A NEW OR IMPROVED REST PIECE OR CONTRIVANCE TO BE APPLIED TO THE KEYS OF A PIANOFORTE, ORGAN, HARMONIUM, FOR REGULATING THE DISPOSITION OF THR FINGERS IN LEARNING TO PLAY SUCH INSTRUMENTS."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Pooley, of the Terrace, Clapham Park Road, in the
County of Surrey, Professor of Music, for an Invention of "A NEW OR
IMPROVED REST PIECE OR CONTRIVANCE TO BE APPLIED TO THE KEYS OF A
PIANOFORTE, ORGAN, HARMONIUM, FOR REGULATING THE DISPOSITION OF THR
FINGERS IN LEARNING TO PLAY SUCH INSTRUMENTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Pooley at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd January 1880.
JOHN POOLEY, of the Terrace, Clapham Park Road, in the County of Surrey,
Professor of Music. A NEW OR IMPROVED REST PIECE OR CONTRIVANCE TO BE
APPLIED TO THE KEYS OF A PIANOFORTE, ORGAN, OR HARMONIUM, FOR REGULATING
THE DISPOSITION OF THE FINGERS IN LEARNING TO PLAY SUCH INSTRUMENTS.”
My Invention has for its object to assist students in removing or preventing a
certain bad habit in playing a pianoforte, organ, or harmonium, known as secondary
motion of the fingers, or the tendency to allow the unemployed fingers or those not
actually playing the instrument to sink or fall upon the keys, thereby disturbing
the equilibrium of the hand, and marring good execution. The principle of the
Invention is that it is intended solely for the use of the unemployed fingers while
the others of the same hand are performing some simple so called five finger
exercise, in a perfectly natural manner, such as an efficient teacher would
enforce.
My Invention consists, as shewn in position by Figures 1 and 2 on the
accompanying Drawing, of a series of "rest pieces or false keys a, b, c, arranged
either singly or in groups of two, three, or four, upon the keys of a pianoforte (organ
or harmonium), and corresponding exactly in shape with that of the upper surface of
the ivories or keys of the instrument note for note. Each "rest piece" a or group
thereof, b or c, is composed of various layers or plates a, a, a, b, b¹, b³, c, c², c²
(Figures 2 and 3), made of wood or any other suitable material, and the top or
surface plates a, b, c, of which are divided or marked with divisions corresponding
with the divisions of the keys beneath. Each "rest piece" a or group b or c can
be adjusted to any suitable height above the level of the keys, and relatively with
each other by adding or taking away one or more of the intermediate layers or
plates a, a, b, or c¹, c², as desired. These layers or plates are held together by
pins or dowels, as shewn, and in addition, if found necessary, by elastic bands x, x,

page_text: let into grooves on the surface layers or plates a, b, c, so as to present a smooth
surface to the fingers. Each bottom layer or plate a, b, c, is lengthened, and
passes backwards between the black keys X, X, where they are provided with
blocks Y, Y, in order to give steadiness to the whole when placed on the keys of
the instrument. The bottom layer or plate a*, 63, or c, can also be extended
lengthwise over the playing surface of the keys if desired. The intermediate
layers or plates may either be solid or in the form of skeleton frames, as shewn by
Figures 4, 5, and 6.
By arranging these "rest pieces" or false keys in various ways on a key board,
that is to say, on various notes or ivories, and at various heights above the level of
the latter to suit the player, it will be found that any one, two, three, or four fingers
of either hand can be supported without moving at a distance from the key board
suited to the player, while the other fingers are playing a simple exercise. The
unemployed fingers touch lightly the surface layer or plate without depressing the
keys of the instrument whilst the outer fingers are playing as they would without
the "rest pieces" or false keys being applied to the instrument.
By this Invention, which is solely for the unemployed fingers, the actual
playing on the instrument to which it is applied is subject to no constraint which
would tend to injure the proper position of the hands and a natural execution, such
as might be expected without such mechanical aid.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Pooley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 28th June 1880.
JOHN POOLEY, of the Terrace, Clapham Park Road, in the County of Surrey,
Professor of Music. "A NEW OR IMPROVED REST PIECE OR CONTRIVANCE TO BE
APPLIED TO THE KEYS OF A PIANOFORTE, ORGAN, OR HARMONIUM, FOR REGULATING
THE DISPOSITION OF THE FINGERS IN LEARNING TO PLAY SUCH INSTRUMENTS."
My Invention has for its object to assist students in removing or preventing a
certain bad habit in playing a pianoforte, organ, or harmonium, known as secondary
motion of the fingers, by which is meant a tendency to allow the unemployed
fingers or those not actually playing the instrument to sink or fall upon the keys,
thereby disturbing the equilibrium of the hand and marring good execution. The
principle of the Invention is that it is intended solely for the use of the unemployed
fingers, whilst the others of the same hand are performing some simple so called
five finger excercise in a perfectly natural manner, such as an efficient teacher
would enforce.
My Invention consists of a series of rest pieces or false keys arranged either
singly or in groups of two, three, or preferably of four, upon the keys of a pianoforte,
organ, or harmonium, and corresponding exactly in shape with that of the upper
surface of the ivories or keys of the instrument note for note.
By arranging these rest pieces or false keys in various ways on a key board, and at
various heights above the level of the notes or ivories, it will be found that any
one, two, three, or four fingers of either hand can be guided so as to appear at rest
at a distance from the key board suited to the player, while the other fingers are
playing a simple exercise. The unemployed fingers are held over the rest piece or
false key about one quarter of an inch above it, whilst the other fingers are
playing as they would without the rest piece or false key being applied to the
instrument, that is to say, between the groups.
And in order that my Invention may be well understood, I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, like letters of reference indicating corresponding
parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 is a plan of the key board of a pianoforte, organ, or harmonium, with my
Invention applied thereto, and Figure 2 a front elevation thereof.
X, Y, represent two of the rest pieces or false keys arranged in this case in
groups of four placed (but not fixed) upon the keys of the instrument, each
group covering four of the ivories or notes, and composed of various layers or
plates x, x, x, y, y', y², made of wood or other suitable material, and each divided
or marked with divisions corresponding with the divisions of the keys beneath.
Each group X, Y, can be adjusted to any suitable height above the level of the
keys by adding or taking away one or more of the layers or plates x, x, y, y', as
desired. These layers or plates x, x1, x2, y, y¹, y², are held together by pins or
dowels 1, 2, as shewn, and each bottom layer or plate x, y, is extended lengthwise
on one side of each group over the playing surface of the keys, the intermediate
layers or plates x, y, being made either solid or in the form of skeleton frames, as
shewn in Figure 3.
On the key board, to the right of Figures 1 and 2, are shewn rest pieces or false
keys Z, Z1, Z2, arranged respectively to cover one, two, and three notes or ivories
of the instrument, and constructed in a similar manner to the rest pieces or false
keys X, Y, before described with this difference, that their bottom layers or plates
in lieu of being extended lengthwise over the playing surface of the keys, pass
back wards between the black keys where they are provided with blocks o, of, o²,
for giving steadiness to the false keys when placed on the keys of the instrument.
In using my Invention a space must be left between the groups X, Y, corre-
sponding to the number of fingers employed, thus as shewn on the Drawing, the

page_text: note G occupies the space between the groups X, Y, and so on up to four fingers.
To ensure a proper position of the hand, the thumb is previously laid on some other
note of the instrument, and the other fingers raised until at the required height
from the keys when the hand is transferred to where the groups of rest pieces or
false keys X, Y, are adjusted, the thumb being allowed to strike the note G, then
if the relative position of the fingers is not disturbed, they should be distant, say,
one quarter of an inch (more or less), from each division or false key of the
group Y, which then intervenes between the unemployed fingers and the
keys A, B, C, D, of the instrument.
The excercise with G may now be played four or five times without stopping
with the thumb, care being taken that the unemployed fingers do not touch the rest
pieces or false keys or move from their position, to ensure which it is absolutely
necessary to practise slowly, otherwise the fingers will at once touch or displace
the rest pieces or false keys. The exercise should next be practised with the fore
finger, and so on through the rest of the fingers. In exercises for more than
one finger, the two, three, or four notes, of course, occupy the space between the
groups of rest pieces or false keys according to the number of fingers playing.
By the use of this Invention secondary motion of the unemployed fingers will be
reduced to a minimum, the actual playing on the instrument to which it is applied
being subject to no constraint which would tend to injure the proper position of the
hands or a natural execution.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
The application and use of rest pieces or false keys to the keys or notes of a
pianoforte, organ, or harmonium, substantially as and for the purpose herein before
described and illustrated by the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Pooley, have bereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.
JOHN POOLEY. (LS.)