Improvements in Damping Devices for Zithers and other Musical Instruments.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Sept., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Damping Devices for Zithers and other Musical
Instruments.
Communicated by MAX ANDORFF, of 290, Bismarkstrasse, Markneukirchen,
Saxony, in the Empire of Germany.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street Manchester
both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County.of
Middlesex Civil Engineer 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 has for its object an improved damping device for musical
instruments, and is characterized by the arrangement that the music sheet or strip,
whether endless or otherwise, does not move towards the player as in the devices
already employed, but from right to left or vice versa; and also that by the
arrangement of the dampers in a diagonal direction the music strip or sheet is
made very narrow, and may be shifted further along by means of a lever device,
which is operated by being simply pressed down. Thus only an oscillating
movement of the fingers is necessary in order to set the whole arrangement in
operation, so that the inconvenient turning of cranks is dispensed with, which is
a very great advantage to the player, in view of the fact that the latter must make
a sliding or oscillating movement with the right hand.
As is well known, it is easier to make a sliding movement with both hands than
to make such a movement with only one hand, and to revolve a crank with the
other.
The object of the present invention is
applied, for instance, to a zither.
Figure 1 being a longitudinal section,
Figure 2 a plan view,
Figure 3 a cross section,
Figure 4 a plan view of the music sheet.
shown on the accompanying drawing as
A bridge 6 of suitable material is arranged on the sound box a, which bridge
may be provided with slots or openings. On the under side of the bridge, flat
springs d carrying dampers d¹ corresponding to the strings c are fixed. These
dampers are provided with round or rectangular pins e. The dampers are
however, arranged in such a way that they move diagonally to the bridge.
Openings and a plate g are provided diagonally in the bridge, the plate being
also provided with holes e into which the pins e are easily inserted. The pins
themselves are bevelled at their upper ends, so that they can only move downwards
in one direction on the upper side of the bridge on an article being slid along
them. On the upper side of the bridge, a diagonal rule or bar his arranged
oscillating on a pivot i and is constantly pressed upwards by means of a spring k.
Supports are arranged on the sides of the bridge, and in these the spindle m,
firmly connected with arms n g and o, is arranged. The arm n is held in a guide
piece attached to the bridge and is provided at its end with a set screw &
(Figure 1). Near the point of attachment of the arm n, the arm 9 branches off
corresponding to the arm o at the other end of the spindle. The two arms o and g
are each pivotally connected with another arm r. The arms have at their ends
projections t and always drop downwards by reason of their own weight. On the
longitudinal sides of the bridge, guide rails or bars w are arranged, which serve
for guiding the music sheet or strip.

page_text: The mode of operation of this device is as follows:-
y,
The music sheet or strip is placed on the bridge b, this sheet being provided
with holes corresponding to the chords or tune.
Holes in which the projections t
of the levers r engage, are formed in the music sheet or strip near its longitudinal
edges. If the lever n be then pressed by hand towards the bridge, that is to say,
downwards, a moving forward of the lever rand a pushing forward of the music sheet
or strip to an amount corresponding to the distance z of the holes y takes place.
Further by the pressing down of the lever n the downward movement of the
diagonal rule or scale h and the pressing down of the music sheet or strip on to
the bridge b in proximity to the pins e is effected so that those pins which do not
freely pass through the openings in the music sheet, are moved downwards. As
however, the pins e are connected with the dampers d', the latter are pressed
against the strings c. As the strings are struck by means of a contact ring or the
like, only those sound which are not damped by the dampers, that is to say, those
which belong to the pins released by the music sheet or strip; as a hole in the
music sheet or strip comes over a pin, the latter is pressed upwards by means of
the spring d and the damper d' belonging thereto leaves the string c lying under
the same.
If the lever n be released, it is pressed upwards, together with the rule
or scale h, by the arrangement of the spring k, and a return movement of the
levers with their projections t which are bevelled on their under part, takes
place. It is not possible for the music sheet to make a return movement, as the
bevelled pins e do not allow of this. If the lever n be again pressed downwards,
the projections t engage in the next hole y and move forward the music sheet
again to the extent z, that is to say, to the extent of one row of notes whereupon
a given number of pins e are again released and the strings lying beneath them,
when struck, are caused to sound, thus when playing, before striking the strings,
the lever n is pressed downwards.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An improved damping device for zithers and other musical instruments
consisting of a forwarding lever provided with projections engaging (at each
striking of the strings) under the action of a pressure lever in openings arranged
at equal distances in a music sheet or strip near its longitudinal edges, and pushing
forward the music sheet or strip to the extent of one row of notes, dampers
arranged diagonally and provided with pins by which they are pressed against the
strings by means of the music strip or sheet, and a diagonal rule simultaneously
pressed against the music sheet by the action of the lever mechanism with the
object of moving forward the music sheet to the extent of one row of notes, and
of pressing downwards those dampers the pressure pins of which are not released
by the music sheet, and thereby damping those strings which do not properly
belong to the chord being struck.
2. In a damping device such as described in Claim 1, the arrangement of arms
provided with projections which are pivotally connected with arms o and q or n
mounted on a spindle m, the arm n operating a diagonal rule which stands under
the pressure of a spring, by means of an intercalated screw s in such a way that by
the projection t engaging in holes y of a music sheet and by the moving forward
of the lever r an even gradual forward movement of the music sheet or strip is
obtained at each depression of the lever n, substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 21st day of September 1894.