Patent Application
20160260421
The present invention relates generally to a musical instrument, and more particularly, pertains to a wind instrument tuning system that stabilizes a jointed instrument when the segments of the instrument are pulled out or pushed in to adjust pitch.
Musical instrument tuning is the practice of adjusting the pitch of the tones of an instrument so that proper intervals are established between the tones. Tuning an instrument is typically established against a fixed reference, e.g., Concert A=440 Hz. When an instrument is out of tune, the musical instrument does not match the fixed reference. A pitch or tone that is too high is referred to as “sharp” and a pitch or tone that is too low is referred to as “flat.” Instruments can become “out of tune” if they are damaged or worn over time, and must be adjusted or repaired to bring them “in tune.” Instruments may also become “out of tune” due to changes in temperature or humidity.
A resonator is a device that oscillates at some frequencies with greater amplitude than others. Resonators are used to generate sounds in a musical instrument, e.g., strings of a guitar, or may be used to modify the sound in a musical instrument, e.g., sound box of a guitar. For wind instruments and brass instruments, an acoustic cavity resonator produces sound via air vibration within a cavity or resonator, which is typically a tube.
One way of manually tuning a woodwind instrument, brass instrument, or similar instrument is to modify the length or width of the instrument's resonator. For example, if a clarinet is playing sharp, a musician will pull out the upper section from the barrel slightly until the clarinet is in tune. Alternatively, the musician can pull out the lower joint from the upper joint, or pull out the bell from the lower joint. If a clarinet is playing flat, the musician will push in the upper section to the barrel (if the barrel is not already fully inserted), or push in other sections of the clarinet, until the clarinet is in tune. If the sections of the clarinet are fully inserted and the instrument is still out of tune, then the musician must improvise by changing his or her embouchure or replacing the barrel with different length sections.
The process of pulling apart or pushing together the mating sections of the instrument takes a toll on the functioning of the instrument. First, the seal between the sections, often times cork seals, get worn over time and must be replaced. Any wear on the cork seal may cause the air tight seal to become permeable, affecting the sound of the instrument. Second, when the mating sections of the instrument are pulled apart, the opposing shoulders of the instrument, which are typically flush when the instrument is fully assembled, are not flush against one another. This results in the joint between the sections being loose and unstable. There is also the potential loss of an air tight seal between the sections. Similarly, this adversely affects the sound of the instrument.
The present invention seeks to improve upon the prior art by providing a novel apparatus which prevents unwanted movement of a jointed instrument when the instrument is in an extended or pulled out state, and helps maintain an air tight seal between mating sections.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to accommodate inward and outward movement of mating sections of an instrument relative to each other while sealing the interface between the mating sections and preventing relative motion (“wobble”) between the sections.
It is an additional object of the present invention to enable a musician to pre-tune the instrument to match known pitches of different sources.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus of tuning a wind instrument which stabilizes the mating sections of a jointed instrument when the mating sections are pulled out or pushed in during tuning. The present invention provides at least one O-ring inserted between the mating sections which seals the interface between the sections to create an air tight seal. The O-rings may have differing thickness, and any number of O-rings may be used. During tuning, the O-rings may be compressed in order to seal the interface between segments when the segments are pulled out or pushed in with respect to each other.
In one embodiment a method of tuning a wind instrument is provided. The method includes providing a wind instrument having a resonator for receiving air. The resonator may be in the form of a column having a mouthpiece and a first section that is coupleable to a second section. The mouthpiece is positioned at a first end of the first section. The next step of the method is to position at least one O-ring between the mouthpiece and first sections of the resonator. Alternatively or in addition, the next step of the method is to position at least one O-ring between the first and second sections of the resonator. Finally, the axial positions of the mouthpiece with respect to the first section and of the second section with respect to the first section are adjusted using the at least one O-ring to vary the length of the resonator.
In one aspect, two or more O-rings may be positioned between the sections of the resonator of varying thickness to create a seal between the sections.
In another aspect, two or more O-rings may be positioned between the sections of the resonator of the same thickness to create a seal between the sections.
In another aspect, the at least one O-ring may be made of rubber. The rubber material may be compressible or non-compressible.
In another aspect, the column has a third section coupleable to the second section and at least one O-ring may be positioned between the second the third sections.
In another aspect, the mouthpiece is coupleable to the first section by inserting a portion of the mouthpiece into a recess of the first section. In another aspect, the first section is coupleable to the second section by inserting a portion of the second section into a recess of the first section.
In another aspect, the axial position of the first section may be adjusted with respect to the mouthpiece by pulling the mouthpiece outward with respect to the first section to increase the length of the resonator. In another aspect, the axial position of the second section may be adjusted with respect to the first section by pulling the second section outward with respect to the first section to increase the length of the resonator.
In another aspect, the axial position of the first section may be adjusted with respect to the mouthpiece by pushing the mouthpiece inward with respect to the first section to decrease the length of the resonator.
In another aspect, the axial position of the second section may be adjusted with respect to the first section by pushing the second section inward with respect to the first section to decrease the length of the resonator.
In another aspect, the wind instrument may be a clarinet.
The present invention also provides a tuning arrangement to stabilize mating sections of any jointed musical instrument with respect to each other. The arrangement contemplates a first section of a musical instrument having a first end and a second end, and a second section of the musical instrument having a first end and a second end. The first end of the second section is connectable to the second end of the first section. The arrangement has a mouthpiece connectable to the first end of the first section. Lastly, the arrangement has at least one O-ring insertable between the mouthpiece and the first section to adjust the overall length of the mouthpiece and first section and to create a seal between the mouthpiece and the first section. Alternatively or in addition, the arrangement has at least one O-ring insertable between the first section and the second section to adjust the overall length of the first and second sections and to create a seal between the first section and the second section.
In one aspect, the connectable end of the mouthpiece has a diameter less than the first end of the first section. In one aspect, the first end of the second section has a diameter less than the second end of the first section.
The present invention also provides a method of tuning a musical instrument, which may be in the form of a wind instrument. The wind instrument has a first section having a first end and a second end, and a second section having a first end and a second end, with the first end of the second section being connectable to the second end of the first section. The wind instrument also has a mouthpiece connectable to the first end of the first section. At least one O-ring may be inserted between the mouthpiece and the first section to create a seal between the mouthpiece and the first section, and for improved stability and/or tuning. Alternatively or in addition, at least one O-ring may be inserted between the first section and the second section to create a seal between the first section and the second section. Lastly, the axial position of the mouthpiece with respect to the first section and the first section with respect to the second section is adjusted using the at least one O-ring in order to change the length of the wind instrument, and the O-ring acts as a stop to maintain the relative position between the mouthpiece, the first section and the second section.
These and other features and aspects of the present invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the follow mg description, while indicating a representative embodiment of the present invention, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.
A clear conception of the advantages and features constituting the present invention, and of the construction and operation of typical mechanisms provided with the present invention, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate the same elements in the several views, and in which:
In describing the embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific terms so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the word connected, attached, or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art.
The various features and advantageous details of the subject matter disclosed herein are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiment described in detail in the following description.
This invention relates generally to a musical instrument, and an apparatus and method of tuning a musical instrument so that the pitches of one or many tones are adjusted to form a desired “in tune” arrangement. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method of tuning a wind instrument for sealing and stabilizing the mating segments of a jointed instrument when the mating segments are pulled out or pushed in relative to each other to vary the length of the instrument and thereby adjust pitch. The method utilizes one or more O-rings of optionally variable thicknesses and compressibility to reinforce the seal between instrument segments.
The mating sections of the clarinet 10 generally include an attachment end 16 of one segment of the clarinet 10 which is sized for insertion into a receiving end 22 of another segment of the clarinet 10. For example, as shown in
As seen in
While it is contemplated that the O-rings 50 have a generally round cross-section, the cross-section may be different shapes, such as oval or rectangular, and the O-rings 50 may assume different cross-sectional configurations when compressed. The O-rings 50 may be manufactured by extrusion, injection molding, pressure molding, or transfer molding processes, or in any other manner as is known in the art. The O-rings 50 may be made out of but are not limited to, any of the following rubber or thermoplastic materials: butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, epichlorohydrin rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer, ethylene propylene rubber, fluoroelastomer, nitrile rubber, perfluoroelastomer, polyacrylate rubber, polychloroprene (neoprene), polyisoprene, polysulfide rubber, polytetrafluoroethylene, sanifluor, silicone rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, thermoplastic elastomer styrenics, thermoplastic polyolefin LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE, ULDPE, thermoplastic polyurethane polyether, polyester, thermoplastic etheresterelastomers copolyesters, thermoplastic polyamide polyamides, melt processible rubber, thermoplastic vulcanizate.
In practice, the assembly of the present invention provides a method of tuning a clarinet 10 by sliding the segments of the clarinet 10 inward or outward with respect to each other, and preventing the segments from shifting by creating an air tight seal between mating segments via the O-rings 50. The musician will first assemble the jointed instrument by inserting the attachment ends 16 of the segments into the receiving ends 22 of the corresponding mating segments. The clarinet 10 is often assembled starting at the bell 38 moving upwards, and attaching the lower joint 28 to the bell 38, then the upper joint 26 to the lower joint 28, then the barrel 20 to the upper joint 26, and then the mouthpiece 12 to the upper joint 26. However, the clarinet 10 can be assembled in any order without any practical difference in the assembled instrument.
While assembling the segments of the clarinet 10, the musician may optionally install the desired number of O-rings 50 around the attachment ends 16 of the clarinet so that they encircle the attachment end 16. Then, the musician will insert the attachment end 16 into the receiving end 22 of the corresponding mating segment, such as between the mouthpiece 12 and barrel 20, and between the barrel 20 and the upper joint 26. The mating segments may be pushed inward with respect to each other so as to compress the O-rings 50 and produce a tight seal between the segments. Although the shoulders (corresponding faces of the segments which would normally be flush against each other when the segments are fully inserted within each other) of mating segments do not contact, the O-rings 50 positioned therebetween provide an air tight seal. While the O-rings 50 are shown being installed between the mouthpiece 12 and barrel 20, and the barrel 20 and upper joint 26 only in
As seen in
Once the clarinet 10 is fully assembled, in order to tune the assembled instrument, the musician will choose a note or series of notes to tune to. By using a tuner or listening by ear, the musician determines if he or she is in tune. If the clarinet 10 is not in tune, then the musician will determine if they are sharp or flat. When the clarinet 10 is sharp, the upper segment(s) are pulled out slightly so that the instrument is lengthened, and one or more additional O-rings 50 may be installed if required. When the clarinet 10 is flat, the segment(s) are pushed together slightly so that the instrument is shortened, compressing the O-rings 50, or one or more of the O-rings 50 may be removed if desired. It is most common to adjust the length of the clarinet 10 by pulling out or pushing in the mouthpiece 12 with respect to the upper joint 26 or by pulling out or pushing in the upper joint 26 with respect to the barrel 20.
While the O-rings 50 may be made of a material that maintains its stiffness when the segments of the clarinet 10 are pushed together, such as a plastic material, the O-rings may also be made of a material that may compress when, the segments are pushed together, such as a rubber material. Referring to
It is appreciated that the O-rings 50 assist to provide an air tight seal between the jointed segments of a musical instrument. Moreover, the O-rings 50 may be compressible to allow for flexibility when the mating segments are pulled out or pushed in for tuning purposes. Moreover, the O-rings 50 help to provide stability between segments of the instrument and prevent relative motion of the segments.
While the tuning system has been shown to be used in connection with a clarinet 10, it is contemplated that the system may be used with any wind instrument, such as woodwind instruments (e.g., recorders, flutes, oboes, saxophones, and bassoons) or brass instruments (e.g., horns, trumpets, trombones, euphoniums, and tubas). The O-rings 50 may be installed between any jointed segments of the wind instrument.
Many changes and, modifications could be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof. The scope of these changes will become apparent from the appended claims.
