An Improvement in Autoharps and other similar Stringed Instruments.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 1st June, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Autoharps and other similar Stringed
Instruments.
I CHARLES SUCKER of 247 Pentonville Road N. and 27 Downs Park Road
Hackney N.E. Importer of Musical Instruments and Accessories, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I employ chord bars of polygonal section revolving on their longitudinal axis,
each side furnished with dampers arranged in such a manner as to allow different
The bars are furnished
chords for each side to be produced in the usual manner.
with suitable gearing so as to allow them at will to revolve independently of each
other, or to interlock for simultaneous revolution, and further to move or shift in
the direction of their axis. Thus by stringing the instrument in the chromatic
scale & using six hexagonal bars, thirty-six major and thirty-six minor chords can
be produced; the number of chords varying with the number of bars used and the
number of sides of the bars.
Dated Eleventh day of December 1894.
An Improvement in Autoharps and other similar
Instruments.
I, CHARLES SUCKER, of 247, Pentonville Road, and of 27, Downs Park Road,
Hackney, both in the County of London, Importer of Musical Instruments and
Accessories, 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 auto-harps and other similar stringed instruments of the
kind tuned to the chromatic scale and provided with a damper bar or damper bars
for enabling one or more chords to be readily produced.
In instruments of this class as heretofore constructed each damper bar is so
arranged that a chord can only be produced in a limited number of keys.
Now the object of my invention is to provide means whereby a given piece of
music and the various chords marked thereon may be played in or transposed into
any key.
In carrying out my invention I employ a damper bar of polygonal section
adapted to revolve on its longitudinal axis and to be moved longitudinally, the
said bar having felt or other damping material on each surface with intervals
therein as usual to leave certain strings free for sounding a chord, for instance,
assuming the bar to have four sides, on the first side I leave open only the
strings CEGC which sound a major chord in the key of C. If now the bar is

page_text: slid or moved to the left a distance of one string, the strings formerly free will
become damped but instead of them the strings B D F B will be freed, thus
forming the same chord half a note lower or in the key of B whilst if the action
be moved to the right then C F G C will become free and sound the chord
half a note above, in the key of C‡ (Db).
The second side of the bar will be arranged for the chord in Eb (D) the
strings Eb G Bb Eb being left free and by sliding the bar the distance of one
string to the left the same chord in the key of D is obtained and the same
distance to the right the same chord in the key of E. The third and fourth
sides are similarly arranged for producing the same chord in the keys of Bb (A)
A Ab (G) and F F (Gb) G respectively.
It will thus be understood that with a single damper bar having four sides and
moving as above described I can obtain the same chord in any key.
If it is desired to produce other chords I increase the number of damper bars,
for example, I may arrange one bar for the production of a major chord as above
described, another for a minor chord and another for the diminished seventh and so
on, each bar being suitable for the production of one chord in any key.
When I employ a series of damper bars, the said bars are advantageously geared
together and carried in a suitable frame so that all will be rotated or moved
longitudinally simultaneously and arranged in such relation to one another that all
the damper surfaces which are in operative position at any one time shall be adapted
for the production of chords required for a tune in any key.
In order to enable a performer to transpose or play the music in any key
I provide what I term a notation or indicator bar having the usual numerical
indications 112234 4 5 5 6 6 7 marked on its sides, which sides are the
same in number as those of the damper bars. This indicator bar is advantageously
geared to the damper bar or bars and carried in the same framing so as to be
rotated and moved longitudinally simultaneously therewith, and the numerical
indications are placed upon its sides in such a manner that the number 1 on the
side of the bar in view when placed opposite any string indicates that that string
is the key-note of the tune to be played. Certain of the numerical indications,
that is, those required to form a chord also correspond with the intervals on the
damper bars. For instance, in playing in the key of C the numbers 1, 3, 5 and 1
upon the indicator bar will be opposite the strings sounding CEGC and the
intervals in the damper bar for enabling such strings to be sounded in the
chord C E G C will also be opposite such strings.
To enable the instrument to be set so that the tune and the chords therein can be
played in any key I mark upon the indicator bar near one end thereon the letters
indicating the various keys, three upon each side, which letters can by the rotation
or longitudinal movement of the bar be disclosed one at a time through an
aperture, each letter when disclosed corresponding to the key string indicated by
the number 1 on the side of the indicator bar in view.
To euable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :—
Figure 1 is a plan view of the instrument known as an auto-harp having my
improvements applied thereto; and,
Figure 2 is a section of the same on the line 2-2, Figure 1:
Figures 3 and 4 are end views looking in the direction of the arrows 3 and 4
respectively, Figure 1, of the part of the apparatus containing the damper bars:
Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Figure 1:
Figure 6 is a view shewing developments of one of the damper bars and of the
notation or indicator bar, the latter having the key indicator arranged in connection
with it.
a is the body of the autoharp which is constructed in the usual manner, and b is
a box or casing containing my improved damper bars, the ends c, c¹ of the said box
or casing being arranged to slide in dovetailed guides d, d on the body of the harp
in a manner which will be readily understood.

page_text: e, e, e are my improved damper bars the axes e', el of which are arranged in
slots f,f formed in the ends c, d of the box b. Springs 9, 9 are arranged beneath
the said axes, as shewn most clearly in Figure 2, in order to normally hold the
damper bars out of contact with the strings.
In order to permit of depressing the damper bars to bring them into contact with
the strings, I arrange over each damper bar a depressor which consists of a rod
sliding through a bar h (Figure 5) and carrying at the lower end a plate and at
the upper end a push-button j, the said depressor being so arranged that when the
button is pushed down the plate will come into contact with the damper bar and
push it down also. A spring is arranged in connection with each depressor,
the said spring at one end bearing against the button and at the other end
against the bar and serving to normally maintain the depressor in its uppermost
position.
1, are pinions arranged on the axes of the several damper bars, and m is a rack
engaging with the said pinions and serving to move the same simultaneously, the
said rack, as shewn, being arranged to slide upon screw pins n, n, and provided with
a projection m¹ to enable it to be operated.
o is the notation or indicator bar which is arranged to rotate in bearings upon
the box band which is provided with the pinion engaging with the rack m in the
same manner as the pinions of the damper bars so that the said indicator bar will
rotate simultaneously with the damper bars.
It will of course be obvious that the said indicator bar must be arranged in such
a position that the indications on one side are seen by the person playing the
instrument. This is shewn clearly in Figure 1.
pis my key indicator which practically forms a continuation of the indicator bar,
which key indicator has its several sides marked as shewn in Figure 6, and 9 is a
shield which projects over the said indicator and has an aperture formed therein
so that only one of the letters upon the indicator shall be seen at any one time, for
instance, the letter C as shewn in Figure 1. The marking of the several sides of
the notation or indicator bar o will be readily understood by referring to Figure 6
where it will be noticed that for playing in the key of C, that is to say, when that
sign is disclosed through the aperture in the shield y number 1 is placed opposite to
the string C and for playing in the key C (Db) the said bar must be moved
through the medium of the box b one string to the right so that 1 comes opposite C.
For playing in the key of B the bar must be moved oue string to the left so that
the number 1 comes opposite to the string B. On the second side I commence the
numerical notation opposite the fourth string so that when the box b is moved so
that the sign D is disclosed through the aperture in the shield
C string becomes No. 6
C#
6
D
"
دو
در
وو
13
"
D
"
"
"
1 or the key-note
E
"
دو
"
F
"
"
وو
12
2 and so on.

page_text: By the described movements of the box b to play in the various keys the
damper bars are also moved to enable the chords in harmony with such key
to be produced.
In Figure 6 are shewn the four sides of the damper bar e for forming the
major chord CE G C in the key of C or its equivalent in any other key,
the intervals in the dampers corresponding with the strings for sounding such
chord in the keys C D F A, that is to say, when the indicator bar o is in its
central longitudinal position and either of the said signs is disclosed through the
aperture in the shield 7. The sides of the said damper bar marked 1st, 2nd, 3rd
and 4th are each in position over the strings to enable the chord to be produced
when the corresponding side of the indicator bar is in the position shewn in
Figure 1.
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 autoharp or other similar stringed instrument, a damper bar of polygonal
shape in transverse section adapted to be rotated in such a manner that a series of
chords can be produced corresponding to the number of the sides of the damper bar,
substantially as described.
2. In an autoharp or other similar stringed instrument having a rotating poly-
gonal damper bar, adapting the said bar to move longitudinally of its axis so as to
permit of the chord for which each side of the damper bar is adapted being
produced in several keys, substantially as described.
3. In an autoharp or other similar stringed instrument, the combination with a
polygonal damper bar adapted to be rotated and to be moved longitudinally
of a key indicator bar moving with the said damper bar, substantially as, and for
the purpose described.
4. In an autoharp or other similar stringed instrument having a polygonal
rotating and longitudinally movable damper bar or a series of such bars, the
combination with the said bar or bars of a notation or indicator bar moving
simultaneously therewith substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
5. In an autoharp or other similar stringed instrument the arrangement of a
series of rotating and longitudinally movable damper bars, substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 1st of June 1895.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.