IMPROVEMENTS IN FINGER-BOARDS FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1885

page_text: "
I, PAUL VON IANKÓ, of Totis in the Kingdom of Hungary, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN FINGER-BOARDS
FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, 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 key or finger boards for musical instruments.
The finger board comprises two kinds of keys, as represented in cross section by
Figs. I and II.
Each consists of a stair-shaped narrow part which forms the invisible interior of
the key, and a number of surface plates (contact plates) fixed on the narrow base
and made wide enough to cover the intervals between contiguous keys. The cross
section of these contact plates and of the inner part is represented by Fig. III,
while Fig. IV represents a cross section of the surface plate, on an enlarged scale.
The contact plate, as well as the whole key, is inclined downward in the direction
of the player.
The keys are arranged alternately, and so that a long key, Fig I, corresponds to
the musical note "C" while a short key, Fig II, corresponds to "Cis," and a long
key again to "D," and so on.
In order to facilitate the distinction between the keys, those which correspond
to the black keys of ordinary key boards, that is to say the notes "Fis," "Gis,"
"His," "Cis," "Dis," are marked with black lines.
Fig Villustrates 2 octaves in cross section; Fig VI is a plan of the same, while
Fig VII illustrates the keys in perspective. It will be seen that the key board
represents a gradient of six steps, in which the 1st 3rd and 5th step and again the
2nd 4th and 6th step contain the same notes; each row contains intervals of full
notes, and two contiguous rows the whole chromatic scale.
DVANTAGES,
The advantages derived from the use of this finger board are:
I, More convenient position of the hand; the fingers need not be extended in a
straight line. The thumbs play on the lowest row, while the longer fingers operate
the upper rows.
II, A larger number of notes are within reach of one hand.
As a lower key is
never operated simultaneously with two upper keys, the thickness of the finger
requires no special width of the keys.

page_text: Consequently, an octave may be made to occupy so small a space, that an
average man's hand is enabled to reach nearly two octaves.
III, Greater certainty of touch, owing to the curved surface of the keys. This
prevents the contact with a contiguous key when playing, while the surface of the
keys which is touched by the fingers is considerably enlarged.
IV, The fingering for all the various keys (in which music pieces are played) is
the same.
This will be seen by choosing any given (harmonious) chord on the
key board represented by Figs VI or VII, and by shifting the same for any
distance parallel to itself, to the right, to the left, obliquely or straight upward or
downward; the same chord will be produced every where in different keys, according
to the distance to which one has shifted the hand. This permits to transpose a
music piece by beginning at another place.
V, Facultative fingering. As the thumb always plays on a lower row, it ceases
to regulate the fingering; passages may be played with any desired fingering.
VI, Special effects. The chromatic scale may be executed "glissando" upward
or downward with simple, double and manifold spans. Intervals of half and full
notes may be taken "legato" with one finger upward or downward. Half notes
because they are situated obliquely under each other, full notes because the surface
of the keys is curved so that the lateral shifting of the finger will not depress the
contiguous key. The hands can easily make way for each other.
VII, The improved finger board permits to touch as firmly as with ordinary
finger boards, but with less exertion of power.
The inclined position of the keys permits of an inclined down stroke, so that the
strong muscles of the arm can be more fully utilized.
Having now particularly described 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
In pianos and other key board instrments:
1. Keys made stair-shaped, so as to present contact surfaces at different levels,
and allow the player to produce the same note by touching a key at different
heights.
2. Keys having contact-plates wide enough to cover the interval between
contiguous keys, so as to form a contact-surface without intervals, substantially as
described.
3. Keys having contact plates wide enough to cover the intervals between the
keys, and rounded off on the sides for the purpose of increasing the .certainty of
the touch, substantially as described.
4. Keys having a contact surface slanting downward towards the player, for the
purpose of rendering the touch more convenient.
Tsted this 14th dox of Tanuery 1885