Improvements in Wind Musical Instruments.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Wind Musical Instruments.
I, JACOB ADAM KAPPEY, of 14 New Road Chatham, Kent do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Whereas when playing upon musical instruments fitted with metal valves such
as cornete, barritones, euphoniums, and the like, it is practically impossible to
obtain cleanly executed shakes upon certain notes where an alternation upon two
or three valves is necessary.
1 overcome the difficulty by adding to the instrument an additional valve
capable of lowering the pitch of the instrument a slightly flat semitone.
By holding down this valve, such difficult shakes can be produced in the same
manner as the more easy shakes, that is to say by the fingering of one valve only
in combination with the holding down of the new valve only, or in combination
with the holding down of old and new valves jointly.
I do not confine myself to any particular position for the new valve, though
I prefer to place it so as to be actuated by the fourth finger of the right hand or
the first finger of the left hand.
The essence of my invention is to put it within the power of the player to lower
the pitch of his instrument a semitone without interfering with the valves he
usually plays upon, and the slight deviation of the new valve from a correct
semitone (which deviation may if desired be adjustable by any known means) is
only resorted to as an expedient for "tempering" the well known slight dissonances
of all such instruments when played in various keys.
Dated this 2nd dam of Ammil 1900
I, JACOB ADAM KAPPEY, of 14 New Road, Chatham, in the County of Kent,
do hereby declare tho 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 relates to brass wind musical instruments of the kind or class
furnished with sliding valves or pistons, such, for instance, as cornets, baritones
and euphoniums.
In playing upon instruments of this kind or class provided with three valves,
it is practically impossible to obtain cleanly executed shakes upon certain notes
where an alternation upon two or three valves is necessary.
I overcome this difficulty by constructing the instrument, as hereinafter described,

page_text: with an additional or supplementary valvo capable of lowering the pitch of the
instrument a slightly flat semitone.
This valve, which I term the "shakes valve," is to be used in conjunction with
one or more of the ordinary valves, and permits of the execution, by the movement
of a single finger, of shakes which would otherwise have to be executed by
alternate movements of two or more fingers, and the performance of which has
consequently been heretofore either very difficult or absolutely impracticable.
Moreover the use of my supplementary valve or "shakes valve" enables all shakes
to be executed by the first or the second finger, which fingers can be used for the
purpose more easily than the other fingers. The said supplementary or fourth
valve is only intended to be used to complete the fingering when shakes are to be
performed, and the fingering otherwise remains the same as heretofore.
While the piston of this "shakes valve" is held down either alone or together
with the piston or pistons of one or more of the ordinary valves, the most difficult
shakes and also those which have heretofore been impracticable can be produced
in the same manuer and with as great facility as the shakes which have heretofore
been the more easily executed, that is to say, by the operation of only one ordinary
valve either in conjunction with the holding down of the "shakes valve" alone, or
in conjunction with the bolding down of the "shakes valve" and one or more of
the ordinary valves.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown in side elevation a cornet constructed
according to my present invention, a part of the instrmnent being removed.
In the ordinary use of my improved instrument, the air-current passes through
the "shakes valve" or fourth valve (marked 4) and through a tube a connecting
the same with the third valve (3). When the pieton of the fourth valve is pressed
down, an additional length of tubing is brought into the circuit, thus lowering
the pitch of the instrument a slightly flat semitone.
I do not confine myself to any particular position for the "shakes valve."
I have shown it placed so as to be actuated by the fourth finger of the right hand.
If desired, however, I can so arrange it that it can be actuated by the first or
other finger of the left hand.
The object of my invention is to put it within the power of the player to lower
the pitch of his instrument a semitone without interfering with the valves he
usually plays upon, and the slight deviation of the new valve from a correct
semitove (which deviation may, if desired, be adjustable by any known meaus) is
only resorted to as an expedient for lessening or "tempering" the well-known
slight inaccuracies of intonation or dissonances of all such instruments when played
in various keys.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
A cornet or similar brass wind musical instrument constructed with a supple-
mentary valve or "shakes valve" adapted to lower its pitch approximately a
semitone for the purpose of facilitating the execution of shakes, substantially as
hereinbefore described.
Deted the 10th
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.