CA1133288A - Musical instrument picks - Google Patents
Musical instrument picksInfo
- Publication number
- CA1133288A CA1133288A CA316,180A CA316180A CA1133288A CA 1133288 A CA1133288 A CA 1133288A CA 316180 A CA316180 A CA 316180A CA 1133288 A CA1133288 A CA 1133288A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- string
- finger
- player
- tip
- base
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
- G10D—STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACCORDIONS OR CONCERTINAS; PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; AEOLIAN HARPS; SINGING-FLAME MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G10D3/00—Details of, or accessories for, stringed musical instruments, e.g. slide-bars
- G10D3/16—Bows; Guides for bows; Plectra or similar playing means
- G10D3/173—Plectra or similar accessories for playing; Plectrum holders
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Stringed Musical Instruments (AREA)
- Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
Abstract
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PICKS
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
When using a conventional pick, the wrist of the player has to be angled so that the part of the pick that strikes the string of the instrument, is parallel to the string. This is awkward and uncomfortable and often the pick slides along the strings instead of plucking same.
By flattening the angle of the pick and then angulating the striking tip, the tip can lie parallel to the strings with the wrist of the player in a natural position.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
When using a conventional pick, the wrist of the player has to be angled so that the part of the pick that strikes the string of the instrument, is parallel to the string. This is awkward and uncomfortable and often the pick slides along the strings instead of plucking same.
By flattening the angle of the pick and then angulating the striking tip, the tip can lie parallel to the strings with the wrist of the player in a natural position.
Description
"MUSICAL INSTRUMENT PICKS"
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
. .
This invention relates to new and useful improve-ments in picking thimbles for musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mandolins and the like.
Picks are often used in order produce a clear note and to protect the player's finger and fingernail form sore-, ness and damage. Such picks usually include a thimble engag-ing over the end of the finger with a string operative part extending from the thimble and beyond the fingertip. In order to pluck the string successfully, the wrist has to be angulat-; ed downwardly so that the tip of the string operative part issubstantially parallel to the string, otherwise there is a tendency for the tip to slide along the string rather than plucking same cleanly.
This awkward position of the wrist reduces the flex-ibility of the player's fingers and is somewhat tiring particu-larly when the instrument is played for a considerable time.
As the wrist tires, the angle tends to decrease with the tip of the pick sliding along the strings so that the playing ability deteriorates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages firstly, by decreasing the angle at which the string operative part extends from the thimble, and secondly by placing a twist in the string operative part so that the tip or striking por-':
: tion lies substantially parallel to the striny without the ne-cessity of having to angle the wrist. In other words, the : wrist lies in the substantially natural position with the tip . parallel with the string thus enabling a cleaner pluck to be made and reducing the tendency of the tip to slide along the string during playing.
One aspect of the invention consists of a finger pick for string musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mando-,: lins and the like comprising a string operative part of tapered . 10 configuration having a striking tip and a base and an annular : wing extending in opposite directions from the base for attach-ing the pick to the player's finger, said string operative part . extending at an angle from the base, the tip of the string operative part being twisted in an axial direction relative to the annular wings to lie substantially parallel to the string ` of the instrument when attached to the player's finger and with i the wrist of the player lying in a natural position.
: Another aspect of the invention consists of a finger pick for string musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mandolins and the like comprising a finger engaging thimble and a string operative part extending upon one side of said thimble and from the periphery thereof, said string operative part inclining upwardly towards the finger when in situ, rela-tive to the longitudinal axis of the thimble, said string oper-ative part having a striking tip and a base, said tip being twisted to lie substantially parallel to the string of the in-1~33288 ' strument when attached to the player's finger and with the wrist of the player lying in a natural position.
A still further aspect of the invention is to pro-vide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the pre-ferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present in-vention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
- , _ Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional banjo ,~ pick.
` Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation thereof.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the improved pick.
Figure 5 is a front elevation thereof.
Figure 6 is an isometric view thereof.
Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 4 but moved - through 180.
Figure 8 is a schematic view showing the wrist angle using a conventional pick with a banjo.
Figure 9 is a schematic view showing the angle of ~13328~
the present pick relatlve to the banjo.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in de-tail, reference should first be made to Figures 1, 2 and 3 which shows a conventional pick covered by United States patent 1,787,136, dated December 30th, 1930, G. D. ~eauchamp. It con-sists of a string operative part collectively designated 10 having a tapered configuration and including a rounded distal end or string engaging point 12 and a base portion 13. Annu-lar wings 14 extend from each side of the base and curve around to engage over the player's finger and to hold the device firm-ly thereon. Apertures 15 may be provided to permit bending of the material and to lighten the construction of the pick. It will be noted that the string operative part 10 inclines up-wardly at an angle from the base 13 at approximately 30.
The improved pick is shown in Figures 4 through 7 and although the basic construction is similar, nevertheless a significant difference is shown. Where applicable, similar reference characters have been utilized.
In the present invention, two improvements have been made. Firstly, the angle of inclination of the string opera-tive part 10 is reduced to between 10 and 20 and is prefer-ably 12 and secondly, a twist has been induced into this part extending from the tip 12 to the base 13. The twist is axially . , ' :
``\
~ 3288 of the thimble or angular wing portion 14 and the part 10 in-cludes a leading edge 16 and a trailing edge 17. It is the leading edge 16 which is twisted upwardly as clearly shown.
This angulates the tip or string striking portion 12 so that when the pick is engaged upon the finger of the player, and the wrist of the player lies at a natural angle, the tip lies parallel to the strings of the instrument thus allowing same to be plucked and reduces the tendency of the tip to slide along the strings. Figure 8 shows the downward angle of the wrist of a player using a conventional pick as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and Figure 9 shows the angle of the wrist utilizing the improved pick due to the induced twist in the string operative 10.
It should be stressed that the plane of the striking tip is twisted relative to the base thus allowing the natural angle of the wrist illustrated in Figure 9.
Since various modifications can be made in my inven-tion as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely dif-ferent embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying speci-` fication shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
'' ' !
:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
. .
This invention relates to new and useful improve-ments in picking thimbles for musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mandolins and the like.
Picks are often used in order produce a clear note and to protect the player's finger and fingernail form sore-, ness and damage. Such picks usually include a thimble engag-ing over the end of the finger with a string operative part extending from the thimble and beyond the fingertip. In order to pluck the string successfully, the wrist has to be angulat-; ed downwardly so that the tip of the string operative part issubstantially parallel to the string, otherwise there is a tendency for the tip to slide along the string rather than plucking same cleanly.
This awkward position of the wrist reduces the flex-ibility of the player's fingers and is somewhat tiring particu-larly when the instrument is played for a considerable time.
As the wrist tires, the angle tends to decrease with the tip of the pick sliding along the strings so that the playing ability deteriorates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages firstly, by decreasing the angle at which the string operative part extends from the thimble, and secondly by placing a twist in the string operative part so that the tip or striking por-':
: tion lies substantially parallel to the striny without the ne-cessity of having to angle the wrist. In other words, the : wrist lies in the substantially natural position with the tip . parallel with the string thus enabling a cleaner pluck to be made and reducing the tendency of the tip to slide along the string during playing.
One aspect of the invention consists of a finger pick for string musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mando-,: lins and the like comprising a string operative part of tapered . 10 configuration having a striking tip and a base and an annular : wing extending in opposite directions from the base for attach-ing the pick to the player's finger, said string operative part . extending at an angle from the base, the tip of the string operative part being twisted in an axial direction relative to the annular wings to lie substantially parallel to the string ` of the instrument when attached to the player's finger and with i the wrist of the player lying in a natural position.
: Another aspect of the invention consists of a finger pick for string musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mandolins and the like comprising a finger engaging thimble and a string operative part extending upon one side of said thimble and from the periphery thereof, said string operative part inclining upwardly towards the finger when in situ, rela-tive to the longitudinal axis of the thimble, said string oper-ative part having a striking tip and a base, said tip being twisted to lie substantially parallel to the string of the in-1~33288 ' strument when attached to the player's finger and with the wrist of the player lying in a natural position.
A still further aspect of the invention is to pro-vide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the pre-ferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present in-vention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
- , _ Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional banjo ,~ pick.
` Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation thereof.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the improved pick.
Figure 5 is a front elevation thereof.
Figure 6 is an isometric view thereof.
Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 4 but moved - through 180.
Figure 8 is a schematic view showing the wrist angle using a conventional pick with a banjo.
Figure 9 is a schematic view showing the angle of ~13328~
the present pick relatlve to the banjo.
In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in de-tail, reference should first be made to Figures 1, 2 and 3 which shows a conventional pick covered by United States patent 1,787,136, dated December 30th, 1930, G. D. ~eauchamp. It con-sists of a string operative part collectively designated 10 having a tapered configuration and including a rounded distal end or string engaging point 12 and a base portion 13. Annu-lar wings 14 extend from each side of the base and curve around to engage over the player's finger and to hold the device firm-ly thereon. Apertures 15 may be provided to permit bending of the material and to lighten the construction of the pick. It will be noted that the string operative part 10 inclines up-wardly at an angle from the base 13 at approximately 30.
The improved pick is shown in Figures 4 through 7 and although the basic construction is similar, nevertheless a significant difference is shown. Where applicable, similar reference characters have been utilized.
In the present invention, two improvements have been made. Firstly, the angle of inclination of the string opera-tive part 10 is reduced to between 10 and 20 and is prefer-ably 12 and secondly, a twist has been induced into this part extending from the tip 12 to the base 13. The twist is axially . , ' :
``\
~ 3288 of the thimble or angular wing portion 14 and the part 10 in-cludes a leading edge 16 and a trailing edge 17. It is the leading edge 16 which is twisted upwardly as clearly shown.
This angulates the tip or string striking portion 12 so that when the pick is engaged upon the finger of the player, and the wrist of the player lies at a natural angle, the tip lies parallel to the strings of the instrument thus allowing same to be plucked and reduces the tendency of the tip to slide along the strings. Figure 8 shows the downward angle of the wrist of a player using a conventional pick as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and Figure 9 shows the angle of the wrist utilizing the improved pick due to the induced twist in the string operative 10.
It should be stressed that the plane of the striking tip is twisted relative to the base thus allowing the natural angle of the wrist illustrated in Figure 9.
Since various modifications can be made in my inven-tion as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely dif-ferent embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying speci-` fication shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
'' ' !
:
Claims
WHAT I CLAIM AS MY INVENTION IS:
(1) A finger pick for string musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mandolins and the like comprising a string operative part of tapered configuration having a strik-ing tip and a base and an annular wing extending in opposite directions from the base for attaching the pick to the player's finger, said string operative part extending at an angle from the base, the tip of the string operative part being twisted in an annular direction relative to the annular wings to lie substantially parallel to the string of the instrument when attached to the player's finger and with the wrist of the player lying in a natural position.
(2) The pick according to Claim 1 in which the angle of the string operative part to the base is between 10° and 20°.
(3) The pick according to Claim 1 in which the string operative part includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, said leading edge of said part extending from the tip to the base and being twisted upwardly towards the player's finger when in situ.
(4) The pick according to Claim 2 in which the string operative part includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, said leading edge of said part extending from the tip to the base and being twisted upwardly towards the player's finger when in situ.
(5) A finger pick for string musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mandolins and the like comprising a finger engaging thimble and a string operative part extending upon one side of said thimble and from the periphery thereof, said string operative part inclining upwardly towards the finger when in situ, relative to the longitudinal axis of the thimble, said string operative part having a striking tip and a base, said tip being twisted to lie substantially parallel to the string of the instrument when attached to the player's finger and with the wrist of the player lying in a natural position.
(6) The pick according to Claim 5 in which the angle of the string operative part to the base is between 10° and 20°.
(7) The pick according to Claim 5 in which the string operative part includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, said leading edge of said part extending from the tip to the base and being twisted upwardly towards the player's finger in situ.
(8) The pick according to Claim 6 in which the string operative part includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, said leading edge of said part extending from the tip to the base and being twisted upwardly towards the player's finger in situ.
(1) A finger pick for string musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mandolins and the like comprising a string operative part of tapered configuration having a strik-ing tip and a base and an annular wing extending in opposite directions from the base for attaching the pick to the player's finger, said string operative part extending at an angle from the base, the tip of the string operative part being twisted in an annular direction relative to the annular wings to lie substantially parallel to the string of the instrument when attached to the player's finger and with the wrist of the player lying in a natural position.
(2) The pick according to Claim 1 in which the angle of the string operative part to the base is between 10° and 20°.
(3) The pick according to Claim 1 in which the string operative part includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, said leading edge of said part extending from the tip to the base and being twisted upwardly towards the player's finger when in situ.
(4) The pick according to Claim 2 in which the string operative part includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, said leading edge of said part extending from the tip to the base and being twisted upwardly towards the player's finger when in situ.
(5) A finger pick for string musical instruments such as banjos, guitars, mandolins and the like comprising a finger engaging thimble and a string operative part extending upon one side of said thimble and from the periphery thereof, said string operative part inclining upwardly towards the finger when in situ, relative to the longitudinal axis of the thimble, said string operative part having a striking tip and a base, said tip being twisted to lie substantially parallel to the string of the instrument when attached to the player's finger and with the wrist of the player lying in a natural position.
(6) The pick according to Claim 5 in which the angle of the string operative part to the base is between 10° and 20°.
(7) The pick according to Claim 5 in which the string operative part includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, said leading edge of said part extending from the tip to the base and being twisted upwardly towards the player's finger in situ.
(8) The pick according to Claim 6 in which the string operative part includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, said leading edge of said part extending from the tip to the base and being twisted upwardly towards the player's finger in situ.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA316,180A CA1133288A (en) | 1978-11-14 | 1978-11-14 | Musical instrument picks |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA316,180A CA1133288A (en) | 1978-11-14 | 1978-11-14 | Musical instrument picks |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1133288A true CA1133288A (en) | 1982-10-12 |
Family
ID=4112942
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA316,180A Expired CA1133288A (en) | 1978-11-14 | 1978-11-14 | Musical instrument picks |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1133288A (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2009082777A1 (en) * | 2008-01-01 | 2009-07-09 | Paul Slingsby | A plectrum |
| WO2012142379A1 (en) * | 2011-04-13 | 2012-10-18 | Leneman Michael | Guitar pick |
-
1978
- 1978-11-14 CA CA316,180A patent/CA1133288A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2009082777A1 (en) * | 2008-01-01 | 2009-07-09 | Paul Slingsby | A plectrum |
| GB2468434A (en) * | 2008-01-01 | 2010-09-08 | Paul Slingsby | A plectrum |
| US8017845B2 (en) | 2008-01-01 | 2011-09-13 | Paul Slingsby | Plectrum |
| GB2468434B (en) * | 2008-01-01 | 2011-09-21 | Paul Slingsby | A plectrum |
| WO2012142379A1 (en) * | 2011-04-13 | 2012-10-18 | Leneman Michael | Guitar pick |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |