US1370614A - Method of making note-sheets for musical instruments - Google Patents

Description

C. F. STODDARD. METHOD OF MAKING NOTE SHEETS FOR MUSICAL INSTRU'MENTS.

APPLICATION FILED Nov; 15, 1911.

, 1,370,614, Patented Mar. 8,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEE'I UNITED STATES PATENT iOFFICE.

curtains r. s'ronnnnnor BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

. .un'rnonor minc-norrrsnnnrs ro'n MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. s, 1921.

Application :filedNovember 15, 1911. Serial No. 660,435.

T 0 all who m it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES F. S'rooDARo,

a citizen of theUnited States, and aresident of Boston, county of Suffolk, andState of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Methods of Making Note-Sheets for Musical Instruments, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the ac: companying drawings, is a specification, like characterson the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to prime controllers, such as note sheets, for governing the playing of automatic or partly automatic musical instruments, as, for example, player pianos; and the invention comprises anew method of makin such prime controllers.

Among otherjdbjects the invention is intended to provide for a substantially accurate reproduction by. an automatic instrument of characteristics of an actual manual renditionbyan artist. It has been attempted heretofore to imitate inautomatic playing some of the characteristics of manual playing; for example, it has been a common practice to employ supplemental perforations in a note sheet for operating the loud ordamper pedal mechanism of .a piano, these supplemental j perforations being placed on the note-sheet more or less arbitrarily by reference to the original musical score of the composition. Thus, a musician employed for the purpose would. examine the score and indicate where the dampers should be withdrawn from the strings and where they should be returned; and the perforations necessary for these purposes would then be correspondingly placed on the note sheet. 1 Such a practice as this has, of course,

somewhat improved the automatic playing by providing for some sort of anautomatic substitute for pedaling: but; even so improved. the playing lacks that quality of spon aneity and lndividuality which characterizes a manual performance byv anartist. An artists pedaling is largelyinstinctive and cannot be practicallyreduced to any rule which would enable one to translate an ordinary musical score into a perforated note sheet] and provide effectively for proper pedaling. In ;short, what has been-attempted heretofore has had .in view a mere imitation of characteristicsof manual playing, as distinguished from actual reproduction thereof such as contemplated by the present invention.

By contributing to the art amethod and means of recording and reproducing characteristics of a manual performance, the present invention gives to an automatic instrument the capacity to reproduce (not merely imitate) the distinctive individuality of the greatest artists; and the public is afforded the opportunity to hear and study and analyze the actual expressions of the artists interpretative genius, insteadof more generalized imitations. H

In the practice of this invention, a. note sheet is made by reference to a substantially accurate record of characteristics of an artists actual performance. A preferred form of such record comprises adequate indications of the tempo peculiar to the. artists particular interpretation, and ofthe manner in which he employed the damper or sustaining pedahor its substitute, in order to produce the sustaining effects which characterize his rendition- Such a record-may be employed in acorda-nce with this invention,in making a note sheet which shall reproduce automatically, with all necessary or desired fidelity, those characteristics of tempo and sustaining action which were largely accountable for the distinctive individuality of the original rendition.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a note sheet which shall be capable of reproducing pedaling effects, without requiring any auxiliary pedal perforations, or any automatic damper operating mechanism in the playing instrument. This result is obtained in a'preferred form of note sheet by characteristically prolonging the note perforations so as to sustain the individual notes sounded thereby with substantially the same sustaining effects which were produced by the performingartists pedaling.

' The character of the invention may be readily understood by reference to an illustrated in Fig. 2.

The first step in the illustrative method about to be described comprises the making 7 notes.

taining operation as by damper pedaling. In like manner, the line-44 provides a similar record of another note; the line 48 of another; of another, 56 ofanother; and so on.

The tempo by whichan artist expresses I hls interpretation, 1s conspiclously charac' terized by the time relations in which he plays a succession of notes; in other words, his individuality is expressed largely by'the time relations of the initial sounding of the.

thereby faithfully reproducing one ofthe. most dlstlnct-ivecharacteristics of the latter.

In addition to the reproduction of the tempo of the original rendition, it is desired to reproduce the sustaining effects produced bythe performing artist, as means of damper-pedal operations; and theillustrathe apparatus of the drawings comprises means forrecording the performers pedaling. For instance, the pedal B is shown diagrammatically as fulcruined at 70- and having'a pin 71 arranged to press a spring 7 2 into contact with a spring 73xwhen the pedal is depressed, as, forfexan'iple, to remove the dampers from the strlngsof a piano. Thesprings ,72 and 73 are normally insulated from each other and the former is connect- ,ede by a Wire 74through a battery 7 5 with the electromagnet 5, whichis also in circuit with a wire 76 leading tothe contact spring Thuawvhnthe pedal. B is depressed the circuit is closed at the contact springs 72. 7 3, the electromagnet 5 is energized, and

its stylus is caused toinitiate a line which continues so long as the circuit is kept closed by holding the pedal depressed. v VVhen the pedal isreleased the circuit is again broken and the record line terminated. The line so drawn represents the period of time during which the dampers are held off the strings. For instance. the line 80011 the p illustrative record of Fig. 2 indicates that the dampers were withdrawn from the strings ust after the note corresponding to the line it) was sounded and were held off the strings until after release of thekey corresponding to the lines 56. The effect of this damper-pedal operation, as" well understood in the art. was to sustain all of the notes represented on the record even after their individual keys had been releasedand' their individual records terminated; 1n other words, the actual duration of anote played by the performer comprised not only the periodrepresented by the recordyfor the in dividual note (the distancefi in Fig. 2,1.01

These time relations are accurately" instance) but also an additional period representedby the length of'the line 8Qfollowing the rear end of the individual note 1 record.

Thus the described record indicates, by the individual note records and the pedaling record taken together, not only the exact tempo relations in which the notes were initially sounded by the performer, but also the true durations of the notesexactly as played in the original rendition and as sustained by the combined key and damper pedal operations. The manner in which the note sheet may be perforated to reproduce the tempo has already been descrlbed; 1t 1s a further object of the invention to render the note sheet capable of reproducing substantially the sustaining efii'ects resulting from the damper-pedal operation. Where the finished note sheet is intended for use 1 anion an instrument equlpped with automatic dampenoperatlng mechanism controlled from the tracker bar, a suitable damper-operating perforation or perforations .i'nay be provided in the note sheet in the "positions indicated by the line80 of the described record. For example, ifthe auton 'atic damper-operating mechanism requires a long, substantially continuous perforation for holdlng the dampers off the strlngs, a

" continuous perforation having precisely the length and position of the hne 80 could be provided.

To suit other known types of damper-operating mechanisimthe note sheet could be provided with a small perforation for withdrawing the dampers, located at the advance end of the record line 80, and a Itis preferred, however, to adapt the note sheet to use upon instruments which are notequipped with automatic damper operatlng mechanism, while retaining in the note sheet the capacity to reproduce automatically substantially the sustaining effects produced by:

the performing artists pedaling. This result may be obtained in the manner illus trated in the note sheet of Fig. 3. In this figure the perforations indicated in full lines are those which would be cut by referencc to the individual note records such as thoseon the record sheet. of Fig. 2. regardless of any sustaining pedal operatioi'l. The perforations indicated by dot-andlash lines at the left of Fig. 3 represent one form of damper-operating perforations which would be provided preferably if the note perforations were cut as-indicated in full lines-these full linenote perforations and the dot-and-dash sustaining perforations having the combined function (when'used upon an instrument having automatic playing the notes in the same tempo rela: tions and with the same durations as those small perforationfor returning the dampers, I

located near the rear end of the line 80. I 105 'tracker-controlled damper mechanism) of of the original performance produced by the combined key and pedal operations.

To provide, however, for an instrument having no tracker-c ntrolled damper mechanism, in whi h the dotand-dash damper perforations would be of no avail, the individual note perforations are prolonged arbitrarily to sustain their notes as nearly as practicable with the same effurt and to the same durations as produced by the performers pedaling. For instance, in the original rendition of the composition represented by the note sheet of 8 (which is assumed to have bee: made from a record like that of Fig. 2) the note corresponding to the full line perforation 100 was sustained throughout the period reoresentcd by the lot-and-dash perforation 105. in order to reproduce this sustaining; action in respect of that rmrticular note, the perforation 100 is prolonged as ind'catcd by the dotted line 103. The note initially sounded by the perforation 100 is intended to be ro-sounded by the perforation 106; that is to say, in a player piano, for instance, there must be a second distinct percussion of the string caused by the perforation 106. To provide for this second percussion, the prolongation 103 of the perforation 100 does not extend all the Way to the perforation 106 but terminates far enough from th latter to provide for the resounding of the note. The perforation 106 in turn is rolonged as indicatcd by the dotted line 10: sufficiently to sustain tile note to the same du ation indicated upon the record by the pedal record line corresponding the dot and dash perforation 105. The hiatus between the prolongation 103 and the perforation 106 is preferably made so brief that the effect is little. if any, appreciated by the bearer, the result being to all intents and purposes that the note initially sounded by the perforation 100 is continuously sustained throughout the duration indicated by the perfor con 105, just as it was sustained in the orig] ial rendithe ll-SOUlldiDg of tno note by the perio .tion 106 beingintroduced in the same time relation to the playing of the note 100 as in the original rendition.

In like manner, a perforation 101 having its advance end located i; proper r lation to the ad *ance ends of the other perforations to reproduce the tempo of the c ial performance, has a prolongation ulnch sustains the note illltl ternnna"3d ireparatory to resounding the same by the pe -oration 10?; which r ain has a prolongation 108 which terminates preparatory to resounding the note by a perforation 109 having a prolongation 110. Thus, the perforations 101, 102, 101-, 108, 109 and 1 10 sound and sustain and re-sound their notes with substantially the effect of the original rendition and in proper tempo relation to the other notes. A perforation 111 sounds its note which is sustained by a prolongation 112 extending throughout the entire duration indicated by the dot-an ldash line 105.

The foregoing will sutlice illustrate to those skilled in the art the method by which a note sheet may be designed and perforated so as to render it capable of producing upon an ordinary piano player, for instance, having no traclrcrcontrolled damper mechanism, substantially the tempo and pedal effacts which characterize an actual manual rendition.

A note sheet of this sort could be made on the plan indicated in Fig. 3 by omitting the perforations 105, 115 and 116; and perforating the sheet for the individual notes alone, each note perforation having its ad- (111100 end located as indicated for the ad vance ends of the full line perforations 100, 101 etc, and extending; throughout the distance indicated by tl e dotted line prolongations. Thus, each note will be sustained substantially as it Was sustained in the original rendition and will be played in exact ac cordance with the tempo of the original rendition, Without requiring any auxiliary sustaining mechanism such as a damper-operatimr mechanism.

There is, of course, some difference between the sustaining effects produced by prolonging the individual not-c perforations as described, and those produced by the actual damper-pedal operation. As well understood in the art, the usual damper mechanism is such that when the damper pedal is depresseii the dampers are withdrawn from all of the strings simultaneously, permitting *mpathetic vibration of all strings in response to the vibration of any string .WlllCll may be sounded While the dampers are Withdrawn. The initial impact of a hammer on a string", under such circumstances, will set up obje wtionable sympathetic vibrations, as Well understood in the art. hen, however, the sustaining is effected by the individual note perforations. the specific notes are themselves sustained and sympathetic vibrations occur in such other strings as are undamped at the time, While on the other hand, the discordant sympathetic vibration is eliminated. thereby avoiding an objection to the normal damper-pedal operation.

lVhcther or not any deliberate variation in intensity is provided for upon the sheet, by informative symbols or otherwise, the sustaining effects above described give, in actual playing, an effect of light and shade, as it were, in intensities, upon many types of playing instruments.

For example, when many notes are being sustained in the unusual manner provided for by the prolongations of a. large proportion of the individual note perforations, each pneumatic playing action which is employed in so sustaining a note, continuously bleeds from the supply of pneumatic pressureor exhaust and therebystends to reduce such pressure or exhaust with a tendency to cause succeeding notes to be sounded more softly.

This tendency is, of course, increased as a greaternumber of notes are sustained and the effect is enhanced, to such an extent as to be readily appreciable,by the use of the extensive note sustaining prolongations or perforations such as those illustrated in Fig. i 3. \Vhile this effect-of light and shade in in tensity does not necessarily ,follow the variations in intensity of the original playing by the performer, it nevertheless assists to an appreciable extent in eliminating the practically uniform intensity which contributes to the monotonous, mechanical qualit of the playing my means of most note sheets heretofore .used. g

In summary, the preferred form of note sheet contemplated by this invention, and

scribed illustrative method and note sheet.

It is not indispensable that the original record sheet itself be perforated, although this is convenient.

Claims I e 1. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition, which comprises recordingupon a record-receiving sheet moving at substantially the speed at which the finished note sheet is intended to be operated, a plurality of selected successive stages in the operation of the tone-sounding action for each of a plurality of tones sounded in the'performers rendition, including, first, a stage substantially at the time of sounding the tone and, second, substantially the stage at which the tone-sounding action is released by the performer, the records of said two stages for each said tone being alined and in parallelism with corresponding records for other said tones; recording upon the same record receiving 7 sheet substantially the times when the damper pedal is depressed and released by the performer; and making in the said sheet, perforations corresponding respectively to the tones recorded as.

aforesaid, each of said perforations having its advance'end located at the record-mark of the first recorded stage aforesaid, and one or more of said perforations having its rear end extended arbitrarily beyond the recordmark of the second recorded stage aforesaid to sustain its note substantially as indicated by the record of pedal operations on said sheet.

2. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition, which. comprises recording upon a moving record-receiving .sheet, a plurality of selected successive stages in the operation of the tone-sounding action for each of a plurality of tones sounded in the performers rendition, including, first, a stage. substantially at the time of sounding the tone and, second, substantially the stage at which the tone-sounding action is released by the performer; recording upon the same record receiving sheet substantially the times when the damper pedal is depressed and releasedby the performer; and making in a sheet perforations corresponding. respectively to the tones recorded as aforesaid and having, their advance ends relatively located in accordance with the relative locations of the record-marks of the first recorded stages aforesaid, andsaid perforations having their rear ends extended arbitrarily regardless of the relative locations ofthe record-marks of the second recorded stages aforesaid to sustain their notes substantially as indicated by said record of pedal .opera- 7 tlons.

3. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a man nal rendition, which comprises recording upon a moving record-receiving sheet substantially the time of sounding each of a plurality of tones sounded in the per formers rendition; recording upon the same record-receiving sheet substantially the times when the damper pedal is depressed and released by the performer; and making a 111 a sheet, perforations corresponding respectively to the tones recorded as aforesaid, and having their ends relatively locatedin accordance with the relative locations of said records of sounding the tones, one or more of said perforations having its rear end extended arbitrarily to sustain its note substantially as indicated by the record of pedal operations on said sheet. i. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition, which comprises recording upon a moving record-receiving sheet substantially the times of sounding a lurality of tones sounded in the performers rendition; recording upon the'same record-receiving, sheet substantially the times when the damper pedal is operated to sustain notes recorded as aforesaid; and making in a sheet, perforations corresponding respectively to the tones recorded as aforesaid, and having their advance ends relatively located in accordance with the relative locations of said records of sounding the tones, and having their rear ends extended to sustain their notes substantially as indicated by said record of pedal operations.

5. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition, which comprises recording upon a moving record-receiving sheet substantially the times of sounding the respective tones sounded in the performers rendition; recording upon said sheet substantially the times when the damper pedal is operated to sustain notes recorded as aforesaid; and making in a sheet, perforations corr sponding respectively to the tones recorded as aforesaid, and having their advance ends relatively located in accordance with the relative locations of said records of sounding the tones, substantially all of said perforations having their rear ends extended far enough to cause their notes to be sustained through substantially the duration of the sustaining operation indicated by said record of pedal operations.

6. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition which comprises making a rocord of the time relations of the initial sounding of the respective tones sounded in the performers rendition; making a record of the times at and during which notes were sustained by the performers pedaling; making in a note sheet note-sounding perforations relatively located in accordance with said first named record; and adding to said perforations prolongations thereof for sustaining the notes through substantially the durations indicated by said second named record. 4

T. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition which comprises making a record of the time relations of the initial sounding of the respective tones sounded in the performers rendition; making a record of the times at and during which notes were sustained by the performers pedaling; making in a sheet perforations having their advance ends relatively located in accordance with said first named record and prolong ing the majority of said perforations to sustain their notes and to position rear ends of perforations for sustaining the same notes in substantially the same alinement transversely of the sheet and to terminate the notes substantially simultaneously in accordance with the end of a sustaining operation indicated by said second named record.

8. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument, characteristics of a manual rendition which comprises making a record of the time relations of the initial sounding of the respective tones sounded in the performers rendition; makinga record of the times at and during which notes were sustained by the performers pedaling; and making in a sheet perforations having their advance ends located in accordance with said first named record and prolonging said perforations substantially continuously to sustain their notes through substantially the duration of a sustaining operation indicated by said second named record.

9. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition which comprises making a record of a manual rendition including note sounding operations and damper pedal operations, making in a sheet note-sounding perforationshaving their advance ends relatively located in accordance with the tempo of said actual rendition; and sustaining perforations so positioned to sustain their notes substantially continuously throughout a period corresponding to a period of dcpression of the damper pedal in said actual rendition.

10. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition which comprises mak ing a record of a manual rendition including note sounding operations and damper pedal operations, making in a sheet perforations having their advance ends relatively positioned in accordance with the tempo of said manual rendition; and having their rear ends relatively located in accordance with the end of a pedal sustaining operation in said actual rendition.

11. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition which comprises making a record of a manual rendition including note sounding operations and damper pedal operations, making in a sheet note-sounding perforations having their advance ends relatively located in accordance with the tempo of said manual rendition; and sustaining perforations having their rear ends located in accordance with the end of the pedal sustaining operation in said actual rendition.

12. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition which comprises making a record of a manual rendition including note sounding operations and damper pedal operations, making in a sheet notesounding perforations having their advance versely of the sheet;

13. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing uponan automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition which comprises making a record of a manual rendition including note sounding operations and damper pedal operations, making, in asheet notesounding perforations having their-advance ends relatively positioned in accordance with the tempo of said manual rendition,

including perforations in the same line lengthwise the sheet for sounding and resoundingthe same note; and prolonging the advance perforation of two or more such alined perforations to a point proximate the rendition.

advance end'of the second to produce the efi'ect of sustaining the note substantially continuously between the sounding and re sounding thereof, in accordance with a pedal sustaining operation in said actual 14. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic musical instrument characteristics of a manual rendition which comprises making a record of a manual renditioninclud ing note sounding operations and damper pedal operations, making in a sheet notesounding perforations having their advance ends relatively located in accordance with the relative times of depressing the keys for the respective notes in said actual rendition, and having their rear ends arbitrarlly extended to produce a pedal sustaining efiect, without regard to the time relations of release of the keys in said actual rendition.

15. A method of making a perforated note sheet for reproducing upon an automatic'musical instrument characteristics of inanualrendition which comprises making a record of the time relations of sounding'the respective notes in the manual rendition; making a'record or damper-pedal operations in said rendition; making in a sheet note-sound ng perforations having thelr advance ends relatively located in accordance with said first named record; and'making in said sheet sustaining perforations located in accordance with said second named record. V f

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

CHARLES F. WVitnesses:

A. P. CONRADT B. F. NOLLEY.

STODDARD.

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