Patent Description:
Musical instruments are an old invention that has been with human history and use various materials and structures to produce notes. Especially, strings are convenient to adjust the pitch of notes through differences in thickness, length, and tension, and suitable for expressing various tones depending on materials. For this reason, various string instruments have been devised and developed.

The most well-known string instruments are piano in which strings are hammered, and guitar, ukulele, lyre, and harp, which are played with fingers or picks, and violin, which is played using a bow.

First of all, the piano or keyboard family produce sound by striking strings using a keyboard and a hammer. In particular, the great advantage of piano is that white keys of piano have an arrangement of a natural major, which is the standard for music scale, such as C major scale. Since basic music and staff music are based on a natural major scale, piano is suitable for playing melody and chord. However, it also has a critical disadvantage in that it becomes very difficult to play when key signature is changed.

Second, the guitar family is designed to make multiple notes from one string by using more than <NUM> frets on the fingerboard. Frets are a very useful structure that allows an instrument to have less strings. Since the number of strings reduces, the structures of instruments can be simplified, and portability can increase. However, they have a disadvantage in that it is difficult to learn due to complexity of the frets.

Third, the lyre family is a portable instrument that makes beautiful sound. However, lyra with a chromatic scale arrangement has a disadvantage in that the size of the instrument increases due to a large number of strings, and lyra with a diatonic scale arrangement has a disadvantage in that music that can be played are limited, and thus, it is difficult to be used for actual performance or education.

Fourth, since the violin family has a fingerboard, it has an advantage of producing various notes from one string. However, since there are no frets on the fingerboard, it takes a very long time to play the right notes with accuracy, and it is not suitable for playing chords.

As such, the conventional musical instruments have various disadvantages in that instruments with many strings increase in size and are complicated to play, and instruments with too few strings have good portability but have only few playable music. Accordingly, there is a need to develop an instrument to make up for these disadvantages. <CIT> discloses a string instrument comprising upper and lower plates formed as a diamond shape; a frame attached to an outer circumference between the upper plate and the lower plate; a resonance box formed by fixing the frame; an iron core fixed in the middle of a support protruded piece; plural fixing pins arranged on the resonance box; plural controlling screw arranged on the other side of the resonance box; and a musical note inserted between the upper plate and a string. <CIT> discloses a practice system for a stringed instrument, the practice system including a rigid body having proximal end unto which one or more tuning pegs are disposed for attaching a first end of a cord, and a distal end until which a first rigid plate is disposed having one or more apertures therein configured for attaching a second end of said cord.

The present invention has been devised to solve the problems mentioned above. The main purpose of the present invention is to provide an educational string instrument that is configured to have only two notes per string so that a user can conveniently learn a musical scale and to have a relatively wide note range so that it can also be suitable as a performance device.

An educational string instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention devised in order to solve the above problems may comprise: a body provided with a head portion and a bottom portion; a nut installed on the head portion; a saddle installed on the bottom portion; a plurality of fixing parts installed on an outer side of the nut of the body; a plurality of tuning devices installed on an outer side of the saddle of the body; a plurality of strings supported by the fixing parts and the tuning devices and installed to be spaced apart from the body by the nut and the saddle, and a single fret installed to be inwardly spaced apart from an inner side of the nut to form a fingerboard part and functioning for raising an original note of the string by a semitone, characterized in that each string is configured to produce only two notes, wherein the plurality of strings consists of seven or more strings, wherein the head portion is formed to be outwardly rounded across all of the plurality of strings, wherein the single fret is installed to be outwardly rounded across all of the plurality of strings with a fingerboard width spaced from the nut, and wherein the single fret is the only fret provided on the educational string instrument.

Here, the body may be provided with a sound hole formed in a center thereof.

Here, each of the plurality of strings may be tuned according to a natural major scale.

Here, the single fret may be formed throughout the plurality of strings.

Here, the fingerboard may be marked with key labels.

Here, the tuning devices may be installed alternately.

Here, the head portion of the body may be formed to be curved outward, and the bottom portion of the body is formed to be curved inward.

Here, the body may be made of wood and has a plate shape.

Here, the plurality of strings may be the same type of string, and as each of the strings goes in a transverse direction, a connection length of each of the strings may be configured to be shorter in sequence and make a higher note.

Here, as each of the strings goes in a transverse direction, a thickness of each of the strings may be configured to be thinner in sequence and make a higher note.

According to the embodiment of the present invention with the configuration above, since the present invention has a natural major scale arrangement, which is an advantage of string instruments, a user can intuitively learn sound of each string and can play the instrument immediately.

In the case of playing a score with a key signature, such as sharp # or flat b, which is the most difficult part to learn in an instrument, the present invention enables a user to play the score simply by pressing or fingering a fret of a string corresponding to a note with a key signature with one hand without changing the shape of the other hand.

In the case of playing chords, the present invention enables a user to easily play chords by skipping one note in a natural major scale arrangement while keeping the shape of the hand in the same position.

In addition, the present invention can be played with various playing techniques such as arpeggios and strokes.

Furthermore, a string instrument of the present invention is suitable both for stage performance and music education because of its compact size and good portability.

Hereinafter, an educational string instrument according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the same and similar reference numbers are assigned to the same and similar components in different embodiments, and description in different embodiments is replaced with the first description.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating an educational string instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> is a top view illustrating the educational string instrument of <FIG>. <FIG> is a side view illustrating the educational string instrument of <FIG>.

Although an educational string instrument of <FIG> is illustrated to have <NUM> strings, and an educational string instrument of <FIG> is illustrated to have <NUM> strings, these are only examples, and the number of strings may increase or reduce according to needs of a producer or a player.

As shown in <FIG>, an educational string instrument according to the present invention may be configured to comprise: a body <NUM>, a plurality of strings <NUM>, a plurality of tuning devices <NUM>, a saddle <NUM>, a plurality of fixing parts <NUM>, a nut <NUM>, and a single fret <NUM>.

The body <NUM> is a component forming an overall appearance of an educational string instrument according to an embodiment of the present invention. The body <NUM> may be made of wood, synthetic wood, plastic materials, or metal materials. A sound hole <NUM> is formed in a central portion of the body <NUM> to further enrich sound.

As shown in drawings, the body <NUM> has a trapezoidal shape as a whole. A wide width portion of the body <NUM>, in which a fingerboard part <NUM> is formed, is defined as a head portion <NUM>, and a narrow width portion of the body <NUM> is defined as a bottom portion <NUM>. The widths in the head portion <NUM> and the bottom portion <NUM> may be reversed each other.

As shown in the drawings, the head portion <NUM> may be formed to be curved or rounded outward, and the bottom portion <NUM> may be formed to be curved or rounded inward. With this structure, a user can use the instrument more conveniently.

The plurality of the fixing parts <NUM> are installed in the head portion <NUM>. As shown, the plurality of fixing parts <NUM> may be installed in a line.

The plurality of tuning devices <NUM> are installed in the bottom portion <NUM>, and as shown, the plurality of the tuning devices <NUM> may be installed in a zigzag line.

Here, the positions of the tuning devices <NUM> and the fixing parts <NUM> may be interchanged.

The string <NUM> is respectively fixed to the head portion <NUM> and the bottom portion <NUM> through the fixing part <NUM> and the tuning device <NUM> of the body <NUM>. More specifically, an end of each of the plurality of strings <NUM> is wound around the tuning device <NUM> installed on the bottom portion <NUM> of the body <NUM>, and the other end of each of the strings <NUM> is fixed to the fixing part <NUM> installed on the head portion <NUM> of the body <NUM>. The strings <NUM> are illustrated to be composed of <NUM> strings in the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The number of the strings <NUM> may be changed as needed, such as <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>. In addition, the strings <NUM> may be composed of at least <NUM> or more strings to play notes of Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Si in a basic major scale. In addition, the string <NUM> may be composed of a metal string or a nylon string. The plurality of strings <NUM> may be composed of different types of strings, respectively, or may be composed of the same type of a string. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the strings <NUM> are configured that as each of the strings <NUM> goes in a transverse direction, a connection length of each of the strings <NUM> becomes shorter in sequence and makes a higher note. In some embodiments, the strings <NUM> are configured that as each of the strings <NUM> goes in a transverse direction, a thickness of each of the strings <NUM> becomes thinner in sequence and make a higher note.

When the user plucks or strikes the string <NUM>, the instrument makes sound accordingly. The reference sound of each string <NUM> may be adjusted by the tuning device <NUM>.

The saddle <NUM> is installed on an inner side of the tuning device <NUM>, and the string <NUM> is spaced apart from the body <NUM> by a predetermined distance by the saddle <NUM> and the nut <NUM> to be described later.

The single fret <NUM> is installed on an inner side of the nut <NUM> and is spaced apart from the string <NUM> in an ordinary state. When a user fingers the fingerboard part <NUM> positioned between the nut <NUM> and the single fret <NUM>, the string <NUM> and the single fret <NUM> come into contact. In this state, if the string <NUM> that is in contact with the single fret <NUM> is plucked, a length of a vibrating portion of the string <NUM> reduces and is shorter than the entire length of the same string <NUM>. Accordingly, a note of the sound produced from the string <NUM> in this state is a semitone higher than the reference note of the string <NUM>. The plurality of strings <NUM> are tuned according to a natural major scale, respectively, and thus, the string <NUM> produces sound of the reference note in the major scale. Meanwhile, when a user fingers the fingerboard part <NUM>, a length of a vibrating portion of the string <NUM> is shortened, and sound whose note is a semitone higher than the reference note of the string <NUM> is produced. As shown in <FIG>, the single fret <NUM> may be installed throughout a plurality of strings <NUM>. In other words, the single fret <NUM> may be installed over a transverse direction of the entire body <NUM>. If necessary, the single fret <NUM> may be installed only on a portion of the plurality of strings <NUM>. In addition, the single fret <NUM> may be installed integrally or separately on the body <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the fingerboard <NUM> may be marked with key labels A, A' through which a user can intuitively perceive a scale. An example of this will be described in more detail with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

<FIG> are top views of other embodiments of educational string instruments according to the present invention. In <FIG>, only shapes of key labels on the fingerboard part <NUM> are different. In <FIG>, key labels A are formed in a circle shape. In <FIG>, key labels A' are formed in a rectangular shape. In <FIG>, key labels A" are formed in a piano key type shape.

The key labels A, A', A" are marked only for the strings <NUM> that produce notes of Do, Re, Fa, Sol, and La in the major scale, and there are no key labels on the other strings <NUM>. Accordingly, the arrangement of the key labels looks the same shape as a piano keyboard as a whole, and even a beginner who has learned only the basics of piano can easily understand what note each string represents.

<FIG> is an example of an educational string instrument consisting of <NUM> strings, unlike the embodiments of <FIG>. A reference note of each string is C, D, E, F, A, B, C, D, E, respectively, and by fingering the fingerboard <NUM> marked with the key labels, each note of the strings <NUM> may be configured to be raised by a semitone to C#, D#, F#, G # , A#, C#, and D#.

According to the embodiments of the present invention with the configuration above, since the present invention has a natural major scale arrangement, which is an advantage of string instruments, a user can intuitively learn sound of each string and can play the instrument immediately.

In the case of playing a score with a key signature, such as sharp # or flat <IMG>, which is the most difficult part to learn in an instrument, the present invention enables a user to play the score simply by fingering or pressing a fret of a string corresponding to a note with a key signature with one hand without changing the shape of the other hand.

Claim 1:
An educational string (<NUM>) instrument comprising:
a body (<NUM>) provided with a head portion (<NUM>) and a bottom portion (<NUM>);
a nut (<NUM>) installed on the head portion (<NUM>);
a saddle (<NUM>) installed on the bottom portion (<NUM>);
a plurality of fixing parts (<NUM>) installed on an outer side of the nut (<NUM>) of the body (<NUM>);
a plurality of tuning devices (<NUM>) installed on an outer side of the saddle (<NUM>) of the body (<NUM>);
a plurality of strings (<NUM>) supported by the fixing parts (<NUM>) and the tuning devices (<NUM>) and installed to be spaced apart from the body (<NUM>) by the nut (<NUM>) and the saddle, and
a single fret (<NUM>) installed to be inwardly spaced apart from an inner side of the nut (<NUM>) to form a fingerboard part (<NUM>) and raising an original note of the string (<NUM>) by a semitone by fingering the fingerboard part (<NUM>) to be in contact with the string (<NUM>) and shortening a length of a vibrating portion of the string (<NUM>) when plucking the string (<NUM>), wherein in an ordinary state, the single fret (<NUM>) is positioned to be spaced apart from the string (<NUM>),
characterized in that each string (<NUM>) is configured to produce only two notes,
wherein the plurality of strings (<NUM>) consists of seven or more strings,
wherein the head portion (<NUM>) is formed to be outwardly rounded across all of the plurality of strings (<NUM>),
wherein the single fret (<NUM>) is installed to be outwardly rounded across all of the plurality of strings (<NUM>) with a fingerboard width spaced from the nut (<NUM>), and
wherein the single fret (<NUM>) is the only fret provided on the educational string instrument.