JP3861067B2 - String instruments and hand covers for easy tremolo playing - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a stringed musical instrument that can be enjoyed by tremolo performances by elementary school children and the elderly.
[0002]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Mandolin is a typical plucked instrument for enjoying tremolo. This mandolin has a total of four sets of two strings (seo, les, la, mi) that emit two sounds of the same height, and the total number of strings is eight.
[0003]
However, the mandolin has a problem that it requires a considerable amount of time to master, because the right hand with the pick must be reciprocated regularly and quickly across the four pairs of double strings while pressing the strings correctly with the left hand. Especially for elementary school children and the elderly, it is almost impossible to manipulate eight strings freely, and no matter how great the mandolin is, it is not easy to play it. It is.
[0004]
On the other hand, Taisho Koto, which was developed in Japan during the Taisho period, is also known. This Taisho koto has 4-6 strings, but all are tuned to the same sound except for the base string. Then, the pitch is changed by operating a scale button such as a key of a typewriter.
[0005]
Although this Taisho koto is easier to play than mandolin or koto, it still requires 4-6 strings to be picked up at once, and it is a fast-paced song for elderly people with inferior motor skills. It was extremely difficult to play. In particular, the tremolo performance was almost impossible, except for professional performers.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and can be easily performed by children and elderly people, and even a tremolo technique with a deep taste can be easily realized to enrich life. It is an object to provide a stringed musical instrument.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is a sound box, a slide portion fixed to one end of the sound box, a string tension portion formed by stringing an upper surface of the sound box, A performance mechanism for pressing the string tension portion, and the string tension portion is provided with first and second holding pieces for holding a plurality of strings at both ends in the extending direction; A fingerboard extending on the upper surface of the sound box and a plurality of frets discretely embedded in the middle of the fingerboard are provided, and the plurality of strings are the first and second holding pieces. The first holding piece close to the slide portion has a height from the fret that is not contacted with the fret and is close to 0.5 to 1.5 mm. The first holding piece is set higher than the holding piece. Without being fixed to the box is movably arranged to adjust the mounting angle, the playing mechanism portion includes a top surface mounting plate which is fixed to the sound box by fitting a plurality of which is fixed to the upper surface mounting plate The connection bracket is fixed to the sound box by screw members on both sides of a band tape wound around the operation button .
[0008]
The sound box is preferably formed in a hollow, substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has an opening corresponding to the string tension portion. The slide portion is preferably made of plastic, wood, or metal formed on a smooth surface, and more preferably made of plastic or stainless steel.
[0009]
The string tension portion is preferably formed by stretching less than four strings (more preferably two strings), and all strings are tuned to the same sound. Preferably, a finger plate is provided corresponding to a string extending direction, and a plurality of frets are discretely embedded in the middle of the finger plate.
[0010]
The performance mechanism section is preferably configured around a plurality of operation buttons, and each operation button BT includes a metal main body (15) and an operation piece (16) attached to the tip of the main body (15). ) And a buffer piece (17) sandwiched in the middle of the main body (15). In the case of this configuration, during performance, the plurality of strings 6 and 6 are pressed against the fingerboard by the buffer piece.
[0011]
In a preferred embodiment, the operation button is held in a biased state by an elastic body while a spring member is attached to the base end portion thereof and biased upward. The stroke ST when the operation button BT is played is set to about 5 to 15 mm. Here, it is preferable to set the stroke at the time of performance smaller as the distance from the performance section increases.
[0012]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sound box, a slide portion fixed to one end portion of the sound box, a string tension portion formed by stringing an upper surface of the sound box, and pressing the string tension portion. A performance mechanism unit for operation, and the string extension unit is provided with first and second holding pieces for holding a plurality of strings at both ends in the extending direction, and on the upper surface of the sound box. An extended fingerboard and a plurality of frets discretely embedded in the middle of the fingerboard are provided, and the plurality of strings are attached to the frets by the first and second holding pieces. The first holding piece close to the slide portion is set higher in height than the second holding piece than the second holding piece. in the stringed instrument, reciprocated in contact with the sliding portion A hand covering that allows tremolo by causing a part of the cylindrical body portion to match the size of the wrist, for the passage of the thumb, by forming a plurality of different insertion holes sizes.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of a stringed instrument INST according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a central sectional view taken along the center of the stringed instrument INST.
[0014]
This stringed instrument INST uses a pick PK while changing the pitch within a range of about 2 octaves by limiting the length of the two strings tuned to the sound of a Western scale “So” in an open state. An instrument that plays strings. This musical instrument INST is played by a player wearing a hand cover CV that covers the lower end of the right back (FIG. 6). By pressing one of the two rows of operation buttons BT1 and BT2, Any of the sounds of Western scale de, # de, le, # le, mi, fa, #fa, so, #so, la, #la, shi.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 1, the stringed instrument INST includes a sound box 1, a metal slide portion 2 fixed to the right end of the sound box 1, a string tension portion 3 provided on the upper surface of the sound box 1, A performance mechanism unit 4 for pressing the stringing unit 3 is mainly configured.
[0016]
The sound box 1 is formed in a hollow substantially rectangular parallelepiped using paulownia or the like, and a circular opening 5 is provided corresponding to the string tension portion 3. The slide part 2 is a part in which the player wearing the hand cover CV reciprocates finely by sliding the back of the right hand. For this reason, in order to facilitate such a picking method, the surface of the slide portion 2 is finished to a smooth mirror surface, and plastic or stainless steel is preferably used.
[0017]
The string tension portion 3 has two holding strings 7L, 7R for holding the two strings 6, 6 at both ends in the extending direction, and a bobbin for winding the two strings 6, 6 derived from the left holding piece 7L. 8,8 are provided. In FIG. 1, only the right holding piece 7R appears, and the left holding piece 7L does not appear.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 2, the stringing portion 3 is provided with a fingerboard 9 extending on the upper surface of the sound box 1 and a plurality of frets 10... 10 discretely embedded in the middle of the fingerboard 9. It has been. Here, each fret 10 is a thin metal plate, and is embedded perpendicular to the extending direction of the fingerboard 9. The metal plate preferably has a top surface that is rounded in an inverted U shape so that the string and the fret 10 are in point contact with each other smoothly. In addition, when the top surface of the fret 10 is not an inverted U-shape but a flat surface, not only the strings are easily cut due to the formation of corners, but also the pitch of the sound may be inaccurate. There is.
The two strings 6 and 6 are held by the left and right holding pieces 7L and 7R, and are stretched close to the frets 10... Since the two strings 6 and 6 are pressed against the fret 10 to limit the length to the right holding piece 7R, the vibration sound when played with the pick PK changes. .
[0019]
By the way, the right and left holding pieces 7L and 7R are not exactly the same height, and the right holding piece 7R close to the performance section is set slightly higher. As a result, the closer to the performance part, the wider the vertical distance between the fret 10 and the string 6, and even if the string is strongly played with a pick, there is no problem that the vibrated string comes into contact with the fret 10. As described above, in this embodiment, the vertical distance between the fret 10 and the string 6 is set to about 1.5 mm at the maximum.
The performance mechanism unit 4 is mainly composed of an upper surface mounting plate 12 fixed to the sound box 1 by a connection fitting 11 (see FIG. 6) and a plurality of operation buttons BT... BT fixed to the back surface of the upper surface mounting plate 12. Has been. Each operation button BT is sandwiched between the metal main body 15 formed by forming a thin plate in a substantially L shape, the operation piece 16 attached to the tip of the main body 15, and the main body 15. It is comprised with the buffer piece 17 made.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 7, the buffer piece 17 has a double structure of a plastic material 17a formed in a U-shape and a felt material 17b fixed to the plastic material 17a. It is detachably attached to. During performance, the two strings 6 and 6 are pressed against the fingerboard 9 by being pressed by the felt material 17b of the buffer piece 17 (FIG. 3).
[0021]
Thus, in this embodiment, the metal main body 15 is covered with the buffer piece 17, so that the string 6 and the main body 15a of the operation button are not in direct contact with each other, and the difference due to the metal touching each other. Generation of sound (unpleasant noise) can be prevented. That is, it is possible to generate a beautiful timbre without metal abnormal sound regardless of the proficiency level of the musical instrument.
[0022]
The operation button BT having the above-described configuration is held in the biased state by the elastic body 19 while the spring member 18 is attached to the base end portion thereof and biased upward. The stroke ST when the operation button BT is played is set to about 5 to 15 mm. Therefore, not only beginners who are not familiar with the operation method and elderly people whose motor nerves have deteriorated, but also those who have a slight impairment in motor function, the operation button BT can be operated without any trouble. This makes it possible to easily play a song with a fast tempo.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of operation buttons BT ... BT are divided into a first row of operation buttons BT1 close to the performer and a second row of operation buttons BT2 far from the performer. When the operation button BT1 in the first row is pressed, a sound of “do, les, mi, fa, so, la, shi,... #Do, #Le, #Fa, #So, #La ... "are output.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the operation piece 16 of each operation button BT is formed to be recessed in a cylindrical shape, and there are the above-mentioned “do, #do, les, #le, mi, Any of the characters “Fa, #Fa, So, #So, La, #La, Shi, Do” is described. Therefore, even a child in the lower grades of elementary school can immediately recognize a button to be pressed only by referring to the score of the music to be played.
[0025]
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the hand cover CV worn by the performer. The hand cover CV is preferably manufactured as a knitted fabric or the like using wool yarn in order to achieve good sliding performance in the slide portion 2 and a certain degree of stretchability. And the insertion hole 21 for letting a thumb pass in part is formed in the cylindrical main body part 20 which matched the magnitude | size of the wrist. As shown in FIG. 4, if a plurality of insertion holes 21 having different hole sizes are provided, it is possible to select an optimal insertion hole for the player.
[0026]
Next, a performance method in the case of performing a tremolo performance using this stringed instrument INST will be described. First, a performance beginner or an elderly person attaches the hand cover CV so that the thumb is put out from the insertion hole 21 as shown in FIG. The hand cover CV is not essential and is not necessary when the tremolo performance method is not used. Moreover, a performance master may perform a tremolo performance without using a hand cover.
[0027]
When the hand cover CV is used, the pick PK is grasped with the thumb and the index finger in the state of FIG. 5, and the position of the hand cover CV is in contact with the slide portion 2 as shown in FIG. 6. Here, it is preferable to extend the arm of the stringed instrument INST in the length direction, but in any case, as shown in the score, while pressing the operation button BT, the right hand (preferably the entire right arm) ), The tremolo technique like mandolin is possible even for beginners.
[0028]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the performance can be performed simply by pressing the operation button BT on which the characters “Doremi ...” are written. Moreover, since the pressing stroke required for performance is about 1 cm, even an elderly person can perform at a fast tempo without any trouble.
[0029]
Further, since the stringed musical instrument of this embodiment has only two strings, by using the hand cover CV, it is possible to perform advanced tremolo techniques as in a mandolin without learning advanced techniques.
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been specifically described above, the specific contents do not particularly limit the present invention, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in order to increase the degree of completeness as a musical instrument, it is preferable not to fix the right holding piece 7R to the sound box 2 but to displace it so that the mounting angle can be adjusted. Also, it is preferable that the distance between the two strings is different from the fingerboard 9 instead of being stretched at the same height.
FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view illustrating such an embodiment, in which the string 6b far from the performer is stretched so as to be longer than the string 6a closer. Further, the string 6b far from the performer is stretched so that the distance from the fingerboard 9 is shorter than that of the near string 6a. The reason for this configuration is that the greater the tension applied to the string, the higher the sound that is emitted when it is played, and by appropriately changing the mounting angle of the right holding piece 7R. Can be tuned to the optimal state.
In addition, the connection metal fitting 11 is wound around a band tape 30 having an appropriate thickness, and is fixed to the sound box 1 using two screw members 31a and 31b at the upper and lower positions of the band tape 30. Is preferred. FIG. 9 illustrates this state. Since the connection fitting 11 is attached to the sound box 1 with the belt tape 30 as a fulcrum, the performance stroke becomes shorter when the upper screw 31a is tightened strongly, and the lower screw If 31b is tightened strongly, a performance stroke will become long. Therefore, when the configuration as shown in FIG. 9 is adopted, it is possible to set the optimal performance stroke by adjusting the tightening strength of the upper and lower screws 31a and 31b.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, even younger children and the elderly can easily perform, and even tremolo playing with a deep taste can be easily realized to enhance emotion and enrich life. A stringed musical instrument can be realized.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a stringed instrument according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the center of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating a performance state.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a hand cover.
FIG. 5 illustrates a state in which a hand cover is attached.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a performance state.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a buffer piece.
FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a mounting posture of a holding piece.
FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a method of attaching a connection fitting.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Sound box 2 Slide part 3 String tension part 4 Performance mechanism part CV Hand cover

Claims (4)

A sound box, a slide portion fixed to one end of the sound box, a string tension portion formed by stringing the upper surface of the sound box, and a performance mechanism portion for pressing the string tension portion. ,
The string tension portion is provided with first and second holding pieces for holding a plurality of strings at both ends in the extending direction, and a fingerboard extending on the upper surface of the sound box, and the fingerboard A plurality of frets discretely embedded in the middle of the
The plurality of strings are stretched close to 0.5 to 1.5 mm in a non-contact manner with respect to the fret by the first and second holding pieces, while being close to the slide portion. The holding piece is set such that the height from the fret is higher than that of the second holding piece,
The first holding piece is arranged so as to be movable so that the mounting angle can be adjusted without being fixed to the sound box,
The performance mechanism portion is configured around an upper surface mounting plate fixed to the sound box by a connection metal fitting and a plurality of operation buttons fixed to the upper surface installation plate, and the connection metal fitting is wound around this A stringed instrument that is fixed to the sound box by screw members on both sides of the band tape . The performance mechanism section is configured around a plurality of operation buttons, and each operation button is sandwiched between a metal main body section, an operation piece attached to the tip of the main body section, and the main body section. It consists of a removable buffer piece,
The buffer piece has a double structure of a plastic material formed in a U-shape and a felt material fixed to the outside of the plastic material, and when playing, the plurality of strings are pushed by the felt material. The stringed instrument according to claim 1, wherein the stringed instrument is pressed against the fingerboard. A sound box, a slide portion fixed to one end of the sound box, a string tension portion formed by stringing the upper surface of the sound box, and a performance mechanism portion for pressing the string tension portion. ,
The string tension portion is provided with first and second holding pieces for holding a plurality of strings at both ends in the extending direction, and a fingerboard extending on the upper surface of the sound box, and the fingerboard A plurality of frets discretely embedded in the middle of the string, and the plurality of strings are 0.5 to 1.5 mm in non-contact with the frets by the first and second holding pieces. The first holding piece close to the slide portion is a stringed instrument in which the height from the fret is set higher than that of the second holding piece.
A hand cover that enables a tremolo performance by contacting the slide part and reciprocating,
A hand cover in which a plurality of insertion holes of different sizes are formed in a part of a cylindrical main body portion having the same wrist size to allow a thumb to pass therethrough. The hand cover according to claim 3 , wherein the hand cover is formed of a knitted fabric made of wool.

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