Abstract: An assembly for reading musical scores and to assist in learning and practicing a polyphonic musical instrument, as well as a process for using this assembly, comprises two flat coacting elements (1 and 2) of which the first (1) which is external and forms a flat sleeve, has on at least one of its side surfaces a series of windows (F.sub.i) each associated with a pictogram (P.sub.i). The second flat element (2), which is internal and in the form of a flat support, can slide with guidance in the flat sleeve forming the first element (1) and bears, distributed over its surface, a plurality of assemblies of groups of data (A, PM), the groups of data of a same assembly being disposed such that they can all appear simultaneously in the windows (F.sub.i). There is a plurality of labels each bearing a predetermined association of a pictogram (P.sub.i) and a group of data (A, PM), the labels being adapted to be fixed at least temporarily on the sheets of musical scores.

Abstract: Disclosed is apparatus comprising at least two elements whose positions relative to each other are alterable, and in which at least a portion of each element is visible during use of the apparatus, and wherein a first of said elements exhibits an indicated sequence, and a second of said elements exhibits at least one of a group of musical representations comprising:an alphabetic representation of musical notes;a representation of a keyboard;a representation of finger positions on an instrument;an accepted musical notation;and wherein the relative positions of said first and second elements may be altered so that correlating said indicated sequence with a said musical representation indicates at least one of a scale or chord. Various embodiments of apparatus may be used in determining scales, and variations and modes thereof, find use in creating and determining chords, find use in key transposition and/or determining fingering on keyboards and frets.

Abstract: In a method of and means for producing musical note relationships there is provided an array of staggered lines or rows (1) of symbols, in which each symbol represents a musical note. Each line (1) comprises a repeated series of twelve symbols forming a musical series of semitones known as a chromatic scale, and each line is staggered with respect to adjacent lines such that groups of the symbols which represent the same musical note relationship, such as intervals, scales, chords, etc, form the same visual configuration, for example diagonal configurations (6 to 9) or vertical configuration (14 to 19), at respective locations in the array. In one embodiment, a device including means bearing such an array may be used as a learning aid comprising two overlapping members slidably movable relative to each other. Alternatively the contact positions of a keyboard of a keyboard musical instrument or a fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument may be arranged in accordance with the array.

Abstract: A music chord indicating calculator assists in determining finger placement to play musical chords on a multi-stringed musical instrument containing a finger board. The device has an outer slide member and an inner base member which slides through the outer slide member. The slide member contains a number of columns of spaced viewing ports on both side faces. The inner base member has a number of columns of spaced indicia which are coded to correspond to various chords. A chord selector has one of the indicia on a column of indicia on the base member and can be viewed through a viewing port which has a chord identifying name associated with it. By sliding the base member and slide member relative to each other such that chord selector is viewed through a viewing port which identifies a chord by name, the finger placement of that chord can be viewed through the viewing ports by coding of the indicia on the base member.

Abstract: A device for demonstrating musical scales and chords in various tonics for use with a fretted stringed musical instrument. A housing is of a slide-rule nature and has a transparent simulated fingerboard positioned within a display window. This fingerboard is reticulated, with an imprinted series of uniformly-spaced parallel string lines extending longitudinally and representing the strings of the instrument. These lines are regularly interrupted by an imprinted series of position alignment indicia and tone letters. A series of uniformly-spaced printed parallel lines transverse the longitudinal lines and represent the nut and frets of the instrument. Additional display windows disclose a plurality of related information; these windows are used primarily to identify certain tonal characteristics. A plurality of displaceable medial sliding members is provided, each having a system of tone indicators printed in a predetermined manner. These indicators are used to identify tonality.

Abstract: A chord progression finder for determining each and every tone of a selected musical scale in a selected key note and each and every tone of its relative musical scales, as well as the various chords playable for the selected musical scale and its relative scales, while simultaneously providing information on which keys or frets of a musical instrument are to be played for producing the indicated tones. A base has printed information pertaining to a particular musical instrument and also fingering patterns for playing tones on that instrument arranged in a predetermined sequence indicative of any number of desired musical scales.

Abstract: The musical scale indicator according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is composed of two cooperating parts. A base is provided having thereon printed information pertaining to a particular musical instrument and which, in addition, has printed thereon fingering patterns for playing tones on that instrument arranged in a predetermined sequence indicative of any number of desired musical scales. A slidable, clear overlay is slidably connected with the base. The overlay has printed thereon the letter designations for the musical tones arranged in a predetermined sequence so as to cooperate with the fingering patterns indicated on the base in order to selectively indicate to the user the finger positions on the subject musical instrument that will produce the tones of a selected musical scale and simultaneously the finger positions on that instrument that will produce those tones.

Abstract: The invention pertains to musical teaching aid devices for fretted instruments such as guitar. The enclosed invention is a device in which the user builds a desired chord and is taught the form and the spelling of the chord by the use of a special embodiment which contains a perforated top piece plate in which strings and frets are represented by indica, and the bottom piece plate has indica on both sides. The top side containing indica representing the names of the musical notes which are viewed through the top perforated piece, and the back side of the bottom piece contains the chord spelling of a plurality of chord types. In between both the top and bottom piece plates is a frame, which fastens the top and bottom together and serves the purposes of allowing slides to pass through the six given spaces (inserts) in the frame.

Abstract: A music chart for determining the constituent tones of a plurality of chords and the chord name of a given series of tones is disclosed. The chart is comprised of a disc having at its outer circumference a plurality of spaced-apart chord names. Each chord name lies along a radius of the disc, each radius having delineated thereon a plurality of markers radially spaced from each other. A slide member having an elongated narrow rectangular window is slidably and pivotally superimposed on the disc by means of a central rivet projecting through the window. The slide member has at its lower side a graphic representation of a keyboard which is lettered according to conventional keyboard construction and includes at least two octaves. By rotating and sliding the slide member over the disc a chord name and its constituent tones are easily readable in the window.

Abstract: The ruler for composing or decomposing the chords for polyphonic musical instruments is characterized in that it comprises: ruler slides (A,B,C,D,E,F,P,Q) movable with respect to each other in a given direction and each provided with inscriptions relative to the notes of the chromatic scale, respectively assigned to the fundamental, the third, the fifth, the sixth, the seven the etc. . . . of chord--a cursor (K,N) relatively movable in said given direction with respect to the ruler slides, said cursor being with a marking (L,N5) positioned to make evident one of the notes of the chromatic scale of each of the slides: one element (H) integral with the slide (A,P) assigned to evident the inscriptions relative to the musical chord searched for the invention applies to a chord ruler for polyphonic musical instrument.

Abstract: A device to display musical chords and notes for fretted string instruments comprising (a) top sheet having a plurality of transparent patterns representing the strings and frets on the fingerboard of the instrument, (b) pivot located at a central point on the sheet, and (c) underlying rotatable disk having a plurality of patterns of spots representing different types of chords. All the fingerboard patterns on the top sheet are identical but each is disposed to display chords in a different musical key. When the rotatable disk is angularly indexed relative to the top sheet, the device displays a plurality of musical chords, differing in position on the fingerboard, in musical key and in chord type. The spots displayed through the transparent fingerboard patterns indicate where the fingers may be placed on the strings and which strings may be left unstopped when a chord is sounded.

Abstract: A slide rule device displays notes and chords of a fretted musical instrument and is used to visualize and teach the operation of instruments such as the pedal steel guitar. The device includes a number of side-by-side slide members positioned in a channeled housing, corresponding to strings on the musical instrument, and which may be moved longitudinally either singly or in groups. Such movement is accomplished by handles, foot peddles, or knee levers and corresponds to the tuning operation of foot peddles or knee levers on an actual pedal steel guitar or the like. Each slide member is returned to a neutral position, which is equivalent to no movement of foot peddles or knee levers, by longitudinal springs secured to the housing after a movement therein, and each has a sequential series of musical notes displayed upon its face corresponding to the notes available on the corresponding string of the simulated musical instrument.

Abstract: Apparatus for composing and indicating finger pattern information for a musical stringed fingerboard instrument comprising a plurality of alignably repositionable first series of first indicia, each first series representing at least one course of said stringed fingerboard instrument, the locations of said first indicia forming a mapping image of allowable locations for fingering the respective courses of the stringed fingerboard instrument to sound musical tones.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for indicating finger pattern information for a musical stringed fingerboard instrument comprising at least one type of first indicia in a fingering pattern specified by pairs of coordinates representing allowable locations for fingering the stringed fingerboard instrument to sound musical tones of a chord or scale, and a repositionable string stop series for selecting a correlation of the ordinal number of at least one string stop of the stringed fingerboard instrument with the indicia of the fingering pattern.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device intended to facilitate play on a musical string instrument by transfer of the notes for a tune to be played from the conventional note sheet onto a note sheet where the tones are indicated so as they are to be found at predetermined places on the individual strings of the instrument by the fingers of the hand acting on the strings. The device consists mainly of a preferably rectangular, flat, elongated slotted slider and a preferably rectangular, flat, elongated slide member housed in the slot so as to allow mutual sliding displacement. The slide member is provided with longitudinally extending parallel rows of conventional tone designations by characters, the number of said rows equalling the number of the strings of the instrument. The tone designating characters are in each row positioned according to their subsequent locations on the string.

Abstract: An intonation aid for instruments of the violin family is molded from a plastic material as a thin, curved member which fits over the fingerboard. The aid includes a plurality of spaced stops arranged at different acute angles transverse to the strings thereby defining finger positions for the distinct half notes in the scale up to the second octave.