Improvements in Apparatus for Enabling a Student to Learn to: Read the Notes in Written Music.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Nov., 1895-4ccepted, 14th Dec., 1895
Improvements in Apparatus for Enabling a Student to Learn to:
Read the Notes in Written Music.
A communication by FRANK HERBERT DANIELS, of 10, Spruce Street, New
York, in the County and State of New York, United States of America,
Professor of Music.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester,
both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, and 31, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 provide means whereby one can learn
expeditiously to read with facility the notes in any one of the five clefs or staffs
in written music-viz., the treble, bass, soprano, alto and tenor clefs.
The means employed by my correspondent for this purpose-aud which for lack
of a better term he denominates a "musical dial "-consists essentially of a dial
proper upon which are affixed or imprinted the designations of the seven
notes A-G, inclusive which follow each other in a certain prescribed
order E, G, B, D, F, A, C; and in conjunction with said dial, an index hand,
(which he terms the tonic hand or pointer) to point to any one of these letters. In
conjunction with this tonic hand or pointer he may, and prefers to, use auxiliary
pointers which more with the main pointer, and which designate the cominon
chords, and chord of the seventh of whatever note the main hand may point to. As
for example if the tonic hand points to E, the auxiliary hands will point to G, B, D,-
E, G, B, being the common chord, and E, G, B, D, being the chord of the seventh.
The letters upon the dial are so arranged that reading in one direction from the
letter pointed to will give the notes above, and in the other direction will give
the notes below, the note designated by the letter to which the tonic hand
points.
The nature of this invention will be readily understood by reference to the
accompanying drawing which represents in its preferred form the embodiment of
this invention.
The dial proper is indicated at 1. It in this instance is circular in form and is
imprinted or otherwise formed upon a suitable cardboard or other base or support 2.
Around the dial and at equal intervals apart are placed the designation of the seven
musical notes consisting in this instance of the letters A-G inclusive. They
follow each other in prescribed order as shown) ) E, G, B, D, F, A, C. In
connection with the dial proper is a tonic hand index or pointer 3, movable so that
its point or index end may be brought opposite to any one of the letters on the dial.
As the letters are arranged circularly in this instance the hand is pivoted at the
center 4 of the dial so that it may be swung on that center from one to another of
the letters as desired. With a device thus constructed and arranged it is an easy
matter to read music in any clef. In the treble clef for instance as indicated at 5,
the first or lower line is E. By turning the touic pointer 3, to E, reading to the
right from that point around the dial will give the notes. on the successive lines
above the lower line, while reading to the left from that point around the dial will

page_text: give the note on the successive lines below the lower line. In the drawing the
arrows and the words "above" and "below" which accompany them, indicate the
two directions in which the dial is to be read for the purposes above indicated.
And so for the tenor clef (indicated at 6) the first line of which is D, by turning
the index to D on the dial, then reading to the right will give the lines above, and
reading to the left will give the lines below.
In the same way-mutatis mutandis-the bass, alto, and soprano clefs or
staffs, 7, 8, 9, can be read.
The clef indicators around the dial are arranged so that each shall be opposite
or nearly opposite to that letter on the dial, which is the first line of that particular
.clef. But this is not at all indispensable. It is convenient to have these clef
indications on the card for reference, and they can be placed thereon in any desired
position.
In conjunction with the tonic hand or pointer 3, it is preferable to use auxiliary
pointers such as shown for example at 10, 11, 12, which are attached to and move
with the tonic land. These in conjunction with the tonic hand serve to designate
the common chord and chord of the seventh of the key typified by the letter to
which the tonic hand points. As for example with the tonic hand 3 pointing to E,
the three hands 3, 10, 11, will indicate the common chord, and the hands 3, 10, 11, 12,
the chord of the seventh of that key. The hands or pointers may be of different
colors if desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :
1. A musical dial comprising a dial proper bearing the musical notation
letters A-G inclusive, following each other thereon in the order of triads, and a
movable tonic hand or pointer, substantially as described and for the purposes set
forth.
2. A musical dial comprising a dial proper bearing the musical notation
letters A-G inclusive following each other thereon in the order of triads, a
movable tonic hand or pointer, and anxiliary pointers connected to and moving
with the tonic pointer and arranged in position to point to those letters on the dial
indicative of chords of the key to which the tonic pointer is set, substantially as and
for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 7th day of November 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.