Apparatus for Recording Music from a Pianoforte and other similar Instruments.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Oct., 1886
Complete Left, 20th Aug., 1887.
..Complete Accepted, 11th Oct., 1887
Apparatus for Recording Music from a Pianoforte and other similar
Instruments.
We, CARL HUGO WALL of 16 Bridge Street, in the Town and County of Aberdeen,
North Britain, Musician and OLOF OSTROM of 23 Affleck Street, Aberdeen aforesaid,
Electrician do hereby declare the nature of the invention for APPARATUS FOR RECORDING
MUSIC FROM A PIANOFORTE AND OTHER SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS to be as follows:-
This Invention, which relates to apparatus for recording or marking down music as
composed and played upon a pianoforte and other similar instruments, consists of a
set of electro-magnetical appliances, that is to say, a number of hammers worked by
electro-magnets, three wooden rollers, one from which paper is supplied, one over
which the paper passes to be marked and one for receiving the paper after being
marked, one flat glass ruler, and a number of electrical wires connecting with the key
board of a pianoforte.
The hammers or markers are equal in number to the number of the keys of the
piano or other instrument and are each actuated by a separate electro-magnet controlled
by wires from the key board.
The paper or other material upon which the notes are marked or recorded is mounted
upon a supply roller and is caused to travel to a receiving roller by an electro-motor
attached to the said roller. Between the said rollers is mounted a marking roller
around which there is fixed a sheet of black carbon paper or other similar paper and
which is capable of being removed and renewed when required.
The marks or impressions to be made upon the paper are preferably effected by a
sharp-turned wheel mounted upon the end of each of the hammers, the said wheels
pressing upon the paper and producing a mark as the paper passes along.
The hammers are preferably arranged within half an inch or so of each other and
are preferably divided into two rows facing each other or alternately the one row
within the other.
Each magnet is connected with its key on the pianoforte by a wire and under each
key is fixed a small spring which, when the key is pressed comes in contact with the
wire and the circuit becomes closed.
All the parts of the machine, except the glass ruler and electrical wires, are preferably
enclosed in a case.

page_text: Apparatus for Recording Music from a Pianoforte and other similar
Instruments.
We, CARL HUGO WALL of 16 Bridge Street, in the Town and County of Aberdeen,
North Britain, Musician, and OLOF OSTRÖM of 23 Affleck Street Aberdeen aforesaid,
Electrician 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:-
Our Invention, which relates to Apparatus for recording or marking down Music as
composed and played upon a pianoforte and other similar instruments, consists of a
set of electro-magnetical appliances, that is to say, a number of hammers worked by
electro-magnets, three wooden rollers, one from which paper is supplied, one over
which the paper passes to be marked and one for receiving the paper after being
marked, one flat glass ruler, and a number of electrical wires connecting with the key
board of a pianoforte.
The hammers or markers are equal in number to the number of keys of the piano
or other instrument and are each actuated by a separate electro-magnet controlled by
wires from the key board.
The paper or other material upon which the notes are marked or recorded is
mounted upon a supply roller and is caused to travel to a receiving roller by an
electromotor attached to the said roller. Between the said rollers is mounted a
marking roller around which there is fixed a sheet of black carbon paper or other
similar paper and which is capable of being removed and renewed when required.
The marks or impressions to be made upon the paper are preferably effected by a
sharp-turned wheel mounted upon the end of each of the hammers, the said wheels
passing upon the paper and producing a mark as the paper passes along.
The hammers are preferably arranged within half an inch or so of each other and
are preferably divided into two rows facing each other or alternately the one row
within the other.
Each magnet is connected with its keys on the pianoforte by a wire and under each
key is fixed a small spring which, when the key is pressed comes in contact with the
wire and the circuit becomes closed.
All the parts of the machine, except the glass ruler and electrical wires, are
preferably enclosed in a case.
In order that our Invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect, we will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1, sheet 1, of the accompanying drawings is a plan of the marking hammers,
the three rollers and the motor for rotating the latter.
Figure 2, sheet 2, is a side elevation of the same, and shewing the magnets.
Figure 3, sheet 3, is an end elevation of the key board of a piano and shewing the

page_text: springs and wires for making and breaking contact in order to influence the magnets
shewn in Figure 2.
Figure 4, is a plan and Figure 5, is a part front elevation of the same.
Figures 6 and 7, are side elevation and plan respectively of the springs and wires
as detached from the key board.
A wooden bar A (sheet 3) is placed inside the piano over all the keys B, and to the
said bar the springs c, c', are attached. Upon striking any of the keys, its corre-
sponding spring c, is caused to come in contact with the upper spring c¹, and the
electric circuit is completed through the wire d, d¹, to the magnets e, (Figure 2). The
battery may be of any convenient form and there may be a separate battery for each
magnet.
The recording rollers and attachments (Figures 1 and 2) may be placed under the
piano or elsewhere at the convenience of the player.
F, Figs. 1 and 2 is the marking roller, which is covered with carbon paper ;
G, and G, the supply and collecting roller respectively for the paper S. The driving
motor Z of clock work or other power (Figure 1) is geared with the roller G¹, and
causes a surface of paper S to continuously travel over the top of the roller F, for the
wheels L, of the hammers H, to strike and mark whenever any key is depressed when
playing.
The said hammers are equal in number to the number of keys on the instrument,
the said hammers being divided into two rows, Figures 1 and 2, the one row being at
each side of and level with the marking roller F. Each hammer has its magnet e,
which is placed immediately under its middle part, Figure 2.
An electric "time indicator" is placed before the player on the piano giving the
time after which the player has to adjust his mode of playing.
Two hammers, one on each side of the roller F, in connection with the "time
indicator" giving instant corresponding marks on the passing paper with the movements
of "time indicator."
Two combined glass shives resembling the appearance of a flat ruler divided in two
but joined having inch opening in the middle are used when reading the marks on
the paper after the playing.
The apparatus works in the following manner :-
Previous to commencing to play, a sheet of carbon-paper is carefully put round
roller F, and fastened with the black side up, and the clockwork is started.
When one or several keys on the instrument are struck they touch their respective
springs, Figures 3 to 7 and open the electrical current which is led through the
respective wires to the corresponding magnets e, which in their turn act upon the
hammers above them, taking them down until the wheels at the ends reach the white
paper just passing over the roller F, which is surrounded by carbon paper, thus
effecting marks on the underside of the white paper similar to the electric alphabet.
From the roller F, the paper S passes over to roller G¹, where it is wound up.
Having finished playing the paper is taken off the said roller and turned upside
down.
With the aid of a common ruler straight lines are drawn between the two marks on
each side of the paper which were made by the two hammers hereinbefore referred to
and which owing to their relation with the "time indicator" marks the distance
between every mark a bar.
The paper is then passed under the glass ruler, with the commencement end first.
This ruler is exactly the same breadth as the roller F, without the ends of either and
is divided into as many spaces as there are keys on the instrument.
Now the bottom key of the piano corresponds to the first hammer the second key
to the second hammer and so on and by having stated on the glass ruler the successive
names of the keys in space after space, in their turn corresponding with the
hammers, one can at a glance see when passing the paper beneath, what notes have
been struck.
Besides giving the names of the notes on the one side the ruler gives on the other
correspondingly the musical illustration of them so that any mistake is impossible.

page_text: With a pencil in hand and a sheet of ruled music paper one can thus copy anything
played in a very short time. The particular advantage of this Invention will be
recognised by composers who frequently produce good music while extemporising and
which they have been hitherto unable to produce again, not to mention other
advantages.
The apparatus does not in any way affect the sound or ordinary use of any instru-
ment to which it is attached as the whole apparatus can be started or stopped by a mere
touch of an electric button.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
1. The electric apparatus for recording music played upon a piano or similar
instrument substantially as herein before described and shewn upon the accompanying
drawings.
2. The rollers G, F, G¹, and the carbon or similar paper, for recording the notes
by marks substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings.
.3. The wheels L and hammers H for effecting the marks upon the travelling paper
substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings.
4. The magnets e in combination with the hammers H substantially as hereinbefore
described and shewn in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The springs c c actuated by the keys for making and breaking contact
substantially as hereinbefore described and shewn on sheet 3 of the accompanying
drawings.