Year: 1899

page_text: I, FRIEDRICH IDINGER, Manufacturer, of 23, Münzstrasse, Berlin, Germany, do
hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
The present invention consists of improved means for facilitating playing the
instrument known as a zither.
As is well known in connection with these instruments, the strings for pro-
ducing the melody, generally four in number, are stretched over a finger board,
provided with transverse ribs or ledges against which the strings are depressed
to produce the required note. The chords, forming the accompaniment being
stretched over the sounding board.
According to the present invention, in order to facilitate playing, I produce a
strip of thin material having a series of arms extending at right angles to the
same and adapted to lie underneath the melody strings and between the ribs of
the finger board. On these arms I mark the letter indicating the note to be
struck, so that the said letter will lie under the required string close to the rib
of the finger board at the point at which it is to be depresseil to produce the
note. The arms may be of varying length according to the number of signs
thereon, so as to make them more easily recognisable and the strip from which
the said arms extend, is bent down at right angles so as to lie along the edge of
the finger board. The letters, denoting the notes a, b, c, d, e, f, g, are also pro-
vided with index figures to indicate the octave to which they belong.
The strings for producing the chords forming the accompaniment are arranged
in sets of major and minor chords and each chord is advantageously indicated
by a Roman or other figure.
The piece of music to be played is not written in the ordinary manner but
consists of a series of letters with indices corresponding to the letters on the strip,
but in the order in which they occur to produce the tune to be played, whilst
under each note of the melody the chord to accompany it, or which is to accom
pany a series of notes forming the melody, is indicated by the corresponding
Roman or other sign employed to indicate the said chord on the sounding board.
A separate strip is employed for each tune.
Thus it will be seen that anyone, even if not acquainted with the instrument,
will be able to play a tune from the above described music with the aid of the cor-
responding finger board strip.
1000
REGINALD W. BARKER.
p. A. J. S.,
Applicant's Agent, 56, Ludgate Hill, London, EC

page_text: I, FRIEDRICH IDINGER, Manufacturer, of No. 23, Münzstrasse, Berlin, in the
Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
The present invention consists of a device for facilitating playing the zither
according to which interchangeable tune strips are arranged on the finger board,
underneath the strings and between the frets which are provided on the said
board to indicate the position of the various notes on the strings. The strips
thus inserted are provided with letters indicating the notes and said letters or
letters and figures correspond to similar letters or letters and figures on the
sheet of music from which the tune is read off.
Usually the class of tunes which is best adapted for the present system consists
of tunes which do not embrace all the notes on the strings, because it is advan-
tageous that the strips be of varying lengths and do not all lie one next to the
other and thus fill out the whole fret board. It is much easier for the party
playing to refer to separate strips or strips of varying length as shown at Figure 2,
since this facilitates finding the required note to a very great extent. The tune
strips are white or of a bright colour and may be of any thin material and they
thus show up well against the dark finger board of the zither. The chords, which
form the accompaniment are indicated in the music by Roman figures and the
corresponding strings on the zither are also provided with corresponding Reman
figures.
In order to render the present specification more easily intelligible reference
is had to the accompanying drawing in which similar letters of reference denote
similar parts throughout the several views:--
Fig. 1 is a plan of the zither and the improved means for facilitating playing
the same and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tune strip.
Suitably mounted on the zither is a frame to carry the piece of music d.
a indicates the finger board and e the frets to indicate the notes on the strings
for playing the melody. is the tune strip forming the main object of the pre-
sent invention. The same consists of a strip 6 having a series of tongues b¹ 1,3
1 .
76 to indicate the various notes belonging to the melody of the piece
to be played. These tongues are bent round at right angles to the strip or back
part and have each the corresponding note, easily legible, inscribed thereon.
The strip is slid under the strings on the finger board and the tongues lie between
the frets indicating the notes as shown at Fig. 1. The accord strings for pro-
ducing the proper accompaniment are arranged together in chords and indicated
by the Roman figures I, II, III, IV etc.
The music is provided with letters and index numerals which may refer to
the octave in which the note is to be found.
"In the notation as illustrated in Fig. I the capital letters represent the note
to be played and the index figures show the octave in which the note is to be
played. Similar capitals and indices are provided on the strips against the frets
which represent these notes. The Roman figures below the capitals represent
the accord as indicated on the 'sounding board."
The tune strips are easily interchangeable and the length of the various tongues
may be different, by cutting off the end in as far as there are no letters on
the said end. By this means the various notes will be more readily recognised
on the finger hoard,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1: Means for facilitating playing the zither, consisting of a tune strip having
a series of tongues thereon with letters and figures representing the notes of the
music piece said tongues being adapted to lie on the finger board under the
strings and between the frets for producing the notes on the melody strings sub-
stantially as described.
2: In a zither the combination of a tune strip, having a series of tongues of
varying lengths inscriptions indicating the various notes on said tongues, said
strip being located on the finger board under the strings the tongues lying between
the note producing frets in the manner and for the purpose substantially as
Dated the 23rd October 1899.
REGINALD W. BARKER,
Applicant's Agent, 56, Ludgate Hill, London, E.C.