US1257043A - Perforated note-sheet for automatic musical instruments. - Google Patents

Description

C. F. STODDARD. E SHEET FOR AUTOMATIC MUS!CAL iNS APPUCATION men OCT. 12, m4.

TRUMENTS.

PERFORMED NOT Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

awn whoa CharZeS F SZDdda cZ.

S rto UNITED STATES PATENT onrron.

CHARLES F. STODIDARI), OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PERFORATED NOTE-SHEET FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

Application filed October 12, 1914. Serial No. 866,218.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. STonnAnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, county and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Perforated Note-Sheets for Automatic Musical Instrmnents, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a-specification,

like characters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to prime controllers, such as perforated note sheets, for use upon automatic player pianos and the like.

One of the ob ectS of the invention is to improve the playing governed by a note sheet, particularly as regards the tone coloring, and to provide for producing the socalled singing tone which characterizes and distinguishes the manual playing of some of the greatest artists.

The character of the invention may be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing which shows, for purposes of illustration, a fragment of a note sheet having perforations arranged in accordance with one aspect of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the arrow A in dicates the assumed direction of travel of the illustrative note sheet. The perforations illustrated in full lines are those which would have been cut in the sheet according to the practice which generally prevailed in the art prior to this invention and a companion invention disclosed in my earlier Patent No. 1,025,077, dated April 30, 1912. That is to say, the full line perforations of the drawing are assumed to have been laid out by reference to a musical score or a record of an artists playing, by relatively locating the advance ends of the perforations so as to sound their respective notes in desired musical sequence, and by giving to the perforations relative lengths corresponding to the respective durations indicated upon the score or record. The dotted line prolongations of the full line perforations indicate the extension of said perforations for sustaining their notes in pursuance of this invention; and the dotted line perforations at the left-hand margin of the illustrative sheetindicate pedal operating perforations of unique character and purpose which cooperate with the other perforations and prolongations to produce the ultimate refinewith a prolongation ment in tonal effect contemplated by the present invention.

The transverse lines m, m and m indi cate lines of division. between so-called pedaled sections, 2'. 6., those sections of the note sheet corresponding respectively to periods during which a damper pedal, according to the score or record, is intended to be depressed to hold all the strings undamped. For example, it is assumed that the score or record from which the illustrative note sheet is made indicates a dam per pedal operation by which the dampers are removed from the strings at a point corresponding to the line m, are held off the strings during the period represented by the distance from line m to line m, and are returned to the strings at a point corresponding to the line m. Similarly the section 772, m represents approximately a second pedal section.

It is assumed that all of the notes corresponding to the perforations in the section m, m are in harmony and that they may desirably sound concurrently throughout the section. Therefore the perforation 1 is provided with a prolongation 2 so as to contribute the sounding of the note either. from the initial percussion or by sympathetic vibration, throughout the period represented by the perforation 1 plus the prolongation 2. Similarly, the perforation 3 is provided 4. The perforation 5 has a prolongation 6 terminating in proximity to the advance end of a resounding perforation 7 which has a prolongation 8. A perforation 9 is followed by resounding perforation 10 which has a prolongation 11. A perforation 12 has a prolongation 13. A perforation 14, instead of being prolonged, is curtailed, having its rear end located at the point indicated by the arrow 15; and likewise a perforation 16 is curtailed having its rear end located at a point indicated by the arrow l7these curtailments of perforations having an object presently to be described.

A pedal operating perforation 18 (to govern any suitable form of damper pedal operating mechanism) may be used if desired, as presently described, but its use is not indispensable to the substance of the present invention and therefore the perfo ration 18 may be disregarded for the time being.

One of the purposes of this invention is to provide for prolonging selected notes from one harmony group into another to improve the tonal effects in the second group by adding thereto the notes so selected to the exclusion of non-selected notes. To suit this object it is assumed that the notes of perforations 3, 7. 12 and 19 if continued into the second pedaled section m, m would add dcsirablv to the harmony of said second section; and it is also assumed that the notes of perforations 1, 10, 11 and 16, if prolonged into the second section m, m would produce discord. perforations 3', 7, 1'2 and 19' are the notes selected to be continued into the second section m, m to he exclusion of the so-calle'tl non-selected notes of the perforations 1, 10, 11' and 16.

To prolong the selected notes, an auxiliary sustaining means is provided to bridge over the interval or hiatus between the first sec-- tion 721, m and the second section 972, m such auxiliar sustaining means being exemplified b-va damper pedal operating perforation -2O, the advance end of which overlaps the rear ends of the prolonged perforations i, 7S, 12-13, and also overlaps the rear end of the perforation 19. Thus, although the termination of the perforations 1, S, 13 and 19 tends to reapply the dampers to their respective strings, the pedal operating perforation :20 comes in operation soon enough to retain said dampers in undampingpos tion so tha; the appropriate strings are held undamped so long as the perforationQO continues to operate.

If the prolongation were continued to overlap the advance end of the pedal per foration 20, the note of the perforation 1-2 would also be sustained by the pedal perforation 20; but as already stated the note of said perforation 1 2 would be objectionable if continued into the second section m. on", and therefore the prolongation 2 is terminated at such a pointas to return its damper to its string and arrest vibration thereof before the pedal perforation 2O b2- gins to operate. For instance, the prolonga tion 2 has its rear end located in front of the advance end of tie pedal perforation 20. Similarly, the prolongation 11, corresponding to another non-selected note, is terminated in front of the perforation '20.

As a ready stated, the full line perforations 1i and 16 have lengths which are assumed to correspond with the indications of the score or record from which the note sheet is made. And if these lengths were preserved, the perforations 1st and 16 would overlap the advance end of the pedal perforation 20 wh ch would therefore prolong the notes of the perforations 1 1' and 16 into the second pedaled section. It is as sumed, however, that the notes of perfora- Therefore, the notes of tions 14 and. 16 would produce discord if so continued and therefore said perforations are curtailed to lengths less than those indicated by the score or record, as by having their rear ends located respectively at the points 15, 17 so that the strings of the perforations 1 t, 16 will be damped before the pedal perforation 2O begins to act. It is true. of course (when the usual automatic damper pedal operation is employed), that the advance end of thepedal' perforation 2O promptly undamps the strings after they have beencdamped by the rear ends of the perforations 11., let and 16 gbut the termination of said last named perforations will have had the effect of stopping the audible residual vibrations of their strings and will have rendered the strings inert sothat; during the operation of the pedal perforation fZOsaidstrings will vibrate only sympathetically with, in many cases, more subdued tones.

1Vith thedescribed arrangement, the said prolongations continue-their rcspectivonotcs within the first pedaled section m, m; and the pedal perforation 20 cooperating with the perforations of the selected notes continues said notes, to the exclusion of the non-selected notes, into the second pedalcd section m, m

In the second pedaled section, the perforation 22 resounds the note of perforatirm; 5-45 and 7S, and the note further continued by a prolongation 23 terminated, in proX mit) to the advance end of another resounding perforation 24. A perforation 25 plays a new note, which is continued by a prolongation 26. A perforation 2T resounds the note of perforations 12-13', which note is continued by a prolongation 98. Another new note is introduced by a perforation 29 and continuedbv a prolongation 30; and still another note is introduced by a perforation 31. The pedal perforation 20' is shown for illustration as having a length sufficient to overlap the advance ends ofhll the perforations 29, 27, Q9 and 31, the effect of this being to hold the strings undamped during the sounding of the notes of said perforations so as to produce by the continued vibration of the selected strings a singing background, it were, upon which to superpose the resounding of certain of the notes and the initial sounding of the new notesit being the provision of such a singing background which produces some of the beautiful tone effects contemplated bv this invention. 1

The length to be given the pedaled perforation 20, or its equivalent or substituteis a matter to be determined by selection bv one skilled" in the art. For example. in some cases it may be desired to utilize in the aggregate tone volume, the general sympathetic vibration of all of the strings which are undamped by the pedal perforation. In other cases it may be desired to minimize this general sympathetic vibration and, under such circumstances, the length of the perforation 20 mightbe minimized as Will be understood by those skilled in the art.

The arrangement thus far described provides for prolongingselected notes from one section into another so that the cooperation of the described prolongations and the illustrative pedal perforation 20 produces a very desirable approximation of tone continuity. To produce a further refinement, however, and practically perfectv said continuity, ad-

ditional auxiliary sustaining means, cxem plitied by the pedal perforations 18 and 32, may be provided. The pedal perforation. 18 has its advance end located in such position as to maintain the string of the perforation 5 6 undamped (in spite of the termination of said perforation), and likewise to hold undamped' the string of the perforation 9, so that the resounding of the respective notes by the perforations 7 and 10 shall take place While their strings are still undamped. Thus the perforation 18 bridges over the in terval between the rear ends of the perforations 6 and 9 and the advance ends of the perforations 7 and 10 so as to continue the sounding of said strings during or until the resounding.

In like manner the perforation 32 continues the sounding from the prolongation 23 until the resounding by the perfora tion 2 1.

The effect of cooperation of the prolongations and described pedal perforations will be appreciated in its ultimate refinement when it is noted that the string correspond ing to the perforation 5 is held continuously undamped from the time of the initial percussion by the perforation 5, through the prolongation 6, then by the pedal perforation 18, through the note perforation 7 and its prolongation 8, then by the pedal perforation 20, through the note perforation 22 and its prolongation 23, then by the pedal perforation 32, and finally by the perforation 24. Thus following the initial percussion of the note, the string may sound con tinuously, either by residual or sympathetic vib 'ation, so that its sounding may produce a continuous singing effect Which is merely punctuated, so to speak, by the resounding the repeated percussions by the perfora tions 7. 32 and 2-1. Similarly, the string corresponding to the perforation 12 may be held continuously undamped from the time of initial percussion by the perforation 12 throughout the playing and to the rear end of the prolongation 28. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that arrangements such as those described offer opportunity for producing very beautiful tone effects.

It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular organization and arrangement described above for. illustration, since the particular details of construction may be variously changed and the invention may be variously embodied. Furthermore, it is not indispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly, since they may be used separately in various combinations and sub-combinations Claims- 1. A note sheet for automatic musical instruments comprising a succession of groups of note-sounding perforations; certain of said perforations being prolonged beyond lengths corresponding to the indications of the score or record from which the note sheet is made, to sustain the notes of said prolonged perforations Within a group; and auxiliary sustaining perforations cooperating With selected ones of said prolonged perforations to the exclusion of non-selected notes, to continue the notes of said selected perforations from their original group into another group.

2. A note sheet for automatic musical instruments comprising a succession of groups of note-sounding perforations, certain perforations in a group being prolonged beyond lengths corresponding to the indications of the score or record from which the note sheet is made, and certain of said prolongations being longer than others; and auxiliary sustaining perforations cooperating with said longer perforations to the exclusion of the others to continue the notes of said longer perforations from their original group into another group.

3. A note sheet for automatic musical instruments comprising a succession of groups of note-sounding perforations, certain of said perforations being curtailed to lengths less than the lengths indicated by the score or record from which the note sheet is made; and auxiliary sustaining perforations co- -operating with non-curtailed note perforations to continue the notes thereof from their original group into another group to the exclusion of the notes of the curtailed perforations.

4. A note sheet for automatic musical instruments comprising a succession of groups of note sounding perforations, certain selected perforations being prolonged to sustain their notes Within a group; and auxiliary sustaining perforations for sustaining notes of one group into another.

5. A note sheet for automatic musical instruments comprising a succession of pedaled sections of note-sounding perforations; and an auxiliary sustaining perforation extending from one pedaled section into the next.

6. A note sheet for automatic musical instruments comprising a succession of pedaled sections of note-sounding perforations;

an anxiliary sustaining perforation extending from one pedaled section into the next; and certain selected perforations in the first pedaled section being prolonged to cooperate with said auxiliary sustaining perforation.

1 A note sheet for automatic musical instruinents comprising a succession of pedaled sections of note-sounding perforations; an auxiliary sustaining perforation extending from one pedaled section into the next; and certain perforations of said first pedaled section being curtailed to terminate its note prior to the operation of said auxiliary sustaining perforation.

8. A note sheet for automatic musical instruinents comprising a succession of groups of notesounding perforations including sounding and resounding perforations; and perforations for sustaining selected notes through a plurality of resounding operations comprising prolongations of individual note perforations, auxiliary sustaining perforations for bridging intervals between sounding and resounding notes and auxiliary sustaining perforations for bridging the interval between one group and another.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES F. STODDARD.

Witnesses:

FRANCIS H. B. Brawn, J. H. Cruse.

Copies of this patent may he obtained or five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents.

Washington, D. C.

Images