US1304435A - Musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

H. E. WINTE'RHOFF. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27. 1916.

1,304,435. Patented May 20, 1919.

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UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

HERMAN E. WINTERHOFF, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO LEEDY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1919.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that'I, HERMAN E.. WINTER- HoFE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,'have invented a new and useful Musical Instrument, ofwhich the following is a specification. v

The object of my invention is to produce a musical instrument comprising one or more sounding members, such, for instance, as a bar, tube, rod, plate, etc., capable of producing a desired sound by 'vibration,

each of said members being associated with a plurality of resonators arranged at appropriate points opposite the antinodes of various overtones in such manner as to augment the selected tones, or overtones, whereby the sound of the sounding member may be increased and modified. y

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention. Figure 1 is a front elevation of a single chime bar and associated resonators constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the instrument shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 a fragmentary detail of a modification showing means by which the tone quality of the instrument may be varied by temporarily eliminating one or more ofthe resonators.

In the drawings, 10 indicates a chime bar supported by a suitable support 10 which will permit proper vibration of the bar when it has been struck or otherwise suitably manipulated. When such a bar has been set into vibration in the manner described, a plurality of sets of vibrations are set up, which produce the fundamental tone and the various overtones which together produce the resultant characteristic sound of the bar.

It has heretofore been customary to provide single resonators of suitable length and diameter opposite thev middle of the sounding bars, of comparatively short length, such as are used in xylophones, such a resonator operating to augment only the fundamental tone of the bar. This is satisfactory for bars of highpitch, but ordinarily is not satisfactory for long low-pitch bars, because of the extreme length which would be required for the resonator.

Vibratile members of the character described, having pitches within the usual 'fifth overtone,

middle register, generally have the fourth 'overtone predominating, although in higher pitch members there is a gradual approach to a predominance of the third overtone, while in lower pitchr members there is a gradual' approach to a predominance of the It is for this reason that it is especially diiicult to harmonize chimes, especially those of tubular members, with otherY musical instruments.

I have discovered that an unexpected richness of tone quality' for .vibratile members of the character described, and especially those of tubular character, may be produced by a proper combination of resonators so placedrelativeto the antinodes ofthe fundamental tone and various overtones of the bar that undesirable overtones, because of the emphasis of desirable overtones, become practically audibly eliminated. By such an arrangement of resonators, I find that I am able to produce with a comparatively short bar, say, for instance, one 30 inches long, a depth and volume of tone which, without the combination of resonators, could not be produced except by an extremely long and heavy bar structurally beyond the practical limits of use or manipulation.

For this purpose, I provide a plurality of resonators 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, etc., placed opposite the antinodes of various overtones of the bar. The tone quality of the chime bar or other vibratile member of the character described, equipped with a set of resonators such as I have described, may be temporarily modified in different ways by preventing the operation of one or more of the resonators, in various combinations, this being readily accomplished by means of shutters 17 which may be moved into or out of position between the chime bar and the mouth of .the resonator.

Vith a vibratile member such as is shown in the drawings, it is important that the suspension means engage the bar at the node l of the tone which is intended to predominate and that the guard be placed at another node of the same set of vibrations. In the drawings, therefore, the suspension 10 is shown as engagin the bar at a node of the fifth tone of the ar, as this tone is the one selected as the redominant tone for obtaining the particu ar quality desired.

Y therefor,

It Will be understood thatthe point of. suspensionmay be varied so as to select anyV particular tone or overtone.1

It will also be apparent,V as indicated in Fig. 2, that-the resonators should be placed at proper `positions vin the length of the bar and should be placed with their mouths the drawings, may be used Without departing from my invention.

I Vclaim as my invention: j h

l.. A musical instrument comprising a vibratile member With a suitable support therefor, and a tively adjacent antinodes of tones of said member. Y.

2. A musical instrument comprising a vibratile member With a suitable support a plurality of resonators associated Withl said vibratile member coperatively adjacent antinodes of different overtones Vof plurality of resonators asso-V ciated with said vibratile member coopera# dierent overtherefor engagingthel same vatI a node se-V lected to determine thedominating tone des'ired',V and a plurality of resonators asso- -fciated with said vibratile member coperatively adjacent antinodes of different over- Y Y tones ofl said member.

4. A musical .instrument comprising a vibratile member and. a suitable support therefor ei'i'gagingVVV the same at a node sei lected to determine the dominating tonedesired, a plurality .of resonators` associated WithV saidV vibratile vmember coperatively adjacent antinodes of dil'fere'nt overtones of said member, and means for temporarily eliminating Ythe resonatorv effect of one Vor more of saidresonators. In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set y hand at Indianapolis, day'of March, A. D.. one thousand nine hundred andy sixteen. j f t Y HERMAN E. WIN TERIIOFF.

Indiana, this 22nd Copies of this patent may Abefobtained for ve'centseach, by addressing theddminissioner of Patents, Y'

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