An Improved Chart for Use with Musical Instruments.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 9th Nov., 1895
COMPLETE DECIFICAL
[Communicated from abroad by ROBERT WYLIE LYLE, of Imperial Hotel, New
York City, State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer of
Brick, Tile, and Terra Cotta.]
An Improved Chart for Use with Musical Instruments.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseline, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 present invention relates to improvements in accompaniment players or charts
and my invention has for its object to provide such a simple, comprehensive and
inexpensive device whereby novices may be enabled to play their own accompaniments
as to commend itself to general use, especially by those who have never had the
It will also prove of
advantage of a musical education and by amateur musicians.
inestimable value to the students of music and of great aid to music teachers.
It is a further object of my invention to construct a chart in two parts or sections
which are flexibly connected together at their inner ends and adapted to be folded
one upon the other so that the characters for one hand only, will be exposed to view
at a time, whereby the player or user can practise the chords or notes of one hand
without being confused by having those of the other hand before him.
Referring to the accompanying drawings-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a piano with my accompaniment player attached.
or applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a plan view of one form of my chart in which the index characters
are preferably colored.
Figure 3 is another form of my attachment showing the manner of hinging it and
the manner of arranging two accompaniments on each face of the chart.
Figure 4 is another modification of my chart showing the index characters
arranged in both vertical and horizontal alignment.
Figure 5 shows the manner of hinging several charts together laterally.
Each chart is ruled or spaced off vertically, and in the form shown at Figure 4,
I have also laid off horizontal spaces or rules and entitled them respectively, first
chord, second chord and third chord. In the forms shown at Figures 2 and 3,
however, the spaces indicating each key are laid off vertically only, and the keys to
be played as the first chord are all of one color, those to be struck as the second
chord are another color, and those for the third chord still another color, thus
presenting to the eye at a glance the keys which are to be struck for the
respective chords.
In using the chart illustrated in Figure 2 the chart should be placed directly
back of the black keys, resting on the white keys, taking care to have the three
black keys on the chart directly in line with the three black keys on the instrument.
1 greatly prefer to employ a notched chart and also to make it in two sections
which are flexibly connected at their inner adjacent ends as shown at Figures 3
and 4. The various colours being represented on the chart in the drawings by
different hatching.
The advantages obtained by making the chart of two sections flexibly connected
together are that such sections can be folded one upon the other when the chart is
not in use; and also when it is desired to display merely the accompaniment for one

page_text: hand; that is, as all of the index characters referring to keys to be played with the
left hand are arranged on one section of the chart and those relating to keys to be
played with the right hand are arranged on the other section, when it is desired to
display only that portion of an accompaniment that is to be played with the left
hand, the right hand section is folded against the rear face of the other section and
the notches in the two sections align and receive the upper keys at one side of the
middle of the key board of the instrument; and the chart is supported in the same
manner as when extended its full length i.e. by supports clamped to two of the
upper keys of the instrument.
Taking the form of chart shown at Figure 3 as an example, it would be used
substantially as follows: Supposing that it is desired to play the accompaniment to
a piece written in the key Ab, then after selecting the chart having that key upon
it, set the notched edge A¹ of the chart A upon the rear ends of the keys B and
slide it along until it drops down over the keys, which it will not do until it is in
exactly the right position, thus preventing the possibility of an error. After doing
this attach the clamps C C to keys at either end of the chart and allow the latter
to rest in the supports C¹, as shown, and thus preventing it from being shoved back
or jarred over by the movement of the keys or hands. Now then, press all keys
indicated by red for first chord, all keys indicated by yellow for second chord and
all keys indicated by blue for third chord.
In order to show which fingers to use each coloured section is marked in accordance
with the following:-X indicates thumb; 1, first finger; 2, second finger; 3 third
finger; 4, fourth or little finger; and to show which hand to use each coloured
section is also marked L.H. to indicate that left hand is to be used, and R.H. for
right hand.
In using a chart marked as shown in Figure 4, the keys in vertical alignment with
the upper row of horizontal index characters are struck to sound the first chord,
those in vertical alignment with the next lower row of horizontally extending
characters to sound the second chord and those in vertical alignment with the third
lowest row of said characters to sound the third chord.
The form of chart shown at Figure 2 is intended to be set between the back of
the keys and the case D of the instrument.
When not in use the forms of charts shown at Figures 3, 4 and 5 may be folded
up so as to occupy but little space.
I prefer to make the charts of card-board, printing them on both sides and by
arranging an accompaniment upon each edge as shown at Figures 3 and 4, four
accompaniments can be arranged conveniently upon each chart. I also fiud it of
great service to arrange a bar of music F, as shown at Figures 3 and 4 in the same
key and accompaniment as the accompaniment below it as indicated by the
index sections.
Instead of employing supports which clamp the keys as shown, I may choose to
use notched pieces of wood to set loosely over the keys of the instrument and
having wires extending upward to support the chart.
In fact many other modifications or changes can be made without avoiding the
spirit of my invention.
By notching each of the longitudinal edges of the chart I am enabled, as indicated
in Figure 3 of the drawings, to arrange indexes for two accompaniments on each
face of the chart or four accompaniments on each chart. When it is desired to
change from the accompaniment being used to a different one it is only necessary to
reverse the relative positions of the upper and lower edges of the chart or the
faces thereof.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A musical chart composed of sections hinged together and adapted to be
folded hook upon
are another eoid sections having notabes on their unner and lower

page_text: edges to fit over the upper keys of a piano or organ and having adjacent to said
notches suitable index characters indicating the keys to be struck, the characters to
be played by the right and left hands being on different sections, the notches in one
section when the sections are folded, registering with the other section or sections,
substantially as described.
2. A musical chart composed of sections hinged together and adapted to be
folded back upon one another in both a horizontal and a vertical direction, and
provided with characters indicating the keys to be struck by both hands, the
characters to be played by the two hands being arranged upon separate sections
substantially as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.