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US 8,253,000 B1Granted
Chord bar system for stringed musical instruments
OwnerRoy Dale Martininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A chord bar system for stringed musical instruments. The chord bar system enables a single finger movement pattern may be used in pressing the buttons to play each I-IV-V chord progression in each different key.
Claims14
A stringed musical instrument, comprising:
- a body;
- a plurality of strings stretched across the body;
- a plurality of chord bars yieldably supported adjacent the strings, each chord bar having one or more dampers for contacting one or more of the strings when the chord bar is urged toward the strings, wherein strings that are not contacted by a damper together generate a musical chord when the strings are made to vibrate;
- and
- a plurality of buttons, each connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of chord bars, such that when a button is pressed, a corresponding chord bar is urged toward the strings,
- wherein the buttons are arranged in multiple groupings to provide multiple standard I-IV-V chord progressions in multiple different keys, and wherein a single finger movement pattern may be used in pressing the buttons to play each I-IV-V chord progression in each different key.
3 more elements
A stringed musical instrument, comprising:
- a body;
- a plurality of strings stretched across the body;
- a plurality of chord bars yieldably supported adjacent the strings, each chord bar having one or more dampers for contacting one or more of the strings when the chord bar is urged toward the strings, wherein strings that are not contacted by a damper together generate a musical chord when the strings are made to vibrate;
- and
- a plurality of buttons, each connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of chord bars, such that when a button is pressed, a corresponding chord bar is urged toward the strings,
- wherein the buttons are arranged in multiple groupings including:
- a first grouping of buttons that provides a standard I-IV-V chord progression in a key of E Major,
- a second grouping of buttons that provides a standard I-IV-V chord progression in a key of A Major,
- a third grouping of buttons that provides a standard I-IV-V chord progression in a key of D Major,
- a fourth grouping of buttons that provides a standard I-IV-V chord progression in a key of G Major,
- a fifth grouping of buttons that provides a standard I-IV-V chord progression in a key of C Major, and
- a sixth grouping of buttons that provides a standard I-IV-V chord progression in a key of F Major,
- wherein a single finger movement pattern may be used in pressing the buttons to play each I-IV-V chord progression in each different key.
10 more elements
A stringed musical instrument, comprising:
- a body;
- a plurality of strings stretched across the body;
- a plurality of chord bars yieldably supported adjacent the strings, each chord bar having one or more dampers for contacting one or more of the strings when the chord bar is urged toward the strings, wherein strings that are not contacted by a damper together generate a musical chord when the strings are made to vibrate;
- and
- a plurality of buttons, each connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of chord bars, such that when a button is pressed, a corresponding chord bar is urged toward the strings,
- wherein the plurality of buttons include at least twenty-one buttons arranged in at least three rows including a bottom row, a middle row, and a top row, and in at least seven columns including a first column, a second column, a third column, a fourth column, a fifth column, a sixth column, and a seventh column, and wherein
- a button for an E Major chord is disposed in the bottom row and first column,
- a button for an A Major chord is disposed in the bottom row and second column,
- a button for a D Major chord is disposed in the bottom row and third column,
- a button for a G Major chord is disposed in the bottom row and fourth column,
- a button for a C Major chord is disposed in the bottom row and fifth column,
- a button for an F Major chord is disposed in the bottom row and sixth column,
- a button for a B Flat Major chord is disposed in the bottom row and seventh column,
- a button for a D Flat Major chord is disposed in the middle row and first column,
- a button for a G Flat Major chord is disposed in the middle row and second column,
- a button for a B Major chord is disposed in the middle row and third column,
- a button for an E Major chord is disposed in the middle row and fourth column,
- a button for an A Major chord is disposed in the middle row and fifth column,
- a button for a D Major chord is disposed in the middle row and sixth column,
- a button for a G Major chord is disposed in the middle row and seventh column,
- a button for a B Seventh chord is disposed in the top row and first column,
- a button for an E Seventh chord is disposed in the top row and second column,
- a button for an A Seventh chord is disposed in the top row and third column,
- a button for a D Seventh chord is disposed in the top row and fourth column,
- a button for a G Seventh chord is disposed in the top row and fifth column,
- a button for a C Seventh chord is disposed in the top row and sixth column, and
- a button for an F Seventh chord is disposed in the top row and seventh column.
24 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.