GB1268974A - Chord forming apparatus for musical instruments - Google Patents

Abstract

1,268,974. Chord forming apparatus. MATTEL Inc. 18 Dec., 1969 [18 Dec., 1968], No. 61646/69. Heading G5J. Apparatus, mounted on a guitar, for forming major, minor and dominant 7th chords at two pitches separated by a fourth, without being moved longitudinally on the fingerboard comprises a frame 20 movable longitudinally on a guide (18), Fig. 1 (not shown), along the fingerboard, supporting a bar 34 which stops all the strings and stops 36, 38, 40, 42, mounted on a slide (21), Fig. 1 (not shown), movable laterally through one string spacing, Fig. 7 (not shown). The bar 34 may stop all the strings but the fourth. The bar stop 36 permanently stops either the third and fourth strings, Fig. 5 (not shown), or the fourth and fifth strings, Fig. 7 (not shown), and in the position shown in Fig. 5, the stop 38 is held down on the string whereas in the position shown in Fig. 7, stop 40 is held away from the string by the pivot end 56 which passes above the ledge 58. Thus, on a normally tuned guitar, moving the slide between the above positions produces the chords of A and E minor, respectively, Figs. 8, 11 (not shown). Stops 38, 40 are mounted on lever 50, pivoted to a shaft 52 which may be pressed down by a lever (26), Fig. 1 (not shown), so that the A and E minor chords become major, lever (26) lowering stops 40, or 38, respectively, in the two positions, Figs. 9, 13 (not shown). The stop 42 may be lowered on to the first or second string by pressing lever 28, forming dominant 7th chords in A or E, Figs. 10, 13, 3, 6 (not shown). A further lever (98), Fig. 14 (not shown), lowers a stop (100), and dampers (102, 104) so that the notes of the augmented chord of A are produced when levers (26), 28 and (98) are down, and the apparatus is in the A minor position. Movement downwards by one fret enables the notes of the augmented chord of E to be produced, Fig. 15 (not shown). The notes of the diminished chord of A may be produced by moving the apparatus up one fret, moving the slide laterally, and depressing all three levers, Fig. 16 (not shown). A movement downwards by two fret positions will give the notes of the diminished chord of E. The slide 76, Fig. 2 (not shown), is marked with pairs of tonalities a major 3rd apart to aid in transposition. Sharpened and flattened keys are marked by dots.