US223994A - Musical chart - Google Patents

Description

W. BOLEAVE & H.'GORDON. Musical Chart.

No. 223,994. Patented Feb. 3,1880.

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its relative minor key.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVALTER E. OLEAVE AND HENRY GORDON, OF IIOIVELL, MICHIGAN.

MUSICAL CHART.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 223,994, dated February 3, 1880.

Application filed July 7, 1879. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, \VALTER E. ULEAVE and HENRY GORDON, of Howell, in the county of Livingston and State of Michigan, have invented an Improvement in Musical Charts, of which the following is a specification.

The nature of our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in musical charts to be used in connection with pianos or other key-board instruments, and as a means of instruction to persons not skilled in music, in order that they may play the instrument in chords as may be desired.

. The invention consists, first, in a musical chart adapted to be used upon a piano or other keyed instrument, having indicated upon it only the chords of a major key and those of its relative minor, and in such a manner that either chords, major or minor, can be produced without changing the position of the chart upon the instrument; second, in marking such a chart off into distinct vertical divisions with intervening blank spaces, and into two horizontal divisions by a horizontal line, such chart having indicated in the vertical divisions only the chords of a major key on one side of the horizontal line and the chords of its relative minor key on the other side of such line; and, third, in the peculiar rest for a musical chart of this character, as fully hereinafter explained.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of one of our chord indexes or charts arranged to represent the chords in the key of G major, or Fig. 2 is aperspective iew of an inclined table to receive the chart.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, A represents a strip of cardboard or other suitable material, upon which are printed the index fingers or pointers B, the same being divided vertically by the longitudinal line a. In the chart represented these index fingers are arranged so that when the device is adjusted to the piano, by touching the keys upon the latter directly under the index-fingers, as hereinafter described, the chords in the key of G major may be produced, or the chords of its relative minor key, as may be desired.

A little to the left of the center of the chart, above and below the line a, are two stars, I),

which denote that the keys indicated upon the left of them are to be played with the left hand, while those upon the right are to be played with the right hand.

In' order to simplify the adaptation of our charts to the instrum ent,we provide an inclined table, 0, having secured to each end the blocks 0, which latter project a little above the bottom edge of the table 0 and form a stop, upon which the charts rest whenin position. These blocks also elevate the table, so that the keys beneath it are free to be played upon. To the bottom of the table 0 is secured a block, E.

In order that the performer may easily distinguish which keys of the instrument are to be struck to produce certain chords, we arrange the marks of indication for the major chords upon the lower part of the card, and designate them by printing upon the indexfingers the initial letters of the three principal chords in niusic--namely, tonic, dominant, and sub-dominant-and for the chords for the minor key we use the numerals 1, 2, and 3.

1n practice, we will suppose, for illustration, that the table 0 is adjusted to the key-board of an instrument, the block E being placed between two black keys known as (l-sharp and D-sharp, and resting upon the white key known as D-natural. The table should be of suflicientlength, so that the blocks 0 upon the ends thereof shall rest upon the black keys beyond the scope of the chart, and keep the table above the keys which are to be played.

\Ve will now suppose that it is desired to play an accompaniment to a piece of music written in the key of G major. We then take the chart which designates the key desired and place it upon the table (J, so that the guide-mark I on the chart will come directly over the block E on the table. The performer now strikes with the left hand the key of the instrument which is directly under the guidefinger marked with the letter T, and with the right hand two or more of the keys under the fingers bearing the same marks of identity, thus producing the tonic chord of the key of 0 major. The chords of the dominant or sub-dominant of the same key maybe produced by playing the keys under the indexes marked I) or S substantially in like manner.

It case it should be desired to produce a chord known as the dominant seventh, a key upon the instrument should be sounded which is immediately under an index marked with a small D, and in connection with a dominant, as above described.

In the relative minor key to the major key described the first or tonic chord is obtained by playing those keys of the instrument immediately under the fingers containing the figure 1, in the same manner as when playing the first or tonic chord in the major key.

The second or dominant chord is produced by playing the keys under the fingers or point ers marked with the figures 2, and the subdominant by using the keys under the figures 3, while the chord of the seventh is produced by playing, in connection with the keys under the large figures 2, that under the index marked with a small figure 2.

\Ve have described thus far but one major key and its relative minor key; but charts should be made to indicate the keys which are to be sounded to produce the chords in any major key, together with its relative minor key. We have carefully avoided presenting any and all theories and explanations that would tend only to confuse the mind of one not versed in music, making the learning to play accompaniments purely mechanical by the use of our chart.

hat we claim as our invention is-- 1. A musical chart adapted to be used upon a piano or other keyed instrument, having only the chords of a major key and those of its relative minor key indicated upon it, and in such manner that either chords, major or minor, can be produced without changing the position of the chart upon the instrument, substantially as described.

2. A musical chart adapted to be used upon a piano, substantially as described, marked oil" into distinct vertical divisions 'B, with intervening blank spaces, and divided horizontally by a line, a, such chart having indicated in such divisions B only the chords of a major key on one side of such line a and the chords of its relative minor key on the other side of such line, said chord-divisions of the major and minor sections of the chart being relatively arranged in the manner described.

3. A rest for a musical chart adapted to stand upon the keys of a piano, consisting of the inclined table 0, havingend blocks, c,which receive the chart and raise the rest above the intermediate keys, and a block, E, for securing the stand from lateral displacement, substantially as described and shown.

WVALTER E. CL tAVE. HENRY GORDON. \Vitnesses H. S. SPRAGUE, CHAS. THURMAN.

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