Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments Played by Means of Keys.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Dec., 1896-Accepted, 22nd May, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments Played by Means
of Keys.
I PAUL EHRLICH, Managing Director of "Fabrik Leipziger Musikworko" a
Joint Stock Company of Gohlis near Leipzig, in tho Kingdom of Saxony, in the
German Empire, 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 :-
In such stringed musical instruments as usually stand on the floor or on a table
whilst in use, the strings are either stretched side by side all in the same horizontal
or inclined plane as in grand pianos, zithers and similar instruments, or all in the
same vertical plane as in "cottage pianos," but the strings of instruments constructed
in accordance with this invention, though stretched horizontally, are, as regards the
series, arranged in a vertical plane, or one above another. The lines of the strings
of cottage pianos vertically intersect extensions of the lines of the keys, but the
lines of the strings, arranged according to this invention, horizontally cross
extensions of the lines of the keys, which, as a rule, lie in a horizontal plane, and
at right angles to the plane in which the strings lie.
Owing to this arrangement, great simplicity is attained in the construction of
stringed instruments and-in the case of zithers-a means is afforded for enabling
one key to be used to effect the striking of a number of strings at the same time,―
to play a cord, for example ;-while a further advantage of the improved arrange-
ment is that it permits the space occupied by a stringed instrument to be moro
profitably utilized than has heretofore been possible. There is also, in addition to
A still more
these advantages, material reduction in the cost of manufacture.
important point is the possibility, which my invention affords, of constructing stringed
instruments of much smaller dimensions, than has hitherto been possible.
In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 to 6 represent, by way of example,
one form in which my invention may be carried out in practice, as applied, for
instance, to a zither, the set of keys being arranged at right angles to the stringed
portion of the instrument. Fig. 1 is a cross section, Fig. 5 a front elevation
Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the action of the dampers and Fig. 6 shews a lifter rod
with its attached pickers.
The board or plate B, on which the strings d, are strung, or stretched, is at, or
about, right angles to the support A of the key-board a. The strings d, extend
horizontally, so that they cross, at right angles, the keys or lines which are extensions
of the lengths of the keys. Each key a acts upon one of the rods or lifters b,
carrying the strikers or pickers c intended to "pluck" or "pick" the strings. These
pickers are adapted to turn on a pivot but are ordinarily maintained in the position
most favourable for picking the strings, by springs k resting upon the rear surfaces
of the pickers. Below and above each string the dampers e and fare situated.
When a picker strikes a string, on a key a, corresponding to one of the strings d,
being depressed, the picker c moves, along with its rod or lifter b, towards the lower
damper e. This damper is thus raised towards the strings, whereby such strings
are effectually "damped," i.e. their vibration is entirely suppressed, and no jarring
sounds, which would otherwise be very likely to arise, are heard. The picker then
slides off the said damper e, as it further rises, and, as such damper returns to its
initial position, the picker strikes the string d and sounds the required note. Still

page_text: continuing its ascent, it meets the upper damper f and raises its end as soon in
Figure 2 sufficiently to be able to slide past it, and remains at the limit of its upward
movement (Figure 3), as long as the key continues depressed.
The picker c therefore assumes a position above the two dampers as seon in Figure 3,
and the string, with the proper operation of which it can thus in no wise interfere,
freely emits its sound or note.
"
When the key is released, the rod b-assisted by a spring if required-returns
to its initial position (Figure 1); and while it does so, the said picker c moves over,
and past, the damper f which "damps. or suppresses the vibration of the string, and
at the same time protects such string from contact with the picker, during the passage
of the same (Figure 4).
Figure 5 is a front view of a zither thus arranged. The bridge g, inserted in an
inclined position, forms a limit, or partition, for the strings d and divides them, as it
were, into two sets marked d' d' and dd in Figure 5. Among other objects, which
the sets thus formed accomplish, is the facilitating of the playing of chords by the
depression of one key only; which is effected, both, by a suitable combination of the
two sets of strings, and by means, or with the co-operation of, rods or lifters, provided
each, with a number of strikers or pickers c.
A lifter of this construction is shown at 6', both in the side elevation Figure 6
and in Figure 5, where, the first four lifters are shewn as being "chord-lifters" of
this type. The last rod may also be utilized for the sounding of chords by means of
a single key, as shewn at the right hand end of Fig. 5.
In the case of pianos, the lifters & act upon the strings, arranged as herein before
described, not through the medium of pickers but through the medium of hammer
mechanism, acted upon when a key is depressed.
Such an arrangement is illustrated in Figures 7, 8 and 9. Fig. 7 being a back
elevation, Fig. 9 a cross-section and Fig. 8 a detail shewing the damper. The
arrangement illustrated comprises in addition to the hammer-mechanism, also a picker-
mechanism; so that, when once the parts have been properly adjusted, the strings
may be either picked, or struck by the hammers.
From the keys a (Figures 7 and 9) in front of, or behind, the vertical frame B in
which the strings d are stretched horizontally, or approximately so, the rods or
lifters b' rise, and are vertically adjustable. Increasing in length from left to right,
they act on the mechanism m, by which the vertical notion of the lifters is converted
into an approximately horizontal swinging motion of the hammers n.
When a key a is depressed, the corresponding lifter b' acts upon its hammer n
through the medium of an angle piece or pusher p the range of motion of which is
adjustable by means of a screw o; the said angle-piece or "pusher" acting on a
projection on the linked, or jointed, hammer-block r, thereby imparting a swinging
movement to the hammer n and causing it to strike the string d, (Figure 9). The
head of the hammer, when situated behind the frame B passes through a slot n³
provided for the purpose in the sounding board as shewn in Figure 9.
The damper (see also Figure 8) is operated by the lifter 6 which owing to its
attachment to the key when the key is depressed acts by its angular piece 6' against
the damper arm fat to remove the damper f from the string. In Figure 8 the
dampor arm is acted upon directly by a riser the equivalent of the lifter b.
When it is desired to render the hammer-mechanism, for the time being,
inoperative, and to throw the plucking mechanism into operation instead, the angle-
piece p is turned over to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 9, by
moving down the screws o; so that, when a key a is struck, the said angle-piece does
not, as before, strike the projection g of the hammer-block but moves freely past
the said block.
The screws 8, which before kept the pickers from operating, being raised the
strings are picked by the pickers c, the damper f being operated in the same manner
as when the hammer mechanism is in operation.
By individually moving the screws o and in their bars any of the strings can be
picked by the pickers or struck by the hammers as desired.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In stringed musical instruments operated by keys, a series of strings, the
individual strings being stretched transversely to the lines of the keys and the series
being in a plane perpendicular to the key board, substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore set forth.
2. In combination with strings and keys arranged as claimed by the first claiming
clause, rods or lifters such as 6 acted upon by the keys, and pickers, such as c,
attached to the said rods or lifters, and dampers, such as e and f so arranged that one
of such dampers deadens the vibration of the strings just before they are picked;
whilst the other damper as the picker descends past the string, protects the string
from contact with the picker substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. A modification of the arrangement claimed by the second claiming clause
wherein, for enabling chords to be played by means of a single key, the lifter rod
is fitted with a number of pickers substantially as herein before described with
reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In a stringed instrument arranged as claimed by the second and third claiming
clauses a hammer mechanism and a picker mechanism combined, and means for
throwing either mechanism into or out of action and dampers operated through the
medium of the rods of the picker mechanism substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to Figures 7, 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 21st dow of Dec 11000
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.