REGULATING THE TOUCH OF PIANOFORTES
Year: 1886

page_text: EDWIN AUGUSTUS SYDENHAM Professor of Music Ellenroyd. Villa Highfield
Scarborough do hereby declare the nature of my invention for REGULATING THE
TOUCH OF PIANOFORTES to be as follows:-
A narrow frame, fitted with India-rubber or other spring stretching across the
keys and resting thereon, moveable at will, to and fro, between the pivots on
which the keys work and the ends of the keys furthest from the key-board or
manual.
"
This invention consists of a long narrow piece of wood, or other material,
uniformly weighted from end to end, to which a suitable spring or cushion is
fixed, & this consisting by preference of a piece of India-rubber tubing about the
same length as the wood or other material; the foregoing, which I call "the frame
is made just long enough to fit inside the case of a pianoforte, and stretch across
all its keys, the spring or cushion being allowed to rest on the keys, so that the
weight of the frame presses proportionately on each key; this frame can be
readily moved, to and fro, betwixt the line formed by the pins or pivots (on which
the keys work), and the line formed by the ends of the keys furthest from the
key-board or manual.
When the frame is drawn close to the pivots, no perceptible difference is felt in
the ordinary touch of the pianoforte, but when the frame is gradually moved in the
opposite direction from the manual, the pressure required by the fingers on the
notes gradually increases.
The exact position of the frame may be adjusted as required, by having a pin,
(or some kind of projection), attached at each end, and which may consist of a pair
of little bolts sliding telescopically; these pins or bolts are droped or placed into
divisions or slots made to correspond in a pair of brackets fitted directly opposite
to each other, one of these brackets being placed on the left, the other on the right
side of the key-board; or the frame may be actuated to and fro from the manual
or elsewhere.
The object of this invention is to enable students of the pianoforte to regulate
the pressure of the instrument on which they practice so as to gradually acquire
firmness and evenness of touch; it is also a provision whereby public performers
may assimulate the touch of the pianofortes on which they practice with that of
those on which they perform.
1000

page_text: I, EDWIN AUGUstus Sydenham Professor of Music, Ellenroyd Villa, Highfield,
Scarborough, 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:-
The object of this invention, is to arrange a narrow frame fitted with India
rubber, or other spring stretching across the keys and resting thereon, movable at
will, to and fro, between the pivots on which the keys work and the ends of the
keys furthest from the key board, or Manual for the purpose of regulating the touch
of Pianofortes.
"
The regulator consists of a long narrow piece of wood, or other material uniformly
weighted from end to end, either with one, or several separate weights to which a
suitable spring, or cushion is fixed and this consisting by preference of a piece of
India rubber tubing about the same length as the wood, or other material. The
foregoing which I call, "the frame is made just long enough to fit inside the case
of a Pianoforte, and stretch across all its keys, the spring, or cushion being allowed
to rest on the keys, so that the weight of the frame presses proportionately on each
key; this frame can be readily moved to and fro betwixt the line formed by the
pins, or pivots (on which the keys work) and the line formed by the ends of the
keys furthest from the key board, or Manual.
When the frame is drawn close to the pivots, no perceptible difference is felt in
the ordinary touch of the Pianoforte, but when the frame is gradually moved in the
opposite direction from the Manual, the pressure required by the fingers on the
notes gradually increases. The exact position of the frame may be adjusted as
required by having a pin (or some kind of projection) attached at each end and
which may consist of a pair of little sliding bolts; these pins, or bolts are dropped,
or placed into divisions, or slots made to correspond in a pair of brackets, one of
these brackets being placed on the left, the other on the right side of the key
board, or the frame may be actuated to and fro from the Manual, or elsewhere.
The object of this invention, is to enable students of the Pianoforte to regulate
the pressure of the instrument on which they practice so as to gradually acquire
firmness and evenness of touch; it is also a provision whereby public performers
may assimulate the touch of the Pianofortes on which they practice with that of
those on which they perform.
This invention will be understood by reference to the annexed drawings, in
which Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views, showing the frame A with India
rubber tube B to rest on the keys C, C. The frame A is weighted with a strip of
lead D, or otherwise, and is moved backwards, or forwards by the arm, or arms E,
(at each end of the frame) the curved ends F of which slide in brackets G, (at each
end of the keyboard, or in any other suitable position), and can be fixed by screw,
or bolt H passing through holes a, a, as at Figure 1, or through a slot b as at
Figure 2. The bracket G may have notches c, c, to grip the end F of the arm E
Figure 3 is a section showing the frame A resting on one of the keys C which
is pivotted at I and Figure 4 is a modification of the above in which the arm E is

page_text: substituted by a screw rod El passing through the frame A which may thus be
adjusted in any position and fixed by means of screw nuts J, J. The handle K. of
the screw rod E¹ is covered with India rubber tube L, or other suitable material
to prevent it from making any noise by friction, or otherwise. In this arrange-
ment the frame A is provided with holes M, M, so that it can be adapted to the
varying spaces left in Pianos by different makers.
Figure 5 is a plan showing the position of the apparatus, (which is suitable for
instruments with either straight, or bent keys) shown at Figure 4 within the
Piano. The rubber tube L surrounding the handle K takes against the name
board N, which prevents the frame A from moving towards the performer which it
has a tendency to do every time a note is struck. It is obvious that this invention
is capable of various modifications to suit different kinds of Pianos.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. An apparatus composed of a bar A with a cushion B for bearing upon the
keys of a Piano and capable of being shifted to a greater, or less distance between
the keys, pivot pins, and the Manual for regulating the touch as described.
2. The particular apparatus shown on the annexed drawings, or any modification
thereof by which a cushioned bar bearing upon all the keys of a piano may be
adjusted, regulated, or set for the purpose described.