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30
s e n t e d by c a p i t a l
l e t t e r s
primed.
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U N I T E D S T A T E S
P A T E N T O F F I C E .
VALENTINE T . EAENwEIIE, or ATLANTA,
cEoEeIAu
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.>
SPECIFICATION orming
p a r t o f
L e t t e r s Patent No. 3 5 7 , 1 6 8 , dated February 8 ,
1 8 8 7 .
- Application
i i l e d
July 1 6 , 1 8 8 6 . S e r i a l No. £ 2 0 8 , 2 2 4 . No m o d
e l . )
To a l l
whom
t
may
concern:
Be
i t
known
that I , VALENTINE . BARN
WELL,
a c i t i z e n o f
t h e United S t a t e s , r e s i d i n g
a t A t l a n t a , i n
t h e
county o f F u l t o n and S t a t e
o f Georgia, h ave invented a n e w a n d
u s e f u l t
M u s i c a l I n s t r u m e n t ;
and
I d o
h e r e b y d e c l a r e
t h e
f o l l o w i n g
t o be a f u l l , c l e a r , and
e x a c t
d e
s c r i p t i o n
o f t h e i n v e n t i o n ,
s u c h a s
w i l l e n a b l e
o t h e r s s k i l l e d
i n
t h e a r t
t o which i t a p p e r t a i n s
t o
m a k e a n d u s e t h e
s a i n e , r e f e r e n c e being h a d
t o t h e accompanying
d r a w i n g s ,
and t o l e t t e r s
o r v t i g u r e s o f r e f e r e n c e ma rked t h e r e o n
,
which
form a p a r t o f t h i s s p e c i f i c a t i o n .
This
i n v e n t i o n
r e l a t e s t o an i i n p r o v e i n e n t i n
s t r i n g e d m u s i c a l i n s t r u m e n t s
h a v i n g f i n g e r
boards on which t h e s t r i n g s a r e p r e s s e d by
t h e ñ n g e r s f o r
a
p o r t i o n o t ' t h e
t o n e s ;
and i t
c o n s i s t s o f
a l i n g e r - b o a r d having f r e t s
o r
f r e t
l i n e s
and marks
by which
t h e
t o n e s o t ' t h e d i a
t o n i c
s c a l e
may b e
r e a d i l y
d i s t i n g u i s h e d f r o m “
t h e
o t h e r t o n e s
o f t h e chromatic
s c a l e ,
a nd
o t h e r d i s t i n g u i s h i n g m a r k s ,
a s
w i l l
be
h e r e i n
a f t e r f u l l y
d e s c r i b e d
and
t h e n s p
e c i i i c a l l y
c l a i m e d .
I n t h e
a c c o m p a n y i n g
d r a w i n g s ,
F i g u r e I
r e p r e s e n t s
a
p o r t i o n o l t h e
g u i t a r ,
i n c l u d i n g
the f i n g e r - b o a r d . F i g . I I i s a s i m i l a r
portion
o f
a b a n j o ,
and
F i g . I I I
i s a
s i m i l a r
p o r t i o n
o l '
- a
v i o l i n . An l l u s t r a t i o n o f t h e a p p l i c a t
i o n o f
t h i s invention
i s
s h own on
t h e s e
t h r e e i n s t r u
ments
t o
show
t h e
p r i n c i p l e o f
a p p l i c a t i o n .
I t
may e
a p p l i e d t o any
instrument o f
t h e s a m e
c l a s s .
I n t h e s e f i g u r e s , l i s a
{ I n g e r - b o a r d ,
2 r e p
r e s e n t s t h e
f r e t s ,
and
t h e s p r i n g s a r e
r e p r e
The p o s i
t i o n s on t h e f i n g e r - b o a r d
o f
t h e t o n e s
o l
t h e
d i a t o n i c
s c a l e
a r e
marked
by t h e l e t t e r s A , B ,
C ,
D , E , F , a n d
G .
In
t h e s c i e n c e
o f music t h e r e i s known
‘ b u t
o n e p r a c t i c a l
s y s t e m
o f
g r a d i n g
t h e d i i i ‘ e r e n t
d e g r e e s
o f t o n e - p i t c h - n a m e l y ,
t h a t o f d i v i d
i n g
t h e
monochord i n t o
t w e l v e p a r t s ,
which
a r e
c a l l e d
“ s e m i - t o n e s ’ 7 o 1 “ ‘ h a l f - s t e p s . 7 7
For
t h e
p u r p o s e o t ' m y p r e s e n t d e s c r i p t i o n I p
r e f e r
t o
c a l l t h e s e p a r t s
“ h a l f - s t e p s . ” T h i s
s e r i e s
o f
t w e l v e h a l f - s t e p s f o r m s
what
i s c a l l e d
t h e
“ c h r o m a t i c
s c a l e . 7 7 By
o m i t t i n g
t h e
s e c o n d ,
f o u r t h ,
s e v e n t h ,
n i n t h ,
a n d
e l e v e n t h
o f t h e s e
S O
t o n e s o f t h e chromatic s c a l e , which a r e
ma rked
o n t h e d r a w i n g s e d , d e f y , g c , a n d
a b ,
we h a v e
l e f t o n l y s e v e n t o n e s - n a m e l y , t h e ñ r s
t , t h i r d ,
f i f t h ,
s i x t h ,
e i g h t h ,
t e n t h , a n d t \ v e l f t h ' ~ w h i c h
c o n s t i t u t e t h e d i a t o n i e s c a l e - _ t h a t
i s . t o s a y ,
a l l
t h e t o n e s
p r o p e r l y
b e l o n g i n g t o
a n y
g i v e n
key
i n
m u s i c
o f
t h e m a j o r I n o d e .
v 1 t i s
e x c e e d i n g l y d i ? l i c n l t
t o
l e a r n
t h e
a r t
o f
m u s i c upon
t h e f i n g e r - b o a r d s
o f t s t r i n g e d
i n
s tru m e nts as commonly
constructed.
T hi s
d i f f i c u l t y
I o v e r c o m e ’ by
m a r k i n g , a s s h o w n ,
t h e t o n e s o f t h e d i a t o n i c s c a l e
t o
d i s t i n g u i s h
t h e m from t h e o t h e r
t o n e s ,
and
t o f u r n i s h
ap
p r o p r i a t e markings o n t h e
i i n g e r - b o a r d ,
i n
g r o u p s ,
composed o f any p a r t i c u l a r t o n e and
t h o s e i m m e d i a t e l y s u r r o u n d i n g
i t .
No two
groups
i n
the
s a i n e octave a r e l i k e l y t o be
a l i k e ,
by
r e a s o n
o f which no
two t o n e s
on the
s a i n e p o r t i o n o f t h e r i n g e r - b o a r d
w i l l
have s u r
roundings o f
t h e s a m e
appearance
t o
t h e e y e .
I f u r t h e r d i s t i n g u i s h t h e
d i f f e r e n t
t o n e s o f
t h e d i a t o n i c s c a l e b y i n d i c a t i n g t h e
m
b y
s p o t s
of a d i f f e r e n t
i o r m
or color in groups of
sev
e r a l , w h i c h
groups w i l l
r e c u r
i n a l l
t h e o c t a v e s .
I
a l s o
d i s t i n g u i s h t h e d i i i e r e n t i ' r e t s o
r
f r e t
l i n e s
by s h a d i n g t h e g r o u n d - w o r k
b e t w e e n
t h e m i n d i f f e r e n t c o l o r s
o r s h a d e s , which
shad
i n g
w i l l b e e x a c t l y r e p e a t e d i n e a c h s u c c e
e d
ing twelve f r e t s o r
f r e t - l i n e s ,
a s
the
tones are
e x a c t l y
r e p e a t e d
a f t e r twelve f r e t s
o r
f r e t
l i n e s , but i n a d i f f e r e n t o c t a v e .
I t
i s
obvious t h a t t h e
form o r
c o l o r
o f
t h e
s p o t s , o r t h e c o l o r o f t h e groundwork, i s n o
t
m a t e r i a l , a s t h e p r i n c i p l e o f t h e i n v e
n t i o n i s t o
a f f o r d , by means
o f c o n t r a s t s
on t h e
f i n g e r
b o a r d , a s above d e s c r i b e d ,
a m e a n s o f
i i n d i n g
5 5
6 5
7 0
7 5
8
on t h e
f i n g e r - b o a r d
t h e e x a c t
p o s i t i o n o f
a l l
„
t h e
t o n e s o t t h e
chromatic
s c a l e ,
t h e a b s e n c e
o f
which m e a n s o f i d e n t i i i c a t i o n has h e r e t o
f o r e
been
an o b s t a c l e t o the playing o f
music
c o r
r e c t l y o n i n s t r u m e n t s o f t h e a b o v e d e s
c r i p t i o n .
I
am war e that a
s e r i e s o f
studs projecting
a b o v e t h e i i n g e r -
b o a r d o f
m u s i c a l i n s t r u m e n t s ,
t o
i n d i c a t e t h e d i a t o n i c
s c a l e , h a s
been i n
v e n t e d ,
a s
shown i n E n g l i s h P a t e n t N o .
2 , 7 2 9
o f
1 8 6 3 .
o f i n d i c a t i n g t h e s e s c a l e s . I n
my
i n g e r - b o a r d
i t w i l l be
observed
t h a t t h e s p o t s used f o r i n
d i c a t i o n do n o t p r o j e c t above
t h e
g e n e r a l s u r
f a c e o f
t h e
b o a r d ,
and
do n o t t a k e
t h e
p l a c e o f
f r e t s ,
a n d ,
f u r t h e r ,
t h a t
t h e y
a r e
u s e d
t o
i n d i
c a t e n o t
o n l y
t h e d i a t e n i c but o t h e r t o n e s o f
t h e
c h r o m a t i c
s c a l e s . n
I do
n o t t h e r e f o r e c l a i m
a l l s y s t e m s r
9 0 L
9 5
IOO
8/18/2019 US 357168 Barnwell Musical Instrument 1887
3/3
l H a v i n g t h u s d e s c r i b e d m y i n v e n t i o n ,
what
I
claim
a s new, a nd d e s i r e
t o s e c u r e
by
L e t t e r s
P a t e n t , i s
l . I n a s t r i n g e d
m u s i c a l
i n s t r u m e n t , a
i i n ~
ger-board on
which t h e d i a t o n i c t o n e s a r e i n
d i c a t e d
by
s p o t s o f a d i f f e r e n t c o l o r from t h a t
o f t h e ñ n g e r - b o a r d
and n o t p r o j e c t i n g
a b o v e
i t s
s u r f a c e , t o
d i s t i n g u i s h
them
from
t h e
o t h e r
t o n e s o f t h e c h r o m a t i c s c a l e s , s u b s t a
n t i a l l y
a s
shown and d e s c r i b e d .
2 .
In
a
musical i n s t r u m e n t ,
a f i n g e r - b o a r d
h aving a
s e r i e s
o f d i f f e r e n t
shades o r
c o l o r s be
tween the
f r e t s
o r
f r e t - l i n e s t o i n d i c a t e
the
t o n e s o f an o c t a v e , s a i d s e r i e s b e i n g r e
p e a t e d
f o r e a c h
o c t a v e
t h r o u g h o u t
t h e l e n g t h
o f t h e
b o a r d ,
s u b s t a n t i a l l y a s shown and
d e s c r i b e d .
3 .
In a m u s i c a l instrument
having
a
f i n g e r
board
on
which t h e
d i a t o n i c s c a l e i s i n d i
c a t e d by s p o t s a t t h e f r e t s o r
f r e t - l i n e s ,
t h e
combination o f square a n d
round s p o t s
i n a
u n i f o r m
p o s i t i o n
i n e a c h o c t a v e , s u b s t a n t i a l l y
a s
d e s c r i b e d ,
and
f o r
t h e
p u r p o s e
s p e c i i i e d .
I n
t e s t i m o n y
w h e r e o f
I
a f i i x
my
i
g u a t u
r e i n
presence
o f
two w i t n e s s e s .
V. T . BARNWELL.
Witnesses
,
A.
P . Woon,
JOHN J . .Woonsrn n
1 5
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