Improvements in or appertaining to Violins, Violincellos, Guitara, and like Stringed Musical Instruments.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 7th Dec., 1805-Accepted, 11th Jan., 18'6
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Violins, Violincellos, Guitara,
and like Stringed Musical Instruments.
1, HENRY HARKER NICHOLLS of 390 Stanley Road, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster Musician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in violing violincellos, guitars and like
stringed musical instruments. It is especially designed to assist those playing such
instruments by marking clearly and decidedly notes in the higher or more difficult
positions or any or all the notes, and is especially serviceable to beginners and
learners on such instruments. The invention consists essentially in providing labels
of paper or other suitable material, on one side of which are clearly marked the
names or signs of the notes in regular lines and at the required intervals for each
string. These labels may be gummed or rendered adhesive on the other side, and
are then fixed in the correct position on the finger-board of the instrument. These
labels may suitably be made of black glazed paper. This will allow the fingers to
readily slide over the notes, which latter may be marked in white discs carrying
the names or signs of such notes. In actual practice 1 make the labels in sheets
marked with the respective notes with horizontal lines across to enable them to be
cut into strips, and with an indication at one end of the particular fret on the
finger board to which the strip is to be applied.
This construction of finger-board label will be found to be simple and effective
and will give the idea of the white discs being inlaid or let into the wood of the
finger-board.
As the strings on all stringed musical instruments converge slightly towards the
end, the lines of notes on the labels will of course converge to the desired extent.
It will of course be readily understood that different labels will be made to suit the
requirements as regards strings and notes of the different musical instrumenta.
The labels may be made and suitably marked to take up any position on the
finger-board of the instrument, but labels for the higher principal positions will be
found most useful.
Dated this 6th day of March 1895.
Improvements in or appertaining to Violins, Violincellos, Guitars,
and like Stringed Musical Instruments.
I, HENRY HARKER NICHOLLS of 390 Stanley Road Liverpool in the County
of Lancaster, Musician, 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 improvements in violins, violincellos, guitars, banjos,

page_text: !
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i
mandolines and like stringed musical instruments. It is especially designed to
assist those playing such instruments by marking clearly and decidedly notes in the
higher or more difficult positions or any or all the notes, and is especially serviceable
to beginners and learners on such instruments. The invention consists essentially
in providing labels of paper or other suitable material, on one side of which are
clearly marked the names or signs of the notes in regular lines and at the required
intervals for each string. These labels may be gummed or rendered adhesive on
the other side, and are then fixed in the correct position on the finger-board of the
instrument. These labels may suitably be made of black glazed paper. This will
allow the fingers to readily slide over the notes, which latter may be marked in
white discs carrying the names or signs of such notes. In actual practico I make
the labels in sheets marked with the respective notes with horizontal lines across to
enable them to be cut into strips, and with an indication at one end of the particular
fret on the finger board to which the strip is to be applied.
This construction of finger-board label will be found to be simple and effective
and will give the idea of the white discs being inlaid or let into the wood of the
finger-board.
As the strings on all stringed musical instruments converge slightly towards
the end, the lines of notes on the labels will of course converge to the desired
extent. It will of course be readily understood that different labels will be made
to suit the requirements as regards strings and notes of the differont musical
instruments. Tho labels may be made and suitably marked to take up any position
on the finger-board of the instrument, but labels for the higher principal positions
will be found most useful.
Referring to the drawings-
Figure 1 shows by way of example the finger board of a mandoline with my
labels attached ;
Figure 2 a set of labels as sold for being attached, with indications at the
right-hand end giving the particular fret on the finger board to which the strip is
to be applied.
A indicates the fifth fret of the instrument, B the seventh fret, C the ninth fret
and D the twelfth fret. The horizontal lines of notes are cut into strips aud
affixed in proximity to their respective frets on the finger board.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manuer the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
1. The improvement in violins, violincellos, guitars and like musical instruments
consisting in marks or labels placed in regular lines in the correct positions on the
finger boards of the instruments for the particular frets, substantially as described.
2. As a new article of manufacture a set of labels substantially as described and
for the purposes set f
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1007
Dated this Geh day
December 1805.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and Loudon, Patent Agents.