Auxiliary Device for Stringed Instrument Chord Production
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for assisting in playing stringed instruments are cumbersome, complex, and difficult to attach, and none effectively enable playing with little or no proficiency or ability.
Innovation Solution
An auxiliary device with a housing containing buttons and actuators that strum the strings of a stringed instrument to produce chords, allowing for easy attachment and operation by pressing buttons to engage the actuators and produce chords.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional chord-playing devices are used, then chords can be produced, but the devices are cumbersome and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of chord production by using simple buttons that directly actuate individual strings through actuators, eliminating the need for complex mechanical structures found in traditional chord devices. Each button corresponds to a specific string and produces a specific note when pressed.
Solution Approach 2:
The device segments the chord production function into individual button-actuator-string units, where each button independently controls a specific string. This segmentation allows for simpler individual components while achieving the complex function of producing various chords through combination.
2Ease of operation
If traditional chord-playing devices are used, then chords can be produced, but they take considerable time to attach
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates pre-configured actuators and buttons that are ready for immediate use upon attachment to the instrument neck. The attachment mechanism is designed with preliminary positioning features that align components automatically, eliminating the need for time-consuming assembly procedures.
3Ease of operation
If fingers are used to press strings directly, then chords can be produced, but finger pain and injury occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces actuators as intermediary elements between the buttons and the strings. These actuators mechanically transfer the pressing action from the buttons to the strings, allowing users to play chords without direct finger contact with the string surfaces, thereby eliminating finger pain and injury.
Solution Approach 2:
The device replaces the direct mechanical action of fingers pressing strings with a button-actuator-mechanism system. The actuators serve as mechanical intermediaries that amplify and transfer the pressing force, substituting the user's finger mechanics with a more comfortable and protective mechanical system.
Data Source
AI summary
An auxiliary device coupled to a stringed instrument for producing chords is disclosed. The auxiliary device comprises a housing. The housing comprises a plurality of buttons and a plurality of actuators coupled to the plurality of buttons. Further, the auxiliary device comprises a rim coupled to the housing. In order to couple the auxiliary device to the stringed instrument, a neck of the stringed instrument is placed between the housing and the rim, such that the plurality of actuators are made to come in contact with stings of the stringed instrument. The plurality of buttons is pressed to operate the plurality of actuators. When operated, the plurality of actuators is made to depress to strum the strings to produce a chord.