Musical instrument (arrayed sheng)

Abstract

The present invention relates to the development of a system for arranging Sheng sound tubes (Sheng tubes), which configures the tone positions of the sound tubes in a Sheng body so as to adjust the positions of finger holes in an alternating vertical arrangement, and introduces a new fingering system with increased touch points. The purpose of the invention is to enable a music player to play the traditional Yitong folk music and modern music styles in all dimensions of cultural diversity. These include folk, classical, jazz, modern and other international music genres, and have greater ease of use and versatility. The musical instrument provides half syllable notes (from the lowest A to the highest A) across a complete range of two octaves, which is characterized by a row Sheng 13 consisting of 13 pairs of row Sheng sound tubes (totally 26 sound tubes). The playing style mainly comprises alternate two hands aiming at the half scale notes, basic sound tube arrangement of a row sheng 8 is reserved, and the row sheng design comprises 13 pairs of row sheng sound tubes (26 sound tubes in total) in total.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Engineering related to musical instruments. Background Art

[0002] The Khaen is a musical instrument classified as a wind instrument. It consists of multiple sound pipes, which are arranged together in a group and placed in the Khaen body. Sound is produced by the vibration of the reeds inside the sound pipes, and the vibration is caused by blowing or inhaling through the Khaen body.

[0003] The Khaen is a musical instrument with a natural scale system. As Charoenchai Chonphairoj (1972: 4) said, "The Khaen is a wind instrument that produces very cool, bright, and melodious sounds. It includes all seven notes, conforms to the Western natural scale system, and has 'whole tones' and'semitones'. Therefore, the Isan khaen can only produce seven tones according to the scale, such as 'La, Ti, Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol'. It cannot produce notes beyond this scale. However, this limitation was overcome by the research of Chumchon Suebwong (2019) titled 'The Creation of a Khaen with a Chromatic Scale' (a doctoral research at the Faculty of Music, Mahasarakham University). This research led to the invention of a Khaen that can produce all 12 tones of the chromatic scale, significantly enhancing its versatility in musical performances. This instrument is called 'Khaen Eleven' and has 11 pairs of Khaen sound pipes (a total of 22 sound pipes).

[0004] Later, Narongratch Woramit Maitree (2022) further developed 'Khaen Eleven' in the research titled 'The Creation of a Chromatic Khaen Ensemble' to include all tone levels within two octaves. This iteration is called 'Khaen Thirteen', which solved the pitch gaps existing in Khaen Eleven and enhanced it to achieve maximum integrity. The inventor created this new instrument that can be played in any key by redesigning the arrangement of the sound pipes (Khaen sound pipes) and developing a new fingering system. This progress is based on the sound pipe arrangement and fingering system of Khaen Eight and the chromatic Khaen.

[0005] This paixheng instrument can produce all 12 tones of the chromatic scale: "Do, Di, Re, Ri, Mi, Fa, Fi, Sol, Si, La, Li, Ti". In Western music sight-reading, it supports both the movable do system of "Do, Di / Ra, Re, Ri / Me, Mi, Fa, Fi / Se, Sol, Si / Le, La, Li / Te, Ti, Do" and the fixed do system of "C, C# / Db, D, D# / Eb, E, F, F# / Gb, G, G# / Ab, A, A# / Bb, B, C". This paixheng has a complete range of chromatic scale notes spanning two octaves, which is a feature of Paixheng Thirteen, and it includes a total of 13 pairs of paixheng pipes (26 pipes).

[0006] The inventor designed and developed a new arrangement system for the paixheng pipes to improve the playability of the chromatic scale. Touch points are installed on the paixheng pipes to indicate chromatic scale notes, including sharp and flat notes. These touch points are located on the upper side of the finger holes to enhance the fingering system. This allows the performer to press the finger holes more precisely and conveniently.

[0007] After a patent search, prior inventions related to musical instruments and the development of fingering mechanisms for wind instruments were found, namely:

[0008] Invention No. 1583 and Small Patent Registration Announcement, Application No. 1903003237, relate to an invention of a musical instrument.

[0009] U.S. Patent No. US 7,851,685 B2 describes a fingering mechanism system for a woodwind instrument. It is a tubular wind instrument in which air blows across the pipes at a vertically aligned terminal position.

[0010] U.S. Publication No. US2007 / 0044634 A1 discloses a wind instrument that includes a hollow blowing tube with an opening at the lower end. The mouthpiece is constructed in the upper part, and the fingering system is similar to that of a flute.

[0011] Studies on woodwind instruments that utilize air passing through sound pipes have shown that the pai sheng has a unique sound pipe arrangement and fingering system, which have been the hallmark of this instrument since ancient times. The evolution of the pai sheng reached its peak in "Pai Sheng Ba", which operates on the natural scale. Although it later developed into a chromatic scale, it still cannot produce all pitch levels across two octaves, which is the standard range of the pai sheng. This new pai sheng model addresses these limitations by improving the sound pipe arrangement (pai sheng pipes), the note order within the pai sheng body, and introducing a new finger positioning system. Additionally, chromatic note touch points are added to each pai sheng pipe, allowing performers to easily identify chromatic scale notes and improve the accuracy of finger placement. As a result, this instrument significantly enhances its versatility, enabling performances of various music styles. It supports traditional folk music and modern genres, including classical, jazz, modern, and other international music styles, making performances more seamless and convenient. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The present invention relates to the development of a system for arranging the pai sheng sound pipes (pai sheng pipes), which configures the pitch positions of the sound pipes within the pai sheng body, adjusts the positions of the finger holes in an alternating up-and-down arrangement, and introduces a new fingering system with increased touch points. The aim of this invention is to enable musicians to play traditional Isan folk music and modern music styles across all dimensions of cultural diversity. These include folk ballads, classical, jazz, modern, and other international music genres, with greater ease of use and versatility. The pai sheng has a complete set of chromatic notes across two octaves (from the lowest A to the highest A), which is a characteristic of the Pai Sheng Thirteen, consisting of 13 pairs of pai sheng sound pipes (a total of 26 sound pipes).

[0013] The playing style mainly involves alternating both hands for chromatic scale notes while retaining the basic sound pipe arrangement of Pai Sheng Ba. This design allows for seamless and accurate performances in different musical settings. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 Shows the arrangement of the pai sheng sound pipes (pai sheng pipes) within the pai sheng body, including finger holes and touch points. The sound pipes are arranged in two rows: a left hand row and a right hand row.

[0015] Figure 2 Shows the various pitch levels of the pai sheng sound pipes within the pai sheng body. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0016] The present invention relates to a paixheng musical instrument and involves an increase in the number of internal sound pipes (paixheng pipes) in the paixheng main body. Traditionally, the standard paixheng, known as "paixheng eight", contains 8 sound pipes on each side, for a total of 16 sound pipes, and produces 7 tones according to the natural scale. The natural scale includes intervals of whole tones and semitones. For example, in the C major scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C), the tones can be sung as solfège syllables: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do. The present invention expands the ability of the paixheng to produce all 12 tones of the chromatic scale, which consists entirely of semitone intervals. To achieve this goal, the number of sound pipes on each side is increased to 13, for a total of 26 sound pipes. The chromatic scale includes sharp (raised by a semitone) and flat (lowered by a semitone) note naming conventions. The sharp (raised by a semitone) notes are C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C (sung as Do, Di, Re, Ri, Mi, Fa, Fi, So, Si, La, Li, Ti, Do). The flat (lowered by a semitone) notes are C, B, Bb, A, Ab, G, Gb, F, E, Eb, D, Db, C (sung as Do, Ti, Te, La, Le, So, Se, Fa, Mi, Me, Ra, Do).

[0017] According to Figure 1 , it shows the arrangement of the paixheng sound pipes (paixheng pipes) within the paixheng main body. The sound pipes are planned in two rows: Row 1 (right hand row) and Row 2 (left hand row). The sound pipes in Row 1 (200) located on the right hand side of the player are arranged in sequence from the blow hole (101) on the paixheng main body to the other end (Sound Pipe 1 - 13) as follows: Sound Pipe 1 (201): A (low) or la, Sound Pipe 2 (202): C or do, Sound Pipe 3 (203): C# / Db or di / ra, Sound Pipe 4 (204): G or sol, Sound Pipe 5 (205): G# / Ab or si / le, Sound Pipe 6 (206): A or la, Sound Pipe 7 (207): A# / Bb or li / te, Sound Pipe 8 (208): B or ti, Sound Pipe 9 (209): D (high) or re, Sound Pipe 10 (210): D# / Eb (high) or ri / me, Sound Pipe 11 (211): E (high) or mi, Sound Pipe 12 (212): G# / Ab (high) or si / le, Sound Pipe 13 (213): A (high) or la.

[0018] The panpipes in row 2 (300) on the left side of the performer are arranged in sequence from the blow hole (101) on the panpipe body to the other end (pipes 1 - 13) as follows: Pipe 1 (301): C (high) or do, Pipe 2 (302): C# / Db (high) or di / ra, Pipe 3 (303): B (low) or ti, Pipe 4 (304): A# / Bb (low) or li / te, Pipe 5 (305): D or re, Pipe 6 (306): D# / Eb or ri / me, Pipe 7 (307): E or mi, Pipe 8 (308): F or fa, Pipe 9 (309): F# / Gb or fi / se, Pipe 10 (310): G or sol (sanaen pipe), Pipe 11 (311): F (high) or fa, Pipe 12 (312): F# / Gb (high) or fi / se, Pipe 13 (313): G (high) or sol.

[0019] The finger holes are arranged in an alternating top and bottom configuration. The natural scale notes (from the panpipe octave) are located in the middle row (500), while the chromatic scale notes are placed in the slightly offset upper row (501). However, this does not apply to the F# / Gb note on pipe 12 on the left side and the G# / Ab note on pipe 12 on the right side. These finger holes are placed in the downward - offset lower row (502), which is in the middle position between the lowest - offset finger holes (503) on pipes 13 on both sides. Additionally, touch points (400) are placed above the finger holes of all chromatic scale note pipes. These touch points help the performer identify the chromatic scale notes and improve the accuracy when pressing the finger holes.

[0020] According to Figure 2 , it shows the pitch levels of the panpipes inside the panpipe body, as well as the corresponding pitch levels represented on the staff in the movable do and fixed do systems. In the figure, the symbol r indicates pressing the finger holes with the right hand, and l indicates pressing with the left hand.

[0021] The note naming in the present invention follows the principles of international music theory, using the movable do system (Move do) or key signature transposition. This allows the construction of a panpipe in any key (12 keys). The appearance, shape, or size of the instrument may vary depending on the external design and the required key. Each key follows the same pitch structure from low to high: la, li / te, ti, do, di / ra, re, ri / me, mi, fa, fi / se, sol, si / le, la.

[0022] Best mode of the invention

[0023] As described in the detailed implementation section.

Claims

1. A piansheng musical instrument, comprising piansheng sound pipes arranged in rows, each row having at least 13 sound pipes, and having two rows, namely row 1 (200) located on the right hand side of a performer and row 2 (300) located on the left hand side of a performer, both rows being arranged in a piansheng body (100).

2. The pan sheng musical instrument according to claim 1, wherein: The pan sheng can be played in a chromatic scale.

3. The pan sheng musical instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The pipes in row 1 (200) on the right hand side of the player are arranged in the following order from the blowing hole (101) on the main body of the sheng to the other end (pipes 1-13): pipe 1 (201): A (low) or la, pipe 2 (202): C or do, pipe 3 (203): C# / Db or di / ra, pipe 4 (204): G or sol, pipe 5 (205): G# / Ab or si / le, pipe 6 ( 206): A or la, tone pipe 7 (207): A# / Bb or li / te, tone pipe 8 (208): B or ti, tone pipe 9 (209): D (high) or re, tone pipe 10 (210): D# / Eb (high) or ri / me, tone pipe 11 (211): E (high) or mi, tone pipe 12 (212): G# / Ab (high) or si / le, tone pipe 13 (213): A (high) or la.

4. The pan sheng musical instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The pipes of the sheng in row 2 (300) on the left hand side of the player are arranged in the following order from the blowing hole (101) on the sheng body to the other end (pipes 1-13): pipe 1 (301): C (high) or do, pipe 2 (302): C# / Db (high) or di / ra, pipe 3 (303): B (low) or ti, pipe 4 (304): A# / Bb (low) or li / te, pipe 5 (305): D or re, pipe 6 (306): C# / Db (high) or di / ra, pipe 7 (307): C# / Db (high) or di / ra, pipe 8 (308): B (low) or ti, pipe 9 (309): A# / Bb (low) or li / te, pipe 10 (310): D or re, pipe 11 (311): C (high) or do, pipe 12 (312): C# / Db (high) or di / ra, pipe 13 (313): B (low) or ti, pipe 14 (314): A# / Bb (low) or li / te Note 6 (306): D# / Eb or ri / me, Note 7 (307): E or mi, Note 8 (308): F or fa, Note 9 (309): F# / Gb or fi / se, Note 10 (310): G or sol (sanaen note pipe), Note 11 (311): F (high) or fa, Note 12 (312): F# / Gb (high) or fi / se, Note 13 (313): G (high) or sol.

5. The pan sheng musical instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The finger holes are arranged in an alternating configuration up and down so that the natural scale notes (from the Pai Sheng Eight) are located in the middle row (500) and the chromatic scale notes are located in the upper offset row (501), except for the F# / Gb note on the left-hand side pipe 12 and the G# / Ab note on the right-hand side pipe 12, whose finger holes are placed in the lower offset row (502) between the lowest offset finger holes (503) on the pipes 13 on both sides, with touch points (400) located above the finger holes of all chromatic note pipes to allow the performer to identify the chromatic scale notes and improve accuracy when pressing the finger holes.

6. The pan sheng musical instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The naming method of the notes of the present invention follows the principles of international music theory, adopts the tonic sol-fa system (Move do) or key signature shift, allowing the present invention to be constructed on any key and have different appearances, shapes or sizes according to the specified key or pitch level, where each key follows the same pitch structure from low to high: la, li / te, ti, do, di / ra, re, ri / me, mi, fa, fi / se, sol, si / le, la.

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