Stringed instrument excitation apparatus, vibration transmission part, stringed instrument excitation system and attaching method of stringed instrument excitation apparatus

Abstract

To provide a vibration transmission part in which manufacture of the vibration transmission part constituting a stringed instrument excitation apparatus attached to strings of a stringed instrument is easy and attachment to / detachment from the vibration transmission part is easy, and to provide the stringed instrument excitation apparatus having the vibration transmission part, a stringed instrument excitation system including the stringed instrument excitation apparatus and an attaching method of the stringed instrument excitation apparatus.SOLUTION: A string push-up part and a string pull-up part are provided in flat, rod or column shapes extending in a longitudinal direction so as to be arranged and held above or below a plurality of strings 15 by using tension of the plurality of strings as a structure of a vibration transmission part 40 to which a vibration device 30 is attached. Cuts can be provided in the vibration transmission part as the push-up part or the pull-up part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a stringed instrument excitation device and a vibration transmission section that is a part of the device, a stringed instrument excitation system including the device and a method for installing the stringed instrument excitation device. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, a stringed instrument has a sound box made up of a top plate (body plate), a back plate, and side plates, and a sound hole is formed in the top plate. Also, in a stringed instrument, a plate-shaped bridge base member is fixed to the top plate with adhesive, and a bridge is attached to the bridge base member, extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the strings to support the strings.

[0003] One end of each string extends beyond the top of the bridge and is fixed to a bridge pin attached to a bridge base member. The other end of each string is tensioned by a tension adjustment mechanism provided on the head side (tail side), so that the strings are pressed against the top surface of the bridge and are fixed in an effective position by the bridge. A stringed instrument excitation device and a stringed instrument excitation system including the stringed instrument excitation device have been proposed that use such a stringed instrument to transmit vibrations to the stringed instrument's bridge or directly to each string of the stringed instrument from the outside by vibration means such as a piezoelectric vibrator or a speaker, and produce sound in the same way as if the stringed instrument were being played.

[0004] The present inventor developed a stringed instrument excitation device and a stringed instrument excitation system prior to the present invention, as shown in the following Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1, Figs. 1 to 11 and Figs. 14 to 23, disclose a stringed instrument excitation device having a vibration transmission unit structured to sandwich each string from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of each string (for convenience, this direction is called the left-right direction). Patent Document 1, Figs. 24 to 26, disclose a stringed instrument excitation device having a vibration transmission unit structured to sandwich each string from a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and left-right direction of each string (for convenience, this direction is called the up-down direction).

[0005] Moreover, the following Patent Document 2 discloses a vibration excitation device and a vibration excitation system in which the strings of a stringed instrument are sandwiched between two plate-like members from above and below.

[0006] When strings are excited using a stringed instrument excitation device having a vibration transmission section structured to clamp each string from the left and right, as shown in Figures 1 to 11 and Figures 14 to 23 of Patent Document 1, vibrations are transmitted to each string from the left and right of the string. Therefore, in the case of a violin or viola, for example, rubbing the upper part of the string with the bow causes each string to vibrate in a different manner than during normal playing, and it is not possible to reproduce the sound produced by normal playing.

[0007] When a vibration transmission unit having a structure for sandwiching each string from above and below is used, as shown in Figs. 24 to 26 of Patent Document 1, vibrations are transmitted to each string from above and below, so that the strings can be excited in a state close to that of an actual performance. However, in the case of this configuration, the structure for sandwiching each string from above and below is an S-shaped string attachment groove that is dug horizontally from the attachment surface of the main body substrate, so there is the following problem. That is, in the process of providing the S-shaped string attachment groove in the main body substrate, it is not easy to set the vertical dimension of this groove. For example, the thickness (diameter) of the G string of a violin is about 0.78 to 0.90 mm, and the thickness of the E string is about 0.26 mm. If the vertical dimension of the groove is smaller than these thicknesses, the string cannot be held in the groove, so it is necessary to make it approximately the same as or larger than the thickness of the string. However, the thickness of the string varies slightly depending on the string manufacturer, and even for the same manufacturer, there is a certain degree of variation. Therefore, if the thickness of the string is smaller than the vertical dimension of the groove, the string will play around in the groove, which not only makes it difficult to securely fix the stringed instrument vibration excitation device to the string, but also may prevent vibrations from being effectively transmitted to the string.

[0008] In addition, in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, two plate-shaped members are connected by a screw, and the distance between the two plate-shaped members is adjusted. Therefore, in order to attach this configuration to a string, it is necessary to first loosen the screw, engage the two plate-shaped members with the string in a state in which the distance between the two plate-shaped members is larger than the thickness of the string, and then tighten the screw in that state to narrow the distance between the two plate-shaped members. In addition, in order to release the engagement with the string in this configuration, it is necessary to loosen the screw. Thus, the configuration described in Patent Document 2 requires tightening and loosening the screw when attaching and detaching from the string, which is troublesome and time-consuming. Furthermore, the configuration in Patent Document 2 requires preparation for each string, and there is also a problem that the number of parts increases when applied to all strings of a stringed instrument having multiple strings. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7098219 Figures 1 to 11 Figures 14 to 23 [Patent Document 2] JP 2022-61728 A Figure 3 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] There is a need for a vibration transmission part that is easy to manufacture and that can be attached to the strings of a stringed instrument and securely fixed thereto, and that is also easy to attach and detach from the strings, as well as a stringed instrument excitation device having such a vibration transmission part, a stringed instrument excitation system including such a stringed instrument excitation device, and a method for attaching a stringed instrument excitation device. There is also a need for such a stringed instrument excitation device and a stringed instrument excitation system including such a stringed instrument excitation device, which is capable of exciting all strings simultaneously with one stringed instrument excitation device.

[0011] Prior to the present invention, the inventor has developed a stringed instrument excitation device that is easy to attach to and detach from a stringed instrument and has good acoustic performance, and has already filed a patent application (Patent Application No. 2023-073267). Note that the stringed instrument excitation device related to this patent application has not been disclosed and is not a prior art of the present invention. In the invention related to this prior application, an upper plate arranged above the strings and a lower plate arranged below the strings are arranged at a predetermined interval, so that the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to the strings by sandwiching the strings in the space between the upper plate and the lower plate. Since the stringed instrument excitation device related to this prior application is attached to a stringed instrument by sandwiching each string in the space between the upper plate and the lower plate, the installation and removal time is short compared to conventional ones, but there was a demand for one that can be installed and removed more easily and in a short time and has high acoustic performance. In addition, since the stringed instrument excitation device related to this prior application sandwiches each string in the space between the upper plate and the lower plate, it is necessary to precisely control the distance between the upper plate and the lower plate in relation to the thickness of the string during the manufacturing stage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above problems and further improve the stringed instrument vibration excitation device according to the above prior application, the present inventor has conducted intensive research even after filing the above prior application, and has completed the present invention. In this invention, the strings are not sandwiched from both sides or above and below the strings as in Patent Document 1, nor is the stringed instrument vibration excitation device attached to the strings by tightening with screws as in Patent Document 2, nor is the string sandwiched in the space between the upper and lower plates as in the invention of the above prior application, but the tension of three or more strings of a stringed instrument is utilized so that the vibration transmission part of the stringed instrument vibration excitation device is supported between the multiple strings.

[0013] That is, according to the present invention, there is provided a stringed instrument excitation device that is attached to a plurality of strings of a stringed instrument, the stringed instrument having a vibration device that receives an input signal and vibrates when the stringed instrument body side of the string, which is strung at a predetermined distance from the body of the stringed instrument, is considered to be a lower side and the opposite side is considered to be an upper side, and a vibration transmission unit to which the vibration device is connected and that transmits vibration from the vibration device to the strings, the vibration transmission unit having, when attached to the plurality of strings, a portion located above at least one of the plurality of strings and pushing the at least one string downward, and a portion located below at least two other strings of the plurality of strings and pulling the at least two other strings upward, or a portion located below at least one of the plurality of strings and pulling the at least one string upward, and a portion located above the at least two other strings of the plurality of strings and pushing the at least two other strings downward.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a vibration transmission unit to which a vibration device that vibrates in response to an input signal can be connected and which is attached to multiple strings of a stringed instrument, the vibration transmission unit having, when the stringed instrument body side of the multiple strings strung at a predetermined distance from the body of the stringed instrument is defined as the lower side and the opposite side is defined as the upper side, a portion located above at least one of the multiple strings and pushing the at least one string downward, and a portion located below at least two other strings of the multiple strings and pulling the at least two other strings upward, when attached to the multiple strings, or the vibration transmission unit has a portion located below at least one of the multiple strings and pulling the at least one string upward, and a portion located above the at least two other strings of the multiple strings and pushing the at least two other strings downward.

[0015] According to the present invention, there is also provided a stringed instrument excitation system comprising the stringed instrument excitation device and sound source signal supplying means for supplying a sound source signal to the vibration device of the stringed instrument excitation device.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for attaching a stringed instrument excitation device to a plurality of strings of a stringed instrument, the method comprising the steps of: (a) defining a side of the stringed instrument body of the plurality of strings, which are strung at a predetermined distance from the body of the stringed instrument, as a lower side; and (b) defining an opposite side of the strings as an upper side; and (c) defining a vibration device which receives an input signal and vibrates; and (d) defining a vibration transmission part which is connected to the vibration device and transmits vibrations from the vibration device to the strings, the vibration transmission part being plate-like or rod-like and extending in its longitudinal direction; and (e) providing the vibration transmission part under at least one of the strings and under at least two other of the strings, or providing the vibration transmission part under at least two of the strings and under at least one other of the string.

[0017] Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for attaching a stringed instrument excitation device to a stringed instrument, the method comprising: a vibration device that vibrates in response to an input signal; and a vibration transmission unit to which the vibration device is connected and that transmits vibrations to a plurality of strings of the stringed instrument, the vibration transmission unit having two openings on its underside and two notches respectively connected to the two openings, the method comprising: arranging the vibration transmission unit above a line of strings, narrowing the space between the end strings of the line of strings and guiding the end strings through the two openings into the two notches, and then returning the space between the end strings to their original space; and arranging the vibration transmission unit so that the underside of the vibration transmission unit presses downwardly the strings other than the end strings.

[0018] Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for attaching a stringed instrument excitation device to a stringed instrument, the method comprising: a vibration device that vibrates in response to an input signal; and a vibration transmission section to which the vibration device is connected and that transmits vibrations to a plurality of strings of the stringed instrument, the vibration transmission section having two openings on an upper side and two notches respectively connected to the two openings, and when the stringed instrument body side of the plurality of strings stretched at a predetermined distance from the body of the stringed instrument is defined as a lower side and the opposite side is defined as an upper side, A method for attaching the stringed instrument excitation device to the stringed instrument is provided by inserting the vibration transmission unit below the line-up of strings, widening the space between the end strings of the line-up of strings and guiding them into the two notches through the two openings, and then returning the space between the end strings to their original space, and positioning the vibration transmission unit so that the upper side of the vibration transmission unit pulls the other strings upward.

[0019] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vibration transmission part is either plate-shaped, rod-shaped, or column-shaped extending in its longitudinal direction, or is columnar in shape with a lower surface facing the stringed instrument body extending linearly in the longitudinal direction and a top surface on the opposite side having inclined portions that rise from both ends or from positions a predetermined distance from each of the both ends toward the other end to both longitudinal ends of a recess located in the center of the longitudinal direction.

[0020] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, the plate- or rod-shaped vibration transmission part is either pre-curved approximately along the curved surface of the upper surface of the bridge of the stringed instrument, or is curved approximately along the curved surface of the upper surface of the bridge when attached to the stringed instrument.

[0021] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, the vibration transmission part has a notch for holding at least one of the plurality of strings, the notch having an opening on the upper or lower side of the vibration transmission part and extending from the opening in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmission part.

[0022] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, two openings are provided on the underside of the vibration transmission part, and when the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to the stringed instrument, the underside of the vibration transmission part pushes two strings of the plurality of strings downward, and the undersides of the two notches connected to each of the two openings act to pull the other two strings of the plurality of strings upward.

[0023] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, a recess having a substantially semicircular cross section is provided on the lower side of the vibration transmitting part in a portion that comes into contact with the two strings.

[0024] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, two openings are provided on the upper side of the vibration transmission part, and when the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to the stringed instrument, the upper side of the vibration transmission part pulls two strings of the plurality of strings upward, and the upper surfaces of the two notches connected to each of the two openings act to push the other two strings of the plurality of strings downward.

[0025] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, two vibration devices are provided and attached to both ends of the vibration transmission part in the longitudinal direction, or attached to the upper surface of the vibration transmission part with a gap in the longitudinal direction.

[0026] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, the vibration transmission section is divided into two parts at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, and the two divided parts are connected to each other by an elastic member.

[0027] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, when the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to the stringed instrument, the lower part of the vibration transmission part that comes into contact with the two strings has rounded corners on the bridge side of the lower part of the vibration transmission part in cross section viewed from the side of the bridge of the stringed instrument, and an elastic member is arranged in each of the parts of the vibration transmission part that come into contact with the two strings.

[0028] One preferred aspect of the present invention is that, in a cross-sectional shape viewed from the side of the bridge of the stringed instrument when the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to the stringed instrument, the corners of the lower side of the vibration transmission part facing the bridge are rounded, the lower side of the vibration transmission part is curved with approximately the centre protruding downward along the longitudinal direction of the strings, and elastic members are arranged in each of the parts of the vibration transmission part that come into contact with the two strings.

[0029] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, when the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to the stringed instrument, the cross-sectional shape of the notch as viewed from the side of the bridge of the stringed instrument is such that the lower surface of the notch is curved along the longitudinal direction of the string with approximately the center protruding upward.

[0030] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, an elastic member is provided on at least a part of the vibration transmitting portion on the bridge side of the stringed instrument.

[0031] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, the portion located below at least two other strings of the plurality of strings is the lower surface of two notches each having an opening below the vibration transmission part.

[0032] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, the portion located below at least two other strings of the plurality of strings is the underside of two notches having openings at both longitudinal ends of the vibration transmission part.

[0033] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, the vibration transmission section is divided into two parts approximately at the center in the longitudinal direction, the vibration generating device is connected to each of the divided vibration transmission sections, and the two divided sections are connected to each other by an elastic member.

[0034] In one preferred aspect of the present invention, an elastic member is provided at a portion of the vibration transmitting part that comes into contact with the string. Effect of the Invention

[0035] According to the present invention, a part of the vibration transmission section pushes down some of the strings while another part of the vibration transmission section pulls up other some of the strings, so that the stringed instrument excitation device can be easily attached to multiple strings of a stringed instrument and the vibration transmission section is held stably.

[0036] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the stringed instrument vibration excitation device can be easily removed from the stringed instrument.

[0037] Furthermore, by configuring the vibration transmission part of the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention to be curved in advance during manufacture so that it roughly follows the curved surface of the upper surface of the bridge, or by configuring the vibration transmission part to be curved roughly follows the curved surface of the upper surface of the bridge when attached to the stringed instrument, the angle at which the vibration transmission part contacts each string can be made to approximate the angle at which the strings are drawn with a bow in an actual performance, making it possible to reproduce sounds that are close to those produced in an actual performance.

[0038] Furthermore, as in some embodiments and their variations of the present invention, in a configuration in which the vibration transmission unit is divided into two in the longitudinal direction and joined to each other via an elastic member, it is possible to absorb slight processing size errors that occur in the manufacturing process of the vibration transmission unit, and to absorb differences in the angle of the bow relative to the curved shape of the top surface of the bridge, which is custom-made according to the preferences of the violin player at the time of recording. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a stringed instrument to which a stringed instrument excitation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached, together with a sound source device and the like. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing a configuration in which a stringed instrument excitation device according to a first modified example of the first embodiment is attached to a string. [Diagram 3] 3 is a partial perspective view showing a configuration in which a stringed instrument excitation device according to a first modified example of the first embodiment is attached to the strings at a position different from that shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a front view showing the positional relationship between a vibration transmitter and four strings constituting a stringed instrument excitation device according to a first modified example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the positional relationship between a vibration transmitter and four strings that constitute a stringed instrument excitation device according to a second modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the positional relationship between a vibration transmitter and four strings that constitute a stringed instrument excitation device according to a third modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 11 is a front view showing the positional relationship between a vibration transmitter and four strings that constitute a stringed instrument excitation device according to a fourth modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a front view showing the positional relationship between a vibration transmitter and four strings that constitute a stringed instrument excitation device according to a fifth modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a front view showing the positional relationship between a vibration transmitter and four strings that constitute a stringed instrument excitation device according to a sixth modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view showing a configuration in which a stringed instrument vibration excitation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is attached to a string. [Figure 11] 11 is a front view of the stringed instrument excitation device according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a front view showing a modified example of the stringed instrument excitation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a stringed instrument excitation device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 13, similar to FIG. 14. [Figure 16] 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 13, similar to FIG. 14. [Figure 17] 15 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 14, showing a third modified example obtained by further modifying the second modified example of the second embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 18] 18 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 15, showing a third modified example of FIG. 17. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view showing a third embodiment of a stringed instrument vibration excitation device according to the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a front view showing only the stringed instrument excitation device in FIG. 19. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the positional relationship between a guitar bridge and six strings, for illustrating fourth to sixth embodiments of the stringed instrument vibration excitation device of the present invention and their modified examples. [Figure 22]FIG. 11 is a front view showing a stringed instrument vibration excitation device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a front view showing a modification of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a front view showing a stringed instrument vibration excitation device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 25] FIG. 25 is a front view showing a modification of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is a front view of the basic form of a sixth embodiment of a stringed instrument vibration excitation device of the present invention. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a front view showing a modification of the sixth embodiment shown in FIG.

[0040] Hereinafter, the first to fifth embodiments and their modified examples will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the common parts in each drawing, and the duplicated description will be omitted. In addition, the stringed instrument excitation device of the first to fifth embodiments and their modified examples can be applied to any stringed instrument having three or more strings, such as a violin, a viola, a cello, a double bass, a guitar, an acoustic guitar, a ukulele, a mandolin, a banjo, a harp, a shamisen, a koto, and a biwa. However, the preferred embodiments will be described as an example of application to a violin and an example of application to a guitar. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a violin as a stringed instrument to which the stringed instrument excitation device of the first embodiment is attached. In addition, the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention or the entire stringed instrument before its vibration transmission unit is attached is referred to as the body of the stringed instrument. In this specification and drawings, a view of the tailpiece from the neck side of the stringed instrument is taken as a front view.

[0041] The stringed instrument excitation devices of the first to fifth embodiments and their modified examples are driven by an input signal supplied from the outside, and Fig. 1 shows a sound source device 50 that supplies such an input signal, and a phase inversion circuit 60 that amplifies and inverts the signal from the sound source device, and the output signal of the phase inversion circuit 60 is supplied to the vibration device 30 of the stringed instrument excitation device 100. Note that the sound source device may be configured to supply sound source data that is generated by playing a previously recorded performance of a stringed instrument, or similar sound source data received via broadcast, in addition to the configuration shown in Fig. 1.

[0042] The stringed instrument vibration excitation device of the present invention can be attached to the strings on the neck side (right side in the drawing) of the bridge 20, or on the tail side (left side in the drawing) of the bridge 20. The first embodiment in Fig. 1 shows the case where it is attached to the strings on the neck side of the bridge 20, and shows the configuration of a stringed instrument vibration excitation device 100 attached to four strings 15 (G string 15g, D string 15d, A string 15a, E string 15e).

[0043] As shown in Fig. 1, the stringed instrument excitation system S includes a sound source device 50 and a stringed instrument excitation device 100 that vibrates (excites) a string 15 of a stringed instrument 1 based on a sound source signal from the sound source device 50. The stringed instrument excitation device 100 includes a vibration device 30 that vibrates based on the sound source signal supplied from the sound source device 50 and a vibration transmission unit 40 that transmits the vibration received from the vibration device 30 to the string 15. The stringed instrument excitation device 100 of the present invention transmits the vibration from the vibration device 30 to a violin 1 (stringed instrument) to make the violin 1 (stringed instrument) sound with high sound quality. The sound source device 50 is a sound source that reproduces the sound source signal, and the output sound source signal is input to the vibration device 30.

[0044] The violin 1 is a general one. The stringed instrument targeted by the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention is not limited to the violin, and can be applied to various stringed instruments as described above. The violin 1 includes a body 5 consisting of a top plate 2, a back plate 3, and a side plate 4, a fingerboard 6 extending from the top of the top plate 2 to the head side, and a neck 7 fixed to the top of the body 5 on the head side and the back of the fingerboard 6. The head 8 of the neck 7 forms a scroll 9 and includes a tuning peg 10. A tailpiece 11 is fixed to the tail side of the top plate 2, and an adjuster 12 is attached to the tailpiece 11. A pair of f-holes 13 opening into the inside of the body 5 are formed in the top plate 2. The body 5 constitutes a Helmholtz resonator.

[0045] A bass bar (not shown) on the back of the top plate 2 reinforces the top plate 2 and strengthens and stabilizes the sound of low notes. A cylinder called a sound post (not shown) is erected inside the body 5, and transmits the vibrations that reach the top plate 2 through the bridge 20 to the back plate 3. The violin 1 has four strings 15, and as viewed from the tail side (left side of FIG. 2), the left string is the bass string and the right string is the treble string. From the treble strings, they are the E string 15e, the A string 15a, the D string 15d, and the G string 15g. These four strings 15e, 15a, 15d, and 15g pass from the tailpiece 11 fixed to the body 5 over the bridge 20, hook onto the nut 16 at the end of the fingerboard 6, and are wound on the tuning pegs 10 at the end of the nut. In this specification, any string or all of the strings may be indicated by the symbol 15.

[0046] <Piece 20> The bridge 20 installed on the top plate 2 (see FIG. 1) of the violin 1 has the following configuration. As shown in FIG. 2, the bridge 20 has an upper surface 20a that supports the strings 15, and string grooves 20b formed at predetermined intervals on the upper surface 20a. The upper surface 20a is formed with a gently curved surface that is convex upward. The bridge 20 supports the four strings 15e, 15a, 15d, and 15g at predetermined positions by the string grooves 20b, and transmits the vibrations of the strings 15e, 15a, 15d, and 15g to the top plate 2 (see FIG. 2). The bridge 20 is installed on the top plate 2 between the fingerboard 6 and the tailpiece 11 (see FIG. 1) so as to be approximately perpendicular to the top plate 2, and is removable.

[0047] The bridge 20 is not symmetrical, but has different heights on the G string (low pitched string 15g) side and the E string (high pitched string 15e) side. By making the height asymmetrical, the four strings 15e, 15a, 15d, and 15g are positioned in a way that makes it easy to handle when bowing and holding the bow.

[0048] The bridge 20 has a spiral-shaped opening 20f in the thickness direction at its center, and two openings 20g (circular notches on the left and right of the bridge) that communicate with one end of the spiral shape on the side end face below the opening 20f are formed on the left and right. The bridge 20 has two feet 20h, a circular recess 20i formed between the feet 20h and the side end face of the opening 20g, and a flat bottom 20j between the feet 20h and the feet 20h.

[0049] The thickness of the bridge 20 gradually changes so that the thickness of the foot 20h is greater than the thickness of the top surface 20a. Furthermore, one surface of the bridge 20 is flat, and the other opposing surface is formed in a convex shape. As an example, maple wood is used for the bridge 20. Maple wood has a high density so that it can transmit sound effectively, and the wood fibers are regularly packed.

[0050] <Sound source device 50> The sound source device 50 is a sound source that reproduces a sound source signal. The sound source device 50 may be any electronic device that outputs a sound source signal to the vibration device 30. The sound source device 50 outputs the sound of a stringed instrument such as a violin as a sound source. When the sound of a stringed instrument is output as a sound source, it is possible to reproduce musical sounds that are close to real performances and have a high degree of reality.

[0051] The sound source device 50 includes a CPU 51, a memory 52, an input circuit 53, and an output circuit 54. The CPU 51 reads out a string vibration sound program 52a stored in a ROM or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), which is an electrically rewritable non-volatile memory, and expands it in a RAM to perform string vibration control. The CPU 51 outputs control signals for controlling each part via the output circuit 54 based on an input signal input via the input circuit 53.

[0052] The memory 52 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, etc., which store various processing programs. The memory 52 includes an external storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD). The memory 52 stores control programs including a string excitation sound program 52a.

[0053] An input signal is input to the input circuit 53 from an input device 55 such as a keyboard or a mouse. The output circuit 54 outputs a signal for outputting a sound source signal output result or the like (for example, a display signal for displaying on a display unit 56). The output circuit 54 may also have a driver for driving the vibration device 30, and in this case, it is also possible to output the sound source signal of the sound source device 50 directly to the vibration device 30.

[0054] <Phase inversion circuit 60> Amplification function The phase inversion circuit 60 amplifies the sound source signal output from the sound source device 50 into a sound source signal that drives the speaker 20 . ·Phase inversion function The phase inversion circuit 60 inverts one polarity of the sound source signal output from the sound source device 50 and outputs the inverted signal to the vibration device 30 . Process circuit function According to the inventor's experiments, it has been found that there is no significant difference in the characteristics of each string excitation in acoustic measurements. However, in actual performance, each string has its own scale. Therefore, the phase inversion circuit 60 has a process circuit function. The process circuit function equalizes the sound source signal for each string according to the scale that each string is responsible for. The process circuit function adjusts the characteristics to be obtained when two or more strings are excited simultaneously. In addition to equalization, the process circuit function also performs a process of inverting the polarity of the left and right. The sound source device 50 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to read out the above-mentioned string excitation sound program 52a, which is sound source data stored in advance in the memory 52 functioning as a storage means, but it can also be configured to appropriately process sound source data supplied from the outside and output a sound source signal.

[0055] <Vibration device 30> The vibration device 30 has a diaphragm that vibrates in response to a sound source signal output from the sound source device 50 and amplified by the phase inversion circuit 60. A small speaker can be used as the vibration device 30. A super magnetostrictive speaker can be used as the small speaker. In general, a speaker includes a voice coil that vibrates an electric signal in the forward and backward directions, and a diaphragm (both not shown) that is directly connected to the voice coil. When the diaphragm vibrates, a sound having a waveform equal to the sound source signal is emitted into the air. A part of the vibration transmission unit 40 is directly attached to the circular cone paper that is the diaphragm of the vibration device 30 by adhesive. As a result, the vibration of the diaphragm (cone paper) of the vibration device 30 is directly transmitted to the vibration transmission unit 40. Note that the vibration device 30 is not limited to a speaker, and any transducer that converts an electric signal into vibration can be used.

[0056] Recently, piezoelectric thin film speakers have been put to practical use, in which several hundred to a thousand piezoelectric elements are arranged on a thin film using IC technology. The performance of piezoelectric thin film speakers has been improved, making it possible to reproduce low frequencies that were difficult to achieve with bulk speakers. Since the piezoelectric thin film speaker is in the form of a film of, for example, 20 mm x 30 mm, it can be directly bonded to a part of the vibration transmission part 40.

[0057] A giant magnetostrictive speaker is a flat panel speaker that uses a vibrator made of giant magnetostrictive material. The vibrator is made of a cylindrical giant magnetostrictive element with a coil wound around it. When an acoustic current flows through the coil, the giant magnetostrictive element expands and contracts, and the resulting force vibrates a thick acrylic plate to reproduce sound.

[0058] The above describes an example in which the stringed instrument vibration device 100 is attached to the string 15 on the neck side. However, as shown in FIG. 3 showing a first modified example of the first embodiment described later, the stringed instrument vibration device 100' may be attached to the string 15 on the tail side. By attaching the stringed instrument vibration device 100' to the string 15 on the tail side, the neck side of the bridge 20 can be played with a bow (bowing), and string excitation by the stringed instrument vibration device 100 can be combined with actual playing. This combination includes performing the excitation and actual playing with a time lag or simultaneously, thereby superimposing the vibration sound of the string 15 by the two methods. Note that each of the embodiments and modified examples described later will be described with reference to an example in which the string is attached to the string 15 on the neck side.

[0059] [Stringed instrument excitation device configuration] The vibration transmitting section 40 of the stringed instrument excitation device 100 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 extends linearly in its longitudinal direction and maintains its linear shape even when attached to the four strings 15. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing a first modified example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The stringed instrument excitation device of the first modified example is designated by the reference symbol 100'. The difference between the first embodiment of FIG. 1 and its first modified example (FIG. 2) is that the vibration transmitting section 40 extends linearly even after being attached to the strings in the first embodiment, whereas the vibration transmitting section 40' in the first modified example is curved along the curve of the upper surface section 20a of the bridge 20. The curvature of the vibration transmitting section 40' in the first modified example may be curved by receiving stress from the strings 15 after the vibration transmitting section 40' is attached to the strings 15, or may be curved before being attached to the strings 15. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a first modified example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, similar to FIG. 2. The stringed instrument excitation device 100' shown in FIG. 2 and the stringed instrument excitation device 100' shown in FIG. 3 are different in the attachment position to the strings, but the stringed instrument excitation device 100' itself has the same configuration.

[0060] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the stringed instrument excitation device 100, 100' is attached to the four strings 15 at a position close to the bridge 20. Of the vibration device 30 and vibration transmission parts 40, 40' constituting the stringed instrument excitation device 100, 100' shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the plate-shaped vibration transmission parts 40, 40' extend in the direction in which the strings 15 are arranged, that is, in the Y direction in Figs. 2 and 3. When attaching the stringed instrument excitation device 100, 100' to the stringed instrument 1, the left end of the plate-shaped vibration transmission parts 40, 40' in the figure is inserted from the G string 15g side, passing over the string 15g, under the strings 15d and 15a, and over the string 15e. Although the plate-shaped vibration transmission parts 40, 40' are shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and the examples in Figs. 4 to 9 described later, they may be rod-shaped.

[0061] Before the stringed instrument excitation devices 100, 100' are attached to the stringed instrument 1, the four strings 15 are positioned along the curved surface of the upper surface portion 20a of the bridge 20, and are therefore arranged at equal intervals in the direction in which the strings 15 are arranged (Y direction) and at different heights in the height direction (Z direction). In other words, when the four strings 15 are viewed in the height direction, there is a predetermined interval between adjacent strings 15. For convenience, the vertical interval between adjacent strings 15 before the stringed instrument excitation devices 100, 100' are attached to the stringed instrument 1 is referred to as the normal interval. For the G string 15g and the D string 15d of the violin 1, this vertical interval (normal interval) is 5 mm, and for the A string 15a and the E string 15e, this vertical interval is 4.5 mm. Since the four strings 15 are at different height positions, the dimension in the height direction (Z direction) of the inserted plate-like vibration transmitters 40, 40', i.e., the thickness, is set to be larger than the normal spacing between the strings 15. As one example, the thickness of the vibration transmitters 40, 40' can be set to 5.5 mm.

[0062] Since these four strings 15 are tensioned with a predetermined tension, the vibration transmitting parts 40, 40' are subjected to a downward force (opposite to the Z direction in FIG. 2) by two strings 15d, 15a, and at the same time, are subjected to an upward force (Z direction in FIG. 2), i.e., a pulling force, by the other two strings 15g, 15e. That is, when the vibration transmitting parts 40, 40' are inserted, the vertical interval between adjacent strings 15 before the insertion is widened, and the vibration transmitting parts 40, 40' are subjected to a restoring force by the tension of each string 15. Therefore, the vibration transmitting parts 40, 40' are sandwiched between these four strings 15 and subjected to a holding force, and are stably supported in the position shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. The inventor conducted various experiments and found that when the thickness of the vibration transmitting parts 40, 40' was set to a value about 0.5 mm to 1.00 mm larger than the vertical interval (normal interval) between adjacent strings 15, the vibration transmitting parts 40, 40' were well supported and good playback characteristics were obtained. 3 differs from the configuration in FIG. 2 only in that the stringed instrument excitation device 100 is located behind the bridge 20 in the figure, and the mounting method of the vibration transmission unit 40' is the same as in FIG.

[0063] The strings 15 are pushed down or pulled up by the vibration transmission parts 40, 40' inserted in the Y direction as described above, and each string is partially deformed in the vicinity of the bridge 20 in relation to the upper surface part 20a of the bridge 20 as follows. That is, when the strings 15 are pushed down by the vibration transmission parts 40, 40', the strings 15 are partially depressed downward near the vibration transmission parts 40, 40' of the bridge 20 as shown in Fig. 14 which will be described in another embodiment to be described later, while when the strings 15 are pulled up by the vibration transmission parts 40, 40', the strings 15 are partially raised upward near the vibration transmission parts 40, 40' of the bridge 20 as shown in Fig. 15 which will be described in another embodiment to be described later. That is, each string 15 is subjected to the downward force or the pulling force by the vibration transmission parts 40, 40' and is partially deformed in the vicinity of the bridge 20.

[0064] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the vibration transmission unit 40' and the four strings 15 in the first modified example of the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, and the vibration device 30 shown in FIG. 2 is omitted. FIGS. 5 to 9 are front views showing the positional relationship between the vibration transmission unit 40' and the four strings in a manner different from that shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The one shown in FIG. 5 is referred to as the second modified example of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, FIGS. 6 to 9 are referred to as the third modified example to the sixth modified example of the first embodiment. As can be seen from FIGS. 4 to 9, the vibration transmission unit 40' has a portion located above at least one of the multiple strings 15 and a portion located below at least two other strings of the multiple strings 15, or has a portion located below at least one of the multiple strings 15 and a portion located above at least two other strings of the multiple strings 15.

[0065] In the configuration of FIG. 4, after the vibration transmitting unit 40' is inserted, the vertical interval between adjacent strings 15 before the insertion is widened. Conversely, in the configuration of FIG. 5, after the vibration transmitting unit 40' is inserted, the vertical interval between adjacent strings 15 before the insertion is narrowed. Similarly, in the configurations of FIG. 6 to FIG. 9, the vertical interval between adjacent strings 15 may be widened or narrowed. Note that the vibration transmitting unit 40' does not need to be an integral structure, and it can be configured by connecting multiple members at an angle and bending in stages in advance along the curve of the upper surface portion 20a of the bridge 20. The vibration transmitting unit 40' can be made of wood or synthetic resin, and can be made of a material having bending properties as necessary. In other words, the vibration transmitting unit 40' should apply an appropriate engagement pressure to each of the strings 15 that it comes into contact with by utilizing the tension of each of the strings 15, and the optimal shape, material, bending properties, etc. are set for this purpose.

[0066] In the first embodiment, the stringed instrument excitation device 100, 100' is attached to the stringed instrument 1 by inserting the left end of the vibration transmitter 40 in FIG. 2, i.e., the end on the side where the vibration generator 30 is not connected, from the G string 15g side, and arranging the vibration transmitter 40, 40' below at least one string and above at least two other strings, or below at least two strings and above at least one other string 15, thereby attaching the stringed instrument excitation device 100, 100' to the stringed instrument 1. When attaching the stringed instrument excitation device 100, 100' to the stringed instrument 1, the end of the vibration transmitter 40, 40' is inserted between the strings at a position slightly away from the bridge 20 in the longitudinal direction of the strings (X direction) as described above, and after the insertion is completed, it can be pushed closer to the bridge 20.

[0067] As described above, it is preferable that the stringed instrument excitation devices 100, 100' attached to the stringed instrument 1 are disposed as close to the bridge 20 as possible. There are two reasons for this. First, the closer to the bridge 20, the better the frequency characteristics are. Second, the closer to the bridge 20, the stronger the contact pressure that the vibration transmission parts 40, 40' of the stringed instrument excitation devices 100, 100' receive from the strings 15. The contact pressure is generated by the tension of the strings 15, and the stronger the contact pressure, the more stably the vibration transmission parts 40, 40' are held. According to various experiments conducted by the inventor of the present invention, good frequency characteristics were obtained when the distance between the bridge 20 and the surface of the vibration transmission parts 40, 40' of the stringed instrument excitation devices 100, 100' facing the bridge 20 was 3 mm or less. It is also preferable that the vibration transmission parts 40, 40' are disposed too close to the bridge 20 and come into contact with each other, because this is not preferable. In order to prevent such contact, as will be described in the second modified example of the second embodiment below, an elastic member or the like can be provided on a part of the vibration transmitting parts 40, 40' on the bridge 20 side (see Figs. 13 and 16). The vibration transmitting parts 40, 40' are arranged as close as possible to the bridge 20 in both Figs. 2 and 3. There is a difference in the timbre of the reproduced sound between the case where the vibration transmitting parts 40, 40' are arranged on the neck side of the bridge 20 as in Fig. 2 and the case where they are arranged on the tail side of the bridge 20 as in Fig. 3, but this difference is not a matter of superiority or inferiority but rather a matter of the personal preference of the listener, and the listener can choose the position that produces the timbre that he or she likes.

[0068] In the present invention, through the above-mentioned first embodiment and its modified examples and the second to fifth embodiments and their modified examples described later, a predetermined part of the vibration transmission part constituting the excitation device is arranged above at least one string to push down that string, and another predetermined part of the vibration transmission part is arranged below at least two other strings to pull up those strings, or a predetermined part of the vibration transmission part is arranged below at least one string to pull up that string, and another predetermined part of the vibration transmission part is arranged above at least two other strings to push down those strings, so that the vibration transmission part comes into contact with each string 15 in a direction that is close to the tangent direction of the curve of the upper surface part 20a of the bridge 20. Therefore, the transmission of vibration to each string 15 is the same as when bowing the string with a bow in an actual performance, and excitation close to an actual performance can be performed.

[0069] FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view showing a second embodiment of the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a front view showing only the stringed instrument excitation device in FIG. 10. In the second embodiment, the stringed instrument excitation device 100a has a vibration transmission unit 40a and two vibration devices 30a, 30b attached to both ends 40a-3, 40a-4 of the vibration transmission unit 40a. The vibration transmission unit 40a has an upper portion 40a-1 that curves in the same manner as the curvature of the upper surface portion 20a of the bridge 20, and a lower portion 40a-2 that curves approximately parallel to the upper portion 40a-1. Furthermore, two cuts 40a-5, 40a-6 extending in the direction in which the strings 15 are arranged (Y direction) are provided near both ends of the lower portion 40a-2. These cuts 40a-5, 40a-6 have openings on the lower portion 40a-2 side of the vibration transmission unit 40a. That is, each opening is connected to each cut 40a-5, 40a-6. In the second embodiment, the notches are not simply recesses but grooves extending in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmitting part 40a, and are defined by an opening, an upper surface, a lower surface, and a back wall. If the vibration transmitting part 40a is made of wood, these notches 40a-5 and 40a-6 can be mass-produced with high precision by woodworking machining. This is also common to the third to fifth embodiments described below.

[0070] In the second embodiment, when the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to a stringed instrument, the A string 15a and the D string 15d are pushed down by the lower part 40a-2 of the vibration transmission part 40a, and at the same time, the G string 15g and the E string 15e are pulled up by the lower surfaces of the notches 40a-5 and 40a-6. With this configuration, the difference between the heights of the A string 15a and the D string 15d in the Z direction and the heights of the G string 15g and the E string 15e in the Z direction, that is, the distance in the Z direction (up and down direction) is narrower than the normal distance. Although not shown in Figs. 10 and 11, an elastic sheet, which will be described later, can be disposed at the portion where each string 15 contacts the vibration transmission part 40a. This elastic sheet can be, for example, a thin film made of silicone rubber. If such an elastic sheet is not provided, the portion of the vibration transmission part 40a that contacts the string 15 may become mirror-like due to aging. Such a mirror finish can drastically reduce the coefficient of friction between the part of vibration transmission part 40a that comes into contact with string 15 and the string 15, making it slippery and reducing the efficiency of vibration transmission, but these can be improved by providing an elastic sheet.

[0071] The provision of an elastic sheet as described above can prevent such defects caused by aging, and by providing such an elastic sheet, when pressure is applied to the string 15 via the elastic sheet at the contact portion of the vibration transmission unit 40a with the string 15, the elastic sheet deforms and enhances adhesion. Furthermore, if the elastic sheet is adhesive, it also has an anti-slip effect. Also, the thickness of the string 15 varies depending on the manufacturer, or even within the same manufacturer, but by providing an elastic sheet, such variation in the thickness of the string 15 can be absorbed, and further, subtle processing size errors during the manufacturing process of the vibration transmission unit 40a can be absorbed.

[0072] FIG. 12 is a front view showing a first modified example of the second embodiment similar to FIG. 11. Only the parts different from FIG. 11 will be described below. Two notches 40b-5 and 40b-6 in FIG. 12 correspond to two notches 40a-5 and 40a-6 in FIG. 11, respectively. In the modified example in FIG. 12, recesses 40b-7 and 40b-8 having a substantially semicircular cross section are provided in the part of the lower part 40b-2 of the vibration transmitting part 40b that contacts the A string 15a and the D string 15d, and further, elastic sheets 42-3 and 42-4 made of an elastic member are provided on the surfaces (lower part in the figure) of the recesses 40b-7 and 40b-8 so that the recesses 40b-7 and 40b-8 do not directly contact the A string 15a and the D string 15d and to enhance adhesion. Similarly, elastic sheets 42-1 and 42-2 are provided on the undersides of the two cuts 40b-5 and 40b-6, i.e., the portions that come into contact with the G string 15g and the E string 15e. Because recesses 40b-7 and 40b-8, each having a substantially semicircular cross section, are provided, the contact portion with the string 15 is wider than in the second embodiment of Figs. 10 and 11, and the contact position with the string 15 is more stable. For example, silicone rubber sheets with a thickness of about 0.2 mm can be used as the elastic sheets 42-1 to 42-4. The same applies to the other embodiments and their modified examples.

[0073] FIG. 13 is a front view showing a second modified example of the second embodiment, similar to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. Only the parts different from FIG. 11 will be described below. In the modified example of FIG. 13, the vibration transmission unit 40c is divided into two parts at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, and the two divided parts are joined by a joint 43 made of an elastic material. That is, the vibration transmission unit 40a in FIG. 11 is divided into left and right parts, and the parts obtained are connected to each other by adhesive via the joint 43. For example, silicone rubber can be used as the elastic material of the joint 43, and the same applies to the other embodiments and their modified examples. With this configuration, the vibration from the vibration device 30a is transmitted to the right half 40c-1 of the vibration transmission unit 40c in the figure, and as a result, it is transmitted to the strings 15g and 15d, while the vibration from the vibration device 30b is transmitted to the left half 40c-2 of the vibration transmission unit 40c in the figure, and as a result, it is transmitted to the strings 15e and 15a.

[0074] The configuration in which the divided parts are connected to each other with adhesive via joints 43 not only blocks vibration transmission between the left and right sides, but also, because joints 43 have elasticity, is useful for applying a suitable engagement pressure stably to each of the contacting strings 15 by utilizing the tension of each string 15. Furthermore, this elasticity can absorb subtle errors in the processing size during the manufacturing process of vibration transmission part 40c, and absorb differences in the angle of the bow relative to the curved shape of upper surface 20a of bridge 20, which was custom-made according to the preferences of the violinist at the time of recording. In addition, the four strings 15 are required to receive a moderate and uniform engagement pressure from vibration transmission part 40c. For this reason, in the second embodiment of Figures 10 and 11 and the first variant of the second embodiment of Figure 12, vibration transmission parts 40a, 40b can be made of wood or the like having bending properties. However, in the second variant of Figure 13, the two vibration transmission parts 40c-1, 40c-2 are interconnected by a joint 43 having elasticity, so they do not have to be made of wood or the like having bending properties.

[0075] In the second embodiment of Fig. 11, vibration is directly transmitted from vibration transmitter 40a to each string 15, but in the second modified example of the second embodiment of Fig. 13, vibration is transmitted to strings 15d and 15a via elastic sheets 42-5 and 42-6 attached to the surfaces of the lower sides 40c-3 and 40c-4 of the left and right vibration transmitters 40c-1 and 40c-2, respectively. Similarly, elastic sheets 42-1 and 42-2 are provided on the lower surfaces of the two cuts 40c-5 and 40c-6.

[0076] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 13. Although the bridge 20 is omitted and not shown in FIG. 13, the vibration transmitting unit 40c-1 is close to the bridge 20 when attached. Therefore, FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 13 including the bridge 20, that is, a cross-sectional view seen from the direction in which the strings 15 are arranged (Y direction in FIG. 13). Note that in FIG. 14 and in FIGS. 15 to 18 described later, the Y direction is the direction from the top of the paper to the back. An elastic sheet 42-5 that functions as a cushioning material is disposed on the lower portion 40c-3 of the vibration transmitting unit 40c-1 shown in FIG. 14, that is, on the side of the string 15d. In the cross-sectional shape of the vibration transmitting unit 40c-1 shown in FIG. 14, a rounded corner 40c-6 is provided on the bridge 20 side of the vibration transmitting unit 40c-1 and on the side near the string 15d. Due to the presence of this roundness 40c-6, even if the vibration transmitting part 40c-1 presses the string 15d downward in the figure, it does not press the string 15d unnecessarily strongly near the bridge 20. As a result, with the vibration transmitting part 40c-1 attached, it is possible to prevent the string 15d from being subjected to strong pressure near the bridge 20 and becoming irregularly deformed. Note that although Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the string 15d in Fig. 13, a similar configuration is also applied to the string 15a in Fig. 13.

[0077] Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Fig. 13, similar to Fig. 14. A cut 40c-5 is provided in this portion of the vibration transmitting part 40c-1, and the cut 40c-5 exists as a space (groove) between the upper and lower surfaces that define the cut 40c-5. An elastic sheet 42-1 is disposed on the lower surface that defines the cut 40c-5, i.e., the surface that contacts the string 15g. Although Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the string 15g in Fig. 13, a similar configuration is also applied to the string 15e in Fig. 13.

[0078] Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Fig. 13, similar to Fig. 14. An elastic sheet 44-2 is disposed on this portion of the vibration transmitting part 40c-2, i.e., on the surface of the vibration transmitting part 40c-2 near the bridge 20. In Fig. 13, this elastic sheet 44-2 and another elastic sheet 44-1 are indicated by dotted hatching. Due to the presence of these elastic sheets 44-1 and 44-2, even if the vibration transmitting parts 40c-1 and 40c-2 come into contact with the bridge 20, the vibration of the vibration transmitting parts 40c-1 and 40c-2 can be prevented from being directly transmitted to the bridge 20, and the vibration of the vibration transmitting parts 40c-1 and 40c-2 is transmitted to the bridge 20 via each string 15.

[0079] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 14 of a third modified example obtained by further modifying the second modified example of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 13. In FIG. 14, the lower part of the vibration transmitting part 40c-1 is flat except for the rounded corners 40c-6. In the third modified example shown in FIG. 17, the lower surface of the vibration transmitting part 40d is curved with the lower side of the vibration transmitting part 40d protruding downwards at approximately the center along the longitudinal direction of the string 15d in a cross-sectional shape of the vibration transmitting part 40d seen from the direction in which the multiple strings are arranged (Y direction in FIG. 13), and elastic sheets 42-4 are arranged on each of the parts of the vibration transmitting part 40d that contact the string 15d. Note that FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 14 showing the second modified example of the second embodiment, but the same configuration is also applied to the string 15a in FIG. 13.

[0080] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the third modified example of FIG. 17, similar to FIG. 15. In FIG. 15, the lower surface of the notch 40c-5 of the vibration transmitting part 40c-1 is flat, but in the third modified example of FIG. 18, the lower surface of the notch 40d-5 of the vibration transmitting part 40d is curved with the approximate center protruding upward along the longitudinal direction of the string 15g in the cross-sectional shape of the vibration transmitting part 40d seen from the direction in which the multiple strings are arranged (Y direction), and an elastic sheet 42-5 is arranged at the part of the lower surface of the notch 40d-5 that contacts the string 15g. Note that FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing the second modified example of the second embodiment in the same way as FIG. 15, but the same configuration is also applied to the string 15e in FIG. 13.

[0081] FIG. 19 is a partial perspective view showing a third embodiment of the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention, and FIG. 20 is a front view showing only the stringed instrument excitation device in FIG. 19. In the third embodiment, the stringed instrument excitation device 100e has a vibration transmission unit 40e and two vibration devices 30a, 30b attached to both ends 40e-3, 40e-4 (see FIG. 20), respectively. The vibration transmission unit 40e has an upper part 40e-1 that curves in the same manner as the curve of the upper surface part 20a of the bridge 20, and a lower part 40e-2 that curves approximately parallel to the upper part 40e-1. Furthermore, two notches 40e-5, 40e-6 extending in the direction in which the strings 15 are arranged (Y direction) are provided near both ends of the lower part 40e-2. These notches 40e-5, 40e-6 have openings on the upper part 40e-1 side.

[0082] In the third embodiment, when the stringed instrument excitation device 100e is attached to a stringed instrument, the A string 15a and the D string 15d are pulled up by the upper part 40e-1 of the vibration transmitting part 40e, and at the same time, the G string 15g and the E string 15e are pushed down by the upper surfaces of the notches 40e-5 and 40e-6. This configuration increases the difference between the heights of the A string 15a and the D string 15d in the Z direction and the heights of the G string 15g and the E string 15e in the Z direction, that is, the distance in the Z direction (up and down direction). Although not shown in Figs. 19 and 20, an elastic sheet can be provided at the portion where each string 15 contacts the vibration transmitting part 40d, as in Fig. 13 described above.

[0083] In the second embodiment and its first variant (FIG. 12) of FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, and the third embodiment of FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, vibration generators 30a and 30b are attached to both ends of vibration transmission units 40a, 40b, and 40e, respectively. Depending on the purpose of use, the sound source signals supplied to these vibration generators 30a and 30b can be selectively set as follows. (1) When connecting only to the vibration generator 30a (G string side): mono signal or L / R mix signal of stereo signal (2) When connecting only to the vibration generator 30b (E string side): mono signal or L / R mix signal of stereo signal (3) When connecting to both the vibration generators 30a (G string side) and 30b (E string side): Lch of the stereo signal is connected to the vibration generator 30a (G string side) and Rch of the stereo signal is connected to the vibration generator 30b (E string side). (4) When connecting to both vibration generators 30a (G string side) and 30b (E string side): 2-way low / middle ch on vibration generator 30a (G string side) and 2-way low / high ch on vibration generator 30b (E string side) (5) When connecting to both vibration generators 30a (G string side) and 30b (E string side): The same signal is sent to vibration generator 30a (G string side) and vibration generator 30b (E string side).

[0084] In the second modified example of the second embodiment of FIG. 13, vibration generators 30a, 30b are attached to the respective ends of two vibration transmission parts 40c-1, 40-2 connected by a joint 43, and the sound source signals supplied to these vibration generators 30a, 30b can be selectively set as follows in relation to the purpose of use. (1) When connecting to both the vibration generators 30a (G string side) and 30b (E string side): Lch of the stereo signal is connected to the vibration generator 30a (G string side), and Rch of the stereo signal is connected to the vibration generator 30b (E string side). (2) When connecting to both vibration generators 30a (G string side) and 30b (E string side): 2-way low / middle ch on vibration generator 30a (G string side) and 2-way low / high ch on vibration generator 30b (E string side) (3) When connecting to both vibration generators 30a (G string side) and 30b (E string side): The same signal is sent to vibration generator 30a (G string side) and vibration generator 30b (E string side).

[0085] The stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention was connected to multiple instruments as follows to form a string quartet system, and a playback experiment with a stereo sound source was performed. That is, a Mozart string quartet stereo record was used as the playback sound source, and at the playback site, the first violin, second violin, viola, and cello were placed in the same positional relationship as when the playback sound source was recorded, and with the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention attached to each of them, a sound source signal was supplied to each stringed instrument excitation device as follows. That is, the L channel of the stereo sound source was supplied to the first and second violins, and the R channel was supplied to the viola and cello. This playback experiment was performed as a comparison experiment with normal playback without instruments, in which the same sound source was supplied to speakers arranged on the left and right via a normal playback amplifier. This comparison experiment was performed by multiple string quartet fans who were experienced in listening to live performances at a concert venue and listening to playback from speakers arranged in a stereo arrangement using a normal playback device.

[0086] As a result of this comparative experiment, the following points were confirmed. (1) Compared with playback using a speaker, playback using the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention produced sounds as if a real instrument was being played by a performer at the playback site, and had the realism of a real instrument. (2) Compared with reproduction using a speaker, reproduction using the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention had a sense of stage, in which the sound from a real instrument was emitted in all directions. (3) Compared with playback using speakers, playback using the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention had a larger dynamic range and gave the feeling of listening to a live performance on stage. (4) Compared with playback using speakers, playback using the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention can obtain frequency characteristics that are neither excessive nor insufficient from low to high frequencies, providing a sense of being on stage as if listening to a live performance.

[0087] Next, a fourth embodiment, a fifth embodiment, and their modified examples will be described in which the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention is attached to a guitar. A guitar usually has six strings, and these six strings are fixed to a part of a bridge attached to a top plate (not shown) corresponding to the top plate 2 of the violin 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 21 is a front view showing the positional relationship between the bridge of a guitar and the six strings, for explaining the fourth to sixth embodiments of the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention and their modified examples. In FIG. 21, the bridge 20k is shown by a dotted line, and its upper part is flat, which is different from the curved upper surface part 20a of the bridge 20 of the violin shown in FIG. 2 and the like. The six strings of the guitar are the first string 15E1 (commonly known as the E string), the second string 15B (commonly known as the B string), the third string 15G (commonly known as the G string), the fourth string 15D (commonly known as the D string), the fifth string 15A (commonly known as the A string), and the sixth string 15E2 (commonly known as the E string), and the strings become thicker from the first string 15E1 to the sixth string 15E2. The first string 15E1 and the sixth string 15E2 are both commonly known as E strings, and are distinguished by being called the high E string, the low E string, and the like. Before the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention is attached, these six strings are located at positions indicated by circles in FIG. 21. That is, before the stringed instrument excitation device is attached, the six strings are located at equal distances from the upper part 20m of the bridge 20k, and all the strings are in the same horizontal plane.

[0088] When the fourth or fifth embodiment of the stringed instrument vibration excitation device of the present invention is attached to these six strings, the height of each string becomes higher or lower than before the attachment, as shown by the hatched circles in Fig. 21. That is, some strings are pushed down in the opposite Z direction, and other strings are pulled up in the Z direction.

[0089] 22 is a front view showing a fourth embodiment of the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention. This stringed instrument excitation device 100f has a columnar vibration transmission part 40f extending substantially linearly in the Y direction, and a vibration generator 30 attached to the substantially central part of the upper part 40f-1 of the vibration transmission part 40f. Two parts of the vibration transmission part 40f at substantially the same height as the lower part 40f-2 form flat parts 40f-21 and 40f-22 that press down the two strings 15A and 15B in opposite directions in the Z direction, and elastic sheets 42-7 and 42-8 are respectively arranged on the surfaces of the flat parts 40f-21 and 40f-22, which come into contact with the two strings 15A and 15B via the elastic sheets 42-7 and 42-8. Four notches 40f-3 to 40f-6 extend from the left and right ends of each of these two flat parts 40f-21 and 40f-22 in the Y direction or the opposite direction and the Z direction in the figure. Elastic sheets 42-9 to 42-12 are arranged on the lower surfaces of these notches 40f-3 to 40f-6, respectively, and come into contact with the four strings 15E1, 15D, 15G, and 15E1 via the elastic sheets 42-9 to 42-12. The lower surfaces of these notches 40f-3 to 40f-6 pull up the four strings 15E2, 15D, 15G, and 15E1 in the Z direction.

[0090] FIG. 23 is a front view showing a modified example of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 22. This stringed instrument excitation device 100g differs from the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 22 in the following respects. That is, the vibration transmission section 40f of the stringed instrument excitation device in FIG. 22 is divided into two at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, and two vibration transmission sections 40g-1 and 40g-2 that are approximately symmetrical on the left and right are configured, and vibration generators 30a and 30b are attached to the approximately center of the upper part of the left and right vibration transmission sections 40g-1 and 40g-2, respectively. In FIG. 23, only the right side of the approximately symmetrical configuration is described. The vibration transmission section 40g-1 has a cut similar to that in FIG. 22. The description of the vibration transmission section 40g-2 on the left side of the figure is omitted. The left and right vibration transmission sections 40g-1 and 40g-2 are connected to each other via a joint 45 made of an elastic member, so that the vibrations of the left and right vibration transmission sections 40g-1 and 40g-2 are not buffered by each other. The entire vibration transmission unit formed by connecting the two vibration transmission units 40g-1 and 40g-2 at the joint 45 is indicated by the reference symbol 40g. Similar to the fourth embodiment in FIG. 22, elastic sheets 42-9 and 42-10 are provided on the undersides of the cuts corresponding to the cuts 40f-3 and 40f-4 in FIG. 22, respectively.

[0091] 24 is a front view showing a fifth embodiment of the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention. This stringed instrument excitation device 100h has a columnar vibration transmitter 40h that extends substantially linearly in the Y direction, and a vibration generator 30 attached to the substantially central portion of an upper portion 40h-1 of the vibration transmitter 40h. The lower surfaces of two recesses 40h-3 and 40h-4 provided in a lower portion 40h-2 of the vibration transmitter 40h constitute portions that press down the two strings 15A and 15B downward (in the opposite direction to the Z direction), and the recesses 40h-3 and 40h-4 of the pressing portions have a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape when viewed from the front. An opening is provided at approximately the center of the length of the lower portion 40h-2 of the vibration transmitting part 40h, and two notches 40h5 and 40h-6 are provided to connect to the opening. These notches 40h-5 and 40h-6 extend from the opening toward the right and left ends of the vibration transmitting part 40h, respectively. Notches 40h-7 and 40h-8 are provided at the right and left ends of the vibration transmitting part 40h, respectively.

[0092] The notch 40h-7 at the right end of the vibration transmitting part 40h has an opening at the right end of the vibration transmitting part 40h and extends toward the left end. On the other hand, the notch 40h-8 at the left end of the vibration transmitting part 40h has an opening at the left end of the vibration transmitting part 40h and extends toward the right end. The lower surfaces of these four notches 40h-5, 40h-6, 40h-7, and 40h-8 constitute parts that lift the fourth string 15D, the third string 15G, the sixth string 15E2, and the first string 15E1 upward (Z direction), respectively. Elastic sheets 42-13 to 42-18 are arranged on the parts of the vibration transmitting part 40h that come into contact with the above-mentioned strings.

[0093] FIG. 25 is a front view showing a modification of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 24. This stringed instrument excitation device 100i differs from the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 24 in the following respects. That is, the vibration transmission section 40h of the stringed instrument excitation device in FIG. 24 is divided into two at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction to form two vibration transmission sections 40i-1 and 40i-2 that are approximately symmetrical on the left and right, and vibration generators 30a and 30b are attached to the vibration transmission sections 40i-1 and 40i-2 on the left and right, respectively. The same reference numerals are used to denote the elastic sheets 42-13 to 42-18 in FIG. 24. In FIG. 25, the reference numerals corresponding to those in FIG. 24 are used to denote the elements corresponding to those in FIG. 24 (e.g., 40h-1 in FIG. 24 is 40i-1 in FIG. 25). The left and right vibration transmitters 40i-1, 40i-2 are connected to each other via joints 46 made of an elastic member, so that the vibrations of the left and right vibration transmitters 40i-1, 40i-2 are not buffered by each other.

[0094] FIG. 26 is a front view of the basic form of the sixth embodiment. The basic form of the sixth embodiment is a further modified version of the modified version of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 23. This stringed instrument excitation device 100j differs from the modified version of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 23 in the following respects. That is, on the upper surface side of the columnar vibration transmission part 40j, inclined parts are provided that rise from positions at a predetermined distance from both ends or from both ends toward the other end toward the center in the longitudinal direction, and the vibration devices 30a, 30b are provided on the upper surface of each inclined part. Note that each of the rising inclined parts rises to the left and right ends in the figure of the recess 40j-7 provided in the center of the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmission part 40j. In other words, the recess 40j-7 is provided between the highest points of the left and right inclined parts in the figure. The angle of these inclined parts can be, for example, 25°. The upper surface of each inclined part is flat. Note that in FIG. 26, the joint part 45 made of an elastic member shown in FIG. 23 is not provided. In FIG. 26, elements corresponding to those in FIG. 22 showing the basic form of FIG. 23 are indicated by the same reference numerals, or are indicated by changing "f" in FIG. 22 to "j" (for example, 40f-3 in FIG. 22 is 40j-3 in FIG. 26). In the basic form of the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 26, the reproduced sound characteristics are good compared to the modified example of the fourth embodiment of FIG. 23. This is considered to be because the presence of the two inclined parts and the recess 40j-7 provided between them allows the vibrations from each of the vibrating devices 30a, 30b to be transmitted to each of the strings 15 well. In addition, by providing the recess 40j-7 near the center of the vibration transmitting part 40j in the longitudinal direction, the vibration of the vibrating device 30b is transmitted mainly to the strings 15E2, 15D, and the vibration of the vibrating device 30a is transmitted mainly to the strings 15E1, 15G. In the sixth embodiment of Figure 26, each inclined portion rises from a position at a predetermined distance from each end toward the other end toward the center in the longitudinal direction, but it may also be configured to rise from each end toward the other end.

[0095] FIG. 27 is a front view showing a modification of the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 26. This stringed instrument excitation device 100k differs from the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 26 in the following respects. That is, the vibration transmission section 40j of the stringed instrument excitation device of FIG. 26 is divided into two at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, and two vibration transmission sections 40k-1 and 40k-2 that are approximately symmetrical on the left and right are configured, and vibration generators 30a and 30b are attached to the left and right vibration transmission sections 40k-1 and 40k-2, respectively. The left and right vibration transmission sections 40k-1 and 40k-2 are connected to each other via a joint 45 made of an elastic member, so that the vibrations of the left and right vibration transmission sections 40k-1 and 40k-2 are not buffered by each other. The recess 40j-7 provided between the two inclined sections in FIG. 26 is 40k-7 in FIG. 27. The other configurations are the same as those in FIG. 26, so their explanations will be omitted. The stringed instrument excitation device 100k of Fig. 27 also has better reproduced sound characteristics than the modified example of the fourth embodiment of Fig. 23. In comparison between the stringed instrument excitation device 100j of Fig. 26 and the stringed instrument excitation device 100k of Fig. 27, which of the sound characteristics is better depends largely on the preference of the listener, and they should not be simply judged to be better than the other.

[0096] The above describes the embodiments of the present invention and their modified examples. However, since these are diverse, the relationships between their features and the corresponding drawings and claims are shown below (excluding the stringed instrument excitation system).

[0097] [Table 1]

[0098] The contents of Table 1 above merely indicate representative features of each embodiment and their variations, and should not be construed as limiting in interpreting the scope of the present invention, which should be interpreted based on the description of each claim.

[0099] The pre-equalizer for string excitation will now be described. The pre-equalizer for string excitation is installed in the phase inversion circuit 60 in Fig. 1. The string excitation in the stringed instrument excitation device 100 is designed to be able to individually vibrate each of the four strings of a violin. The results of vibrating each string individually with a frequency characteristic sweep signal and measuring the reproduced sound showed that the transfer characteristics of the G, D, A, and E strings are very similar, covering a range from 200 Hz to around 20 kHz.

[0100] On the other hand, the frequency range of each string used as a musical instrument is assumed to be the range of the scale (scale starting from the open string) played on the G, D, A, and E strings. The frequency (characteristic frequency) of each string is determined as follows based on the scale performance example. G string: 200Hz to 6kHz D string: 300Hz to 12kHz A string: 400Hz to 15kHz E string: 650Hz to 18kHz In view of the above, in order to enjoy reproduced music that is close to a live violin performance using the stringed instrument excitation devices 100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100e, 100f, 100g, 100h, and 100i of each of the embodiments and their modified examples, it is preferable to limit the frequency range of the signals that vibrate each string to the frequency range that vibrates each string during performance. In summary, there are various combinations in which the string excitation pre-equalizer vibrates each string. In the case of a violin, four strings are excited simultaneously, and in the case of a guitar, six strings are excited simultaneously. The reproduced sound is as follows: 4-string or 6-string scale playback from lowest to highest note: 200Hz to 18kHz

[0101] Although the case of playing a string quartet using the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention has been described above, the realism of a live performance at the time of recording was also obtained when the stringed instrument excitation device of the present invention was attached to a guitar. In other words, listeners who listened to the reproduced sound commented that they were able to obtain a stage feeling close to that of a live performance and a sense of the positioning of each instrument. [Industrial Applicability]

[0102] The string instrument excitation device of the present invention, the vibration transmission unit that is a part of the device, the string instrument excitation system including them, and the method for installing the string instrument excitation device can excite various string instruments as if they were being performed live using various sound sources, and are therefore useful in various industries including various music providing businesses that include performances using string instruments, movie screening businesses that use string instruments, theater, ballet, and other performance businesses that use string instruments, as well as the design, manufacturing, sales, and installation businesses of sound source devices for reproducing music using string instruments, the string instrument excitation device, the vibration transmission unit that is a part of the device, and the string instrument excitation system including them. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1 Violin (string instrument / body) 2. (Violin) top 15, 15e, 15a, 15d, 15g, 15E1, 15B, 15G, 15D, 15A, 15E2 strings 20. Violin bridge 20a (top of violin bridge) 20b (violin bridge) string groove 20h (Violin bridge) foot 20k (guitar) bridge 20m (Top of guitar bridge) 30, 30a, 30b vibrator 40, 40', 40a, 40b, 40c, 40c-1, 40c-2, 40d, 40e, 40f, 40g, 40h, 40i, 40i-1, 40i-2, 40j, 40k, 40k-1, 40k-2 Vibration transmission part 40b-7, 40b-8, 40h-3, 40h-4, 40i-3, 40i-4, 40j-7, 40k-7 dent 40a-5, 40a-6, 40b-5, 40b-6, 40c-5, 40c-6, 40d-5, 40d-6, 40f-3, 40f-4, 40f-5, 40f-6, 40h-5, 40h-6, 40h-7, 40h-8, 40i-5, 40i-6, 40i-7, 40i-8, 40j-3, 40j-4, 40j-5, 40j-6 Cut 42-1~42-18, 42f-21, 42f-22, 44-1, 44-2 Elastic sheet 43, 45, 46 joints 50 Sound source device 56 Display section 60 Phase inversion circuit (pre-equalizer for string excitation) 100, 100', 100a, 100b, 100c, 100e, 100f, 100g, 100h, 100i, 100j, 100k Stringed Instrument Exciter S Stringed Instrument Excitation System

Claims

1. A stringed instrument vibration excitation device is attached to a plurality of strings of a stringed instrument, the stringed instrument body side of the strings being stretched at a predetermined distance from the body of the stringed instrument being defined as a lower side, and the opposite side being defined as an upper side, A vibration device that vibrates in response to an input signal; a vibration transmission section to which the vibration device is connected and which transmits vibration from the vibration device to the string; When the vibration transmission unit is attached to the plurality of strings, a portion located above at least one of the plurality of strings and pressing the at least one string downward; a portion located below at least two other strings of the plurality of strings and pulling the at least two other strings upward; or a portion located below at least one of the plurality of strings and pulling the at least one string upward; a portion located above at least two other strings of the plurality of strings and pressing the at least two other strings downward; A stringed instrument excitation device comprising:

2. 2. The stringed instrument excitation device according to claim 1, wherein the vibration transmission part is either plate-shaped, rod-shaped, or column-shaped extending in its longitudinal direction, or is columnar in shape with a lower surface facing the stringed instrument body extending linearly in the longitudinal direction and a top surface on the opposite side having inclined portions that rise from both ends or from positions a predetermined distance from each of the both ends toward the other end to both ends in the longitudinal direction of a recess located in the center of the longitudinal direction.

3. 3. The stringed instrument excitation device according to claim 2, wherein the plate-shaped or rod-shaped vibration transmission part is pre-curved approximately along the curved surface of the upper surface of the bridge of the stringed instrument, or is curved approximately along the curved surface of the upper surface of the bridge when attached to the stringed instrument.

4. 4. A stringed instrument excitation device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vibration transmission part has a notch for holding at least one of the plurality of strings, the notch having an opening on the upper or lower side of the vibration transmission part and extending from the opening in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmission part.

5. 5. The stringed instrument excitation device according to claim 4, wherein two of the openings are provided on the underside of the vibration transmission part, and when the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to the stringed instrument, the underside of the vibration transmission part pushes two of the plurality of strings downward, and the undersides of the two notches connected to each of the two openings act to pull the other two of the plurality of strings upward.

6. 7. The stringed instrument vibration excitation device according to claim 6, wherein a recess having a substantially semicircular cross section is provided on the lower side of the vibration transmission part at a portion that comes into contact with the two strings.

7. 5. The stringed instrument excitation device according to claim 4, wherein two of the openings are provided on the upper side of the vibration transmission part, and when the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to the stringed instrument, the upper side of the vibration transmission part acts to pull two of the plurality of strings upward, and upper surfaces of the two notches connected to each of the two openings act to push the other two of the plurality of strings downward.

8. 8. A stringed instrument excitation device as described in any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein two vibration devices are provided and attached to both ends of the vibration transmission section in the longitudinal direction, or attached to the upper surface of the vibration transmission section with a gap in the longitudinal direction.

9. 9. The stringed instrument excitation device according to claim 8, wherein the vibration transmission section is divided into two parts at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, and the two divided parts are connected to each other by an elastic member.

10. 6. A stringed instrument excitation device as described in claim 5, wherein when the stringed instrument excitation device is attached to the stringed instrument and a cross-sectional shape of the lower side of the vibration transmission part that comes into contact with the two strings is viewed from the side of the bridge of the stringed instrument, the corners of the lower side of the vibration transmission part facing the bridge are rounded, and elastic members are arranged in each of the parts of the vibration transmission part that come into contact with the two strings.

11. 6. The stringed instrument excitation device according to claim 5, wherein, in a cross-sectional shape viewed from the side of the bridge of the stringed instrument with the stringed instrument excitation device attached to the stringed instrument, the corners of the lower side of the vibration transmission part facing the bridge are rounded, the lower side of the vibration transmission part is curved with approximately the center protruding downward along the longitudinal direction of the strings, and an elastic member is arranged in each of the parts of the vibration transmission part that come into contact with the two strings.

12. 6. The stringed instrument vibration excitation device according to claim 5, wherein when the stringed instrument vibration excitation device is attached to the stringed instrument, in a cross-sectional shape of the notch as viewed from a side of a bridge of the stringed instrument, the lower surface of the notch is curved with approximately the center protruding upward along the longitudinal direction of the string.

13. 14. The stringed instrument vibration excitation device according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic member disposed on at least a portion of the vibration transmission portion on the bridge side of the stringed instrument.

14. 2. The stringed instrument excitation device according to claim 1, wherein the portion located below at least two other strings of the plurality of strings is the lower surface of two notches each having an opening below the vibration transmission portion.

15. 2. The stringed instrument excitation device according to claim 1, wherein the portion located below at least two other strings of the plurality of strings is the lower surface of two notches having openings at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the vibration transmission section.

16. 17. A stringed instrument excitation device as described in claim 15 or 16, wherein the vibration transmission section is divided into two at approximately the center in its longitudinal direction, the vibration generating device is connected to each of the divided vibration transmission sections, and the two divided sections are mutually connected by an elastic member.

17. 14. The stringed instrument vibration excitation device according to claim 6, further comprising an elastic member disposed on a lower surface of the notch.

18. 18. The stringed instrument excitation device according to claim 1, wherein an elastic member is provided at a portion of the vibration transmission part that comes into contact with the string.

19. A vibration transmission unit to which a vibration device that vibrates in response to an input signal can be connected and which is attached to a plurality of strings of a stringed instrument, the side of the stringed instrument body of the plurality of strings that are strung at a predetermined distance from the body of the stringed instrument being defined as a lower side, and the opposite side being defined as an upper side, a portion that is located above at least one of the plurality of strings and presses the at least one string downward when the portion is attached to the plurality of strings; a portion located below at least two other strings of the plurality of strings and pulling the at least two other strings upward; or a portion located below at least one of the plurality of strings and pulling the at least one string upward; a portion located above at least two other strings of the plurality of strings and pressing the at least two other strings downward; The vibration transmission part has the following structure.

20. 19. A stringed instrument excitation system comprising a stringed instrument excitation device according to any one of claims 1 to 18 and a sound source signal providing means for providing a sound source signal to the vibration device of the stringed instrument excitation device.

21. 21. The stringed instrument excitation system according to claim 20, wherein the sound source signal supplying means is configured to supply the sound source signal by reading out sound source data pre-stored in a storage means, or to supply the sound source signal using sound source data supplied from an external source.

22. A method for attaching a stringed instrument vibration excitation device to a plurality of strings of a stringed instrument, the method comprising the steps of: when the stringed instrument body side of the plurality of strings, which are stretched at a predetermined distance from the body of the stringed instrument, is defined as a lower side and the opposite side is defined as an upper side, the stringed instrument vibration excitation device has a vibration device that receives an input signal and vibrates, and a vibration transmission part that is connected to the vibration device and transmits vibration from the vibration device to the strings, the vibration transmission part being plate-shaped or rod-shaped and extending in its longitudinal direction, A method of attaching the stringed instrument excitation device to the stringed instrument by positioning the vibration transmission part under at least one of the strings and under at least two other of the strings, or under at least two of the strings and under at least one other of the strings.

23. A method for attaching a stringed instrument excitation device to a stringed instrument, the method comprising: a vibration device that vibrates in response to an input signal; and a vibration transmission section to which the vibration device is connected and that transmits vibrations to a plurality of strings of the stringed instrument, the vibration transmission section having two openings on its underside and two notches respectively connected to the two openings, the stringed instrument body side of the plurality of strings stretched at a predetermined distance from the body of the stringed instrument being defined as the underside, and the opposite side being defined as the upper side, a vibration transmission unit disposed above the plurality of strings arranged side by side, narrowing the space between the end strings of the plurality of strings arranged side by side and guiding them into the two notches through the two openings, and then returning the space between the end strings to their original space; and disposing the vibration transmission unit so that the lower side of the vibration transmission unit presses downwardly the strings other than the end strings.

24. A method for attaching a stringed instrument excitation device to a stringed instrument, the method comprising: a vibration device that vibrates in response to an input signal; and a vibration transmission section to which the vibration device is connected and that transmits vibrations to a plurality of strings of the stringed instrument, the vibration transmission section having two openings on an upper side and two notches respectively connected to the two openings, the stringed instrument body side of the plurality of strings stretched at a predetermined distance from the body of the stringed instrument being defined as a lower side, and the opposite side being defined as an upper side, A method for attaching the stringed instrument excitation device to the stringed instrument by inserting the vibration transmission unit below the multiple strings that are lined up, widening the gap between the end strings of the multiple strings that are lined up and guiding them into the two notches through the two openings, and then returning the gap between the end strings to their original gap, and positioning the vibration transmission unit so that the upper side of the vibration transmission unit pulls the other strings upward.

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