IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO BOWS FOR VIOLINS AND OTHER STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1884

page_text: I ALFRED WALLACE ADAMS of Penarth in the County of Glamorgan, do hereby
declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO
BOWS FOR VIOLINS AND OTHER STRINGED INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows:
The object of my invention is to give increased command over the bow and to
relieve to some extent the pressure which it is at present necessary for the thumb
to exert upon the bow.
The invention consists essentially in a loop shield or guard formed upon or
attached to the bow in the proper position to receive the thumb of the performer.
This loop or attachment may be made of any suitable material form and size and
may be a part of the bow itself or be separate and attachable to it in any convenient
manner, as for instance by providing a split tube to fit over the bow and a screw
or equivalent to tighten it up.
The loop may be made with one prong movable if. required.

page_text: I ALFRED WALLACE ADAMS of Penarth in the County of Glamorgan, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO BOWS
FOR VIOLINS AND OTHER STRINGED INSTRUMENTS" and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of my invention is to give increased command over the bow and to
relieve to some extent the pressure which it is at present necessary for the thumb
to exert upon the bow.
The invention consists essentially in a loop, shield or guard formed upon or
attached to the bow in the proper position to receive the thumb of the performer.
This loop or attachment may be made of any suitable material form and size and
may be a part of the bow itself or be separate and attachable to it in any convenient
manner, as for instance by providing a split tube to fit over the bow and a screw or
equivalent to tighten it up.
The loop may be made with one prong movable if required.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of the attachment
or loop.
Figure 2 shows the same attached to a violin bow and figure 3 shows the bow
fitted with the attachment and held in the hand of the performer. Figure 4 is
another view.
It will be seen that the thumb passes between the two ears or projections B. B¹
of the loop which is fast to the bow, so that in advancing the bow the projection B
is pushed, and in drawing the projection B' is pushed by the other side of the
thumb, which has thus two substantial surfaces by which the forward and back-
ward motion may be partially or entirely imparted to the form so that the grip
upon the bow may be much lighter than usual and the fatigue lessened and more
power or command of the bow attained.
The tube A has the advantage also of increasing the diameter of the bow at the
part where the thumb grips it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is.
1 A bow for stringed musical instruments having surfaces B and B¹ between
which the thumb of the performer rests and against which it presses for the purpose
specified.
2. The attachment for the bows of stringed musical instruments substantially as
set forth and for the purpose specified.