AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR TEACHING MUSIC
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM JOHNSON Mason Scalloway Shetland do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR TEACHING MUSIC, to be as
follows:-
A sheet of pasto board or paper with the lines of the musical stave stamped on
it at the top, and the impression of a key-board of an instrument (Piano &c) at
the bottom The lines of said stave is brought down, curved, from the horizontal
to the perpendicular and carried across their proper plases on the keyboard. This
sheet or board is perforated to alow figures to be seen through it and another board
attached to the back of the former, to shift from right to left, with all the sharps
and flats on it, to appear in their proper places on the stave when a scale of the
figures from 1 to 8 passes along the keyboard, pointing out the different scales
Also the charactors of the Tonic-sol-fah Notation appear through the perforations
explaining the transitions, & the scale extended up the right hand side of the
front sheet.

page_text: I WILLIAM JOHNSON, Scalloway, Shetland, Mason, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for TEACHING MUSIC and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Two Sheets of paper, The one placed at the back of the other, and mounted with
frame and glass in the same mannar as a picture. No 1 Sheet hereafter to be
called the front Sheet, is two feet six inches broad, or thereby and two feet deep,
or thereby. Across the foot of which, about two inches from the bottom is the
impression of the key board of an instrument (Piano &c) and at the top,
commencing about three inches from the left hand side, and extending one foot or
thereby to the right, in the usual or horizontal direction, is the five lines of the
musical stave Then said lines are bent down to the perpendicular so as to be
carried across their proper keys on the above mentioned keyboard. The lower or
left hand line of said stave being carried across the key of E, the next line that
of G, The third line B, and so on. There are also twelve notes (semibreeves)
placed on the lines and spaces of said stave about three inches above said keyboard,
those representing semitone are written in semi-notes. Also the notes of the Tonic
Sol Fah Notation are written about an inch above said keyboard and extended up
the right hand side to the top of said Front Sheet along the right hand end of a
detached extention of horizontal part of said stave, showing the space between each
note by cross lines on end of said stave. There are two slips A & B and eight
square boles C cut out on said front sheet, one of the slips A is cut out on upper
edge of said keyboard the other B. about an inch above it across the lines of the
stave. The eight holes Care cut at the beginning of said stave emidiately after
treeble on G, clef. These perforations are made on front sheet so as to allow of
charactors appearing through it that are written on the other sheet No 2, hereafter
to be called the back sheet or shifting card board, Which is two feet deep or thereby,
and one foot eight inches broad or thereby, made of cardboard and placed at back
of abovementared Front Sheet to be shifted from right to left and vice varssa by
means of a cord, The charactors on back Sheet or shifting cardboard, consist of
thirtysix signatures-Twentyone sharps and fifteen flats, and about two and an
half octaves of the Tonic Sol Fah Notation and an equal number of octaves of
figures from 1 to 8-As 1 and 8 only represent one note they are written in
monogram Said figure are written above five inches from bottom of said Back
Sheet, and appear through slit A that is cut on upper edge of keyboard on Front
Sheet Said notes of Tonic Sol Fal Notation on Back Sheet appear through slit B
that is cut across the lines of stave above mentioned. The sharps and flats appear
through the eight square holes C above mentioned and all are arainged so that
when the back sheet is shifted about half an inch to right or left they point out a
new key. The above mentioned figures point out the different scales on the key-
board, and said notes of Tonic Sol Fah notation on back Sheet shifting across the
lines of the stave and the fixed notes of the staff Notation also connected with
fixed notes of its own Notation on Front Sheet, point out transitions. Said sharps
and flats point out the notes that should be sharpened or flattened in each change
of keys.
The natural on white keys on key board are all named from A. to G. and one
octaves of black keys from B flat down to. D flat. There is also written at the

page_text: upper left hand cornor of said front Sheet the begining of a stave raised one line
and space above the abovementioned stave on said Front Sheet, with a bass clef
showing the position of sharps and flats on Bass on F Clef.
Having now particularly decribed and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what.
I claim is (1) the arangment of the signatures and the holes they appear through
which bring out the sharps and flats in their proper places (2) The araingment
of the notes of the Tonic Sol Fah Notation and the manner they point out
transitions, and sharpened and flattened notes when back Sheet is shifted (3) The
araingment of the figures and the manner they point out key notes, and their
different scales.
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