US3174382A - Percussion musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

March 23, 1965 H. GUGELOT ETAL 3,174,382

PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 4, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet l I N VE N TORS awn/5 606E407 1954 Mar 4. #47215? MSW HTTOR/VE) March 23, 1965 Filed Oct. 4, 1960 H. GUGELOT ETAL PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVENTORS .6444! 6065407 #54 Mar 4. Ml/ZAEP {LAMA xm March 23, 1965 H. GUGELOT ETAL PERCUSSION MUSICAL. INSTRUMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 4, 1960 I N VEN TORS x/mvs 606.5407" Ade-mar A. #04 L51? March 23, 1965 H. GUGELOT ETAL 3,174,382

PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed on. 4, 1960 e Sheets-Sheet 4 I N VE N TORS #4/1/5 66/654 o 4 54 M07 A #04419? By MMLM HTTO/PNEY March 23, 1965 Filed Oct. 4, 1960 H. GUGELOT ETAL PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Fig.6

6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I N VE N TORS fl/M/S 606E407 xVEA wrar A. MU'ZLER 5) W 5, SW.

March 23, 1965 Filed Oct. 4, 1960 H. GUGELOT ETAL PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS Mam United States Patent Germany Filed Oct. 4, 1969, Ser. No. 60,479 Claims priority, application Germany, on. 5, 1959,

3 406 8 Claims. (a. 84-4tl4t) The present invention relates to percussion musical instrurnents of the type comprising one or more rows of plate like tone bars and a resonator for each bar, and in which the bars are in diatonic or chromatic arrangement. More particularly, the invention relates to a percussion instrument of the type including xylophones, metallophones and similar musical instruments. As is known, the wooden bars of a Xylophone, e.g. a marimba, or the metallic bars of a metallophone are vibrated by mallets, and the tubular resonators are adapted to the pitch of the respective bars. The resonators not only strengthen but also extend the duration of each sound which is produced when the bars are struck by mallets. The dimensions of such instruments depend on their intended use, i.e. for school music, dance music, or concert music.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a musical instrument of the above outlined general character which is constructed and assembled in such a way that its parts may be readily utilized in instruments of ditferent dimensions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a percussion musical instrument which may be readily assembled of prefabricated component parts.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a percussion musical instrument Whose range or compass may be readily varied from one octave to two or more octaves, and vice versa.

An additional object of our invention is to provide a musical instrument of the above outlined characteristics which may be transformed from a manual to a bimanual instrument, which may be constructed and assembled in such a Way that all of its bars are located within easy reach of a players hands, and in which any defective part may be rapidly and conveniently replaced by a prefabricated part of identical dimensions.

Still another object of the invention is to provide improved conuecting arrangements which permit rapid attachment and separation of tone bars and resonators from the main supporting members of the instrument.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide an improved carrier for the tone bars of a percussion musical instrument.

A further object or" the invention is to provide a musical instrument which may be rapidly and conveniently transformed from a Xylophone into a metallophone or vice versa, or which may be constructed and assembled in such a way that it combines the advantages and characteristics of a Xylophone and a metallophone.

With the above objects in view, the invention resides in the provision of a percussion musical instrument which comprises essentially one or more main supporting members or guides, a plurality of wooden and/ or metallic tone bars each releasably secured to the respective guide, a plurality of readily separable resonators, one for each tone bar, and a stand which comprises a plurality of preferably articulately mounted supporting legs. When the instrument comprises more than one guide, the preferably trapezoidiform guides are articulately and releasably assembled with each other by suitable preferably link-shaped connecting elements which permit the guides to be moved with respect to each other so that one of the guides may Patented Mar. 23, 1965 be lifted to a level above the level of the other guide. The connecting elements are preferably provided at both longitudinal ends of trapezoidiform guides and are secured to suitable reinforcing elements in the form of transverse head straps carried by the longitudinal ends of each guide.

Each guide is formed with resonator openings and with pairwise arranged apertures which latter receive the ends of novel, substantially cruciform carriers for the tone bars. According to a preferred construction, the openings and apertures in the guides are formed in such a way that each tone bar and each resonator may be connected to either side of the guide. The width and the spacing of tone bars is preferably uniform on each guide so that each guide may be utilized with either of its sides turned in upward or downward direction.

It has been found that a very advantageous arrangement of tone bars may he arrived at if the non-parallel edges of trapezoidiform guides are of diiferent length and if one longitudinal edge is perpendicular to the two parallel transverse edges, as well as if the tone bars are arranged in parallelism with the transverse edges of the guides. Such arrangement facilitates the access to the bars of an instrument comprising two guides which latter are then arranged in mirror reverse, the plane of symmetry extending between those longitudinal edges of both guides which are perpendicular to the respective transverse edges. Also, one of the guides in a bimanual or two-row instrument is then preferably located at a level above the level of the other guide because such mounting also contributes to a players convenience when the instrument is in actual use. The pivotal axes of connecting elements provided between two assembled guides are preferably perpendicular to the transverse edges of the guides; this insures that the guides are movable in parallelism with each other.

A diatonic musical instrument of the above described type may be readily transformed into a chromatic instrument by providing the bars of the chromatic scale on one of the guides and the bars of the diatonic scale on the other guide. In such instances, the bars of the chromatic scale are staggered with respect to the bars of the diatonic scale, for example, by providing suitable spacer sleeves or the like between the connecting elements and the respective transverse edges of both guides, the axial length of such spacer elements preferably corresponding to one-half the distance between the centers of two adjacent bars.

The resonators assume the form of tubular bodies of varying length but of equal cross-sectional contour, and are mounted beneath the respective bars. Each resonator preferably consists of synthetic plastic material and is releasably connectable to either side of each guide by a bayonet lock assembly or the like. Since the transverse dimensions of all resonators are preferably identical, they may be mass-manufactured in the form of long tubes and thereupon reduced to requisite length.

A very important advantage of a readily collapsible percussion musical instrument of the above outlined character is that a comparatively small and simple instrument may be rapidly taken apart and its parts utilized in a larger instrument, or that a small manual instrument may be combined with a similar instrument into a larger one, e.g. a bimanual concert marimba or a bimanual rnetallophone. Each and every one of components forming part of a small school instrument may be utilized in a larger instrument, even the legs and the guides being adapted for use in instruments of ditferent dimensions, i.e. in instruments with greatly differing numbers of octaves.

According to a further feature of our invention, the instrument may include wooden and/ or metallic tone bars, i.e. a Xylophone may be transformed into a metallophone or vice versa. If certain specific tonal effects are desired, the instrument may simultaneously utilize metallic and Wooden tone bars to constitute a part xylophone and part metallophone.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of certain specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a percussion musical instrument embodying one form of our invention, the instrument comprising a single row of bars with a range of a single octave;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a bimanual diatonic percussion instrument with the bars arranged in two rows;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a chromatic percussion instrument with the bars again arranged in two rows;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the diatonic percussion instrument as seen in the direction of the arrows IV in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an end view of a modified diatonic or chromatic percussion instrument with the two rows of bars disposed in two vertically spaced parallel planes;

PEG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of a guide or support for the bars and for the resonators, with one resonator shown during its attachment to the guide and another resonator fully attached thereto;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevational view of a carrier for the bars;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged transverse section taken along the line VIE-VIII of FIG. 1, as seen in the direction of arrows; and

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of two bars and a sectional view of the pairwise arranged carriers for the two bars.

Referring now in greater detail to the illustrated embodiments, and first to FIG. 1, there is shown a manual percussion musical instrument M which may constitute a Xylophone, a metallophone, or a combination of a Xylophone and a metallophone, and which includes a main supporting member or guide 1 for the tone bars 3, a plurality of carriers 2 which mount the bars on the guide 1, the resonators 4, and the stand which consists of four legs 5.

The guide 1 is of substantially trapezoidiform contour and is provided at each of its transverse edges with a reinforcing head strap 7. Each head strap 7 is connected with a pair of inclined supporting legs 5, these legs being secured thereto by threaded bolts 8 or in any other suitable way, preferably in a manner to permit ready separation of the legs 5 from and angular adjustments relative to the respective straps '7. The bars 3 are preferably of equal width and are preferably equally spaced from each other in parallelism with the head straps 7. The guide 1 is formed with a plurality of pairwise arranged apertures 9 which receive the rod shaped lower ends 2a of bar carriers 2 (see FIGS. 6 and 8). The distance between the centers of each pair of transversely aligned apertures 9 in the guide 1 depends on the length of respective bars 3, and the centers of each pair of aligned apertures 9 are preferably spaced through a distance equal to five ninths of the overall length of the respective bar 3. it is preferred to mount the bars 3 on the carriers 2 at points Whose distance from the respective longitudinal ends of the bars equals two ninths of the overall bar length. For example, and referring to FIG. 8, the distance between the left-hand longitudinal end of the bar 3 and the lefthand carrier 2 is assumed to equal of the overall bar length; the distance between the two carriers is assumed to equal of the overall bar length; and the distance between the right-hand carrier 2 and the right-hand longi tudinal end of the bar 3 is again assumed to equal of the overall bar length. Such arrangement is preferred because it favors or stresses the basic frequencies of bars 3, it being known that the nodal lines of the basic tone are spaced from the bar ends through a distance equaling ,6 of the overall bar length.

Intermediate each transversely aligned pair of apertures 9, the guide 1 is formed with a resonator opening 10 for the respective tubular resonator 4. The line connecting the centers of such transversely aligned apertures 9 also passes through the center of the respective opening lltl (see the section line VlllVllI in FIG. 1). The manner in which the resonators 4 are removably connectable with the guide 1 is best shown in FIG. 6. Thus, each opening 10 communicates with two diametrically opposed through slots ll which extend all the way between the upper side and underside of the guide ll. In addition, the opening it communicates with two diametrically opposed radial recesses 13 which are spaced through degrees with respect to the slots 11. The recesses 13 are formed in the upper side of the guide 1 and do not extend all the way through to the underside of the member 1. The open upper end of each tubular and preferably cylindrical resonator 4 carries two diametrically opposed radial projections in the form of rivets 12 whose diameters are smaller than the transverse dimensions of through slots ill and of recesses 13 so that the projections 12 may be passed upwardly and through the slots ll whereupon the resonator is turned through 90 degrees and the projections placed into the recesses 13 to thereby readily separably hold the resonator in requisite position with respect to the bar 3 thereabove (see FIG. 8). Thus, the resonators may be attached to the guide I from below without requiring removal of the bars 3. The center of HG. 6 shows a resonator 4 during insertion into or withdrawal from the opening it with the projections 12 located in the through slots ll, and the right-hand portion of FIG. 6 shows another resonator 4 properly inserted and reieasably retained in the guide 1, with the projections 12 resting on the bottom walls of recesses 13.

Owing to the fact that all componet parts of the musical percussion instrument M are readily separable from each other, all such component parts may be manufactured in standard sizes so that any defective part may be readily replaced by a prefabricated spare part or that the parts assembled into a smaller musical instrument may be utilized in a larger musical instrument. It will be noted that the legs 5 are separable from the head straps 7, that the resonators 4 are separable from the guide 1, and that the bars 3 are also readily separable from the guide. In addition, and as will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the carriers 2, too, may be separated from the bars 3. Consequently, the parts used in the comparatively simple and rather small manual instrument M of FIG. 1 whose diatonic scale encompasses a single octave may be readily taken apart and utilized in a larger instrument of the bimanual type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, i.e. with a two-row diatonio or chormatic instrument wherein each row may comprise as many as 16 bars or even more. For example, the lower row of the instrument M shown in FIG. 2 may comprise a higher octave c'c" consisting of bars 3 utilized in the instrument of FIG. 1, and a lower octave cc' consisting of additional bars 3.

Referring now in greater detail to PEG. 2, the instrument M comprises two guides in each of which supports 15 bars. The two guides la are parallel and are arranged in mirror symmetry, i.e., their respective shorter and longer transverse edges are aligned with each other and the longitudinal edges which are perpendicular to such transverse edges are adjacent to and are parallel with each other. Such arrangement is particularly advantageous when the groups of bars respectively carried by the upper and lower guide in consist of different materials, e.g. rosewood and light metal, respectively. Of course, bars of different material on identically dimensioned guides in may be utilized only when pitch of a c bar in the lower row which consists of rosewood corresponds exactly or is at least similar to the pitch of the equally long light-metal bar in the upper row. Such instruments may produce differently colored tones. A further requirement for the symmetric arrangement of FIG. 2 is that the upper side and the underside of each guide 1:: be formed in identical manner, i.e. that the recesess 13 be provided at both sides of each guide In, this being necessary in order to permit insertion and retention of resonators 4- from below regardless of which side of the guides 1a is turned toward the bars.

The connection between the guides 1a of FIG. 2 is preferably of the adjustable type. As shown, the guides 1a are articulately connected at both their longitudinal ends by means of links 6 secured to the corresponding head straps 7a by threaded bolts 8 or the like, preferably of the same type as used for connecting the legs 51:. In fact, and as shown at the right-hand end of FIG. 2, each bolt 8 simultaneously connects a leg a and one end of the link 6 to one of the guides 1a. An important advantage of articulate connections between two aligned guides 14: is shown in FIG. 5 which illustrates that one of the guides 1a may be readily lifted above the level of the other guide merely by pivoting the links 6 about their bolts 8 and by suitably varying the inclination of legs 5a, such variations in the inclination of legs being possible because the legs, too, are connected by and are rockable about the bolts 8. Such two-level mounting of guides 1a is often preferred for bimanual play because the guide which is at a lower level is closer to the player and does not impede the movements of a players hands toward the other guide 1:: which is more distant from the player but is located at a higher level. Of course, suitable arresting means, such as lock washers not shown, are preferably provided for securely holding the legs 5a and the links 6 in any desired angular position with respect to the guides in so that the instrument will not collapse when in actual use and also that the guides 1a may be maintained in two parallel or nearly parallel horizontal planes.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a chromatic percussion instrument M comprising two guides 1a and constructed in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 2. However, the bars 14 of the chromatic upper row are staggered with respect to the bars 3 in the diatonic lower row. The staggering of bars 3 and 14 may be brought about by suitable spacer elements, here shown as sleeves 15, which are inserted between the longer left-hand head strap 7a of the upper guide 1a and the left-hand link 6 as well as between the shorter right-hand head strap 7a of the lower guide 1a and the right-hand strap 6. The axial length of spacer elements 15 equals onehalf the distance between the centers of two adjacent openings 10, that is, the distance between the longitudinal center lines of two adjacent bars 3 or 14.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown on a larger scale a carrier 2 for the apertured tone bars 3 or 14. This carrier is of cruciform shape and, in addition to the aforementioned rod-shaped lower end portion 2a, comprises a substantially flat transverse supporting component 17 formed with a rivet shaped upper end portion 18, 19, the stem 18 of this upper end portion being receivable in bores or holes 20, 21 provided in the bars 3 and 14 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The transverse supporting component 17 receives the forked upper end of a rigid component in the form of a skeleton wire 16 of which the rod like end portion 2a forms a component part. The component 17 consists of elastic material, e.g. rubber or a suitable synthetic plastic substance, and is formed at its upper side with a small supporting rib 17a on which the underside of the bar 3 or 14 comes to rest. The upper end portion 18, 19 is also elastic so that the head 19 may be readily forced through the hole 26 or 21 but is sufliciently rigid to prevent the bar from falling olf the support 2 without the exertion of a certain force. As shown in FIG. 8, a properly mounted bar 3 rests on the elastic ribs 17a of two carriers 2 so that the heads 19 extend above the upper side of the bar, the rigid end portions 2a of partly rigid and partly elastic carriers 2 being received in the apertures 9 of the main supporting member or guide 1.

The basic tone of a tone bar depends on its length, on its thickness, and on its material. The vibration frequency of a tone bar 3 having a rectangular cross-sectional contour may be determined with the help of the following equation:

wherein N is the vibration frequency, d is the length of the tone bar, a. is the thickness of the tone bar, m is a coefficient which depends on the tone number, E is the elasticity modulus of the material of which the tone bar is made, and g is the density of the material. The material of which the tone bar consists will determine the color of the tone. As is known, the tone produced by a wooden bar is softer than the tone produced by a metallic tone bar.

Before the advent of our invention, the advantage that different sound efiects could be produced by combining a xylophone and a metallophone in a single percussion musical instrument was not recognized because the known musical instruments are not constructed of readily separable component parts, i.e. no suggestion was made heretofore to provide a Xylophone or a metallophone with exchangeable tone bars. However, since the carriers 2 allow for convenient exchange of tone bars 3 and/or 14, the instrument of FIGS. 1 to 3 may be readily transformed from a Xylophone into a metallophone, or vice versa. Further, it is equally possible to combine metallic and wooden tone bars on a single guide 1 or 111 so that the player may produce an entirely different tonal effect. Heretofore, such exchangeability of metallic and woden tone bars was not recognized because it was considered that a wooden tone bar with a given tone must be longer than a metallic bar with the same basic tone. However, and as can be readily recognized by looking at the above equation, it is possible to maintain the same basic tone by utilizing wooden and metallic tone bars of the same given length but of a different thickness, i.e. the thickness of a wooden bar is greater than the thickness of a metallic tone bar having the same length and the same basic tone. The width of the metallic and wooden tone bars may remain the same. Thus, and referring to FIG. 2 or 3, the upper row of tone bars may consist of metallic material while the lower row consists of wood, e.g. rosewood, so that the instrument M or M" constitutes a combination of a Xylophone and a metallophone. Furthermore, it is equally possible to construct the instrument M of FIG. 1 in such a way that it includes one or more metallic tone bars. All that is necessary is to have two or more sets of tone bars at hand while all remaining parts of the instrument remain unchanged.

For example, and as is shown somewhat schematically in phantom lines in FIG. 8, a metallic tone bar 3 may be replaced by a wooden tone bar 3w whose length and width are identical with but whose height or thickness exceeds the thickness of the bar 3. The openings 20, 21 in the bars 3, 3w are equally spaced from each other so that the carriers 2 will engage the bar 3 or the bar 3w along two lines whose distance from the adjacent end of the respective bar equals of the overall bar length. It will be noted that the length of elastic stems 18 is selected in such a way that their heads 19 may extend above a comparatively thin metallic bar 3 as well as above a somewhat thicker wooden tone bar SW. The resonators 4 need not be exchanged if a wooden tone bar is substituted for a metallic tone bar.

Referring back to FIG. 3, the chromatic percussion a instrument M comprises two identical guides 1a. The distance between the carriers 2 which mount the bar in the lower row may be the same as the distance between the carriers 2 which mount the cis (C sharp) bar in the upper row. However, though one of these bars is not supported at points which coincide with its nodal lines, such comparatively small inaccuracies in the mounting of one or more bars affect only slightly the tonal quality of the instrument. In order to insure that the bars may be properly mounted on the guides 10, one of the holes in each bar 3 or 14 may be of elongated, e.g. slightly oval shape (see the holes 21 in FIG. 9). Without such formation of holes 21, it could happen that a bar would jam on the carriers 2 which would affect the quality of tone produced when the bar is struck by a mallet. Such jamming could occur even in a diatonic instrument of the type shown in FIGS. 1 or 2 if, because of inaccurate machining, the spacing between the centers of pairwise arranged apertures 9 in the guide 1 or In does not equal the spacing between the centers of holes formed in the bars 3 or 14. By forming each bar 3 or 14 with at least one elongated hole, the jamming of bars is effectively prevented. As shown in FIG. 9, the stem 18 passes directly through the center of the oval holes 21 in the 0 bar 3 while the stem 18 passing through the hole 21 of the cis (C sharp) bar 14 is off center. It will be noted that the distance between the centers of holes 20, 21 in the bar 3 differs from the distance between the centers of holes 20, 21 in the bar 14. The length of oval holes 21 is sufficient to prevent jamming even if the bar 3 is mounted on carriers whose spacing is actually intended to correspond to the spacing of nodal lines in the bar 14, or vice versa. It is important that only one of the holes in the bars 3 or 14 be of oval shape because, otherwise, the bars could be longitudinally displaced with respect to their carriers 2.

It will be readily understood that our invention is not limited to the exact details of construction as shown in the instruments M, M, and M". The dimensions of a percussion instrument embodying our invention will depend on a number of circumstances and on its intended use.

It will be readily understood that the guides 1, la need not necessarily be of trapezoidiform shape as shown in the drawings. Important is only that the ends of bars mounted on the adjacent guides of an instrument of the types shown in FIGS. 2 or 3 be equally spaced from each other and that the pivot axes of link shaped connecting elements 6 be prependicular to the longitudinal direction of the bars 3 or 14. Also, the two longitudinal edges of guides 1a which are perpendicular to the respective transverse edges (head straps 7a) are preferably always parallel with each other and perpendicular to the longitudinal directions of bars 3 and 14. In other words, the longitudinal direction of each tone bar is preferably parallel with both transverse edges and hence with both head straps of the respective guide.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention and, therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A percussion musical instrument comprising, in combination, at least one main supporting member having a first side and a mirror symmetrical second side; a plurality of tone bars for operation by a player of said instrument; holding means for releasably mounting said bars at one of said sides of said main supporting member; a plurality of tubular resonators, one for each of said bars; and attachment means for releasably mounting said resonators at the other of said sides of said main supporting member beneath the respective bars, said holding means and said attachement means being adapted to cooperate selectively with either of said first and second sides of said main supporting member, whereby either one of said first and second sides of said main supporting member may be positioned so as to face the player of said instrument.

2. A percussion musical instrument comprising, in combination, at least one main supporting member having a first and a second side and formed with a plurality of pairs of apertures therethrough, each pair of apertures being equally spaced from each adjacent pair of apertures along the length of said main supporting member; a plurality of tone bars, all said bars of uniform width; pairwise arranged carrier means for releasably mounting said bars at one of said sides of said main supporting member, said pairwise arranged carrier means being adapted to engage said apertures selectively from either of said first and second sides of said main supporting member, a plurality of tubular resonators of identical cross-sectional contour, one for each 'of said bars; attachment means releasably mounting said resonators at the other of said sides of said main supporting member beneath the respective bars, said attachment means being adapted to cooperate selectively with either of said first and second sides of said main supporting member; a stand comprising a plurality of legs; and means releasably securing said legs to the main supporting member.

3. A chromatic percussion musical instrument comprising, in combination a first and a second guide each formed with two parallel transverse edges and a longitudinal edge perpendicular to said transverse edges, each said guide having an upper side and an underside; a plurality of tone bars, and a plurality of semitone bars, all said bars of equal width; means for releasably mounting said tone bars at the upper side of said first guide in such manner that the tone bars are equidistant from each other and parallel with the transverse edges of said first guide and for releasably mounting said semitone bars at the upper side of said second guide in such manner that said semitone bars are parallel with the tranverse edges of said second guide; a plurality of tubular resonators of equal cross sectional contour, one for each of said bars; means releasably mounting said resonators at the undersides of said guides beneath the respective bars; means articulately connecting said guides in such manner that the longitudinal edges of said guides are adjacent to and parallel with each other, said con necting means comprising a first and a second link, each said link connected to one transverse edge of each of said guides; and spacer means disposed between at least one of said links and at least one of said guides for staggering the bars on one of said guides with respect to the bars on the other guide, the length of said spacer means equal to half the distance between the centers of two adjacent tone bars on said first guide.

4. A percussion musical instrument comprising, in combination, at least one guide having a first side and an opposite second side and formed with a plurality of pairwise arranged apertures therethrough and with a resonator opening therethrough between each pair of apertures; a plurality of tone bars each having two spaced holes with one of said holes of circular contour and the other hole of elongated shape, the distance between said holes corresponding substantially to the spacing between a selected pair of apertures in said guide; pairwise arranged carriers for releasably mounting said bars at one of said sides of said guide, each carrier having an upper end portion receivable in a hole or" the respective bar and a lower end portion receivable in an aperture of said guide selectively from either of said first and second sides thereof; a plurality of tubular resonators, one for each of said bars; and attachment means releasably mounting the resonators at the other of said sides of said guide beneath said openings and beneath the respective bars, said attachment means being adapted to cooperate selectively with either of said first and second sides of said guide.

5. In a percussion musical instrument, in combination, a plurality of tone bars; holding means for releasably mounting said tone bars; a plurality of resonators, one for each of said bars; attachment means for releasably mounting said resonators; and at least one supporting member having a first side and a second side opposite said first side, said supporting member being constructed to have said holding means and said attachment means connected thereto in two selective dispositions, in one of which said tone bars are located adjacent said first side and said resonators adjacent said second side of said supporting member, and in the other of which said tone bars are located adjacent said second side and said resonators adjacent said first side of said supporting member.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 5, wherein said attachment means include projecting means on each of said resonators adjacent one end thereof, and said supporting member has a plurality of openings theretbrough, each of said openings being adapted to accommodate one of said resonators at said one end thereof, and each of said openings communicating with recess means extending partly through the thickness of said supporting member from either side thereof for receiving said projecting means of the respective resonator selectively at either side of said supporting member to hold said resonator selectively at either side of said supporting member to hold said resonator releasably in place.

7. A combination as set forth in claim 6, wherein said supporting member has a plurality of slot means therethrough spaced from said recess means, each of said slot means communicating with one of said openings so as to permit passage of said projecting means of one of said resonators therethrough, whereby said resonators may be inserted into said openings from either side thereof to locate said projecting means in the respective selected recess means.

8. A percussion musical instrument comprising, in combination, at least one guide having a first side and an opposite second side and formed with a plurality of pairwise arranged apertures therethrough and with a resonator opening therethrough between each pair of apertures as well as with a plurality of recess means extending partly through the thickness of said guide from either side thereof and each communicating with one of the resonator openings; a plurality of tone bars each having two spaced holes with one of said holes being of circular contour and the other hole of elon gated shape, the distance betwen said holes corresponding substantially to the spacing between a selected pair of apertures in said guide; pairwise arranged carriers for releasably mounting said bars at one of said sides of said guide, each carrier having an upper end portion receivable in a hole of the respective bar and a lower end portion receivable in an aperture of said guide selectively from either of said first and second sides thereof; and a plurality of tubular resonators, one for each of said bars, each of said resonators having projecting means adjacent one end thereof for releasably mounting the resonators at the other of said sides of said guide, said one end of each resonator being insertable in one of said resonator openings selectively from either side of said guide with said projecting means being received in the recess means communicating with the respective resonator opening, whereby said tone bars may be mounted on either side of said guide with said resonators being mounted on the opposite side thereof.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 367,955 Braun Aug. 9, 1887 747,341 Deagan Aug. 7, 1903 1,210,950 Kohler Jan. 2, 1917 1,805,337 Mahoney May 12, 1931 1,843,553 Gladstone Feb. 2, 1932 2,021,080 Musser Nov. 12, 1935 2,133,713 Musser Oct. 18, 1938 2.194,545 Firestone Mar. 26, 1940 2,862,412 Kreizel Dec. 2, 1958

Claims (1)

1. A PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AT LEAST ONE MAIN SUPPORTING MEMBER HAVING A FIRST SIDE AND A MIRROR SYMMETRICAL SECOND SIDE; A PLURALITY OF TONE BARS FOR OPERATION BY A PLAYER OF SAID INSTRUMENT HOLDING MEANS FOR RELEASABLY MOUNTING SAID BARS AT ONE OF SAID SIDES OF SAID MAIN SUPPORTING MEMBER; A PLURALITY OF TUBULAR RESONATORS, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID BARS; AND ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR RELEASABLY MOUNTING SAID RESONATORS AT THE OTHER OF SAID SIDES OF SAID MAIN SUPPORTING MEMBER BENEATH THE RESPECTIVE BARS, SAID HOLDING MEANS AND SAID ATTACHMENT MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO COOPERATE SELECTIVELY WITH EITHER OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIDES OF SAID MAIN SUPPORTING MEMBER, WHEREBY EITHER ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIDES OF SAID MAIN SUPPORTING MEMBER MAY BE POSITIONED SO AS TO FACE THE PLAYER OF SAID INSTRUMENT.

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