Patent Grant
8822797
This application claims the benefit of International Patent application serial number PCT/IN2011/000605 filed Sep. 5, 2011 entitled “A Continuous Pitch Wind Musical Instrument” which published on Mar. 15, 2012, as WO 2012/032539 which publication is incorporated herein by reference. International Patent application serial number PCT/IN2011/000605 claims the benefit of Indian Application serial number 2587/CHE/2010 filed Sep. 6, 2010.
1. Field of the invention
The present invention pertains to a slide flute type of musical instrument, and, in particular, the present invention pertains to such an instrument with a wide octave range and fine control of the dynamic characteristics.
2. Background Information
Musical wind instruments fall into two major categories, namely open pipes and closed pipes. Open pipe musical instruments are resonant columns of air enclosed in a pipe with openings at both ends. Closed pipe instruments are resonant columns of air enclosed in a pipe with an opening at one end and sealed (i.e. “closed”) at the other. The excitation to set either kinds of pipes into their resonant modes of vibration comes from one the following sources: i) a vibrating reed attached to the closed end, such as in the clarinet; ii) vibrating lips of the player, also called the “lip-reed”, such as in the trombone and trumpet; and iii) simply “air reed”, where a player blows a jet of air on to an edge of some sort at one end of the pipe. The flute and the recorder are common examples of “air reed” musical wind instruments.
The flute and recorder families are some of the most widely played open pipe instruments. In the case of the flute, the air jet is blown across the embouchure hole (or blow hole) towards its far edge. In the recorder, the jet is channeled toward an edge via a fipple. Clarinets, oboes, saxophones, and bassoons are closed pipe reed instruments, while brass instruments like trombones and trumpets are closed pipe “lip reed” instruments. The slide whistle, while classified as a toy, is also a closed pipe instrument (it is always closed at the piston end; the excitation comes from a recorder-like fipple at the other end).
The flute derives its open pipe characteristics from the fact that it is always open at the blow hole at one end while the other open end is either the first open tone hole, if any, or the open end of the pipe. The flute is excited into its resonant modes by the player blowing a rapid jet of air across the blow hole, which has a properly angled edge on the opposite side. The edge splits the air into two streams one of which escapes into the surrounding atmosphere while the other creates rotating eddies at the mouth of the blow hole. The rotating eddies in turn create acoustic pressure waves that are propagated along the length of the pipe. The angular velocity of the rotating eddies is a complex function of the blowing and the position of the player's lips with respect to the blow hole. When a critical angular velocity is reached that corresponds to the resonant frequency of the pipe for any given length, the pipe is spontaneously set into its resonant mode of vibration.
The pitch of the resonant mode of the flute is inversely related to the length of the vibrating air column. In a first approximation of flute theory of operation, the effective length of the vibrating air column is the distance from the blow hole to the first open tone hole. Thus by opening successive tone holes at greater distances from the blow hole, while keeping all other tone holes closed, the pitch of the fundamental resonant mode can be reduced in steps.
The operation of the slide whistle, variously also known as a swanee or swannee whistle, piston flute or jazz flute, is well known. It is a closed pipe instrument whose body consists of a cylindrical pipe, at one end of which is attached a recorder-like fipple for a mouthpiece. In some designs, the mouthpiece is flute-like, with a blow hole. The other end of the pipe is closed and air sealed by a movable piston that can slide up and down the length of the pipe. The position of the piston along the length of the pipe determines the length of the air column enclosed in the pipe. The pitch of the sound produced, as in all pipe instruments, is inversely proportional to the length of the air column.
In view of the ability to move the piston in a continuous manner thereby varying the length of the air column in a continuous manner, the slide whistle, in theory, provides continuously variable pitch control. However, during the actual playing of such an instrument by virtue of moving the piston up and down the pipe, the closed pipe causes conflicting air flow patterns and pressure variations at the mouthpiece, which provides the only inlet as well as outlet for the enclosed air, leading to unintended and random overtone generation and other pitch variations. Hence the sound produced by this instrument is often a medley of tones and pitches, quite unsuitable to play serious music and, hence, it is classified as a toy. Quite apart from these limitations, the inherently sluggish movement of a piston type of arrangement does not lend itself to fine dynamic control.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,686 discloses an open pipe wind instrument with a continuously variable pitch control, hereinafter referred to as slide flute. The relevant features of this instrument include: a pipe with a slot running along some part of its length; and a method to selectively cover the slot up to any point along its length. In one embodiment, the method used to seal the slot up to any point along its length is accomplished by means a flexible or pliable strip of material attached to the body of the flute. The user must run a finger back and forth over the strip and press it down at the desired point on the slot covering it up to that point. The instrument disclosed this patent, while providing a practical viable flute design, is inadequate in providing the required dynamic performance and control as well as air seal. This inadequacy persists regardless of the type of flexible strip used, for example a flexible magnetic strip or a thin strip of bendable wood. As a result, sliding or continuous pitch flutes of this kind neither consistently produce the desired pitch nor allow for the desired fine dynamic control and hence are musically unviable.
Additional prior art of interest includes U.S. Pat. No. 2,806,399 that discloses a wind musical instrument with a “helical frequency determining means” wherein a cooperating member is rotated relative to the resonating pipe to vary the effective pipe length. This rotational design is not considered to practically yield the desired control or sound quality needed in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,544,033; 2,575,540; 3,202,031; 3,599,256; 4,401,007; 5,808,218; and U.S. Publication 2002-0178892 also disclose teachings regarding wind instrument construction that are helpful in understanding the general scope content and knowledge of the prior art. All of the above mentioned patents are incorporated herein by reference.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and a provide slide flute type of musical instrument, both of the closed-pipe slide whistle/flute design and of the open-pipe design, with a wide octave range and fine control of the dynamic characteristics.
The object of the present invention is achieved according to one embodiment of the present invention by providing a slide flute type of musical instrument that includes a resonating pipe having a first slot defined along a length of a longitudinal axis of the resonating pipe. A rigid rod hereinafter referred to as sliding rod, is provided that slides along a length of the first slot and seals the first slot such that the sliding rod selectively closes and provides an air seal to the first slot. A mouthpiece is coupled to the resonating pipe to enable the player to create a resonant column of air in the resonating pipe, i.e., the musical sound. The pitch of the musical sound thus created is determined by the extent to which the sliding rod closes the first slot.
These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
The features that characterize the present invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims which are part of this disclosure. These and other features of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects obtained by its use will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and the operating examples.
As used herein, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the statement that two or more parts or components are “coupled” shall mean that the parts are joined or operate together either directly or indirectly, i.e., through one or more intermediate parts or components, so long as a link occurs. As used herein, “directly coupled” means that two elements are directly in contact with each other. As used herein, “fixedly coupled” or “fixed” means that two components are coupled so as to move as one while maintaining a constant orientation relative to each other.
As used herein, the word “unitary” means a component is created as a single piece or unit. That is, a component that includes pieces that are created separately and then coupled together as a unit is not a “unitary” component or body. As employed herein, the statement that two or more parts or components “engage” one another shall mean that the parts exert a force against one another either directly or through one or more intermediate parts or components. As employed herein, the term “number” shall mean one or an integer greater than one (i.e., a plurality).
Directional phrases used herein, such as, for example and without limitation, top, bottom, left, right, upper, lower, front, back, and derivatives thereof, relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the drawings and are not limiting upon the claims unless expressly recited therein.
Musical instrument 1 is a melodic wind musical instrument capable of producing a continuum of pitches. The continuum of pitches produced by the musical instrument 1 is highly suited to playing Indian classical music both of the Carnatic (South Indian) and Hindustani (North Indian) variety, according to a particular aesthetic philosophy dominant in Indian classical music called “gaayaki ang”, which can be translated as “vocal style”. Indian classical music is typically performed by very small ensembles of one or two vocalists or instrumentalists and one or more percussionists. The “gaayaki ang” aesthetic philosophy dictates that Indian instrumental music should be aimed at mimicking vocal music to the best extent possible and replicating the standard vocal repertoire on the instrument. Consequently, the “gaayaki ang” aesthetic philosophy may be a primary consideration for the design of any new instrument in the Indian context, such as musical instrument 1.
Indian classical music is based on a set of discrete notes similar to western music. However a major difference is the Indian aesthetic that mandates the ability to glide smoothly between notes separated by small or large intervals, as well as the ability to create smooth modulations around any individual note. Therefore, ideally, Indian classical music calls for a complete continuity of pitch, as well as the ability to control pitch movement with great rapidity and precision. All of these are achieved by the musical instrument 1 of the present invention.
Among melodic wind instruments (as opposed to string instruments), only the trombone and the slide whistle offer continuity of pitch. The latter is of limited range and of non-musical tonal quality, and, hence, can be classified as a toy. The trombone is not very well suited for Indian music because it does not allow for the desired fine dynamic control, as well as the fact that it offers less than a single octave range without overblowing. Overblowing cuts the continuity at the point of transition from normal to overblowing. Thus, the present invention fills a clear void in the type of instruments currently available for playing Indian classical music.
With reference to the exemplary embodiment shown in
With reference to the exemplary embodiment shown in
The instrument 1 of the present invention addresses the sealing and dynamic performance problems discussed above with respect to the prior art such as in the '686 patent, by using an independent external sliding rod 5, described in further detail below, that smoothly slides over the sliding plate 9 to selectively close the slot to any particular distance. Precise longitudinal straightness and rigidity of the two sliding surfaces together with an exact matching of their mating profiles ensures an air seal that remains unbroken during operation.
The musical instrument 1 of the present invention is generally based on the principle of the flute. It has many features found on the flute, such as the resonating pipe and blow hole. However, instead of having a discrete set of tone holes, it has a continuous slot running along the length of the pipe. Slot can be understood as a sort of integrated set of tone holes that spans a whole range of pitches in continuum. The slot can be closed (i.e., air sealed) to any distance from the blow hole by the sliding rod.
The correspondence of the parts in the unitary embodiment 17 depicted in
While resonating pipes of circular inner cross section are exclusively described here, it is to be understood that all possible internal and external cross sections are covered including but not restricted to square, hexagonal, octagonal and oval.
With reference to
The angle made by the free end of the headjoint 8 and the mouthpiece 6 combination to the length of the resonating pipe 13 and slide plate 9 assembly is optimized for two opposing needs. On the one hand, given the small combined lengths of the headjoint 8 and mouthpiece 6, this angle is sufficiently askew of perpendicular so that the mouthpiece 6 can be accessed conveniently by the mouth of a player 2 approaching the assembly from a side, without the assembly obstructing one side of the player's face from such an approach. On the other hand, the angle is close enough to the perpendicular in order to i) permit the player 2 to use an optimal front to back motion of the arm for sliding the sliding rod, and ii) permit the player to view the slide plate 9 optimally along its length for clear visual feedback required for accurate slide placement. In a preferred embodiment this angle is about but not restricted to 110 degrees for a side blown, flute like, mouthpiece. It is different for other types of mouthpieces which are blown from the end instead of the side.
In the context of the bent design of the headjoint 8, it is to be clearly understood that a resonant musical pipe need not necessarily be straight. Pipes with smoothly curved bends are acoustically very similar to straight pipes of similar overall lengths. The design of many brass instruments such as trumpets, horns and trombones has relied on this principle. Recent researches, such as those described in “Compensating for Miter Bends in Cylindrical Tubing (L)”, John Coltman, Journal of the Acoustic Society of America, Vol. 121, No. 5, May 2007, pp 2498, have shown that sharp miter bends in pipes can be acoustically compensated to behave similar to straight pipes.
Mouthpiece 6 is attached to the free end of headjoint 8. One embodiment of the mouthpiece depicted in
The free end of the mouthpiece is sealed with a cylindrical piece of cork 7 or other material. The end surface of the cylindrical piece of cork 7 that is inside the pipe is adjusted to be positioned appropriately per standard flute practice.
In one embodiment, the combined distance from the slot to the mouthpiece is minimized as much as possible in order to maximize the pitch of the fundamental mode when the slot is completely open. This forms a kind of upper bound on the pitch that can be produce in any practical implementation of such an instrument. In an exemplary embodiment, the distance is about 3 to 4 cm, which results in a fundamental pitch of about 5 kHz which falls close to D8#.
In an exemplary embodiment, mouthpiece 6 can be adjusted by axial rotation such that the blow hole 23 is properly aligned with the player's lips. Either squatting on the floor as in Indian ensembles or sitting on a chair as in Western ensembles, the player 2 aligns lips to the blow hole 23, while bringing arm under and over the resonating pipe-slide plate 9 assembly and resting hand on top of sliding rod 5. The effort to slide the sliding rod 5 back and forth is made using exclusively the movement of the arm at the shoulders and elbow. The top surface of the sliding rod 5 is made sufficiently rough and anti-slip to prevent any relative movement between the hand and the sliding rod 5.
In the embodiment shown in
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
In a preferred embodiment shown in
The sliding rod 5 is of a suitable cross-section with at least one surface profile all along its length which is matched by an identical profile on the slide plate 9 such that when the two are aligned to each other, the rod 5 can cover the slot and maintain an air seal. By sliding the rod 5 up and down along the length of the slot, the extent to which it covers the slot can be varied.
The profiles of the mating surfaces on the sliding rod 5 and slide plate are exactly matched to ensure air-seal as well as smooth sliding. Several embodiments are possible.
In the preferred embodiment shown in
In the embodiment depicted in
In the embodiment depicted in
A lubricating sealant is applied to the mating surfaces of the slide plate 9 and sliding rod 5. It facilitates the smooth movement of the sliding rod 5 along the slide plate 9. In addition it helps improve the seal.
In one embodiment depicted in
In an exemplary embodiment, along the length of the slide plate 9 markings are made corresponding to various pitches. Another marking is made on some suitable spot on the sliding rod 5 such that when that marking is aligned to any one of the markings on the slide plate, a predetermined pitch is produced. This visual feedback helps the player manipulate the sliding rod 5 to the correct spot. In addition, a practice mirror can be mounted on a stand opposite the player 2 and suitably angled to provide visual feedback while practicing to play the instrument 1.
In an enhanced embodiment, by adding a bent U-tube at the free end of the resonating pipe 13, i.e., the end opposite to the one at which the headjoint 8 is attached, the flute can be extended to a parallel resonating pipe and slide plate assembly, operated by another sliding rod. While operating this second sliding rod, the first sliding rod 5 is positioned such that the slot 12 on the first slide plate 9 is closed completely. This mechanism will extend the range of the instrument 1 of the present invention even further, to the very low octaves of the woodwind family.
In an exemplary embodiment shown in
In an exemplary embodiment shown in
While some specific embodiments and methods for replicating this invention have been described in detail, those skilled in the art of musical instrument design will recognize other obvious manifestations and details that could be extrapolated in light of the information disclosed herein. Therefore, the particular arrangements in this disclosure are meant to be illustrative only and not to limit the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the following claims and all equivilents thereof.
It can be appreciated from the foregoing, that musical instrument 1 is an open or closed pipe type of slide flute that provides the following advantageous features: 3 octaves of continuous pitch without the need for overblowing; At least 4.5 octaves with overblowing; An externally manipulated sliding rod that enables instantaneous response to rapid tactile manipulations suitable for fast musical passages in many genres, particularly Indian Classical Music; Mounting stands of adjustable height that allow for: (i) playing the slide flute squatting on the floor as in Indian ensembles or sitting on a chair as in western bands and ensembles, and (ii) freeing up one arm and hand for other activities like keeping time (Indian music), conducting or operating other instruments; A bent headjoint that is mounted at a suitable angle to the main pipe for easy access and suitably tapered on the inside for proper overblowing octave accuracy; An adjustable mouthpiece that allows for proper angle of blowing regardless of posture or mouth angle; The provision to attach a second vibrating column via a U-tube along with a second sliding rod thereby increasing the range of the instrument even further to more than 5 octaves without overblowing; and the provision to attach a vibrating reed-blower mouthpiece thus converting it into a slide-clarinet type of instrument or a lip-reed mouthpiece thus converting it into a trombone-like instrument or a fipple thus converting it into an open-pipe slide whistle type of instrument.
In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” or “including” does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. In any device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain elements are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that these elements cannot be used in combination.
Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment. Various modifications of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The described embodiment is not intended to be restrictive of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is intended to be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2587/CHE/2010 | Sep 2010 | IN | national |
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| 20130247745 | Shankar | Sep 2013 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130247745 A1 | Sep 2013 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/IN2011/000605 | Sep 2011 | US |
| Child | 13785360 | US |
