Device for transfer of a conventional note system into a system indicating the position of the hand when playing string instruments

#This invention relates to a device for transfer of a conventional note system in connection with playing a musical string instrument into a system which directly indicates the location of the fingers of the hand on the individual strings where the various tones shall be produced. Whereas in the conventional note system the notes are put down on note rows each comprising five mutually parallel lines where each line and the interspaces therebetween indicate a specific tone the present invention is based on a quite other concept, it being one main object of the invention to provide a note system where each tone designation directly notifies to the player where the tone is to be found on the instrument proper.

#Another essential object of the invention is in this connection highly to facilitate to learn how to play the instrument, primarily a guitar or mandolin or a similar string instrument, and thereby to shorten the time required for such learning.

#To this end the invention relates firstly to the means required for transferring tunes set to music in conventional manner onto note sheets suited to the new system, and secondly to the note sheets prepared according to the novel system.

#Further objects, advantages and characterizing features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings of which:

#FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the parts comprised in the novel note transfer device,

#FIG. 2 is a side elevation viewed from the opposite direction, and

#Referring now to the drawings and particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a rectangular elongated slider composed of two sheets of rigid material such as stiff cardboard or plastic, which may be cemented together along their longitudinal edges by means of strap-shaped spacers so as to define a narrow slot suited to a flat, rectangular, elongated slide member 12 made of similar material as the slider. Disposed on the slide member 12 in the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2 are tone designations by means of characters of known kind in a number of rows transversally to the direction of movement of the slide member corresponding to the number of the strings on the musical instrument. The embodiment according to FIGS. 1 through 3 relates to a guitar which has six strings which thus is the number of rows of tone designations on the slide member. Each row of tone designations commences with the keynote of the string, and thus the first designation to the left on the slide member is that of the keynote of the respective strings, viz. E, H, G, D, A and E. Thereafter follow with even spacing the tone designations according to a chromatic scale along the string comprising about two octaves, for example. In this way each row of characters represents all tones which can be produced by means of each of the strings in consideration. All whole tones and semi-tones are thus twice represented in each two octaves comprising row.

#The instrument is in known manner on its fingerboard provided with transverse frets against which the strings are pressed down when the tones are to be produced. The numbers of these frets are denoted below the rows of tone designations by the characters 0 and upwards. Thus, in correspondence to the number of whole and semi-tones each fret is represented twice in the six rows. The row of tone designations by characters for the A-string will thus be from the keytone A: A, A sharp, B flat, H, H, C, C, C sharp, D flat etc.

#The slider 10 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is on its one side formed with several fields, the number of which in the illustrated embodiment is three, denoted 14, 16 and 18. Each field has mutually parallel longitudinal lines which correspond to the number of strings of the instrument. These lines may be designated by numerals 1 through 6 as is shown in the central field 16. Each field is subdivided in the longitudinal direction of the slider into four portions 20 to 23, which represent the four fingers active in the pressing of the strings against the frets. Thus, numeral 20 refers to the fore or index finger, numeral 21 to the middle finger etc. Formed in each field are circular apertures or indexing windows which are located straight in front of the designations by characters on the underlying slide member. Certain apertures, viz. the apertures 15, 24, 25 in field 14, the apertures 26, 27 in field 16 and the apertures 28, 29 in field 18 are marked in a specific manner distinguishing them from the other apertures e.g. by red Color. Furthermore, the apertures in each field are distributed in such a predetermined pattern that they indicate the tone designations which form the scale in each occuring key. Selected keys are set so that they appear with their keynote in the specifically marked apertures. In the position set in FIG. 1, this keynote is F in the fields 14 and 16 and G in the field 18. F Major has a flat which can be indicated through an aperture 30 below the central field. An aperture 31 in the top portion of the central field indicates the number of sharps in keys defined by sharps. Corresponding to the row of numerals 32 designating the frets in the slide member 12 the slider has apertures 34 for each second fret numerals which thus lay open the fret numerals which are below the slider. In FIG. 1 the central field 16 is set with the four finger rows 20 through 23 straight above the frets 5 through 8. Now, the scale F Major can be played by a person not having any particular ability by commencing to play with the fourth finger 4 which is pressed down against the string 5 at the exposed tone F. The next following tone G is obtained by pressing down string 4 with finger 1. The tone A is obtained by pressing down string 4 with finger 3 and the tone B flat by pressing down string 4 with the finger 4 etc.