Patent Grant
7485785
This invention is intended as an accessory for certain stringed musical instruments of the lute family. In particular, it is intended as an attachment for a lute of the type wherein the player holds the instrument in front of his or her body, and strums or plucks the strings. The invention is described in connection with a bass cello, but it will be appreciated that it is applicable to many other instruments as well, for example, basses, guitars, etc.
Stringed instruments of the type described can, of course, be played either right or left handed, but in the discussion that follows only right handed operation is mentioned. Left handed operation would generally be opposite, as will be understood.
Conventionally, stringed musical instruments of the type mentioned are positioned with the instrument body approximately adjacent to the player's right hip, and are supported by a strap passing over the player's left shoulder, the strap ends being fastened to the tail and the neck of the instrument. Instrument support in this manner is relatively unstable. Accordingly, some portion of the player's attention and physical attributes must be devoted to simply holding the instrument in the desired position to be played. The present invention reduces that burden on the player.
In the invented positioning aid, a pair of curved arms are rotationally coupled to a hub attached to the instrument body, such that after suitable adjustment, the arms are positioned to approximately fit the curvature of the player's body while the instrument is in position to be played. The arms preferably extend diagonally across and in front of the player's body from about his or her waist to below his or her breast. The arms are held against the body by a conventional strap over the shoulder, and maintain the instrument position relative to the player's body without its having to be held. The attitude of the instrument may easily be changed by the player while being played (by simply pushing on the neck), and the instrument will automatically maintain its new position.
Typically, instruments such as a bass cello, are played while being held by the player at an angle to the floor, with the junction of the neck and the instrument body located at or slightly above hip level on the right side of the player's body. The hub of the present invention is preferably attached to the body of the instrument near the intersection of the instrument body and neck. A pair of curved arms (called, for convenience, a short arm and a long arm) are rotationally attached to the hub. In use, the short arm curves partially around the player's waist, while the long arm extends partially across the player's body upward toward the player's left shoulder, preferably terminating below the breast. A conventional guitar strap passes over the left shoulder, and is attached to the ends of the arms.
The curved arms, held by the strap, maintain a substantially fixed position with respect to the player's body during a performance, and friction between the hub and the instrument causes the instrument to maintain a fixed position with respect to the hub. The instrument, therefore, will maintain a substantially fixed position with respect to the player's body during the performance unless the player intentionally overcomes the hub/instrument body friction, thereby changing the instrument attitude.
Provision is made for the arms to rotate with respect to the hub so that the arms can be placed in a compact position with respect to the instrument body for convenient storage of the instrument.
The invention is comprised of three major elements, a rotatable hub 10, a long arm 11, and a short arm 12. The hub is fastened to the instrument body 13, preferably near the region where the body joins the neck 14. Arms 11 and 12 are held in substantially parallel holes, 23 and 24, that pass through the hub preferably substantially normal to the hub axis of rotation (which axis is preferably approximately normal to the rear face of the body).
The arms 11 and 12 are curved (except for the portions thereof that are held in the holes in the hub, i.e., “the straight ends”), each curve preferably lying substantially in a single plane, which plane includes the straight ends. The curvatures of the arms is preferably such that the arms will fit comfortably against and approximately conform to the player's body shape when in use.
The ends of the arms 11 and 12 are each fitted with a hook (30 and 31 as seen in
In use, the arms 11 and 12 are unfolded, as shown in
The foregoing description is of one embodiment of the invention, which invention is susceptible of such modifications as may occur to those skilled in the art within the scope of the following claims either literally or by equivalence. Such modifications are intended to be covered by the claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4770079 | Mastroianni | Sep 1988 | A |
