedal mechanism of any suitable well known construction.
Fig. 3 illustrates the front view of a pinnette having my compounding attachment
fitted to it, and Figs. 6 to 10 detail of the attachment.
R is a knee clip fastened to the attachment, by means of which it can be moved
along the keyboard readily so as to transpose from one key to another without
necessitating the removal of the operators hands from the keyboard. R' is the
pointer and R2 the indicator plate by means of which the key to which the
attachment is set is indicated.
The left hand or "bass" end of the attachment need not be provided with
compounding mechanism which is necessary only in the "treble," but if desired the
bass may be similarly compounded; it is preferred to compound the bass when the
compass of the compounding attachment is made to exceed (say) four and a half
octaves. The frame of the attachment is oblong and consists of a box-like
structure open at the bottom side and having in it guides and carriers for the
simple and compound strikers, the former of which are in the bass, and the latter
in the treble. The simple strikers S are single studs, one to each key, set in
vertical slides and having light springs S' to maintain them in the normal position
as shewn in Fig. 6. Upon any one of these strikers being depressed by the
operator it moves the corresponding intermediate bar E' below it and so throws
the action into motion; upon the pressure of the finger being withdrawn, the
striker resumes its normal position. The compound strikers consist of bars T
moving in guides U and provided with button headed pins T' to make contact with
the intermediate bars which require to be moved to strike the chord to which
the striker corresponds; there is provided also a finger contact piece V on the top
side of each of the strikers; these pieces pass through slots in the top plate of the
attachment. T, T2 are the bottom guide plates of the attachment. The bars T
move on guide pins W which pass through holes bored in them; they are supported
in their normal positions by light spiral springs X which are fixed about the
guides W.
To produce the first major chord of the key to which the attachment is set, the
strikers in the bass to which the number 1 is affixed are depressed, as a piano key,
with fingers of the left hand, and either or both keys similarly marked in the
major groups in the treble are struck with a finger or fingers of the right hand.
Any other of the fourteen chords is produced by selecting strikers similarly marked
aud striking them with fingers of the right hand.
The "action" illustrated in Fig. 1 has been devised to adapt a pianoforte or
pianette to be operated by an attachment of the nature described placed between
the ordinary keyboard and the fulcra of the intermediate bars; whilst the
"action" in Fig. 4 has been designed for use when the ordinary keyboard is
between the attachment and the said fulcra.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is,-
1. An attachment for pianofortes and pianettes, in which attachment finger
pieces operate strikers so placed relatively to one another as to act upon keys of
the instrument forming chords, substantially as described.
2. An attachment for playing chords on pianofortes and pianettes, consisting of
compounding bars, one for every chord, and each having a finger key and also
strikers suitably spaced so as to operate the "action," said attachment being
capable of being moved along the keyboard and set to different keys, substantially
as described.
3. The general construction and combination of parts in the attachment referred
to in the two preceding claiming clauses, substantially as described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
4. Adapting a pianoforte or pianette to be operated by an attachment of the
kind herein described, by inserting in the "action" an intermediate bar or lever
which is acted upon by the strikers of the compounding bars, and which moves the
hammers, substantially as described.
5. The mechanism for actuating the hammers in a pianoforte or pianette herein
described with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, consisting in an
intermediate bar E' moved by the keys and having at its working end a beak or
claw G which acts on the toe d' of the hammer D.
6. The mechanism for actuating the hammers in a pianoforte or pianette herein
described with reference to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings, consisting in an
intermediate bar E bridled to the hammer, a hopper L with an adjustable
check M, and an adjustable escapement working on the edge of a fixed rail P.
Dated this 21st day of January 1896.
J. E. EVANS-JACKSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.