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US 10,504,378 B1Granted
Music fingering aid
OwnerToby John Westoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved music fingering aid has at least one decal fittable overlying the fingerboard and attachable to the neck of a stringed instrument. The decal includes string identifier indicia, a graduated position indicia series, and a plurality of interval demarcations that employ distinct colors for visual distinction. The indicia do not pair particular notes with particular colors. Instead the improved music fingering aid associates music theory with muscle memory to ensure sounded notes are played in near perfect pitch and, when playing ensemble, in tempered pitch. Contemplation and improved association of music theory is thereby enabled.
Claims18
An improved music fingering aid attachable to a neck of an existing stringed instrument upon a fingerboard underlying strings thereon, said improved music fingering aid comprising:
- a decal having an upper surface, a bottom surface, a topmost edge, a bottommost edge, a first side edge, a second side edge;
- a plurality of string identifier indicium disposed upon the upper surface, each of said plurality of string identifier indium disposed most proximal the topmost edge in an appropriate position to underlie a corresponding string of the existing stringed instrument, each of said plurality of string identifying indicium having:
- a brightly colored chevron having a distinct colored outline, said chevron having a first color;
- a contrasting distinctly colored letter disposed interior to the chevron, said letter corresponding to the name of the overlying string;
- a graduated position indicia series disposed upon the upper surface in parallel with the first side edge, said graduated position indicia series having a plurality of indicium demarking finger positions for movement between finger positions during play;
- a plurality of interval demarcations disposed upon the upper surface longitudinally underlying each string of the existing stringed instrument and serried transversely aligned with a corresponding one of the plurality of indicium of the graduated position indicia series, each of said plurality of interval demarcations having:
- brightly colored indicia, each of said brightly colored indicia disposed at full-stepped intervals and half-stepped intervals corresponding to minor seconds and containing a distinctly colored letter identifying each natural musical note as played when the string overlying the corresponding brightly colored square indicium is stopped at said letter;
- distinctly colored indicia identifying semitones discernible as sharps and flats between full-stepped intervals, other than natural notes playable as minor seconds;
- a directional indicium disposed upon the upper surface most proximal the first side edge, said directional indicium disposed to appear upon the neck of the existing stringed instrument adjacent to the fingerboard, said directional indicium including directional indicators significant of flats or sharps relative any particular brightly colored indicium;
- wherein the decal is sized to fit to the fingerboard of the existing stringed instrument to demark musical scales in precise semitones playable thereupon to sound near perfect pitch and tempered pitch when playing ensemble, and the uppermost edge abuts the top nut of the stringed instrument, the first side edge overlies the neck of the stringed instrument upon the side of the stringed instrument closest to the player proximal a thumb of the player, and the second side edge overlies the neck of the stringed instrument on the other side of the fingerboard, whereby each of the plurality of interval demarcations enables a player to stop the strings appropriate to produce tonal frequencies equivalent to the notes demarked.
7 more elements
An improved music fingering aid attachable to a neck of an existing stringed instrument upon a fingerboard underlying strings thereon, said improved music fingering aid disposed to fit upon the fingerboard of the existing stringed musical instrument abutting the top nut, said improved music fingering aid comprising:
- an irregular octagonal shaped decal having:
- an upper surface;
- a bottom surface;
- a topmost edge;
- a bottommost edge disposed in parallel with the topmost edge;
- a first side edge;
- a second side edge disposed in parallel with the first side edge;
- a pair of top corner edges, each of said pair of top corner edges disposed at an oblique angle connecting the topmost edge and one of the first side edge and the second side edge;
- a pair of bottom corner edges, each of said pair of bottom corner edges disposed at an oblique angle connecting the bottommost edge to one of the first side edge and the second side edge;
- a plurality of string identifier indicium disposed upon the upper surface, each of said plurality of string identifier indium disposed most proximal the topmost edge in an appropriate position to underlie a corresponding string of the existing stringed instrument, each of said plurality of string identifying indicium having:
- a brightly colored chevron having a distinct colored outline, said chevron having a first color;
- a distinctly colored letter disposed interior to the chevron, said letter corresponding to the name of the overlying string;
- a graduated position indicia series disposed upon the upper surface in parallel with the first side edge, said graduated position indicia series having a plurality of indicium demarking semi-tonal steps indicative of positions used when shifting position along the fingerboard;
- a plurality of interval demarcations disposed upon the upper surface longitudinally underlying each string of the existing stringed instrument and serried transversely aligned with a corresponding one of the plurality of indicium of the graduated position indicia series, each of said interval demarcations having:
- brightly colored square indicia, each of said brightly colored square indicium disposed at full-stepped intervals and half-stepped intervals corresponding to minor seconds and containing a distinctly colored letter identifying each natural musical note as played when the string overlying the corresponding brightly colored square indicium is stopped at said letter;
- distinctly colored circle indicia identifying semitones discernible as sharps and flats between full-stepped intervals, other than natural notes playable as minor seconds;
- a directional indicium disposed upon the upper surface most proximal the first side edge, said directional indicium disposed to appear upon the neck of the existing stringed instrument adjacent to the fingerboard, said directional indicium including directional indicators significant of flats or sharps relative any particular brightly colored square indicium;
- wherein the decal is sized to fit to the fingerboard of the existing stringed instrument to demark musical scales in semitones playable thereupon and the uppermost edge abuts the top nut of the stringed instrument, the first side edge overlies the neck of the stringed instrument upon the side of the stringed instrument closest to the player proximal a thumb of the player, and the second side edge overlies the neck of the stringed instrument on the other side of the fingerboard whereby each of the plurality of interval demarcations enables a player to stop the strings appropriate to produce tonal frequencies equivalent to the notes demarked and to temper the notes played when playing ensemble.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.