US 9,520,114 B2 · Percussion tuning method, system, and apparatus

Abstract

An acoustic-drum tuning method, apparatus, and a system are disclosed which are configured to tune different regions of the drumhead membrane separately or the drumhead membrane in its entirety. Various embodiments of the acoustic-drum tuning assembly include a single adjustment feature to vary the drumhead tension uniformly around the drumhead's periphery and include multiple other adjustment features to vary the drumhead tension non-uniformly around the drumhead's periphery In some embodiments the tuning mechanism includes a semi flexible hoop or rim, for example a semi-rigid metal hoop, that restraints the drumhead membrane with respect to the drum. The restraining hoop may be pulled uniformly away from the drumhead to uniformly increase the tension in the drumhead membrane and/or may be pulled non-uniformly away from the drumhead to increase the tension in the drumhead membrane non-uniformly.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A tuning apparatus for tuning a percussion instrument that has a resonance box and a drumhead membrane which covers at least one side of the resonance box, the tuning apparatus comprising:

a base-structure situated inside the resonance box, in contact with or attached to inside of the resonance box, such that the base-structure does not move with respect to the resonance box during tuning;
an adjustment-plate moveably attached to the base-structure, wherein a distance between the base-structure and the adjustment-plate is adjustable by a plate-adjusting-component;
multiple cable-adjusting-components moveably mounted on the adjustment-plate;
multiple cables that connect the cable-adjusting-components to the membrane's circumference, wherein one side of each cable is attached to the membrane's circumference and another side of each cable is directly connected to one of the cable-adjusting-components and wherein each of the cable-adjusting-components is only connected to a subset of the multiple cables;
and
wherein moving at least one cable-adjusting-component relative to the adjustment-plate changes the tension in the cable(s) connected to the cable-adjusting-component and tunes the membrane regionally and moving the adjustment-plate relative to the base-structure changes the tension in all cables and tunes the membrane globally.

3 more elements

A tunable percussion system comprising:

a resonance box;
a drumhead membrane which covers at least one side of the resonance box;
a base-structure situated inside the resonance box, in contact with or attached to inside of the resonance box, such that the base-structure does not move with respect to the resonance box during tuning;
an adjustment-plate moveably attached to the base-structure, wherein a distance between the base-structure and the adjustment-plate is adjustable by a plate-adjusting-component;
multiple cable-adjusting-components moveably mounted on the adjustment-plate;
multiple cables that connect the cable-adjusting-components to the membrane's circumference, wherein each cable-adjusting-component is directly connected to a subset of the multiple cables;
and
wherein moving at least one cable-adjusting-component relative to the adjustment-plate changes the tension in at least one cable that is attached to a point of the membrane's circumference and tunes the membrane locally and moving the adjustment-plate relative to the base-structure changes the tension in the multiple cables that are attached to the membrane's circumference and tunes the membrane globally, and wherein the tension in each cable can be adjusted without affecting the tension in other cables.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Percussion tuning method, system, and apparatus

Life of this patent

Percussion tuning method, system, and apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20