Improvements in Apparatus for Muting Violins and some other Stringed Instruments.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 20th May, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Muting Violins and some other
Stringed Instruments.
I, JAMES ATKINSON, of Otahuhu, in the Provincial District of Auckland, in
the Colony of New Zealand, Watchmaker, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for muting violins and similar
stringed instruments and has for its object dispensing with a loose or separate mute
as usually used at the present time by violinists and other musicians and providing
an apparatus by which the volume of sound from the instrument may be softened
or modulated and which may be brought into operation in an easy, effective, and
rapid manner by the chin or other part of the musician's body, without interrupting
the playing, as has been the practice heretofore.
With my apparatus the player may produce musical effects on the instrument
which cannot be obtained with a loose mute.
Another object is to provide means by which the apparatus, when once put into
operation by one movement, will remain so, until released by another movement of
the chin.
Further objects are to construct the apparatus so that it may readily be applied
to the ordinary tail-picce of a violin without damaging the latter, and by means of
an adjusting mechanism the mute may be applied either directly over the bridge or
slightly in advance of the same, in which latter case the muting is effected by
pressure upon the strings. I construct the apparatus to be as noiseless as possible
when being brought into or thrown out of operation.
In carrying these objects into effect I make use of the common tail-piece of the
violin, to which I apply a thin metal plate having wings which may be readily bent
and fitted to the same, and as a further security and to obtain a firm hold upon the
tail-piece and to prevent the said tail-piece from being scratched or damaged, I
line the same with soft leather. In the case of the violoncello and some other
instruments where the apparatus is worked by the foot and receives a downward
pressure, I supply a small screw having a facetted point, which prevents the said
plate from slipping back when the clips have been adjusted to the tapering portion
of the tail-piece In the case of a violin I fix upon this metal plate two standards,
to the upper part of which is fulcrumed a lever, which at one end carries a pad for
the chin and at the other carries the mute. In the case of the violoncello and
other stringed instruments where the apparatus is operated by the foot I pass a
lever underneath and extended behind the instrument. This said lever is provided
near its front part with an adjusting mechanism by which the mute may be
advanced or withdrawn as may be required to bring the same either over the bridge
or in advance of the same; it is further provided near its rear part with a locking
mechanism which, whilst freely allowing the lever to enter the same, effectually
holds it there until released by a forward or lateral movement of the lever, to effect
which action the lever is provided with a spring and socket. To bring the
necessary pressure to bear for muting, I place a strong spring at the back of the
fulcrum and operating underneath the lever.
When operating my invention the player advances the chin pad which releases
the lever from the locking mechanism and permits the strong spring underneath
the lever to come into action, and exert the necessary pressure to mute the
instrument. This pressure will continue to be exerted for any length of time
at the will of the performer and without any further effort on his part.

page_text: To throw the mute out of action the musician presses down the pad when the
lever enters the locking mechanism and is there held during the will of the player
and without any further effort on his part.
Where the apparatus is operated by the foot, the lever before mentioned for
such cases, is moved laterally to release the apparatus and mute the instrument,
and pressed downwards when it is desired to terminate the muting.
In order that my invention may be more easily understood and brought into
operation by one skilled in the art to which it appertains I will now proceed to
describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the accompanying sheets of
drawings upon which similar letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding
parts throughout the several views.
Fig. 1, is an isometrical projection of my apparatus attached to the ordinary
tail-piece, and shewing the bridge and strings of a violin.
Fig. 2, is a cross section shewing the locking mechanism of the same, part in
section.
Fig. 3, is a section of part of the lever.
Fig. 4, is a view of an alternative form of apparatus.
Fig. 5, is a view of the apparatus as applied to instruments where the lever is
operated by the foot.
Fig. 6, is a view of a thumb screw.
In Fig. 1, (a) is a thin metal plate having wings or clips (a') which clasp around
the edge of the tail-piece (a2) and are lined with chamois leather (a) by preference.
The tail-piece has the usual holes and slots (a) for the strings (ab) which pass over
the bridge (a) in the ordinary manner. The standards (b) are fixed to the
plate (a) and at their extremities have a pin (6¹) upon which is fulcrumed the
lever (c). The chin pad (c¹) which is made of polished wood by preference is
attached to the said lever by the small plate (²). At the front part of the
lever (c) is carried the mute (d) which is made in the form as shewn and has a
pad (¹) of leather by preference, which falls noiselessly and bears with considerable
pressure upon the strings and bridge without injury to the same, and which has
arms (d2) converging and fixed to the collars (d² & d). Between these said collars
is placed the nut (5), which is screwed to receive the end of the lever (c). The
two arms (2) are prolonged beyond the collar (d) and pass through the plate (aº)
which is pierced to receive the same and which is fixed to the lever (c). The
spiral springs (7) are coiled around the arms (2) and by exerting pressure
between the plates (d) and collar (d) prevent jarring. The mute (d) has
studs (8) and thumb screws (d) by which it is connected to the lever (c). The
It will be
slots (d) in the arms (d2) permit of vertical adjustinent of the mute.
evident from this description and by reference to the drawings that by turning
the nut (5) the mute (d) may be advanced or withdrawn and by passing the
extensions of the arms (d2) through the plate (d) will be kept parallel to the
strings and bridge.
At the rear part of the lever (c) and attached thereto is the stem (e) having a
spherical head (e) which may rest upon a pad (2) of leather by preference. Upon
each side of this stem is arranged a socket (e) having a bolt actuated by a
spring (e), and placed at an angle of about ninety degrees to each other, as shewn
in Fig. 2 which position whilst freely allowing the spherical head (e) to enter from
above, firmly and securely locks the same when placed between the two bolts (e³)
and prevents it from being forced upwards. The pins (e) keep the bolts (es) from
being pushed entirely out of the sockets (66) by the springs (e), by engaging with
the bottom of the recess (c10), when the bolts are not engaged with the spherical
head. The socket (f), shewn in section in Fig. 3, receives the lever (c), which
may slide within the same against the action of the spring (f'), but it is prevented
from being entirely withdrawn by the slot (2) which embraces the pin (73). The
spring (4) fits between the standards (6) and coils around the pin (h) and has its lower
end resting upon the plate (a). At its upper end it is provided with a jaw (h*)
which embraces the lever (c) and within which revolves the friction roller (h³).

page_text: This said spring exerts considerable pressure in an upward direction upon the
lever ().
Fig. 4 shews an alternative form of the apparatus, where the forward and back-
ward adjustment of the mute is effected by the slot (c) in the lever (c) and the
nut () which fitting the screwed stud (c) grips the lever (c) to the jaw (c).
(e) is the locking arrangement shaped as shewn and made of two thin plates of
metal (7) between which is secured a piece of leather (*).
The joint (j) provides for lateral movement of the rear part of the lever (c),
which is kept constantly pressed in the direction shewn by the arrow by the
extended part (*) of the spring (h) which engages with the loop (½³) on the
lever (c). By pushing the pad (e) to the right the lever (c) will revolve upon
the joint () and when it reaches the corner (e) will be at liberty to move in
a vertical direction by the exertion of the spring (4) which is coiled around the
pin (6) and has its lower end resting upon the pin (¹).
The leather (e) deadens the sound caused by the lever (c) striking the locking
arrangement (e)..
Fig. 5, shews the form of the apparatus as applied to instruments where the
muting may be effected by the foot of the player. From the beforegoing
descriptions of other forms the operation of the locking arrangement in this case
will be easily understood by reference to the drawings where (e³) is a spring
bolt, (e) is a plate slotted as shewn, and (e) is a pad of leather. The lever (k)
is fulcrumed on the ball and socket joint (k) and at its upper end has a loop (k²)
within which the end of the lever (c) fits loosely; the lower end of the same
is extended downwards and underneath the instrument with its extremity (48)
within easy reach of the performer's foot. By pressing the end (3) of the
lever (k) laterally in the direction of the arrow, the lever (c) will be released
from the spring bolt (e³) and the mute (d) depressed by the action of the
spring (h), and when the said end is pressed downwards the lever (c) may be made
to resume the position shewn on the drawing by forcing back, and being retained
beneath, the spring bolt (e³).
This said Fig. 5, also shews an alternative manner of making the adjusting
arrangement where only one spring (7) is used. The rear end of the plate (a) is
provided with a boss (a') which receives the thumb screw (a³). As seen in Fig. 6,
the point (a) of this screw (a) is facetted and being made of steel enables the same
to cut a small indentation in the tail-piece during the action of screwing down to
secure a good hold upon the same and to prevent the metal plate (a) from slipping
downwards when the lever (4) is being operated by the foot.
Having now particularly described my invention I will proceed to describe how
the same is operated.
The apparatus having been fixed to the tail-piece the musician plays the instru-
ment in the usual manner, but when he wishes to mute the same he pushes the
lever (c) slightly forwards with the chin, advancing it until the spherical head (el)
is disengaged from the bolts (e"). The spring (4) then forces up the lever (c)
depressing the mute (d) and exerting the necessary pressure upon the bridge and
strings, and muting the instrument. Immediately the player removes his chin from
the pad (c) the spring (1) in the socket (f) forces back the rear part of the
lever (c), when the spherical head (e) will be immediately above the bolts (e³).
The muting will continue in operation during the will of the player and without
any further effort on his part.
To remove the mute from the bridge the player presses the pad (c') downwards
with his chin when the spherical head (e) pushes aside the bolts (e), enters between
and is held by the same until again required to be brought into operation.
The form of apparatus shewn in Fig. 5 is operated in a similar manner, the foot
of the player being used upon the lever (k) as previously described.
I have described my apparatus inore particularly applicable to violins and
violoncellos, but I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to these
instruments, and it will be obvious that by slight modifications my invention inay

page_text: be adapted to other instruments as for instance the viola or double bass; and the
details herein specified may be varied by a workman skilled in the art to which
they appertain without departing from the principle of my invention.
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. In an apparatus for muting violins and some other stringed instruments such
as described, the mute (d) having pad (d) as and for the purposes substantially
as set forth herein.
2. In the adjusting arrangement of an apparatus such as described the nut (d³),
collars (d³ & d) plate (d) and springs (d') as and for the purposes substantially as
hereinbefore set forth and as illustrated.
3. In the locking arrangement of an apparatus such as described the spherical
head (e) and spring-bolts (es), as and for the purposes substantially as set forth
and as illustrated.
4. In the unlocking mechanism of an apparatus such as described the socket (ƒ)
and spring (¹), as and for the purposes substantially as set forth.
5. In an apparatus such as described herein, and in the manner of attaching the
same to the tail-piece of a violin or other similar instrument, the plate (a) clips (a')
leather lining (a³) and thumb screw (as), as and for the purposes substantially as
set forth.
6. In an apparatus such as described, the lever (k), as and for the purposes
substantially as set forth.
7. In an apparatus such as described, the combination with the mute (d), of a
lever (c), with or without plate (de), springs (d'), collars (d³ & d), and nut (d) as
and for the purposes substantially as set forth and as illustrated.
8. An apparatus for muting violins and some other stringed instruments, con-
structed, arranged, and operating, substantially as herein before described and as
illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of February 1893.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, Agents.