An Improved Method and Appliances for Learning to Play on the Piano.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application. 12th Apr., 1887.
Specification Accepted. 14th June, 1887.
An Improved Method and Appliances for Learning to Play on
the Piano.
I, VICTOR VON WEDELSTAEDT of Königinaugusta Strasse No. 28 Berlin in the
German Empire, Gentleman, 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 has for its object to dispense with the ordinary tedious method of
learning to play the piano from the usual notes, by the use of appliances which I will
proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The apparatus consists firstly of a "translator of notes," secondly of an " indicator
of keys," and thirdly of a novel kind of "note register," by means of which three
parts anyone, without knowledge of the notes, can after a short explanation, play any
piece of music, translated on the register, correctly according to sound, no matter
what key it may be in.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing shews a part plan of a key board, with the key
indicator placed thereon, Fig. 2 shews a part front view of the key indicator, Fig. 3 is
a side view thereof shewing its position on the key board, Fig. 4 shews the translator
of notes, Fig. 5 the new note register serving as a substitute for the ordinary sheet-
music shewn at Fig. 5ª.
For translating an ordinary piece of piano-music for use with the new method of
instruction, the sheet of music N is placed in the position shewn at Fig. 4 relatively
to the translator M, so that the projecting part a of the latter, marked with 5 lines,
corresponds with the five lines of the treble key of the music sheet. If any of the
notes marked on the latter correspond with the lines or spaces of the translator, the
corresponding figures 1, 3, 5. are entered on the note register Fig. 5, in such
manner that any two or more notes that have to be played simultaneously and which
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page_text: consequently appear together at the edge of the translator, are marked side by side
with the corresponding designations, while those that are played consecutively, and
which consequently only appear consecutively as the translator is moved along, are
entered one below the other.
In the same way the bass notes are entered by the aid of the part 6 of the translator.
It will be seen that the notes on the lines of the music sheet N are indicated by the
numerals on the outer row of divisions, while those of the spaces are indicated by the
nninerals on the inner row of divisions.
The note register is divided into spaces arranged horizontally side by side, each
space representing an octave, the bass octaves being separated from the treble octaves
by stronger marked lines, the two spaces between which serve for indicating those
notes which have to be played in the treble key by the bass hand, and vice versa.
The bass or treble octave in which the key to be struck, indicated by the notes, lies,
is shewn by the long division lines on the note translator, and the corresponding
designation of the note is entered in the space of the note register corresponding to
that octave.
Thus by way of example the notes of the ordinary music sheet shewn in Fig. 5" will
after translation, appear as marked at Fig. 5.
After a piece of music has been translated in the above described manner, the
student makes use of the key indicator shewn at Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
This is placed against the back of the key board as at Figs. 1 and 3, and indicates
the keys of each octave with the numbers 1 to 12, the figures 10, 11 and 12 being
indicated respectively by 0, 1, 2.
The signs for the keys can be marked on the small projections SS or upon the
vertical part above each note. The signs for the octaves I bass, I treble, are marked
on the projections t between the octave boundaries. The octaves of the key board are
indicated by the horizontal and vertical tongues Z of the key indicator. The tongues
that mark the division between the bass and treble octaves are made somewhat larger
than the others. This boundary is indicated on the note register Fig. 5 by stronger
marked lines. For indicating the value of each note, a special method is employed
which is, however, immaterial for the present invention.
In using the several above described parts of the improved apparatus for learning
to play on the piano, the student can easily play any piece of music without a
knowledge of the notes, as by means of the translator the notes of the composition are
indicated by figures and spaces on the note register, and the keys to be struck are
indicated by corresponding figures and tongues on the key indicator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
1. A method of learning to play on the piano wherein a translating device
consisting of a plate or sheet having divisions marked with numerals or signs is placed
upon the music sheet so that the divisions corresponding with the lines and spaces of
the music, the notes being then indicated by the numerals; secondly such numerals
or signs are entered upon a note register having vertical divisions indicating base and
treble octaves, and horizontal divisions indicating the consecutive notes; thirdly a
key indicator is placed upon the key board having divisions corresponding to each
key and marked with numerals or signs corresponding to those on the translator and
note register, so that the student in striking consecutively the keys whose numerals
or signs correspond with those on the register will correctly play the music as it
appears on the ordinary music sheet, substantially as herein described.
2. A translating device for translating ordinary sheet music into values represented
by numerals and divisions, consisting of a plate having divisions and numerals or
signs so arranged that on applying the plate to the sheet music with the divisions
corresponding to the lines of the latter, the ordinary notes are indicated by the
numerals or signs on the plate situated in certain divisions substantially as herein
described with reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings.

page_text: 3. A note register for indicating the notes of ordinary sheet music by numerals or
signs and divisions consisting of a sheet or plate having vertical divisions indicating
the bass and treble octaves and horizontal divisions in which are entered consecutively
below each other the numerals or signs indicated by the translating device referred to
in the preceding claim, substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 5.
4. A key indicator consisting of a plate placed upon the key board of a piano
having divisions or projections corresponding to the several keys and also indicating
the several octaves, the division or projection of each key and each octave being
marked with a numeral or sign corresponding to that which indicates the same note
or octave on the note register referred to in the preceding claim, substantially as
herein described with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.