Thumb support for a wind instrument

Abstract

The invention relates to a thumb rest (1) for a wind instrument, in particular a clarinet (3), comprising an adapter (4) for attaching the thumb rest (1) to a body (2) of the wind instrument, a bearing piece (6) arranged on or formed by the adapter (4), and a thumb stop (7) arranged on the bearing piece (6). According to the invention, the thumb stop (7) and the bearing piece (6) are pivotally connected to each other by a joint (8), which provides a permanent degree of rotational freedom of the thumb stop (7) relative to the bearing piece (6), so that the thumb stop (7) is permanently rotatable relative to the bearing piece (6).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a thumb rest for a wind instrument having the features of the preamble of claim 1 as well as to a wind instrument having a body and a thumb rest and to the use of a thumb rest for playing a wind instrument having the features of the preamble of claim 13. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Document DE 41 13 871 C2 discloses a thumb rest for a clarinet. It comprises a receiving sleeve screwed to the clarinet and a bearing piece housed in the sleeve, on which a thumb stop is arranged. This rests on the player's thumb when playing the clarinet. To optimally adjust the thumb rest to the player, the thumb rest has various degrees of freedom: It can be moved longitudinally along the clarinet, it can be rotated around the clarinet's longitudinal axis, and a ball joint is provided so that the orientation of the thumb stop can be changed. This allows the thumb rest to be optimally adjusted and secured according to the player's preferences before actually playing.

[0003] With the thumb rest known from US Pat. No. 4,348,935 A, a player can also adjust the thumb rest before playing and secure it in the desired position. For this purpose, the thumb rest can be adjusted along the length of the wind instrument. In addition, the thumb rest can be rotated about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the wind instrument, which is defined by a sleeve that holds the thumb rest. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The object of the invention is to provide a thumb rest for a wind instrument that enables the wind instrument to be played as comfortably as possible.

[0005] The object of the invention is achieved by a thumb rest having the features of independent claim 1, a wind instrument having such a thumb rest having the features of independent claim 12 and by the use of a thumb rest according to the features of independent claim 13.

[0006] The invention is based on the finding that, although the orientation and position of the thumb rest known from the prior art can be optimally adjusted in advance for the player, fatigue and stiffness, and / or an unpleasant feeling of pressure, can still occur, especially when playing the wind instrument for extended periods. The invention therefore proposes designing the thumb rest as variable as possible, especially during playing, to ensure a varied yet stable posture.

[0007] A thumb rest for a wind instrument according to the invention comprises an adapter with which the thumb rest can be attached to the wind instrument, in particular to its body. For example, the adapter can be plugged or clipped onto the wind instrument. Other options include screwing the adapter to the body or attaching it firmly to it, for example, by gluing or soldering to existing metal parts of the body.

[0008] The thumb rest further includes a bearing piece and a thumb stop arranged on the bearing piece. The bearing piece can be formed integrally with the adapter. Typically, however, it is a separate component that is attached to the adapter during play. However, the attachment can be detachable, e.g., to allow the position and orientation of the bearing piece and the attached thumb stop to be adjusted before playing.

[0009] In contrast to prior art thumb rests, the thumb stop is permanently connected to the bearing piece and thus remains movable, particularly during playing. For this purpose, a joint is provided through which the thumb stop is articulated to the bearing piece. The joint is designed in such a way that one or more degrees of rotational freedom provided by the joint are retained even during playing. In other words, the joint in the thumb rest according to the invention is non-fixable. This means that the joint is not used to set an individual, but then fixed, playing position. Rather, the mobility achieved by the joint between the thumb stop and the bearing piece is permanently maintained, particularly during playing. In this way, the thumb stop can be permanently rotated relative to the bearing piece over a rotation range predetermined by the joint.The rotation range typically covers an angle of several or even several tens of degrees. This means that the player does not have a one-sided playing position when playing the wind instrument, but rather a constantly changing playing position and thus also a changing load on the thumb.

[0010] The thumb rest according to the invention can be used in particular for wind instruments whose bodies are held essentially vertically when played, such as a clarinet or oboe. To comfortably support the weight of the wind instrument while playing, a thumb rest is helpful whose thumb stop is oriented essentially perpendicular to the vertically downward force of gravity. With the transversely oriented thumb stop, the thumb rest rests on the thumb, preventing the wind instrument from slipping. A large portion of the weight is borne by the thumb via the thumb rest, and the player requires less force to grip the wind instrument firmly between their fingers.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the joint is designed as a pivot joint with precisely one axis of rotation. This is sufficient for a variety of positions of the wind instrument while playing. However, the joint, which movably connects the thumb stop to the support piece, can also provide multiple degrees of rotational freedom. For example, the joint can be designed as a ball joint with multiple axes of rotation around which the thumb stop can be rotated relative to the support piece.

[0012] If the thumb rest is mounted on a wind instrument, the or one of the axes of rotation of the joint is in particular oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the body of the wind instrument and substantially radial to its circular cross-section. On a clarinet, the thumb rest is usually mounted so that the thumb stop is on the side of the clarinet body opposite the keys. If the axis of rotation is oriented radially to the cross-section of the body, this means that the clarinet can swing slightly to the left and right when resting on the player's thumb. However, it cannot, for example, swing freely forwards and backwards, or can only do so to a limited extent. This could be unusual or even undesirable for a player, since the necessary compensating movement with the fingers could influence the force used when gripping the keys. This means:The suggested orientation of the thumb rest and the rotation axis provides the player with a flexible playing position without impairing the playing experience. However, the rotation axis, or at least one of the rotation axis, can also have any other orientation, preferably oriented laterally to the circular cross-section of the body.

[0013] The joint can, in principle, be designed in any way. As explained above, it can be a rotary or ball joint, and the joint can be implemented in various ways. The joint can be formed entirely or partially integrally from the thumb stop and the bearing piece. Specifically, the thumb stop can be rotatably mounted on the bearing piece.

[0014] If the bearing piece and the thumb stop have complementary bearing surfaces, a particularly good support of the thumb stop on the bearing piece can be achieved, which contributes to the best possible and well-guided mobility of the thumb stop relative to the bearing piece. For example, the bearing surface of the thumb stop is convex, while the complementary bearing surface of the bearing piece is concave with a corresponding radius of curvature. Conversely, the bearing surface of the bearing piece can also be convex, while that of the thumb stop is concave.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the thumb stop has a recess, with a shaft of the joint extending into or through the recess, so that the thumb stop is rotatably mounted on the shaft. The shaft of the joint defines the axis of rotation about which the thumb stop is rotatable.

[0016] The shaft can be formed integrally with the bearing piece. The shaft can have a cap to anchor the thumb stop to the shaft. To name just a few examples, the cap can be a thicker section at an end of the shaft that protrudes through the thumb stop recess, or it can be a nut screwed onto the end or a cap that is attached. The thumb stop can also be clipped onto the shaft of the bearing piece, whereby a cap can prevent it from slipping off the shaft.

[0017] Alternatively, the shaft of the joint can be formed integrally with the thumb stop, with the shaft being rotatably received, for example, in a receptacle of the bearing piece. For this purpose, the shaft can have a spherical end section that clips into a spherical receptacle of the bearing piece. Another possibility is for the thumb stop to have a pin-shaped shaft that extends through a through-hole in the bearing piece and is anchored therein by a nut or other end piece screwed onto the end.

[0018] The shaft of the joint can also be formed separately from the thumb stop and the bearing piece. For example, the joint can comprise a screw or a bolt. The shaft of the screw or bolt represents the shaft of the joint, on which the thumb stop is mounted so that it can rotate about the axis of rotation defined by the shaft. To connect it to the bearing piece, the screw or bolt can be screwed into a corresponding thread in a recess in the bearing piece. The thumb stop can be rotatably captured between the head and the bearing piece by a head of the screw or bolt, thus securely holding it to the bearing piece.

[0019] The joint can be designed in such a way that the smooth rotation of the thumb stop relative to the bearing piece can be adjusted. This allows the player to define the degree of movement of the thumb stop.

[0020] If the thumb stop is held, for example, between an end piece (such as a screw or bolt head) and the bearing piece, the ease with which the thumb stop can be turned can be adjusted by applying a pressure force against the bearing piece that the end piece exerts. For example, the pressure force can be varied by changing the position of the end piece (e.g. by screwing in or unscrewing the screw / bolt). A spring or elastic buffer element can also be provided that acts on the thumb stop and presses it against a bearing surface of the bearing piece. The resulting pressure force, and thus the ease of turning, can be adjusted by compressing or releasing the spring or buffer element.

[0021] To attach the thumb rest to the wind instrument and in particular its body, the adapter can be clamped to the body and / or bonded to it. For clamping, the adapter can, for example, have a clamp that can grip and clamp around the body. A bonded attachment can be achieved by gluing or screwing the adapter to the body. Another option is to attach the adapter to an existing metal component, e.g., by soldering. Such a component could be, for example, a metal ring of a fingerboard system or a metal ring in the area of ​​a connecting section between different parts of the body. The advantage of soldering to such a metal ring, for example, is that this type of connection has no influence on the sound-producing components of the wind instrument. The sound of the wind instrument is therefore not affected, or at least hardly affected.

[0022] The optimal position and orientation of the thumb rest and thumb stop depends on the individual needs of the player, although these can also change over time. Therefore, it may be desirable not to specify the position and orientation for a player during initial assembly, but to be able to flexibly adjust them later.

[0023] According to one embodiment, it is therefore provided that the bearing piece is slidably received in a receptacle formed by the adapter, so that the bearing piece - when the thumb rest is mounted on the wind instrument - can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the body of the wind instrument at least to a predetermined extent. This allows the position of the bearing piece and thus of the thumb stop to be adjusted in the longitudinal direction of the body and fixed in the position desired by the player. If the position is to be changed subsequently, the fastening between the bearing piece and the adapter can be released again so that the bearing piece can be moved longitudinally relative to the adapter and the fastening can be re-fastened. For example, a screw can be used for releasable fastening, which clamps the bearing piece in the receptacle formed by the adapter.

[0024] As a further embodiment, the receptacle formed by the adapter can be sleeve-like with an annular free receptacle cross-section. If the bearing piece is pin-shaped with a cross-section complementary to the annular receptacle cross-section, the bearing piece can be rotatably received in the receptacle. This means that the bearing piece (and thus also the associated thumb stop) can be moved up and down relative to the adapter not only in the longitudinal direction to adjust the optimal position for the player. Rather, the bearing piece and thus also the thumb stop can be rotated relative to the receptacle or adapter around the axis of rotation defined by the receptacle, which axis is essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body. This makes it possible to adjust the angular range at which the thumb stop protrudes from the body. Once a player has adjusted the optimal position, this setting can be fixed, for example, by tightening a screw.

[0025] Furthermore, the inventive solution relates to a wind instrument, in particular a clarinet, having a body and a thumb rest according to the invention attached to the body. The thumb rest can be permanently attached to the body of the wind instrument by means of the adapter, e.g., by a soldered connection between the adapter and a metallic component such as a metal ring provided on the body. With regard to further exemplary embodiments, the statements regarding the thumb rest according to the invention apply accordingly.

[0026] The invention also relates to the use of a thumb rest for a wind instrument, which has an adapter for attaching the thumb rest to the body of the wind instrument, a bearing piece arranged on the adapter or formed by the adapter, and a thumb stop which is arranged on the bearing piece and is articulated to it. This can in particular be a thumb rest according to the invention. According to the invention, it is provided that the joint for the articulated connection of the thumb stop to the bearing piece is unfixed, so that the thumb stop is rotatably mounted relative to the bearing piece during playing. This use differs from the solutions known from the prior art, in which the thumb stop is fixed in its position and orientation for playing the wind instrument.To prevent a one-sided playing position, the invention proposes that the thumb stop be mounted rotatably relative to the support piece, particularly during playing, whereby the position and / or orientation of the thumb stop is variable even during playing. With regard to further exemplary embodiments, the statements regarding the thumb rest according to the invention and the wind instrument according to the invention apply accordingly.

[0027] Advantageous developments of the invention emerge from the claims, the description, and the drawings. The advantages of features and combinations of several features mentioned in the description are merely exemplary and can be effective alternatively or cumulatively, without the advantages necessarily being achieved by embodiments of the invention. The number of features mentioned in the claims and the description is to be understood as meaning that exactly this number or a greater number than the stated number is present, without the need for an explicit use of the term "at least." Thus, if, for example, one degree of rotational freedom is mentioned, this is to be understood as meaning that exactly one degree of rotational freedom, two degrees of rotational freedom, or several degrees of rotational freedom are present. These features can be supplemented by other features or be the only features of which the respective product consists.The reference signs contained in the claims do not represent a limitation of the scope of the subject-matter protected by the claims. They serve solely to make the claims easier to understand. PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Further measures improving the invention are described in more detail below, together with the description of preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the figures. It shows: Figure 1 shows a section of a clarinet with a thumb rest attached to it; Figure 2 shows a section of Figure 1 ; Figure 3 an adapter of the thumb rest according to Figure 1 and its assembly on the body of the clarinet; Figure 4Parts of the thumb rest according to Figure 1 in disassembled and assembled condition.

[0029] In figure the Figures 1 to 4a thumb rest 1 according to the invention is shown, which in the illustrated embodiment is attached to the body 2 of a clarinet 3.

[0030] The thumb rest 1 comprises an adapter 4, through which the thumb rest 1 is attached to the body 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the adapter 4 is connected, for example, by a soldered connection to a metal ring 5 of the body 2 of the clarinet 3. This type of connection ensures a secure attachment of the thumb rest 1 to the clarinet 3, which has particularly little influence on the sound-producing parts of the clarinet 3.

[0031] Furthermore, the thumb rest 1 comprises a bearing piece 6 and a thumb stop 7 which is rotatably mounted relative to the bearing piece 6. For rotatable mounting, a joint 8 in the form of a rotary joint with exactly one axis of rotation 9 is provided.

[0032] As particularly in Figure 4Shown in detail, the bearing piece 6 comprises a pin-like section 10 with a circular cross-section and an end-side bearing section 11 for the thumb stop 7. The pin-like section 10 serves to arrange the bearing piece 6 on the adapter 4. Specifically, the adapter 4 has a receptacle 12 with a free cross-section complementary to the cross-section of the section 10. To fix the bearing piece 6 in the receptacle 12, a screw 13 is provided, with which the pin-like section 10 of the bearing piece 6 can be clamped in the receptacle 12. If a player wishes to optimally adjust the thumb rest 1 before playing, he can loosen the screw 13. The bearing piece 6 can be used in the loosened state - as in Figure 2As indicated, the bearing piece can be moved in the direction of the longitudinal axis 14 of the body 2 of the clarinet 3. On the other hand, the bearing piece can also be rotated in the holder around the longitudinal axis 15 of the bearing piece 6, which is oriented essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis 14 of the clarinet 3. After the optimal position and orientation for the player has been adjusted, he can fix this setting by tightening the screw 13.

[0033] The thumb stop 7 has - as particularly in Figure 4shown in detail - a support surface 16 with which the thumb stop 7 rests on the player's thumb. For a comfortable fit, the thumb stop and the support surface 16 can be padded. For example, a felt or rubber covering can be provided in the area of ​​the support surface 16 for this purpose. The support surface 16 is oriented essentially transversely to the acting weight of the clarinet 3, whereby the weight of the clarinet 3 can be comfortably supported while playing.

[0034] According to the invention, the thumb stop 7 is rotatably mounted relative to the bearing piece 6, particularly during playing. In the illustrated embodiment, the joint 8, designed as a pivot, is provided for rotatable mounting. The joint 8 comprises a screw 17. The shaft 18 of the screw 17 extends through a recess 19 in an eyelet 20 of the thumb stop 8 and is screwed with its end into a recess 21 in the bearing section 11 of the bearing piece 6. The thumb stop is thus rotatably mounted relative to the bearing piece 6 about the shaft 18 of the screw 17, which defines the axis of rotation 9 of the joint 8. The angular range through which the thumb stop 7 can be rotated about the axis of rotation 9 is approximately 180° in the illustrated embodiment.

[0035] The head 22 of screw 17 securely holds the thumb stop 7 to the bearing piece 6. The depth to which the screw 17 is screwed into the thread in the recess 21 in the bearing section 11 determines how tightly the thumb stop 7 is clamped between the bearing piece 6 and the head 22 of screw 17. This ultimately determines how smoothly the thumb stop 7 should rotate around the rotation axis 9 while playing.

[0036] The rotational movement is guided on the one hand by the shaft 18 of the screw 17 extending through the recess 19. In addition, the eyelet 20, as shown in Figure 4 shown, is crowned so that a convex bearing surface 23 is formed. As also shown in Figure 4As indicated, a corresponding bearing surface 24 of the bearing section 11 is complementarily designed to be slightly concave. The interaction of the two complementary bearing surfaces 23 and 24 of the thumb stop 7 and the bearing piece 6 allows for particularly good guidance of the rotary movement. List of reference symbols:

[0037] 1 Thumb rest 2 Body 3 Clarinet 4 Adapter 5 Metal ring 6 Bearing piece 7 Thumb stop 8 Joint 9 Rotation axis 10 Section 11 Section 12 Mount 13 Screw 14 Longitudinal axis 15 Longitudinal axis 16 Support surface 17 Screw 18 Shaft 19 Recess 20 Eyelet 21 Recess 22 Head 23 Bearing surface 24 Bearing surface

Claims

1. Thumb rest (1) for a wind instrument, in particular a clarinet (3), with - an adapter (4) for attaching the thumb rest (1) to a body (2) of the wind instrument, - a bearing piece (6) arranged on the adapter (4) or formed by it, and - a thumb stop (7) arranged on the bearing piece (6), characterized in that the thumb stop (7) and the bearing piece (6) are articulated to one another by a joint (8) which provides a permanent degree of freedom of rotation of the thumb stop (7) relative to the bearing piece (6), so that the thumb stop (7) is permanently rotatable relative to the bearing piece (6).

2. Thumb support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the joint (8) is a rotary joint with exactly one axis of rotation (9).

3. Thumb support (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe / an axis of rotation (9) of the joint (8) in the mounted state of the thumb rest (7) on the wind instrument is oriented radially to the circular cross-section of the body (2) of the wind instrument.

4. Thumb support (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bearing piece (6) and the thumb stop (7) have bearing surfaces (23, 24) which are complementary to one another, wherein in particular one bearing surface (23, 24) is concave and the other bearing surface (23, 24) is convex.

5. Thumb support (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thumb stop (7) has a recess (19) and the joint (8) has a shaft (18) which extends into or through the recess (19), so that the thumb stop (7) is rotatably mounted about the shaft (18).

6. Thumb support (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the shaft (18) is formed by the bearing piece (6).

7. Thumb support (1) according to claim 5, characterized in thatthe shaft (18) is formed by a screw (17) or a bolt which is screwed into a corresponding thread in a recess (21) of the bearing piece (6), so that the thumb stop (7) is held rotatably between the bearing piece (6) and a head (22) of the screw (17) or the bolt about the axis of rotation (9) defined by the shaft (18).

8. Thumb support (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint (8) is designed such that the ease of rotation of the thumb stop (7) relative to the bearing piece (6) can be adjusted.

9. Thumb support (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adapter (4) can be connected to the body (2) of the wind instrument by clamping and / or by means of a material bond.

10. Thumb support (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe bearing piece (6) is slidably received in a receptacle (12) formed by the adapter (4) in the direction of the longitudinal axis (14) of the body (2).

11. Thumb support (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receptacle (12) is sleeve-shaped with an annular free receptacle cross-section and the bearing piece (6) is pin-shaped with a cross-section complementary to the receptacle cross-section.

12. Wind instrument, in particular clarinet (3), with - a body (2) and - a thumb rest (1) attached to the body (2) according to one of the preceding claims.

13. Use of a thumb rest (1) for a wind instrument, which has - an adapter (4) for attaching the thumb rest (2) to a body (2) of the wind instrument, - a bearing piece (6) arranged on the adapter (4) or formed by it, and - a thumb stop (7) arranged on the bearing piece (6) and connected to it in an articulated manner by a joint (8), wherein the thumb rest (1) is designed in particular according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the joint (8) is unfixed when playing the wind instrument, so that the thumb stop (7) is rotatably mounted relative to the bearing piece (6) during playing.

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