Improvements in Perforated Music-sheets.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1893-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM SUMNER REED, of Leominster, in the
County of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, United States of America.]
Improvements in Perforated Music-sheets.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent.
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:—
This invention has relation to perforated music-sheets for use in the mechanical
operation or "playing" of musical instruments.
It is the object of the invention to provide such improvements in perforated.
music-sheets as will adapt the same to use upon stringed musical instruments.
To this end the invention consists of a music-sheet provided with a series of
columns of perforations, each of the columns embracing as many lines or per-
forations as there are strings to be depressed at the frets, and the number of
columns corresponding to the number of frets employed, and a column having as
many lines of perforations as there may be strings to be picked, all as I will now
proceed to describe and claim.
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Reference is to be had to the annexed drawing and to the letters and figures
marked thereon forming a part of this Specification, the said drawing showing in
plan a part of a perforated music-sheet.
My invention is applicable particularly to music-sheets for use in mechanically
operated banjos, mandolins, guitars, zithers, violins, and other stringed musical
instruments in which the tones made upon a single string are varied by depressing
the same at frets. As herein shown it may be supposed to be adapted to be
employed in connection with a mechanically-played banjo.
In the column marked "strings" in the drawing there are five rows or lines for
perforations marked 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, in all but the first of which there are per-
forations a, one for each note in the "piece" of music to be played, no two
perforations in this column being connected, nor single perforation elongated.
In addition to the "strings column of lines for perforations, there are ten
additional columns, each embracing four lines, the said columns being marked
"1st fret," "2nd fret," and so on to "10th fret," and the lines in each column
being marked 4, 3, 2, 1.
The last-mentioned columns of lines for perforations 6 are for controlling the
means for depressing the strings of the instrument at the frets, and as at times it
is desirable to depress and hold down a string at a fret while more than one note is
successively sounded thereon, certain of the said perforations may be elongated or
two or more ordinary perforations be connected as indicated at c.
If a sheet of music were constructed as shown in the drawing, it would be suited
to play the first part of the piece known as "Home, Sweet Home," on a banjo.
There being five strings in such instrument, there are five lines for perforations a
in the "strings" column, and as but four of the strings are depressed at the frets in
aid instrument, (the fifth string being always played "open") there are but four
lines for perforations b and c in the "frets" columns.
The perforations on the "strings" column are for controlling the means for
sounding the notes, and there is one separate perforation in the said column for
each note in the piece; while the perforations in the frets columns are for the
purpose of controlling the changing of the notes, and two or more of said per-
orations may be connected, and it is these features that distinguish my invention
from that of ordinary perforated music-sheets in which each perforation only causes

page_text: a note to be sounded, and hence they are not arranged in columns, nor do the
perforations in one series or group of lines differ from another in structure.
It will be understood of course, that instead of constructing my music as a sheet
it may be made in the form of a cylinder or roll, and may be employed to control
the making and breaking of electric circuits, or to control compressed air for
operating mechanical devices for depressing the strings at the frets and for picking
the strings, or be otherwise employed.
It will be further understood that if my improved music-sheet were provided
with any devices in place of the perforations, as for example pins or projections,
which would accomplish substantially the same thing in substantially the same way
as the perforations, it would fall within the scope of my invention.
In addition to the columns hereinbefore mentioned for producing music, another
may be added, which in the drawing is marked "coin" containing a perforation at
a suitable point to control the position of the coin in so called nickle-in-the-slot
machines, to deposit the coin in the receptacle, and stop the machine or produce
other results.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A music-sheet provided with a series of columns of perforations, each column
embracing as many lines of perforations as there are strings in the instrument to be
depressed at the frets, and the number of columns corresponding to the number of
frets employed, and a column having as many lines of perforations as there may be
strings to be picked, all as is hereinbefore set forth.
2. A music-sheet provided with a series of columns of perforations, each column
embracing a plurality of lines of perforations, and the latter differing in length or
size, and a column embracing a plurality of lines of perforations all of the same
size, as set forth.
3. A music-sheet provided with a series of lines of perforations for picking the
strings, and a series of lines of perforations for the purpose of changing the tones
of a string, by depressing the same at the frets, as set forth.
4. A music-sheet provided with a series of lines of devices for picking the
strings, and a series of lines of devices for the purpose of changing the tone of a
string by depressing the same at the frets, as set forth.
5. A music-sheet provided with a series of lines for producing notes and a line
for controlling the position of a coin in the machine operating the instrument being
played
as set forth
Dated this 3rd day of October 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.