percussion instruments

Abstract

To provide a percussion instrument that produces sounds with rich overtones. The metal percussion instrument (1) has a metal tubular body (11) that is open at both ends. throughout An oxide film 12 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the main body 11. throughout Multiple Uneven hammer marks are formed A plurality of grooves 15 may be formed in the oxide film 12. Furthermore, a pair of hanging members 16 may be provided at positions opposite to each other in the radial direction of the main body 11 to hang the main body 11 so that the main body 11 can swing freely when subjected to an external force.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to percussion instruments, particularly metal percussion instruments. [Background technology]

[0002] Various musical instruments, including percussion instruments, are known. The timbre of a percussion instrument is determined by a combination of a fundamental tone based on a specific fundamental frequency and the harmonics of that fundamental tone. It is said that the sound produced by a superior instrument contains many harmonics, creating a rich, undulating sound. It is also said that the undulations of sound stimulate emotional responses. Therefore, some instruments that produce rich harmonics are used in healing, etc., as they are believed to have a strong effect on mental stability, mental concentration, and healing.

[0003] As mentioned above, instruments that produce a rich, undulating sound, i.e., many overtones, are considered superior, and because such instruments are handcrafted by skilled craftsmen, they are very expensive. In other words, the sound produced by inexpensive instruments tends to contain few overtones, making them insufficient for stimulating emotional processes.

[0004] To solve this problem, Patent Document 1 proposes a thin paper-like material containing fibers that can be attached to existing musical instruments. When an instrument with this thin paper-like material attached is played, the vibrations of the instrument vibrate the thin paper-like material, which can generate more overtones than the instrument itself. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-109465 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 involves simply attaching a thin paper-like material to an instrument, potentially increasing the number of overtones produced easily and inexpensively. Another advantage is that it can be used on any type of instrument. However, because it uses a material not found on typical instruments, it may affect the appearance and playability. Therefore, there is a demand for an instrument that produces a sound with rich overtones without affecting the appearance or playability.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a percussion instrument that produces sounds with rich overtones. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, one of the inventors, Sho Mizutani, came up with the idea that by making the surface of a metal pipe into a complex shape, it might be possible to generate many overtones, and he conducted extensive research with Kei Nezu, another inventor and swordsmith. As a result, the present invention has been developed into a metal percussion instrument comprising a metal tubular body with both ends open, and an outer circumferential surface of the body. throughout An oxide film is formed on the outer surface of the body. throughout Multiple Uneven hammer marks are formed This led me to think of percussion instruments that are used in music.

[0009] This percussion instrument can be made by applying the swordsmithing technique of heating a metal tubular body with a flame and hammering it with a hammer. The oxide film formed on the outer surface of the body is formed when the body is heated with a flame. Hammer marks is hammered by hand by the swordsmith. Therefore The hammer marks created by the swordsmith have a moderate degree of unevenness and irregularity, which contributes greatly to the generation of rich overtones, just as the inventor envisioned. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that an even richer overtone is generated by forming an oxide film on the outer surface of the body.

[0010] In one preferred embodiment of the percussion instrument according to the present invention, a plurality of grooves are formed in the oxide film.

[0011] In this configuration, grooves are formed in at least the oxide film, creating a more complex outer surface shape. This complexity of the outer surface shape can produce richer overtones. The groove shape can also affect emotional responses.

[0012] One preferred embodiment of the percussion instrument of the present invention is provided with a pair of hanging members that are arranged at radially opposite positions on the main body and that suspend the main body so that it can swing freely when subjected to an external force.

[0013] With this configuration, the percussion instrument according to the present invention can be hung from a stand or the like via a hanging member, or can be held by a player's hand. The player strikes the suspended percussion instrument with a mallet or the like to produce sound. At this time, the percussion instrument is able to oscillate freely in response to this external force. Specifically, the percussion instrument oscillates back and forth roughly in the direction of the strike. This back and forth oscillation causes the percussion instrument to repeatedly approach and move away from the listener. This generates a Doppler effect, which, combined with the original undulation, produces a sound that sounds like it has a complex vibrato. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a percussion instrument according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a percussion instrument according to the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is an enlarged view of the outer periphery of a percussion instrument according to the present invention; [Figure 4] (a) A diagram showing the frequency characteristics of the sound produced by the percussion instrument of the present invention, and (b) A diagram showing the frequency characteristics of the sound produced by the straight metal tube that forms the main body of the percussion instrument of the present invention. [Figure 5] (a) A diagram showing the time series change in the intensity of the sound emitted by the percussion instrument of the present invention, and (b) A diagram showing the time series change in the intensity of the sound emitted by the straight metal tube that forms the main body of the percussion instrument of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of a state in which a percussion instrument according to the present invention is used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The percussion instrument according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 are a front view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of the percussion instrument 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the outer periphery of the percussion instrument 1 according to this embodiment. In the following description, "upper" and "lower" refer to the position shown in FIG. 1. As shown in the drawings, the percussion instrument 1 has a straight-tube-shaped main body 11. The main body 11 is hollow, i.e., pipe-shaped, with both upper and lower ends open. The main body 11 is made of metal, such as stainless steel. The material of the main body 11 is not particularly limited and can be selected depending on the desired tone, etc. A radial through-hole 14 is formed about one-quarter of the way from the top end of the main body 11. In other words, a pair of through-holes 14 are formed in the main body 11 at opposing positions across the axis. As will be described later, a string member 16 (an example of a hanging member in this invention) for suspending the percussion instrument 1 is inserted through this through-hole 14. When the percussion instrument 1 is struck with a mallet or the like to produce sound, the position where the insertion hole 14 is formed serves as the fulcrum for the swing. On the other hand, the position where the mallet or the like is struck serves as the point of force. Therefore, if the insertion hole 14 is positioned too close to the top end, the distance between the fulcrum and the point of force becomes large, which may cause the percussion instrument 1 to swing too much. On the other hand, if the insertion hole 14 is positioned too close to the center of the body 11, stability when stationary decreases. It is preferable to determine the position of the insertion hole 14 with these points in mind.

[0016] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, an oxide film 12 is formed over the entire outer periphery of the body 11. The outer periphery appears dark in Figure 3 due to the color of this oxide film 12. Also, as shown in Figure 3, uneven hammer marks 13 are formed over the entire outer periphery of the percussion instrument 1. .difference1, a plurality of linear grooves 15 are formed near the upper and lower ends of the outer peripheral surface of the percussion instrument 1, extending in the axial direction of the body 11. The depth of the grooves 15 may be approximately the same as the thickness of the oxide film 12 or slightly greater. In other words, the grooves 15 are formed at least in the oxide film 12, and may be deep enough to reach the body 11.

[0017] The percussion instrument 1 in this embodiment is made using traditional swordsmithing techniques. Specifically, a swordsmith hammered a metal straight pipe that served as the base for the body 11, which had been heated in charcoal. The oxide coating 12 was formed by the charcoal fire, and the hammer marks 13 were formed by hammering. Because the hammer marks 13 were formed by hand, their size is uneven and their location is irregular. The hammer marks 13 and grooves 15 give the outer surface of the percussion instrument 1 a highly complex shape, which significantly affects the sound produced by the percussion instrument 1. Furthermore, by forming grooves 15 on the outer surface of the percussion instrument 1, the shape of the outer surface of the percussion instrument 1 becomes even more complex, enabling it to produce a richer range of overtones.

[0018] FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing the frequency characteristics (power spectrum) of the sound produced by the percussion instrument 1 of this embodiment. FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing the frequency characteristics of the sound produced by the metal straight pipe (hereinafter referred to as the "original straight pipe") that is the base of the main body 11. The x-axis in these diagrams is a logarithmic axis. Although the fundamental pitch of the percussion instrument 1 and the original straight pipe used in the experiment is around 430 Hz, they are not precisely tuned. Furthermore, the percussion instrument 1 used in this experiment does not have a groove 15.

[0019] As shown in Figure 4, the sounds produced by Percussion Instrument 1 and the original straight pipe contain the fundamental, third harmonic, and fifth harmonic (frequencies indicated by dotted lines in the figure) to similar extents. However, the sound produced by Percussion Instrument 1 also contains many non-integer harmonics between these integer harmonics, as well as high-frequency harmonics of seventh harmonic and above. These frequency characteristics show that the sound produced by Percussion Instrument 1 contains an extremely rich range of harmonics.

[0020] Figures 5(a) and (b) show the time-series changes in the intensity of the sounds produced by Percussion Instrument 1 and the Hara Straight Pipe, respectively. As shown in these figures, the sound produced by Percussion Instrument 1 has a shorter period of change in intensity and a slower decay compared to the sound produced by the Hara Straight Pipe. As a result, the sound produced by Percussion Instrument 1 has a rich, undulating feel and a longer sustain.

[0021] Since the main body 11 and the straight metal pipe are made of the same material, the difference in their sound characteristics is thought to be due to the oxide film 12 and the hammer marks 13.

[0022] One of the inventors, Sho Mizutani, came up with the idea that by making the shape of the outer surface of the main body 11 more complex, the sound would contain richer overtones and the sustain would be longer. Based on this idea, he worked diligently with another inventor, swordsmith Kei Nezu, to discover that these characteristics would be even more pronounced by forming an oxide film 12 on the outer surface of the main body 11, and thus completed the present invention. Furthermore, they discovered that these characteristics could be improved by forming grooves 15 on the outer surface of the main body 11.

[0023] Next, we will explain how to use the percussion instrument 1. As mentioned above, the percussion instrument 1 can produce sounds with rich overtones and a long sustain, but how it sounds is important. Examples of instruments using metal rod-shaped or tubular members similar to the percussion instrument 1 of the present invention include tubular bells (concert chimes, symphonic chimes) and wind chimes (tree chimes, bar chimes). The former involve multiple tubes set on a stand and struck with a hammer or similar instrument to produce sound; the tubes vibrate but do not oscillate. On the other hand, the latter involves multiple bars hung adjacent to each other and oscillating them with the hands or other means to produce sound. The bars oscillate, but because they collide with each other, they do not oscillate freely.

[0024] In contrast, it is important that the percussion instrument 1 according to the present invention produces sound while being able to swing freely. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the percussion instrument 1 in use. First, a string member 16 is inserted through the insertion hole 14 of the main body 11. Loop portions 16a are formed on both ends of the string member 16, allowing it to be hung from a stand 2, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the portion of the string member 16 that is exposed to the outside through the insertion hole 14 corresponds to the hanging member in the present invention. As shown in Figure 6, the percussion instrument 1 suspended via the string member 16 is oriented with its axis aligned vertically.

[0025] The stand 2 is used to hang the percussion instrument 1 and includes a base 21 and a support member 22. The base 21 is a plate-like member, and its weight and area are set to ensure stability in consideration of the weight of the percussion instrument 1. The support member 22 is a rod-like member shaped like an inverted L. Specifically, the support member 22 is composed of a vertical portion 22a extending upward from the base 21 and a horizontal portion 22b extending horizontally from the upper end of the vertical portion 22a. The percussion instrument 1 can be hung from the stand 2 by inserting the loop portion 16a of the string member 16 of the percussion instrument 1 into the horizontal portion 22b. Two recesses are formed in the horizontal portion 22b, and the loop portion 16a is fitted into the recesses to prevent the loop portion 16a from sliding relative to the horizontal portion 22b. In this case, it is preferable to position the loop portion 16a so that the string member 16 forms a V-shape.

[0026] Furthermore, if the horizontal portion 22b is positioned along the diagonal of the base 21 in a plan view and the percussion instrument 1 is positioned at the center of gravity of the base 21, the stand 2 can stably support the percussion instrument 1.

[0027] In this way, percussion instrument 1 is hung from stand 2 and struck with a mallet or the like to produce sound. The force of striking with a mallet or the like corresponds to the external force in the present invention. The striking position can be arbitrary, but if a large swing of body 11 is desired, a position below the center of body 11 is preferable. As a result, body 11 produces sound while swinging back and forth in the direction of the strike with the mallet or the like.

[0028] As described above, the percussion instrument 1 according to the present invention is characterized by its rich overtones and long sustain, but its sound also gives a sense of convergence, making it suitable for use in enhancing mental concentration and relaxation. For percussion instruments 1 used for such purposes, it is preferable to set the fundamental tone to 432 Hz, which is believed to have the effects of calming the mind and body, relaxation, and stress reduction. The fundamental tone of the percussion instrument 1 can be adjusted by changing the length and thickness of the body 11.

[0029] As described above, the sound produced by the percussion instrument 1 according to the present invention contains a variety of overtones (non-integer harmonics), which gives the impression of a very rich, undulating sound. Some say that an instrument that produces a sound with a rich, undulating sound is a superior instrument. It is also said that the undulating sound stimulates emotional responses and produces an ecstatic psychological effect.

[0030] Another important factor is that percussion instrument 1 can oscillate freely when it is produced. As percussion instrument 1 oscillates, it repeatedly approaches and moves away from the listener. This causes the Doppler effect, resulting in frequency fluctuations. This causes the sound to undulate and fluctuate in pitch, giving the impression of a complex vibrato. Furthermore, as percussion instrument 1 oscillates, its relative position to the listener changes from moment to moment, creating a stereophonic effect.

[0031] Because visual stimuli are an important factor in emotional responses, the visual characteristics of the percussion instrument 1 are also important. As described above, the body 11 is a straight tube that is oriented vertically when at rest. The grooves 15 formed on the outer surface of the percussion instrument 1 are also linear and extend in the axial direction. Therefore, the percussion instrument 1 in this embodiment has a shape that points up and down, and this visual stimulation creates a desire to promote growth.

[0032] Furthermore, the visual stimulus from the color of the percussion instrument 1 is also important. The oxide film 12 covering the outer surface of the percussion instrument 1 is a dull color close to black. This color, along with straight lines, is associated with enlightenment. Therefore, the visual stimuli received from the shape and color of the percussion instrument 1 have a synergistic effect, and it can be expected to evoke a strong emotional response.

[0033] As described above, the percussion instrument 1 according to the present invention can produce a sound with rich overtones and a long sustain thanks to the oxide coating 12 and hammer marks 13 formed on its outer surface. This sound with rich overtones is perceived as a rich undulation. Furthermore, the free oscillation of the percussion instrument 1 itself produces pitch changes due to the Doppler effect, and the sound is perceived as vibrato. This vibrato is due to the shape of the percussion instrument 1 and is independent of the player's technique. Furthermore, the oscillation of the percussion instrument 1 changes the relative position of the percussion instrument 1 to the listener, creating a stereophonic effect. Additionally, the visual stimuli provided by the shape and color of the percussion instrument 1 also affect emotional responses. Each of these features contributes to relaxation, mental stability, and other benefits, resulting in a synergistic effect that further enhances these benefits.

[0034] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above-described embodiment, linear grooves 15 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of percussion instrument 1, but the shape of grooves 15 is not limited to this and may be other shapes. Also, grooves 15 may not be formed at all.

[0035] (2) In the above embodiment, the main body 11 has a straight tubular shape, but it may have any other tubular shape.

[0036] (3) In the above embodiment, the percussion instrument 1 is made to sound while suspended from the stand 2, but it may also be made to sound while the vicinity of both ends of the string member 16 is gripped by hand.

[0037] (4) In the above embodiment, a pair of radially opposing insertion holes 14 are formed in the percussion instrument 1, and a part of the string member 16 inserted therethrough is used as the hanging member. However, the hanging member may have a different configuration. For example, the insertion holes 14 may not be provided, and a linear member extending from the outer peripheral surface of the percussion instrument 1 may be used as the hanging member. Naturally, the configuration of the hanging member is not limited to these and may be modified as appropriate, as long as the object of the present invention is achieved. 。 [Industrial Applicability]

[0038] The present invention can be used as a single-tone percussion instrument. It is also possible to use multiple percussion instruments 1 with different fundamental tones, but in that case, it is more suitable for use in experiencing the swelling sound produced by the multiple percussion instruments 1 rather than playing a melody. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1: Percussion 11: Main body 12: Oxide film 13: Hammered 15: Groove 16: String member (hanging member)

Claims

1. A metal percussion instrument, A metal tubular body having open ends, an oxide film is formed over the entire outer circumferential surface of the main body; A percussion instrument having a plurality of uneven hammer marks formed over the entire outer periphery of the body.

2. 2. The percussion instrument according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of grooves are formed in the oxide film.

3. 3. The percussion instrument according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of suspending members provided at radially opposite positions on the main body for suspending the main body so that the main body can swing freely when subjected to an external force.

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