Abstract: A musical instrument support system provides support to a musician's elbow when the musician's arm is in a raised position, thus alleviating fatigue and strain on the musician's shoulder, neck, back and arms. The support system includes a harness worn on the musician's torso, a rib plate supported by the harness that is worn along the musician's torso, an elbow support that receives the musician's elbow, and a swivel joint that joins the elbow support to the rib plate and permits the elbow plate to rotate and angulate about a vertical axis and move laterally from the rib plate in all directions within a horizontal plane.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 28, 2021
Date of Patent:
May 24, 2022
Assignee:
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Inventors:
Adrianna N. Carrion Vaughn, Jonah Mudge
Abstract: A string tensioner is configured to apply a substantially constant tension to a string over an operational range even if such string stretches and contracts over time. Tension is provided by a spring. Flexers can attach the spring to a force modulation member and a frame. The flexers preferentially bend out-of-axis so that the spring does not bend out-of-axis when the force modulation member rotates. A dampening system can slow the force modulation member's response to vibrational forces. A flexible stop can prevent rotation of the force modulation member beyond a desired point, but flexes to remain in contact with the force modulation member over a small range of movement.
Abstract: A percussion instrument mount includes a base that supports a percussion instrument in a playing position. The percussion instrument mount also includes a swing arm that is coupled to the percussion instrument, and is also coupled to the base via a joint such that the swing arm rotates about the joint from an equilibrium position in response to a playing impact on the percussion instrument. The percussion instrument mount still further includes a playing impact energy absorber that provides a restoring force to the swing arm so as to return the swing arm to the equilibrium position.
Abstract: A string instrument has a body and a neck. The body has a top plate joined to a bottom plate forming an interior volume therebetween. The neck is attached to the body and extends outwardly therefrom. A tailpiece is joined to the body. A first soundpost is located within the interior volume of the body and joins the top plate with the bottom plate. A second soundpost is also located within the interior volume and also joins the top plate with the bottom plate.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 14, 2021
Date of Patent:
May 10, 2022
Inventors:
Matthew Canel, Maxwell Morgan, Benjamin John Kaufman
Abstract: Apparatus attached to the flared open end of a wind instrument includes one or more layers of particle filtering materials for preventing the dispersion of pathogens from the wind instrument while enabling sound transmission with little muffling and distortion, and minimal resistance for the musician.
Abstract: Improved endpin stand apparatus for large stringed instruments are provided. The endpin stand apparatus comprises components to elevate the endpin shaft from the floor on which the endpin stand apparatus rests, and may comprise a kickstand. The endpin stand apparatus may comprise an endpin shaft and/or a hole for receiving an endpin shaft, or may comprise a platform, which supports a large stringed instrument. The endpin stand apparatus allows for adjustment of the height of the apparatus and thus of the stringed instrument, and may allow of adjustment of the angle of the instrument relative to the axis defined by the apparatus. The apparatus allows a user to stand while playing the instrument, and to move through a forward-to-back and side-to-side range of motion. The adjustable height and angle allow for a range of instrument locations and angles, and increased range of motion by the musician while playing the instrument.
Abstract: A musical instrument to which a music stand is to be attached includes a performance operation unit that is arranged in a front portion of the musical instrument in a front-and-rear direction, and an attachment portion arranged at a position farther rearward than a rear end of the performance operation unit in the front-and-rear direction and farther forward than an intermediate position between the rear end of the performance operation unit and a rear end of the musical instrument in the front-and-rear direction, wherein the music stand is attached to the attachment portion such that a music score provision surface of the music stand is inclined by a first angle, and the first angle is in a range of 35 degrees to 55 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane.
Abstract: A bass pad includes a frame body, a pad body, and a leg-opening mechanism. The frame body includes a pad base and a main post. The pad base is fixed to a clamp of a pedal device. The main post is arranged integrally with the pad base. The leg-opening mechanism includes two legs, two stays, and a sliding member. The height and angle of the pad base are adjusted by moving the sliding member in an axial direction of the main post to open or close the legs and the stays with respect to the main post.
Abstract: Musical instrument string or sports racket string, comprising a core which comprises or is composed of a bundle of thermoplastic fibers, wherein at least some thermoplastic fibers of the bundle are at least partially, such as for example in a punctiform or linear manner, connected to one another in a materially integral manner, in particular by fusing on the boundary surfaces, and method for producing said string.
Abstract: A holding device for a chin rest for a string instrument, by means of which a support plate provided for supporting the chin of the player of the string instrument can be connected to the body of the string instrument, is intended on the one hand to enable an ergonomically improved posture of the player and on the other hand to improve the sound of the string instrument. For this purpose, the holding device is designed as a spring element which connects the support plate to the body in a spring-loaded manner.
Abstract: A guitar positioning device, including a strip of resilient or flexible material, such as formed or molded from rubber, or polymer, can be adhered to the lower or lateral edges of the guitar, or banjo, in which it is used, while the exposed surface of the device will frictionally engage upon the legs of the musician, so as to prevent slippage of the instrument during its usage and application. The positioning device can be adhered by integral suction cups, at least two in number, or by an adhesive, a double sided tape, or even hook and pile fastening means, or rivet, in order to secure the positioning device to the exposed edge of the instrument that rests upon the legs of the musician, during a performance.
Abstract: Disclosed is a torsion based tremolo apparatus that includes a moving plate rotatably coupled to a mounting plate. A torsion device imparts torsional force to the moving plate relative to the mounting plate around an axis of rotation. The mounting plate is used to attach the tremolo apparatus to a guitar or other string musical instrument. Adjustable bridge clamps and tuning plates coupled to the moving plate may be used to set the tension on the instrument strings as desired. Rotation of the moving plate relative to the mounting plate alters the tension on the instrument strings.
Abstract: A stopper rail of a silent piano, which can make collision noise generated when a hammer shank collides against the stopper rail, blurred in the sense of pitch thereof and difficult to be recognized by the human ear, in a silent performance mode. In this mode, the stopper rail is contacted by the hammer shank of a hammer being pivotally moved to stop pivotal movement of the hammer. The stopper rail includes a rail body having a predetermined flexural rigidity allowing vibration, a first cushion provided on one surface of the hammer shank, for being contacted by the hammer shank being pivotally moved, and a vibration suppressing portion provided on an opposite surface of: the rail body to the first surface so as to apply a load to the rail body to suppress vibration of the rail body when the hammer shank contacts the rail body.
Abstract: A sound damping device includes a sound damper and a support member. The sound damper includes a contact surface configured to contact a vibration member and includes a through-hole having a first opening formed on the contact surface. The support member is coupled to the sound damper to support the sound damper and cause the vibration member and the contact surface to come into contact with each other. The support member includes an air hole that is connected to the through-hole of the sound damper and that penetrates through the support member.
Abstract: A kick drum pedal assembly includes a footboard, a beater, and a travel limiter. The beater is connected to the footboard and is configured to rotate in response to depressing the footboard. The travel limiter is configured to limit rotation of the beater. The travel limiter has an arm connected to the drum beater and a stop connected to the footboard. The arm and drum beater are confined to rotate in unison. The arm is configured to engage the stop to limit rotation of the beater to a desired forward position in response depressing the footboard.
Abstract: A musical instrument mallet includes a head extending from a first end to a second end, the head having a steel core; and a foam shell surrounding the steel core; a handle attached to the head at the second end; the head is used to inflict force upon an instrument; and the steel core and foam shell create a low volume sound with the instrument.
Abstract: A folding marimba may include a plurality of rails, a plurality of natural bars suspended from some of the rails, and a plurality of accidental bars suspended from some of the rails. In some embodiments, the rails may be mounted to resonator panels. The rails and/or the resonator panels may be configured for hinged rotation such that the marimba is configurable in an unfolded position having a first length and a folded position having a second length that is less than the first length. For example, the second length may be about half of the first length.
Abstract: Disclosed are devices and methods for reducing resonant vibrations in impact tools. The embodiments disclosed herein include the use of certain particles positioned within an impact tool, such as a hammer, for converting the energy of vibration to heat energy resulting from collisions between the particles.