1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a device for indicating musical notes playable in any musical scale; more particularly, the present invention is an indicator for musical notes playable in any musical scale with said notes being visually associated with the finger boards used to play selected musical instruments.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
A. Basic Music Theory, Tonality, Musical Scales, and Musical Instruments
There are many different styles of music. But, every style of music is based upon a predetermined progression of tones. Tones, or notes, are variations in pitch (sound frequency) produced by a musical instrument. It has become customary to refer to these tones by seven letter designations: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. When these tones, or notes, repeat, as in A B C D E F G A, then the interval between the first and last tones is known as an octave. The sound frequency difference between tones is given in "steps", and the steps between each of the tones A, B, C, D, E, F, and G is not the same. There is a half-step interval between tones B and C, and between tones E and F, while there are whole-step intervals between A and B, C and D, D and E, and F and G. Each tone may be raised or lowered one-half step; these are known as the accidentals of the tone, and they are represented by a ".music-sharp." sign for "sharps", which raise the tone one-half step, and represented by a "b" sign for "flats", which lower the tone one-half step. The Chromatic Scale, from which all music derives, is based upon the natural tones, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G (the white piano keys), as well as upon the accidentals F.music-sharp., G.music-sharp., A.music-sharp.C.music-sharp. and D.music-sharp. (the black piano keys).
In any melody, there is one tone which seems to dominate and be more final than any other tone. If a musical melody is played without finishing on this tone, the melody appears to the ear as somehow incomplete. This central tone is called the "tonic", or "key ". Each tonic has a set of tones which are related to it in varying degrees. When a musical score begins on a certain tone, it can be expected that certain selected tones will follow. These groups of tones, which relate to the concept of "tonality", constitute the musical "scales".
Over the years a number of musical scales have been developed, as follows.
By the seventeenth century, the following scales (or modes) were in use:
A B C D E F G A ... known as Aeolian;
B C D E F G A B ... known as Locrian;
C D E F G A B C ... known as Ionian;
D E F G A B C D ... known as Dorian;
E F G A B C D E ... known as Phrygian;
F G A B C D E F ... known as Lydian; and
G A B C D E F G ... known as Mixolydian.
The Major scale, like Ionian Mode, is based upon a succession of eight tones modeled on the tone intervals, or steps, when the succession of tones begins on C. These intervals are: C-D, D-E, E-F, F-G, G-A, A-B, and B-C; constituting steps which are: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, and half. This scale is known as the "C Major Scale". Major scale beginning on other tones may be constructed, always with the steps between the third and fourth tones and the seventh and eighth tones being half steps. This is accomplished by selectively utilizing the accidentals A.music-sharp., B.music-sharp., C.music-sharp., D.music-sharp., E.music-sharp., F.music-sharp.and G .music-sharp., and A.sup.b B.sup.b, D.sup.b, E.sup.b, F.sup.b and G.sup.b instead of the naturals A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, as necessary to achieve the intervals, or steps, of the C Major For instance, the Major Scale beginning on G is constructed as scale. For instance, the Major Scale beginning on G is constructed as follows: G A B C D E F .music-sharp.G.
The Minor Scale, like the Aeolian Mode, is based upon a succession of eight tones modeled on the tone intervals, or steps, when the succession of tones begins on A. These intervals are: A-B, B-C, C-D, D-E, E-F, F-G, and G-A; constituting steps which are: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole, and whole. As in the Major Scale, the Minor Scale can be constructed so as to begin on any tone with the intervals between tones being those of A minor, by using the appropriate accidentals of the tones where required.
The foregoing Minor Scale description is known as the "Natural Minor Scale". There are two main variations of the Minor Scale. The "Harmonic Minor Scale" is an adaptation of the Minor Scale for harmonic purposes in certain melodies. The Harmonic Minor Scale raises the seventh step so that there is a half-step difference between the seventh and eighth steps of the octave. The intervals are: A-B, B-C, C-D, D-E, E-F, F-G.music-sharp., and G.music-sharp.-A; constituting steps which are: whole, half, whole, whole, half, one and one half, and half. The "Melodic Minor Scale" additionally raises the sixth step when the melody is ascending, but the sixth and seventh degrees are restored to the natural when the melody is descending. The intervals when ascending are: A-B, B-C, D-E, E-F.music-sharp., F-G.music-sharp., and G.music-sharp.-A; constituting steps which are whole, half, whole, whole, whole and half.
A "scale" a sequential series of tones which is established under the principle of tonality. In contradistinction to this is the concept of the "chord", which is the simultaneous playing of more than one tone.
There are four basic families of musical instruments: stringed, brass, woodwinds and percussion. In each family, individual instruments have unique fingerboard positions which are required in order for the musician to produce desired tones from the instrument. As an example of a percussion instrument, the piano keyboard spans seven octaves, each octave having 12 keys, 7 white (representing naturals) and 5 black (representing accidentals).
B. Prior Art Devices to Aid Musicians
Clearly, with the extreme complexity of the musical system which has evolved over the centuries, and the additional complexities associated with particular instrument fingerboards, the beginning musician has a most difficult task on his way to musical proficiency.
In the prior art there are various attempts at making this task somewhat easier.
U.S. Pat. No. 422,964 to McTammany discloses a mechanical indicator having a base and a selectively apertured overlay, the overlay apertures cooperate with the base to indicate finger positions and blow action required by an apprentice musician who is learining to play particular songs on a brass or woodwind instrument. The overlay must be perforated for each particular tune to be played.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,001,191 to Golden discloses a chord finder for banjos composed of a top member, a bottom member and a sliding member therebetween. The top member has three rectangular slots; the bottom member has three sets of tones, each positioned to fit under a rectangular slot and arranged in groups of four across (representing the four strings of the banjo fret board). The first set represents the major chords, the second represents the minor chords and the third represents the "seventh chords". The sliding member is apertured to show finger positions necessary to play the desired chords on the instrument.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,211 to Wallace discloses a piano key indicator which is placed adjacent to the keys of a piano in order to teach a student the fingering positions in order to play scales on the instrument. The device has a rectangular member having windows and has a sliding member with finger numbering thereon. The sliding member is moved so that the student can see the fingering positon for playing the major and minor scales in any key.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,303 to Patt discloses a device to teach finger positions for fretted string instruments. The device has a series of pages having a plurality of dots thereon. An overlay having a grid pattern representative of the fretboard of a guitar is placed over the sheets, whereupon the dots serve to indicate fingering positions of the notes used to make a specific chord. The upper portion of the overlay has a vertical column of the chromatic scale, which when a tone is placed over a square on the sheet, the finger positions indicated for the chord type on that sheet is playable in that key.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,931 to Leonard discloses on interval measuring device composed of a holder having printed thereon a chromatic scale and a slider (one for major and one for minor scales) which slides on the holder. Since the intervals of each scale are preset by convention, the holder has printed thereon the chromatic scale and the slider has printed thereon the tones of the scale separated according to the intervals as preset by the aforesaid convention. By sliding the slider, the scale tones can be readily determined for any root tone.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,465 to Simmons discloses a chord finder for the guitar. A slidable member has printed thereon a simulated fret board, with accompanying notation, such as note indications. A stationary member in which the slidable member has windows through which the simulated fret board may be seen. The windows have markings thereon to show finger positions as the slidable member is slid to various positions for selection of various chords.
While each of the typical prior art devices discussed above serves to aid the student of music, most relate to predicting chords rather than the individual tones of the various scales. Those prior art devices which do address the musical scales, fail to be applicable to all the scales and all instrument families.
Accordingly, what is needed is a musical scale indicator that can both show the composer what notes are in harmony for any selected scale in any selected tonic or key note, and show the student the scale note fingering positions therefor for any instrument he or she is learning.