Aug. 12, 1952 J. T. KUNZ 2,606,474 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 17, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet Z 2 5 4. 3. -e- it-e- (th-e- SEC, OCTAVE td Tan FF TH MAJOR THIRD RST OCTAVE FF TH —b-e- MNOR THIRD -6- -e- stRIKE TONE O O HUM TONE CARLLON ROD A rod E synthesised Tone BELL BELL NAME 2%2 / PARTAL FREQUENCY FUNDAMENTAL f ST. PARTIAL 2 Nd, PARTIAL .3, .5 3 RD, PARTAL 34. 39 .OS, .36, .64 4TH. PARTIAL 56.85f O7, .27, .5, .73 5TH. PARTIAL | 84.93if O6, 23, 4, 59, 79 6TH. PARTAL O5 , .19, .345, .5.65, .8l INVENTOR. u/ aro& 7 A2/v2 22.2 BY4-7 4226/ A777AAMVay1 Aug. 12, 1952 J. T. KUNZ 2,606,474 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 17, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ROD B ROD A PARTIAL NOTE FREQUENCY PARTIAL NOTE FREOUENCY FUNDAMENTAL B 15 APPROx. FUNDAMENTAL D 7, 6 APPROX. ST PARTIAL | F * IST. PARTAL A O 2ND, PARTA 2ND, PARTIAL | D | 3 | CHARACTERIST CHARACTERISTC C S23 3 RD, PARTAL 3 RD. PARTAL * 622 4TH. PARTAL 4TH, PARTAL O46 5 H. PARTAL 568 6TH. PARTAL 8OO APPROX. TONE NAME HUM TONE . strike tone strike toNE | MINOR THIRD F RST OCTAVE MAJOR THRO OF OCTAVE FIFTH OCTAVE Aw SprolC 2. APPROX. SECOND OCTAVE ;2221 4 J/acroa INVENTOR.7. M2//v2. wa-' 42% Aug. 12, 1952 J. T. KUNZ 2,606,474 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 17, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 (, a "aroa'sa awaaaa ceasaaaaz awa as avaaa/aas 6 7 INVENTOR. u?acea 7 A/W2 - arz7a-Ya-25 Aug. 12, 1952 J. T. KUNZ 2,606,474 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 17, 1948 5. Sheets-Sheet 4 65 68 60 7 s As s stayy s Y SS s R S. S s SS g s NS IS 2) Yssig SNS6Sa. ey s Saedsas S (SS2)S sa S. C Sa s IN ENTOR. Jacoa 7. A6/WZ. Aug. 12, 1952 J. T. KUNZ 2,606,474 MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 17, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 H 52%.21 Vacoa 5% 1441 By A4-2meonea 4uézé/ as av77A7AMay 14 Patented Aug. 12, 1952 2,606,474 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,606,474 MUSICA, INSTRUMENT Jacob T. Kunz, North Hill, Pa., assignor to Schul merich Electronics, Incorporated, Sellersville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania, Application November 17, 1948, Serial No. 60,470 19 Claims. (Cl. 84-12) 1. 2 This invention relates to musical instruments tion of tones, “first partial' meaning the first and particularly to an electric musical instru tone above the “fundamental.' int for producing bell or chine tones and the In one aspect of the present invention, a tone ike. generator, which will be described in detail Various means have been employed previously hereafter, has vibrations therefrom picked-up for producing electrically bell or chime tones. electrically to produce electrical vibrations or In the prior instruments, bars or rods, both solid oscillations in an amplifier circuit. The Vibra and hollow, as well as other types of vibrating tions picked-up are modified by locating the elements, have been used for the purpose of gen pick-ups in a predetermined relationship along erating the vibrations. The vibrations produced 10 the tone generator. Other vibrations in the tone have been picked-up electrically by various generator can be modified in the amplifier circuit means, amplified, and then translated by an by suitable filters or electrical arrangements. electro-acoustic mechanism to produce musical The amplifier circuit used is connected to ar. tones. The tone generated usually has been electro-acoustic transducer or loud Speaker to modified in the amplifier circuit in various man produce the desired note. A plurality of tOne ners. Instruments employing bars or rods have generators can be employed and actuated fron used fixed-free vibrators wherein one end of the a key board so that carillon music can be pro vibrator is fixed and the other end of the vi duced. brator is free to vibrate, and free-free bar wi One of the features of the invention is a tone brators Wherein both ends of the bar are un 20 generator comprising a pair of vibrators for each restrained and free to vibrate. note, preferably in the form of fixed-free rods, It has been difficult in the previous devices to said pair of rods being strikable simultaneously obtain all of the desired partials in their proper by a striker. Merely as an example, twenty-five relationship to correctly produce a bell tone, par or more tone generators representing twenty ticularly a bell tone of the Flemish or harmony 25 five notes of the chromatic scale can be employed type bell. for the production of carillon music, an instru One of the principal objects of the present in ment employing as many as sixty-one tone gen vention is to provide an improved tone generator erators having been used. A greater OrleSS nun arrangement and instrument for producing a bell ber of tone generators may be employed as de tone having the desired partials or tones therein. 30 sired. The two fixed-free rods of each tone gen Another object of the invention is to provide an erator have their lengths or vibratory patterns instrument, especially a Flemish type bell tone selected relative to each other so that one rod instrument, arranged. So that it can play cairillon will vibrate at a higher fundamental frequency music in an improved manner. than the other rod. As previously mentioned, Another object of the invention is to provide 35 the fundamental frequency is the lowest normal an improved collector plate and shield arrange vibration in the rod. ment, so that the collector plate or electrode has The normal characteristic tone of Such a rod a minimum of capacity relative to the shield or the tone identifying the note to the listener and adjacent vibratory bodies. is not actually present in the vibrating pattern The terms 'characteristic tone' or “note' are 40 of the rod but is a tone which is Synthesized as used herein to mean the Whole Sound Which a result of the difference between two partials, identifies the note involved to the listener. The such as the fourth and fifth partials of the rod. term 'fundamental tone' is used to neain the As is Well known, when an electric pick-up is lowest vibration present in the vibrator. When placed at a point along a rod where the node of a rod is struck, various tones appear as the re 45 a particular tone or vibration occurs there Will Sult of the vibrating pattern of the rod. A per be no energization of the pick-up by this partic Son listening to the note produced as a result ular vibration because there will be no relative thereof Will select a characteristic tone by which vibration between the pick-up and rod at this he identifies the note. As Will be explained point. By placing the pick-up at a selected node hereafter, the characteristic tone in the case of a 50 of the fourth partial, the fourth partial Will be fixed-free rod is a Synthesized tone, not actually eliminated from the electrical vibrations picked present in vibrations in the rod, formed by a up and fed to the amplifier circuit. By Such a combination of the fourth and fifth partials or placement of the pick-up, the characteristic tones of the rod. The term “partial' or “tone' tone, which is an octave below the fourth par refers to a single tone and not to a combina 55 tial, also Will be eliminated because the chara C 2,606,474 3 4. teristic tone is a result of the difference between mer, means being provided so that the hammer the fourth and fifth partials. The electrical vi Will correctly hit both rods. brations in the amplifier circuit then will have The tone or vibrating pattern of a fixed-free a characteristic vibration or tone differing from rod is to Some extent dependent on the mass of the natural or normal previous characteristic the block in which it is supported. If the mass tone. As will be explained hereafter, in a fixed of the block is considered to be infinite, the vi free rod, the new characteristic tone may be a brating pattern will follow the theoretical se minor third or a musical interval of one and quence and values of tones of a fixed-free rod as one-half tones above the normal characteristic will be explained hereafter. When the mass is tone of the rod. finite, Some tones will not develop as fully as In a tone generator having two rods, one of the with an infinite mass. The patterns, however, rods can have its electrical pick-up arranged as will be uniform and the rod will ring clear with described in the preceding paragraph for the all partials having the proper magnitude when purpose of changing the characteristic tone the mass is finite, if the rods are securely thereof. The other, or second rod, is constructed 5 clamped at the base and the collectors and sta and tuned. So that the fundamental tone thereof bilizer Supports are arranged so that there is no is a minor third musical interval above the fun damping or restraining of the portions of the vi damental tone of the first mentioned rod. The brations of the rod which are in the block. pick-up for the second rod is arranged so as not Under these conditions, it is possible to control to change the characteristic tone thereof.