Abstract: A novel and simple method for coding or indexing songs according to their highest and/or lowest sung notes, and the corresponding keys or tonalities, is proposed. Numbers 1 through 12 are used in lieu of the musically more erudite traditional musical appellations. Individual voices can be coded or indexed similarly. When the songs are transposed to the proper tonalities, so that all the sung notes are within the vocal range of the individual singer, the performance will enjoy optimal vigor and minimal strain.

Abstract: An improved foot pedal features a moveable heel piece and footboard with fore and aft motion along the pedal's base plate. By sliding the heel piece and footboard, the position of the top of the footboard can be changed in relation to the position of the pedal's wheel section, in turn changing the pulling direction of the chain which links the top of the footboard with the wheel section. By altering the pulling direction of the chain, the feel and action of the pedal is made relatively lighter or heavier allowing the drummer to customize the performance characteristics of the pedal beyond the typical range of the pedal adjustments.

Abstract: A keyboard apparatus is constructed on a frame having a plurality of support members. A plurality of keys are movably supported by the corresponding support members such that each key can be operated by a finger action to undergo a primary stroke movement. A plurality of mass members are disposed in the frame. Each mass member is linked to a corresponding key for undergoing a secondary stroke movement in response to the primary stroke movement of the corresponding key so as to impart a dynamic reaction to the finger action. A stopper member is disposed in the frame not only for directly fixing a limit of the secondary stroke movement of each mass member, but also for indirectly fixing a limit of the primary stroke movement of the corresponding key. Further, a plurality of guiding members are arranged in the frame remotely from the support members and correspondingly to the respective keys.

Abstract: A simplified method of musical notation for keyboard instruments to enable easier sight-reading and playing of music. Each octave is represented by five lines (6) of a different color to match the color of tags of the corresponding five black keys of each octave on a keyboard. Each one of these lines represents one of the five half tones or black keys of an octave on a keyboard. Each space on either side of these lines represent the seven whole tone or white keys of an octave on a keyboard.

Abstract: An attachment shown in FIG. 1 for string-musical instruments to improve the tone color by tightly clamping a string segment E (91), a string segment A (92), a string segment D (93), and a string segment G (94) between a bridge (60) and a tailpiece (70) with an acoustical material (20) being compressed by a frame (10) and an arm (50). The position, angle of attachment, compression and shape are varied to customize the tone color, without loss of fundamental tone volume. The attachment can be removed by moving a catch and release (40). This returns the instrument to its original state. The tightly clamping of all string segments (91), (92), (93),and (94) together allows common motion of all string segments between bridge (60) and tailpiece (70), but independent vibrations of any one string segment is stopped to higher frequency and is damped by acoustical material (20). The enhanced tone effects increased ease of playing, sonority, dynamic range, and projection.

Abstract: A mute attached to a brass instrument has an inner surface shaped in such a manner that standing waves of representative harmonic tones have respective final nodes therein close to final nodes of the standing waves generated without the mute, and the pitch of the sound is hardly changed between a performance with the mute and a performance without a mute.

Abstract: A musical education toy capable of receiving balls in a prearranged order, separating them according to size, and then guiding them to corresponding xylophone bars in order to play selected tunes. The toy has a track on which to place a plurality of balls, a hand crank to control the release of the balls, guide rails which allow the balls to drop into corresponding holes, chutes to further guide the balls to corresponding xylophone bars, and a box to collect the balls.

Abstract: A musical string instrument (1) having a resonator (3) including a belly (5) and a back (7) connected by a side (9) and provided with a sound hole (17) to resonate vibrations induced in a string (13) strung over at least part of the resonator (3). Within the resonator (3) there is mounted a plate member (19) in a downwardly inclination disposition relative to the belly (5) to divide the interior of the resonator (3) into at least two chambers (21, 23) connected to each other in a region forwardly of a free edge of the plate member (19) to form a sound bell of a width continually increasing towards the sound hole (17) for amplifying low frequency tones and improving bass resonance of the vibrations of the string (13) in the resonator (3).

Abstract: A shoulder rest for an instrument such as a violin or viola, comprising an elongated support suitable for resting on a user's shoulder, and an attachment device adjacent each end of the support for attachment to the instrument with the support spaced away from the back of the instrument. The attachment devices each include a base part upstanding from the support and having a bearing generally aligned with an adjacent end of the support, a pedestal connected to the base part by a shaft rotatable within the bearing, and a clamping member carried by the pedestal and terminating in recesses engageable with a back portion of the instrument. The invention provides torsion springs acting between the pedestals and the base parts so that angular displacement of the support relative to the clamping members is resisted by the springs.

Abstract: An improved musical instrument having an improved tambourine and a built-in whistle, integrated into one musical instrument. The improved musical instrument includes an additional outside frame to cover and protect the jingles for safety.

Abstract: A motor driven electronic music box with a motor in a motor base. The shaft end of the motor has a scroll gear to drive the gear train which connects to an output shaft to provide horizontal output. the crown wheel connects to the vertical output power from the gear shaft. One side of the motor base connects to a base, and the base includes a fixing ring with several sound holes. the fixing ring has aa clasp to fix a speaker. On the side of the base are several bosses to support a circuit board. The circuit board connects to the motor, the speaker, a power source, a switch and an LED. The integrated circuit on the circuit board causes the speaker to produce sounds, and the LED to flash according to the melody. The circuit acts on the output shaft and gear shaft at the same time.

Abstract: A string tension adjustment device for electric guitars, and particularly for use in conjunction with guitars having a bolt-on neck. The string tension adjustment device includes a body which holds the mechanism for applying the additional tension to a guitar string and the body is attached to a traditional guitar with bolt-on neck by removing the bolts that connect the neck to the body of the guitar, placing the body of the string tension adjustment device so that holes passing through it are in registry with the holes that receive the bolts for attaching the neck of the guitar to the body of the guitar and reassembling the entire mechanism by the bolts passing through the existing holes so that there is no necessity of impairing the integrity of the instrument.

Abstract: A keyboard musical instrument has a hammer stopper provided between strings and hammer assemblies and operative to prevent the strings from hammer heads for electronically producing sounds in response to a fingering on a keyboard, and a driving mechanism for the hammer stopper is provided on the opposite side of the hammer assemblies so as to accommodate the driving mechanism in a wide space.

Abstract: A musical instrument pedal including a front pedal plate and a rear pedal plate pivoted to the front pedal plate wherein the front pedal plate has an axle housing defining a hexagonal through hole and having two bottom screw holes in communication with the hexagonal through hole; the rear pedal plate has two lugs, which hold a respective axle bearing, and a front receiving space defined between the lugs; a hexagonal pivot axle is fitted into the hexagonal through hole of the axle housing, having two round pins at two opposite ends respectively supported on the axle bearings of the lugs; two tightening up screws are respectively threaded into the bottom screw holes of the axle housing to hold down the pivot axle.

Abstract: A foot pedal for a drum including a drum hoop receiving member. The drum hoop receiving member has the shape of an inverted triangle when viewed from the side and is pivotably provided on the beater holding portion of the pedal frame. When the drum hoop of a bass drum is placed on the hoop receiving member, the hoop receiving member pivots in accordance with the setting angle of the drum and makes a surface contact with the drum hoop so that the bass drum is securely held on the hoop receiving member regardless of the setting angle of the drum.

Abstract: An apparatus to assist the musical instruction of a student including one or more tone sources (e.g. flute, human voice, violin) playing monophonically as inputs, means to quantify aural parameters of pitch, amplitude, duration, and timbre of inputs, means to visually store and represent temporal history of said, means to store and playback audio signal of inputs, and means to arrive at and display musical related pitches. A digital waveform analyzer is used to control a tunable low-pass filter in the pitch tracker and preform spectral estimation of timbre. Also, a digital version is described. Pre-recorded music instruction and a karaoke player are used as examples of reference tone sources. Visual representation of aural parameters can be provided as video output.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically and accurately monitoring the wear of a continuous conveyor chain without having to stop the chain. The present invention provides first and sensors means fixedly spaced along the conveyor chain at a predetermined distance. The first and second sensors generate signals corresponding to the presence and absence of successive links provided in the conveyor chain. The generated signals are received and processed and the necessary time intervals are calculated for providing an output indicative of chain wear of any portion of the chain several parameters of chain wear may be calculated, including chain stretch and instantaneous chain speed. The calculated chain wear values may be compared to predetermined values previously input and stored, and if the calculated values exceed the predetermined values, an indicator means indicates that the conveyor chain should be serviced.

Abstract: A tensioning device for the skins of percussion instruments includes a plurality of bearing brackets which are provided with threads and are arranged distributed over the circumference of the instrument shell. Tensioning screws are adjustably mounted in the bearing brackets and act on a hoop for holding the skin. A clamping piece of an elastomer material which surrounds each tensioning screw serves to secure the screws automatically in each tensioning position relative to the bearing bracket or a thread in the bearing bracket. The clamping piece is mounted so as to be in positively locking engagement with a structural component of the tensioning device.

Abstract: A key for keyboard instruments includes a molded key body and a perspiration-absorbing sheet. The molded key body is pivotally secured to a supporting member of the instrument and formed of a synthetic resin. The perspiration-absorbing sheet is provided over the surface of the key body so that the perspiration-absorbing sheet serves as a top, playing surface of the key.

Abstract: A foot pedal for a drum including a frame main body, a heel piece, and a pedal plate installed between the frame main body and the heel piece. The frame main body is provided with a beater that makes a pivotal motion to beat a drum particularly a bass drum head when the pedal plate is depressed by the player. A connecting board which is to be placed on the floor is installed between the frame main body and the heel piece so that the frame main body is connected to the front end of the connecting board in a horizontally rotatable fashion. Thus, the frame main body is rotated to be set in any desired direction so as to comply with the orientation of the drum head, allowing the beater to strike the drum head at right angles.