Patent Grant
10770040
The present invention relates generally to saxophones, particularly to saxophones with improved tonal characteristics.
Great pitch is crucial to playing instruments at high levels. In wind instruments, tone holes are used to adjust pitch. Tone holes may be stopped by a finger or a key to change the pitch of the tone created. In saxophones, for example, tone holes are traditionally placed within a continuous section of tube. The tube may be the musical instrument's body, bow, bell, or other section. More specifically, tone holes traditionally exist in the body, bow, and bell of a saxophone.
With regard to saxophones, baritone saxophones have been traditionally difficult to play in-tune. A baritone saxophone does not exist that plays both in-tune and with a timbre consistent with the rest of the range of notes. In select prior art examples of instruments, tone holes are shown to exist in the joint tenon of a clarinet. A tone hole on the joint tenon of the clarinet must be lined up with a key on the adjacent and neighboring clarinet body part. In another rare prior art saxophone to LeBlanc, a tone hole chimney is affixed to only one section, the body section, and the neighboring section, the bow section, has a U-shaped cutout where the tone hole chimney overlaps.
What is needed is an improved woodwind instrument, such as a saxophone, that allows a user to play in-tune more precisely. What is needed is an improved saxophone that allows a user to play with a timbre consistent with the rest of the range of notes. What is further needed is a woodwind instrument such as a saxophone where a tone hole chimney is disposed or affixed on one joined section or joint. It is further desired to have a woodwind instrument such as a saxophone where a tone hole chimney is disposed or affixed to two joined sections or joints. It is also further desired to have a woodwind instrument such as a saxophone where a tone hole chimney is disposed or affixed to a connecting ring covering part of both sections, specifically covering a joint between an end of one section and an end of the adjacent, adjoining, neighboring section.
A woodwind instrument with improved tonal characteristics of the present invention may include a saxophone such as a baritone saxophone, an alto, a tenor, a C melody bass, and soprano saxophone. The woodwind instrument disposes a tone hole at a joint between two sections of the instrument. In another embodiment, the tone hole is disposed at least at two joints. In yet another embodiment, the tone hole is disposed on a connecting ring disposed at a joint between two adjacent and adjoining sections.
An improved saxophone 100 of the present invention provides a tone hole 200 on at least one joint 210, 220 of the saxophone 100. The joint 210, 220 is between adjoining sections of the saxophone which defines a joined section. The tone hole 200 can be either on a connecting ring that covers the joint or on a soldering point that joins the two different tubes. The connecting ring may be placed on the joint to then receive the tone hole. The connecting ring may be placed at the joint between a saxophone body and a saxophone upper bow and/or between a saxophone body and a saxophone lower bow. If, instead a connecting ring were not used, then the tone hole would be soldered directly at the joint between a saxophone body and a saxophone upper bow and/or between a saxophone body and a saxophone lower bow.
The saxophone with improved tonal characteristics is created by identifying at least one joint on the saxophone where an in-tune tone will be emitted and placing a tone hole on the joint, with or without a connecting ring being disposed at the joint. The connecting ring may be soft soldered at said joint and the tone hole may be silver soldered to said connecting ring.
An improved woodwind of the present invention may include a saxophone such as a baritone saxophone, an alto, a tenor, a C melody bass, and soprano saxophone. According to one embodiment of the present invention,
The improved saxophone 100 of the present invention, however, provides a tone hole 200 or tone hole chimney on at least one point in the conical tube of the saxophone 100 where the tone hole 200 will emit an in-tune tone. In one embodiment of the present invention, the improved saxophone 100 of the present invention provides a tone hole 200 on at least one joint 210 or joined section of the saxophone. In contrast, traditional, prior art, saxophones employ tone holes on a continuous section of the saxophone such as the body, bow or other section. The location of the tone hole 200 differs according to the geometry of a given saxophone 100 and the desired note. In another embodiment of the present invention, the tone hole 200 will be located on at least two joints 210, 220. The joined section may be a joint 210 between saxophone body 106 and saxophone upper bow 104 and a joint 220 between saxophone body 106 and saxophone lower bow 108 or both.
A joint ring or connecting ring 202 may be used at the joint 210, 220 and, if used, will receive the tone hole 200.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims. One of ordinary skill in the art could alter the above embodiments or provide insubstantial changes that may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1487482 | Shane | Mar 1924 | A |
| 5000072 | Pascucci | Mar 1991 | A |
| 9230521 | Laukat | Jan 2016 | B2 |
