An Improved Bow Guide for Violins and like Instruments.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Sept., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 30th May, 1892-Accepted, 16th July, 1892.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Bow Guide for Violins and like Instruments.
I, GEORG MENGES of 6 Heene Villas Worthing in the County of Sussex, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to violins and other like musical instruments and has for
its object a device whereby the bow for sounding the chords are guided in a
direction at right angles to the strings and whereby the hand of the violinist is
maintained in the proper position. It is a well known fact that it is by no means
easy for those who play the violin and other instruments of a similar class,
to hold the bow in a correct manner, and especially those who learn to play
these instruments have hitherto experienced great fatigue in the hand, wrist and
arm by endeavouring to hold and use the bow in the proper position.
To overcome the difficulty alleged, I secure to the violin a stay extending across
and over the strings and located parallel to the bridge and near the same, at the
point where the bow is desired to strike the strings. The said stay is preferably
mounted removably, or if desired, it may be permanently fixed to the body of the
instrument. The said stay may be made of sheet-metal or any other suitable
material, and, if made of metal, I prefer to line the metal, on one or both sides, with
a soft material, such as leather, cloth or other fabric, or a coating of varnish or the
like might be found sufficient.
If the said stay is mounted removably, I prefer to form a clasp or fastening at
its ends, one or both of which may be hinged for the purpose of being adjusted to
violin bodies of different widths, the two clasps being applied to the upper edges
of the body of the instrument. The hinged clasp or clasps are tightened by a
screw, preventing the same from shifting, when properly mounted.
When the stay
has been firmly fixed and afches over the strings, the bow (bearing with its back
against the side of said stay) will be positively guided at right angles to the strings,
without causing the least fatigue to the wrist of the violinist. In course of practice
the hand and wrist obtain the desired firmness and facility, and then the stay is
no longer required and may be removed.
In some cases two stays may be located parallel to each other with a sufficient
space between them to admit of the passage of the bow. These two stays may be
made integral with each other by forming their clasps, or one of them, in one. But
in practice one single stay will be generally found sufficient to guide the bow and
aid in giving the hand of the violinist such firmness as otherwise is only acquired
by long and fatiguing practice.
.
Dated this 29th day of September 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Bow Guide for Violins and like Instruments.
I, GEORG MENGES of 6 Heene Villas, Worthing in the County of Sussex,
Violinist, 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 relates to violins and other like musical instruments, and has for
its object a device whereby the bows for sounding the chords are guided in a direction

page_text: at right angles to the strings and whereby the hand of the violinist is maintained in
the proper position. It is a well known fact that it is by no means easy for those
who play the violin and other instruments of a similar class to hold the bow in a
correct manner, and especially those who learn to play these instruments have
hitherto experienced great fatigue in the hand, wrist and arm by endeavouring to
hold and use the bow in the proper position.
To overcome the difficulty alleged, I secure to the violin a stay extending across
and over the strings and located parallel to the bridge E and near the same, at
the point where the bow is desired to strike the strings.
In order that the invention may be fully understood, it will now be described in
detail, reference being had to the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings and
to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon, and which will be hereinafter
fully explained; in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan of the central part of a violin with the improved bow-guide
applied to it, and
Figure 2 is a section through the line x—, of Figure 1, showing the bow guide
in side elevation.
The stay or bow guide A. is preferably mounted removably, or, if desired, it may
be permanently fixed to the body of the instrument. The said stay or bow guide
may be made of sheet-metal or any other suitable material, and, if made of
metal, I prefer to line the metal, on one or on both sides, with a soft material B,
such as leather, cloth or other fabric, or a coating of varnish or the like might be
found sufficient.
The stay or bow guide A is mounted removably to the rim of the instrument C
by means of clamps a a', formed or secured to the ends of the stay or bow guide A.
One of the said clamps, for instance a¹, is hinged or pivoted to the stay or
bow guide A for the purpose of adjusting it to instruments of different widths, or,
if desired, both clamps a and a' may be hinged or pivoted to allow of an ample
adjustment.
The hinged clamp or clamps are tightened by a screw a², which prevents the stay
or bow guide A from shifting or vibrating when properly mounted in the desired
position, when the bow is bearing against it.
When the stay or bow guide A has been firmly fixed and arches over the
strings D, the bow, bearing with its back against the side of the stay or bow guide,
will be positively guided at right angles to the strings D without causing the least
fatigue to the hand and wrist of the violinist. In course of practice, the hand and
wrist obtain the desired firmness and facility, and then the stay or bow guide is no
longer required and may be removed.
I am aware that bow guides, removably applied to violins and similar instruments,
have been known and used before, but the improved stay of my invention offers the
greatest facility in being mounted and removed, and the greatest steadiness when
the bow is leaning against its side.
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 1
claim is :-
1. The improvements in or connected with violins and other like musical
instruments, for the objects specified, consisting in the application, to the instru-
ment, of a stay A having clamps a a¹ to clasp the rim, substantially as hereinbefore
set forth.
2. The improvements in or connected with violins and other like musical
instruments for the objects specified, consisting in the application, to the instru-
ment, of a stay A with one or two hinged or pivoted clamps a a¹, and a screw or
screws for tightening the same on the rim of the instrument, substantially as
hereinbefore set forth.
3. The improvements in or connected with violins and other like musical

page_text: instruments for the objects specified, consisting in the application, to the instru-
ment, of a stay A having a lining or coating B of soft material on one or both sides,
and clamps a a' for securing said stay on the rim of the instrument across the
strings, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 27th day of May 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.