Patent ID: 8614383

Claim:
A lap tapping instrument to be played on the lap of a musician, the instrument comprising: a main body having forward and after ends, a top surface with a sound hole therethrough, a bottom surface in spaced apart relation to the top surface, and a sidewall extending between the top and bottom surfaces; a neck section extending outwardly from the main body; instrument strings secured to the main body and extending over the sound hole and neck section; a percussive member permanently secured to the top surface of the main body beneath the strings and at least partially circumscribing the sound hole, said percussive member having a series of parallel, upstanding extending ridges; an opening located through the sidewall; a plurality of independent, separable percussive accessories, each percussive accessory having accessory connection means for removeably securing the percussive accessory to the opening; sidewall opening connection means for engaging the accessory connection means of the percussive accessories and for removeably securing percussive accessories over the opening; whereby the instrument is played by positioning the bottom surface of the main body on the lap of the musician with said strings facing upward towards the musician, the musician percussively tapping the main body, the strings, the percussive member, and the individual percussive accessory secured to the opening.