Patent Application
20080202315
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a musical instrument of the cabasa type having a substantially cylindrical hollow main body with a cover plate, and a base plate, and a handle connected to the base plate, wherein between the cover plate and base plate along the outer surface of the main body beaded-string-like sounding bodies are arranged extending in the circumferential direction, which, when the main body is rhythmically shaken, by their movement against each other and relative to the surface of the main body, generate a tone. Musical instruments of this type are referred to as a cabasa.
2. Background Art
In the case of previously known musical instruments of this type, it was assumed until now that the tone generation and radiation takes place primarily on the surface of the main body in combination with the sounding bodies that are arranged there.
The invention is based on the object of improving a musical instrument of the generic type with respect to its sound qualities and creating novel sound impressions.
The object is met according to the invention in such a way that the cover plate and/or the base plate are provided with openings.
According to the invention, it has now surprisingly been found that as a result of providing such openings, the sound is able to travel from the interior of the main body to the outside, and in the process a completely different and novel tone color is created than by those sound components that are generated on the surface of the main body and radiated from there.
In a further improvement of the invention, provision may be made for the openings to be formed as circular holes.
Preferably four such holes are distributed about the circumference of the cover plate or base plate, respectively.
The diameter of the holes is advantageously dimensioned such that it is approximately two thirds of the radial distance between the outer surface of the handle and outer surface of the main body.
The invention will be explained in more detail below based on a preferred example embodiment in conjunction with the drawing.
An inventive musical instrument 1 shown in the drawing comprises a handle 2 and a cylindrical main body 3 having a cover plate 4 projecting beyond its periphery and a base plate 5.
Strung onto the outer surface of the main body 3 in the style of a string of beads are round sounding bodies 6, beyond which the outer edge 7 of the cover plate 4 and the outer edge 8 of the base plate 5 project to a small degree in the radial direction.
The cover plate 4 and base plate 5 each are provided with four circular holes 9 that permit the sound that is generated inside the main body 3 to be radiated, which superposes with the sound that is generated on the surface of that main body 3 and that is radiated directly.
