WO2007023511A2

WO2007023511A2 - Percussion musical instrument of the tunable drum kind having mechanics built into the shell

Info

Publication number: WO2007023511A2
Application number: PCT/IT2006/000627
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicola Monari
Original assignee: Nicola Monari
Priority date: 2005-08-23
Filing date: 2006-08-23
Publication date: 2007-03-01
Also published as: WO2007023511B1; WO2007023511A3; ITCA20050015A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to percussion musical instrument, in particular of the tunable drum kind having mechanics built into the shell, the shell (1) supporting at least one batter head (2), the tension of which can be adjusted by means of adjustable tension rods (5), wherein said adjustable tension rods (5) are mechanically coupled with the shell (1) by means of corresponding lugs (6), embedded within corresponding seats in the structure of the shell (1), so that their external surface is totally or mostly wrapped by the shell.

Description

PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENT OF THE TUNABLE DRUM KIND HAVING MECHANICS BUILT INTO THE SHELL

The present invention relates to a percussion musical instrument, in particular of the tunable drum kind having mechanics built into the shell.

The core of the invention is a mechanic tuning system that on one hand does not obstruct and disturb, with any protrusion on the internal side of the drum shell, the free flowing within the drum shell of the acoustic waves originated by percussions on the drum heads; and on the other hand does not discontinue, with radially passing holes, the homogeneous transmission of the acoustic waves along the body of the shell itself.

According to its basic definition, the drum is a percussion musical instrument composed of a shell born by a stretched membrane (the drum head).

In particular, the most common shape of the shell is that of a hollow cylinder, but it can also be that of a cone, truncated cone or any other similar geometric solid, with or withous entasis (enlargement at the median part of the lateral surface), more or less pronounced, but always variously hollow.

The membrane of the head can be made of natural or synthetic material and has a disc shape, a variably thin thickness and a diameter slightly greater than that of the shell, on the edge of which the membrane must be fitted in order to wrap its border. Said membrane has to be homogeneously stretched, by a tractive force, all around its circumference, having as a buttress the same upper edge of the shell to which it will adhere and the border of which it will cover. In order to be homogeneously stretched all around its circumference, the drum head (in particular in the modern drums) is mostly stiffened all along its border by means of a ring (metallic or of a different nature) made steadily integral with it. The purpose of the stretching operations is the reaching of the desired musical note or other added and/or substitutive acoustic effect.

On said stiffening ring is generally fitted a further independent element, it also having a ring shape, named rim. It is a crown like element, generally realised of a metallic material, but it is also possible to realise it with different suitable materials, to which adjustable tension rods (in the form of a screw or other) are fixed, which in turn are coupled with the drum shell and are made variably integral with it.

Tension rods, placed at regular intervals all along the perimeter of the rim, are directed to exert an adjustable traction, which can be equally distributed, all along the border of the head, in order to stretch it at one's taste all along the excursion range defined by the geometrical limits of the same tension rods, i.e. the excursion ranges comprised between the point in which no stretching force is exerted on the head and the pre-set limit of the tension rods. The middle element between said screw (or other kind of tension rod) and said shell, i.e. their stable mechanical link, is usually constituted (in particular in modern drums) by a lug, i.e. by an autonomous element, generally made of a metallic material, applied to the external surface of the shell and made integral with it by means of screws and/or rods etching the wall of the shell itself, often passing through its thickness from one side to the other, i.e. until its internal surface is reached.

Furthermore, in drums of the prior art, the heads can be (and usually are) two, fitted, in opposed position, at the two opposing edges of the shell. Among these heads, the one to be thumped (hereinafter defined batter head) when playing the drum is generally one, the other vibrating as a consequence. Indeed, heads can both be batter heads, as happens in some kinds of drums.

Some kinds of drums, usually defined snare drums, are provided with snares, i.e. a plurality of wires (generally parallel to each other, metallic and twisted each around its own axis forming a "spiral" pattern) generally adhering, with an adjustable pression, to the external side of the head (hereinafter defined resonant head) opposed to the batter head, in order to obtain the vibration of said snares on the head to which it adheres (and viceversa), and consequently obtaining a particular sound effect.

According to the prior art, said snares are generally placed all along the diameter of the shell, to which it is fixed directly by means of screws and/or rods etching the wall of the shell itself, often passing from one side to the other of its thickness. Furthermore, with reference to the functioning of the musical drums, it is useful, in order to better understand the invention, to specify that any percussion on the batter head and the subsequent vibrations originate a series of acoustic waves flowing inside the shell. Hence, the shell has the primary function of containing the physical phenomenon of deplacement of the so called acoustic waves, but it can also have, and generally has, the secondary function of resonator, i.e. amplifier of the acoustic wave it happens to contain.

Thus, the acoustic wave, is manifested not only by the vibration of the resonant head (or, in the case of drums lacking the resonant head, directly emitted by the part of the drum opposed to the batter head) but also by the vibration of the shell. Furthrmore, the vibration of the shell, which allows to obtain the amplification and the sound colouring of the acoustic vibrations initially produced by the head (i.e. by the heads), is obtained, not only through the air, but also through a directly mechanical means, i.e. as a consequence of the contact, in the mechanical and acoustic chain, between head, rim, screws (tension rods), lug and shell.

In traditional drums spurious acoustic waves originate also from the lug, which is located in contact with the shell through one of its surfaces, usually constituted of only one side of the geometric solid forming the shape of the lug itself, and is therefore also induced in vibration.

But even other mechanisms of secondary importance that are eventually fixed to the drum (such as sourdines, supports for microphones, supports for the drum itself) can be induced in vibration and consequently originate spurious undesirable acoustic waves. It is therefore a first object of the present invention to remove or at least reduce the incidence of this undesired acoustic waves.

A second problem of the drums of the traditional kind is more strictly linked to the form of the shell and in particular to its alterations due to mechanical requirement for coupling for example with the lug or with the snares.

The acoustic wave originated by percussionsd on the batter head starts running and bouncing, up to its exhaustion, through the air contained into the shell (closed in its own shape, closed from its heads or even open). The internal side of the shell is constituted of a surface tendentially regular (cylindrical or alike), since the sound tendentially has to flow inside the shell without being interrupted, hindered, chopped or corrupted by obstacles (constituted of protrusions or depressions of the internal surface of the shell itself).

Thus, acoustic vibrations involve the shell through a double channel constituted by the vibration, at its interior, of the acoustic waves originated by the head, and of the mechanical transmission directed through the concatenation of the elements constituting the drum itself, and the shell is in its turn passed through by the waves, opportunely vibrating and radiating externally the sounds passed in the matter constituting the shell itself. Since it is not possible to foresee the quality of the sound resulting from the sum of the different kinds of transmission of the sound (to semplify: the one that is coaxial with the shell and the one that is radial with respect to it), quality being affected by a great variety of variables (dimensions, thickness, mass, proportions, used materials, reactions involving the materials, etc.) whose acoustic result is not forseeable, according to the different traditional construction technics of each kind of drum, thus it at least implies the maximum reduction possible of any interruption on the internal surface of the shell and also any structural interruption of it (holes or something else) which is not strictly needed for assembling the different parts of the drum.

A typical example of said interruptions are for example the holes positioned radially on the shell (passing through it or not) prepared in order to receive the screws and/or fixing rods of the lugs and/or snares to the shell itself, or also protrusions inside it, constituted by the sprout of said rods and/or fixing screws.

It is therefore a second objective of the solution according to the present invention the removal of any interruption of the internal surface of the shell and any structural interruption of it.

It is therefore a specific object of the present invention a percussion musical instrument, in particular of the tunable drum kind having mechanics built into the shell, on the shell laying at least a batter head, the tension of which can be calibrated by means of adjustable tension rods, wherein said adjustable tension rods are mechanically coupled with the shell by means of corresponding lugs, embedded within corresponding seats of the structure of the shell, so that their external surface is totally or mostly wrapped by the shell. According to the present invention, said shell can furthermore comprise further seats for further mechanisms fixed to it, such as sourdines, supports for microphones, supports for the same musical instrument, said seats being suitable for wrapping said mechanisms completely or for most part of their external surface.

In particular, according to the invention, said lugs and/or said further mechanisms fixed to the shell can be hindered inside said seats of the shell by means of glueing, joint, interference or or any other kind of permanent and/or removable coupling, preferably by means of rods and/or screws going through the thickness of the shell only in its external portion, until they enter into the body of the corrispondenti lugs and/or mechanisms.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the structure of said shell is devoid of any structural interruption, excluding said seats and/or the seats for the means for coupling its parts.

According to the invention, due to the insertion of said lugs and/or said further mechanisms fixed to the shell inside said seats of the shell, they are enwrapped by the material constituting the same body of the shell, the portion of said material immediately close to the lug itself not being added to the shell itself, but on the contrary being ab ovo an integral part of the shell itself, in order to avoid any interruption in the transmission of the acoustic waves passing through the means of the "mechanical chain" described hereinbefore.

Finally, the percussion musical instrument according to the invention can be provided with two heads, at the opposing edges of said shell, the stretching of both being adjustable by means of adjustable tension rods, coupled with the shell by means of correspondent lugs.

The present invention will now be described, for illustrative non limitative purposes, according to its preferred embodiments, in particular with reference to the figures of the enclosed drawings, wherein:

- figure 1 shows a perspective view of a drum according to the present invention;

- figure 2 shows a cross section view, obtained at the middle of its heigh, of the drum of figure 1 ; and - figure 3 shows a skematic longitudinal section of a drum according to the present invention. With reference to the figures, a drum according to an embodiment of the present invention is constituted by a shell 1 , with a cylindrical shape, on the two bearing edges of which are respectively fit two heads 2, stiffened all along their respective border by means of rings 3. On each ring 3 is applied a rim 4, all along the perimeter of which, at constant intervals one from the others, a plurality of adjustable tension rods 5, of a screw kind in the case shown, is fixed.

In particular, the adjustable tension rods 5 are preseti in couples, each couple being constituted by two adjustable tension rods 5, placed ons on a rim 4 and the other on the opposed rim 4. The adjustable tension rods 5 of each couple are partially screwn in the body of a 6 placed at an intermediate position and can be further screwed in to bring the two rings near to each other (and consequently increase the stretching of the heads 2) i.e. partially unscrewed in order to bring them to go away from each other (dicreasing the stretching of the heads 2).

According to the present invention it is provided for a new system for fixing the lugs 6 to the shell 1 , involving an important change of the shape, assembling and acoustic results with respect to what can be obtained in drums having lugs and shell according to the prior art. From a structural point of view, the invention involves a new structure of the shell 1, embedding a plurality of lugs 6, constituted by cylinders (or other geometric solids) made of metallic materials (or a different material) inserted in the shell 1 inside seats opportunely dimensioned to receive them, by simple insertion or by variously forced insertion (so called "mechanical interference").

The shell 1 has therefore thickness and/or shape sufficient to enwrap the surface of the lugs 6 almost completely (instead of wrapping only one sided of the geometric solid constituting traditional lugs). Thus the acoustic chain passing through the lugs 6 and the shell 1 is promoted, as far as its transmission is concerned, by a greater contact surface between said elements.

Thanks to this structure, vibration of lugs 6 is prevented together with the consequent direct transmission towards the exterior, through their exposed surfaces, of the indesired acoustic waves hereinbefore described. In order to receive said lugs 6, the shell 1 of the drum, whatever material it is constituted by, has a shape suitable for incorporating most of of the external surface of the lugs.

At the same time, the shape of the shell 1 allows the greater possible incorporation of other additional devices eventually fixed to the drum (such as sourdines, supports for microphones, supports for the drum itself).

Further, as a result of the structure of the drum according to the present invention, the shell 1 does not have anymore any hole radially passing through the entire thickness of the walls of the shell itself (said holes constituting interruptions in the regularity of the internal surface of the shell 1 , which can prevent, partially interrupt or corrupt the course of the acoustic waves), holes necessary according to the prior art in order to allow the passage of screws, bolts and/or other coupling means between the lug 6 and the shell 1 , having the function of making the lug 6 integral with the shell 1 and able to oppose to the tractive force exerted by the tensioning system of the heads 2, i.e. by the adjustable tension rods 5.

In fact, according to the invention, said coupling occurs through a plurality of rods 7, at least one per each lug 6, placed perpendicularly to the axis of the tension rods 5 and of the shell 1, and passing through the thickness of the shell 1 only in its external portion, until they are inserted in the body of the corresponding lugs 6. As a consequence, neither the rods

7 nor the holes prepared for their passage reach the internal side of the shell 1 and it is consequently prevented that they can constitute irregularities that can disturb the dynamics of the acoustic waves received and partially returned by the shell.

The present invention was described for illustrative non limitative purposes, according to a preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that any variations and/or modifications can be made by the persons skilled in the art without for this reason escape from the relavant scope of protection, as defined by the enclosed claims.

Claims

1. Percussion musical instrument, in particular of the tunable drum kind having mechanics built into the shell, the shell (1) being born by at least a batter head (2), the tension of which can be calibrated by means of adjustable tension rods (5), characterised in that said adjustable tension rods (5) are mechanically coupled to the shell (1) by means of corresponding lugs (6), embedded within corresponding seats of the structure of the shell (1), so that their external surface is totally or mostly wrapped by the shell.

2. Percussion musical instrument according to claim 1 , characterised in that said shell (1) further comprise seats for further mechanisms fixed to it, such as snares, sourdines, supports for microphones, supports for the same musical instrument, said seats being suitable for wrapping said mechanisms completely or for most part of their external surface.

3. Percussion musical instrument according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said lugs (6) and/or said further mechanisms fixed to the shell (1) are hindered inside said seats of the shell (1) by means of glueing, joint, interference or or any other kind of permanent and/or removable coupling.

4. Percussion musical instrument according to claim 3, characterised in that said lugs (6) and/or said further mechanisms fixed to the shell (1) are hindered inside said seats of the shell (1) by means of rods and/or screws (7) going through the thickness of the shell (1) only in its external portion, until they enter into the body of the corrispondenti lugs (6) and/or mechanisms.

5. Percussion musical instrument according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that the structure of said shell (1) is devoid of any structural interruption, excluding said seats and/or the seats for the means for coupling its parts.

6. Percussion musical instrument according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that due to the insertion of said lugs (6) and/or said further mechanisms fixed to the shell (1) inside said seats of the shell (1), they are enwrapped by the material constituting the same body of the shell (1), the portion of said material immediately close to the lug itself not being added to the shell itself, but on the contrary being ab ovo an integral part of the shell itself.

7. Percussion musical instrument according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that it is provided with two heads (2), at the opposing edges of said shell (1), the stretching of both being adjustable by means of adjustable tension rods (5), coupled with the shell by means of correspondent lugs (6).