Abstract: A valved wind instrument including a tubular body having a tuning section, a lead pipe connected to a first end of the tuning section and a bell pipe connected to a second end of the tuning section, said tubular body being configured to allow a vibrating column of air to pass therethrough; wherein the tuning section includes an air inlet port for receiving air flow from the lead pipe at the first end, an air outlet port for delivering said air flow to the bell tube at the second end, a plurality of user operable valves; wherein each valve of said plurality of valves is in fluid communication with an adjacent valve by a first tubular portion so as to provide fluid communication between the inlet port and the outlet port, and wherein each valve of said plurality of valves is user moveable between a first position and a second position and each so as to increase the air pathway length between the inlet port and the outlet port by way of a second tubular portion; and wherein each second tubular portions is coplan

Abstract: Structures and methods are provided for adjusting a size of a slide ring aperture for a musical instrument. Embodiments include a trumpet slide ring spacer adapted to be mounted on an instrument and retained within a valve slide ring.

Abstract: A leadpipe for a musical instrument comprising: a sidewall defining an enclosed channel, the sidewall having an upstream end and a downstream end; wherein the sidewall is comprised of a plurality of sections including a first tapered section and at least one subsequent tapered section; wherein each of the sections extends longitudinally between the upstream end and the downstream end of the sidewall; wherein the first tapered section is disposed upstream of the at least one subsequent tapered sections; wherein the first tapered section and at least one subsequent tapered section of the sidewall each define a generally frustoconical cavity having an upstream inner diameter Df and a downstream inner diameter Ds; and wherein the downstream diameter of each of the tapered sections that defines a generally frustoconical cavity is larger than the upstream diameter. The leadpipe may produce greater intensity of overtones and improved sound quality.

Abstract: A bore-variable leadpipe includes a mouthpiece receiver integrally formed on a tube body of a brass instrument and a mouthpiece adaptor detachably assembled to the mouthpiece receiver. The mouthpiece receiver internally defines a first bore, in which an assembling section, a tapered section and an air-guiding section are sequentially formed. The mouthpiece adaptor has a receiving end for receiving a mouthpiece therein and an assembling end for engaging with the assembling section, and internally defines a second bore between the two ends. When the mouthpiece adaptor is assembled to the mouthpiece receiver, the second and the first bore are aligned and communicable with each other to form a conical passage and a cylindrical passage. The leadpipe can be changed in its bore size by assembling a mouthpiece adaptor of a different bore size to the mouthpiece receiver, so that the same brass instrument can be used with differently sized mouthpieces.

Abstract: A straight-through rotary valve structure includes: a case having an internal conic receiving space with an opening, a first extension section being disposed at a tip of the receiving space, a second extension section being disposed beside the first extension section; a conic rotary valve block having a pivot shaft and formed with a first hole and a second hole, the first hole communicating with a third hole formed at a tip of the rotary valve block in communication with the first extension section, the second hole communicating with a fourth hole formed on a conic face of the rotary valve block; and an outer cover blocking the opening of the case. The outer cover is formed with a central shaft hole through which the pivot shaft passes. The outer cover is further formed with a first perforation and a second perforation corresponding to the first and second holes respectively.

Abstract: An adjustable tuning tube for a clarinet is composed of an outer tube and an inner tube. The outer tube has a first upper chamber, a lower chamber, and a middle portion between the first upper chamber and the lower chamber. A button is pivotally mounted in an arcuate slot defined at an outer periphery of the middle portion and has a finger formed at a first end thereof and extending in the outer tube, and multiple first teeth formed on the finger. The inner tube is received in the outer tube, and has multiple second teeth formed at an outer periphery thereof and matching the first teeth of the button.

Abstract: Disclosed is a mechanism for attaching a tuning bell of a musical instrument to the musical instrument. The mechanism includes a rail attached to the tuning bell and a hollow channel attached to a part of the musical instrument such as, for example, to a valve cluster. The channel has an exterior surface and an interior surface. The mechanism includes an adjustable clamp engaging the exterior surface of the channel. Also disclosed is method of using the mechanism which comprises the steps of positioning the rail within the channel and adjusting the clamp to compressibly engage the interior surface of the channel against the exterior surface of the rail until the rail is secured against the interior surface to prevent movement of the rail within the channel.

Abstract: A interchangeable bore clarinet barrel system is provided which eliminates the need for substituting one clarinet barrel for another in order to change tone color, intonation, and response characteristics. The barrel system is attachable to adjacent portions of a clarinet and includes a barrel body and a bore removably attached to the body. The body may be in two sections, or a single-piece unitary barrel body. The bore may be frictionally fitted or threadedly received into the barrel body. Tone rings and sleeves allow alteration of the tone color, intonation and response characteristics of the clarinet.

Abstract: A brass instrument having a mouthpiece connected by a pipe to a valved body which is in turn connected to an output bending and a bell thereby defining an air duct. The bell and the output bending are formed of separate and detachable parts. The brass instrument has an intermediate section between the output bending and the bell and a coupling member for detachably coupling the intermediate section to the output bending and to the bell respectively. The intermediate section has a plurality of subsections in telescopic relation to one another and parts for adjusting an overlap between the plurality of telescopic subsections so as to change a length of the intermediate section whereby to alter a tone of the instrument.

Abstract: A slide trombone is provided having a complete chromatic range extending from the tenor range to the pedal notes of the basic B.sup..music-flat. windpath. The trombone of the present invention includes two trigger activated attachments which are "in-line." The first attachment is thumb activated to lower the pitch of the basic windpath by a minor third. The second attachment is finger activated to lower the basic windpath by approximately six semitones so that the two attachments together lower the basic windpath by a minor sixth.

Abstract: A brass wind instrument is disclosed which has substantially the same range as a French Horn but has a forward facing bell for greater projection. Further, the bell is substantially that of a tenor trombone.The instrument includes a rotary valve for changing the key from an F-alto to a B-flat.The instrument includes a French Horn lead pipe.

Abstract: For each register of the instrument, the device comprises at least one auiary tube branched in the vicinity of the head of the instrument and a manual control mechanism making it possible to open or close the auxiliary tube at its first end in contact with the instrument or at its second end turned towards the outside.This device more particularly applies to flute mouthpiece instruments or reed instruments, such as clarinets, saxophones, oboes and bassoons.

Abstract: A musical wind instrument of the type in which the pitch of the note to be produced is initially created by a person blowing the instrument, the instrument being provided with at least one elongated tubular section forming a sound path with two ends. This section has twelve segments arranged in tandem, the length and diameter of each segment being progressively greater in the direction the sound travels through the section. The length of each segment corresponds to the wave length of a different note of a chromatic scale. In addition, the boundary between adjacent segments is formed by an abrupt change in diameter and the boundary between adjacent segments is made from a softer metal than the segment walls themselves.

Abstract: Trumpet with linear or rotary pistons, such as B-flat, C, D or E-flat trumpets, wherein the bottom of the tuning bow comprises a conical widening and the lower tube of the tuning slide assembly slides outside the tube integral with the set of pistons, which integral tube is shortened with respect to the upstream end of the lower tube of the slide assembly in the abutting position, the remaining part of the bore being substantially cylindrical and of same diameter. When dividing the tuning bow into six sections of equal axial length, the conical widening starts in the fifth section and the upstream end of the tube integral with the set of pistons is situated just beyond a seventh section having the same axial length as the others.

Abstract: A pitch adjuster for a valved brass instrument having a tuning slide crook for selectively operating the tuning slide crook between a normal position, a preselected inward position, and a preselected outward position, to raise or lower the note played. The pitch adjuster comprises a main rod mounted to the tuning slide crook and slideably mounted in a ring to the instrument. Stops on the rod limit the inward and outward movement of the rod and tuning slide crook to predetermined positions, by engaging the ring. The outer end of a spring is engaged on the rod and the inner end is engaged by a collar which is held from inward motion from the normal position, so that the spring is compressed when the rod and crook move inward and exerts an outward restorative force on the rod only when the rod is in inward from a normal position. An auxiliary rod is mounted on the inward side of the collar, parallel to the main rod.

Abstract: A pitch adjuster for a valved brass instrument having a tuning slide crook and a third valve slide crook enables play in the just intonation scale and includes a main push rod attached to the tuning slide crook, a finger operator attached to the third valve slide crook and slidably mounted on the main push rod, a bias spring retaining the finger operator in a normal position, a trigger operator and a detent assembly which provides for stopped flat and sharp positions. The trigger operator retracts the main push rod to retract the main tuning slide crook and sharpen the pitch of the note being played. The finger operator extends the main push rod and thereby extends the tuning slide crook and third valve slide crook to flatten the pitch of the note being played. The finger operator may be moved beyond the stopped position, by sliding along the main push rod and compressing the bias spring, and further extend the third valve slide crook alone.

Abstract: A method of constructing a trumpet or other brass instrument is disclosed wherein a zone of increased taper is formed on the cylindrical inner surface of the mouthpipe to provide an improved air column between the mouthpiece and valve sections of the instrument. The zone of increased taper is critically positioned along the length of the mouthpipe to coincide with the pressure maximum points of selected notes in the upper octave of the normal playing range of the instrument to yield a chromatic scale that is nominally true to desired pitch.

Abstract: A mouthpiece practice holder has a base which approximates the envelope of that portion of a brass instrument normally held by the left hand and supports a mouthpiece from a brass instrument for practice playing or buzzing. A mouthpiece rod is adjustably supported from the base by a guide and tightener assembly and a mouthpiece receiver attached to the end of the mouthpiece rod has a taper to slidably receive and retain the mouthpiece. Practice valves may be provided in the base so that the right hand may "finger" the note being played or buzzed as the left hand holds the base. A rimpiece holder supports only a rim from a mouthpiece and may be inserted into the mouthpiece receiver as a substitute for the mouthpiece to permit closer observation of the lips, etc. in relation to the mouthpiece rim as the rim is "buzzed". The guide and tightener assembly may be slightly modified and used to control the tuning of an instrument which is tuned from the mouthpipe or bell.