Drum tuning device
AssigneeAirheads
InventorWalter L. Hall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A drum head tuning apparatus for tuning a drum or similar percussion instrument is disclosed. The invention includes a distensible bladder having an annular shape that is disposed between the drum hoop and the rigid outer circumferential lip of the drum head. When the head is mounted to the drum shell and the hoop is locked down by tensioning members to the lugs on the outside of the shell, air is pumped into the bladder to increased the bladder's volume. The expanding bladder displaces the circumferential lip and consequently pulls the drum head tighter over the opening in the shell to raise the pitch of the drum. Conversely, releasing air pressure from the bladder allows the stretched drum head to spring back thereby releasing tension and lowering the pitch of the drum.
Claims18
A drum head tuning apparatus for tuning a drum having a drum head including a lip, a shell with a rim, a hoop, and tensioning members connecting the shell to the hoop, the apparatus comprising:
- a distensible bladder for containing pressurized fluid;
- and
- a valve connected to the bladder for controlling the amount of pressurized fluid in the bladder;
- wherein the bladder is sized to be disposed over the lip, and the hoop is disposed over the bladder in fixed positional relationship to the shell;
- whereby conveying pressurized fluid into the bladder increases the size thereof, which moves the lip away from the hoop and stretches the drum head, and whereby releasing fluid from the bladder decreases the size of the bladder and allows the lip to move toward the hoop and thereby relieves tension on the drum head.
A drum with a tuning apparatus comprising:
- a cylindrical shell having a top rim;
- a top drum head having a lip at a circumference thereof, disposed over the top rim;
- a distensible annular hollow tube containing a fluid, disposed over the lip in a mating relationship;
- a top hoop disposed over the tube in contacting relationship;
- and
- a source of pressurized fluid for conveying fluid into and out of the distensible tube.
A drum head tuning apparatus for tuning a drum having a top drum head and a bottom drum head including a lip at the circumference of each drum head, a tubular shell with a top rim and a bottom rim at opposite ends, a top hoop and a bottom hoop, and tensioning members interconnecting the hoops, the apparatus comprising:
- a distensible top annular hollow tube containing air;
- a pump having a valve in fluid communication with the top tube;
- wherein the top drum head is disposable over the rim, the top tube is disposable over the lip, and the top hoop is disposable over the tube;
- whereby pumping air into the top tube increases the cross-sectional size thereof, which displaces the lip and stretches the top drum head, and whereby releasing air from the bladder decreases its cross-sectional size and relieves tension on the lip and thereby relieves tension on the top drum head.
A drum head tuning apparatus for tuning a drum head, wherein said drum head has a peripheral circumferential lip which extends over the rim of the cylindrical drum shell, a hoop which is circumferentially disposed about the drum head and drum shell, and tensioning members for interconnecting the shell to the hoop, and thus fixing the positional relationship between the hoop and the shell, wherein the apparatus comprises:
- a distensible annular hollow tube sized to match the circumference of the drum head lip and to be positioned between the drum head lip and a circumferential surface of the hoop in touching relationship to both;
- and
- a valve connected to the annular tube for directing a pressurized fluid into or out of the annular tube;
- whereby directing the fluid into the annular tube causes it to increase in cross-sectional diameter, thereby increasing the force pushing the lip away from the hoop, and thus causing the drum head to be stretched tighter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.