share on:
"The present invention discloses a number of improvements over the snare drum disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 2,166,733, which issued 4 July 18, 1939."
This invention relates to a snare drum, and more particularly to improved means for supporting the snare.
One feature of this invention is that it provides supports for said snare enabling an active portion substantially the full width of said head; another feature of this invention is that it enables vertical adjustment of the snare to vary the pressure thereof against the head, and thus the quality of the note produced by the drum; yet a further feature of this invention is that improved throw-off or muffling means for the snare is provided; other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification and the drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a drum embodying this invention; Figure la is a detailed view, partly in section, of one of the snare-supporting brackets;
- Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of said drum;
- Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view along the line 3 of Figure 2;
- Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view along the line 4 of Figure 1;
- Figure 5 is a detailed side elevation of the tensioning means; and Figure 6 is a view of one of the plates in said means.
It is desirable to have substantially the entire diameter of one head of the drum available for contact with the active portion of a snare, and to be able to adjust the length of contact of 3(1 the snare and its pressure against the head to enable the quality of note produced by the drum to be altered as desired. An orchestra with a strong preponderance of brass instruments, for example, requires a heavy snare for best effect; that is, the snare should be quite tight against the drum head and contact practically the entire width. On the other hand, other orchestra arrangements require a feather-touch snare for best effect, and this may be achieved only when the snare is in light contact with the head, preferably throughout less than the full diameter.
The present invention achieves these desired results by providing a snare with an active portion the full width of the drum head, and by so supporting the snare that its relation to the head may be readily varied to provide the different snare effects desired. In addition, improved throw-off means are provided to insure the snare being completely separated from the head beyond any possibility of contact therewith when it is desired that the drum be muffled.
In the particular embodiment of the invention disclosed herewith an orchestra model snare drum is shown as comprising a shell 10, batter and snare counterhoops II and 12, and heads 13 and 14 held on said shell by said hoops, hoopholding members 15 being provided for this purpose.
The snare counterhoop 12 is provided with gates 16 and 17 through which a snare 18 is adapted to pass. The snare has an active portion comprising strands of any kind, here shown as spring wire coils 19 carried by strainer plates 20 and 21. Strainer means is provided connected to these plates to enable variation of the tension in the active portion of the snare, these means being here shown as cords 23 and 24 of gut or the like. It will be noted that the bed for the snare head is cut into the shell somewhat near the gates so that, as may be particularly seen from reference to Figure 3, this head is given an arcuate surface along the line of contact with the snare 18. That is, the annular hoop forming the bed is cut down below the plane of the remainder thereof near the gates. The membrane of the head is thus at a lower point near the gates than near the center of the drum, the tension causing a substantially arcuate surface in a section through the gates.
The supporting means for the snare comprises a pair of brackets mounted on the shell 10, these being the butt bracket 25 and strainer bracket 26. Each of these brackets is provided with a portion or member adapted to carry the snare and to be substantially flush with but spaced from the snare head, these members being referred to respectively as 27 and 28. These members are vertically adjustable (vertically here being used with reference to the particular placement of the drum shown) to enable variation in the heighth or placement of the strainer plates 20 and 21 with respect to the snare head 14.
These adjustable members comprise U-shaped portions providing a smooth upper surface, over which the cords 23 and 24 may be drawn, the members being carried on the brackets and adjustable with respect therto by means of threaded studs. Referring more particularly to the strainer bracket 26, it will be seen that the adjustable member 28 is carried by two studs 29 and 30, each having a knurled head portion projecting slightly out beyond said adjustable member 28 to enable ready manual manipulation.
While one end of the snare is fixedly attached to the butt bracket 25, the other end passes over the member 28 carried by the strainer bracket 26 and is fastened to tensioning means of known form. Referring more particularly to Figures 4, 5 and 6, this tensioning means is here shown as comprising a plate or member 31 carried by the bracket 32 and adjustable with respect thereto by the threaded member 33. The bracket is in turn carried by mounting means 34 attached to the shell, and a manually operable lever 35 serves, through interaction of a stud 36 carried thereby with a slot 37 in the plate 38, to vary at will the vertical position of the member 31, and thus the tension in the snare 18. The lever and slot are so arranged that a toggle action results, the lever remaining at either taut position or position of lessened tension, as desired. Intermediate adjustments are made by means of the rotatable threaded member 33.
Vertical adjustment of the members 27 and 28 on the brackets permits the effective supporting plane for the snare to be varied, and since the drum head along this line is slightly arcuate, variation may be had in the length of snare in contact with the drum head and the amount of pressure exerted thereagainst. It will be readily apparent that if the adjustable members are moved to a plane practically flush with the center of the snare head, only a relatively small portion of the snare will be in contact therewith and the "5 pressure thereagainstr will be relatively light, even though the actual tension in the snare strands 19 may be varied by the threaded member 33. On the other hand, if the adjustable members 27 and 28 are moved upwardly (again with reference to the position of the drum as shown in the drawings) until they lie flush with or above the edges of the head, practically the entire width of the head will be in contact with an active portion of the snare, and a much heavier snare will be achieved with different drum quality. The provision of adjustable means at each of the ends of these members permits the plate to be changed somewhat with respect to the plane of the drum head to compensate for any tendency of one side of the snare to draw into tighter engagement with the head than the other side.
The strainer plates 20 and 21 are here shown as carrying flat spring strips of resilient metal 40 and 41. These springs are in contact with the head and so arranged as to bias the strainer plates, and thus the snare, away from the head when the tension in the snare is lessened by manipulation of the handle 35. The tension of said springs is, of course, light enough to permit the snare to be readily drawn into contact with the head by the tensioning means, yet is of sufficient strength to maintain the snare fully removed from the head when the tension is lessened to insure complete muffling of the snare action. The fact that there is considerable resilience in the snare strands 19, here shown as of spring coil wire construction, necessitates the provision of some positive means for holding the strands out of contact with the head when it is desired to muffle the drum.
While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications.
Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.
I claim:
- A drum of the character described, including: a shell; a head; a pair of brackets mounted on opposite sides of said head having adjustable portions substantially flush with but spaced from said head, said adjustable portions comprising members each supported by a pair of independent threaded studs mounted in said brackets, whereby the plane of the upper surface of said members as well as the vertical position thereof may be varied with respect to said head; a snare carried by said adjustable portions, whereby the contact of said snare with said head may be varied; and means on said drum connected to said snare for releasing the tension in said snare.
- A drum of the character described, including: a shell; a head; a snare adapted to contact said head; means on the drum connected to the snare for varying the tension in said snare; and spring means at each end of said snare under compression between the drum and the snare to urge the ends of said snare away from said head, whereby said snare moves away from said head as the tension is lessened. 3. A drum of the character described, including: a shell; a head; a snare adapted to contact said head; means on the drum connected to the snare for varying the tension in said snare; and thrust springs comprising resilient metal strips mounted on said snare at each end thereof in contact with said head and positioned between said snare and said head to urge said snare away from said head, said springs being of such elasticity that said snare can be drawn into contact with said head by said tensioning means yet of sufficient strength to maintain said snare removed from said head when the tension is lessened.
HENRY H. SLINGERLAND.
This invention relates to a snare drum, and more particularly to improved adjusting and throw-in mechanism for supporting the snare and rendering it effective or ineffective.
One feature of this invention is that it provides improved supporting means for a snare; another feature of this invention is that it enables ready adjustment of the tension in the snare when it is in operative position, to vary its pressure against the head of the drum; a further fea- (1 ture of this invention is the provision of improved throw-in means for rendering the snare effective or ineffective; yet another feature of this invention is an improved type of mounting bracket for the snare; a further feature of this invention is the provision of means connecting the snare to the bracket such that the snare is automatically self-aligning with relation to the drum head; other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification and from the drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a drum embodying this invention;
- Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the drum, particularly illustrating the throw-in mechanism;
- Figure 3 is a detail view, partly broken away, of the operating lever and eccentric;
- Figure 4 is a detail view, partly broken away, of the end of the bracket with which the throw-in eccentric cooperates;
- Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view along the 3C line 5 of Figure 4;
- Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view of the drum along the line 6 of Figure 1;
- Figure 7 is a detail view of the connection between the snare and the bracket, along the line 7 of Figure 6;
- Figure 8 is another detail of the connection between the snare and the bracket, along the line 8 of Figure 6.
The present invention discloses a number of improvements over the snare drum disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 2,166,733, which issued 4 July 18, 1939.
In a snare drum the snare must be supported in operative association with one head of the drum, and in such manner that it may be made effective or ineffective very conveniently and quickly. In addition, there must be some means of adjusting the pressure of the snare against its associated head to vary the quality of the note produced by the drum when the snare is effective.
In connection with some types of orchestras or arrangements, the most pleasing effect is obtained by the use of what is known as a heavy snare; that is, when the snare strands are quite tight against the head. Other conditions make a very light contact preferable, to achieve what 65 is generally known as a feather-touch snaring.
In addition, as mentioned above, means must be provided whereby the drummer may very quickly render the snare either effective or ineffective, and in connection with this means there should be some arrangement for ensuring proper muffling of the snare; that is, ensuring that the snare strands are completely out of contact with the drum head when the throw-in mechanism is in Sineffective position.
I have provided improved means for accomplishing these and other objects. The principal parts of my improved snare supporting and operating mechanism are a pair of brackets on opposite sides of the shell, pivotally mounted thereon intermediate their ends, each bracket having one end substantially flush with but spaced from the snare head; means for rocking one of the brackets about its axis; and maintaining it in any desired position to effect adjustment in the tension of the snare when it is in effective position; throw-in mechanism for rocking the other bracket about its axis to render the snare effective or ineffective, this mechanism operating on the eccentric principle; and spring means on the brackets urging the snare away from the head to ensure proper muffling when the snare is intended to be in ineffective position.
In the particular embodiment of my invention disclosed herewith an orchestra model snare drum is shown. This comprises as its principal parts a shell 10, batter and snare counter hoops 11 and 12, and heads 13 and 14 held on the shell by the hoops, the hoops in turn being held in place on the shell by brackets 15 and tensioning studs 16.
The snare counter hoop 12 has gates 17 and 18 therethrough. The snare is supported by means lying outside of these gates and extends through the gates into operative association with the snare head 14. The active portion of the snare is here shown as comprising spring wire coils 19 carried by strainer plates 20 and 21.
These are in turn carried by brackets on opposite sides of the shell, as will be now more fully described.
Referring more particularly to Figure 6, it will be seen that brackets 22 and 23 are mounted on opposite sides of the shell 10, these brackets being pivotally mounted, substantially at their center, on mounting elements 24 and 25 rigidly fastened to the shell in any desired manner. Each of the brackets 22 and 23 is thus capable of rocking movement about a point intermediate its ends, as about the axes 26 and 27. One end of each of the brackets is substantially flush with but spaced from the snare head of the drum; and it is to these ends that the snare is connected.
The bracket 22 has associated with its other end throw-in mechanism shown in more detail in Figures 2 to 5. The end of the bracket 22 is provided with, in this particular embodiment of my invention, a V-shaped transverse groove 28, having an opening 29 through the center thereof.
A stud 30 extends through this opening and is rigidly fastened to the shell, as by being screwed ] into a box 31 therein. The stud serves as an axis for the throw-in element indicated in general as 32. This element comprises as its parts a V-shaped convex portion 33, and telescoping parts 34 and 35 making up the operating lever.
A spring 36 about the stud 30 urges the associated end of the bracket 22 out away from the shell. When the eccentric 33 is properly registered with the groove or recess 23 (as shown in Figure 5) the spring 36 keeps its end of the bracket out away from the shell, rocking the bracket about its axis 26 and causing the other end to move in closer to the shell. This results in decreasing the tension in the snare to such an extent that it moves to ineffective position, out of contact with the snare head 14. On the other hand, movement of the operating lever in either direction from this position causes the eccentric 33 to ride up out of the recess 28, forcing the end of the bracket in against the resistance interposed by the spring 30 and by the tension in the snare, thus moving the snare to effective position in contact with the snare head. It will be noted that the eccentric 33 is not squarely transverse to the operating lever, but at a slight angle. The arrangement is such that the lever lies in the position shown in solid lines in Figure 2 when the snare is in ineffective position; and movement of the lever to the position shown in dotted lines. Figure 2 causes the snare to be thrown in, or made effective. The making of the operating lever in two telescoping parts enables the end of the lever to project above the batter counter hoop 11 if desired (as shown in Figure 2); or the two parts of the lever may be collapsed or telescoped into each other when the drum is packed for carrying. When the end of the lever projects about the counter hoop particularly convenient and easy operation of the throw-in mechanism is possible, since the lever can be merely flicked with one of the drum sticks.
Turning now to the other bracket 23, it will be seen that the stud 37, having a knurled thumb nut at its outer end, extends through an opening in the end of the bracket 23 and is rotatably threaded into a box 39 in the shell 10. A spring 40 urges the end of the bracket out away from the shell. Rotation of the thumb nut 38 effects rocking of the bracket 23 about its axis 27, the spring 40 always keeping the end of the bracket against the thumb nut and the position of this member determining the position of the associated end of the bracket. This arrangement enables adjustment of the tension in the snare independent of the throw-in mechanism. That is, the drummer would first operate the throwin mechanism to move the snare to effective position in contact with the snare head; then he would rotate the thumb nut 38 in one direction or the other until the desired quality of note was obtained. Thereafter he would merely throw the snare into or out of operation by use of the throw-in mechanism, not again varying the adjustment in association with the bracket 23 until some change in the orchestra or type of music made it desirable to change the quality of the snare effect.
The connection between the strainer plates 20 and 21 and their respective supporting brackets 22 and 23 is such that the snare is automatically self-aligning. This is necessary in order to secure the best snare effect, since sometimes the wire coils vary slightly in tension. If the connection to the strainer plates were rigid such .0 variation would result in one or more of the snare strands being in tighter engagement with the snare head than the others.
As may be best seen in Figures 6, 7 and 8, the ends of the brackets near the snare head terminate in hook portions 41 and 42. Since the connections between both strainer plates and brackets are the same, only one will be described in detail. Referring more particularly to strainer 21 and the end of bracket 23, it will be seen that the strainer plate is provided with an elongated opening 43 through which the hook portion 42 projects, the relative size of these parts being such that they are a loose fit. The center of the hook portion 42 is provided with a protuberance or bumped-out portion 44 which engages the edge of the slot 43. If all of the snare strands are under equal tension the relative position of the parts will be as shown in Figure 8; but if the strands toward one side of the snare are under more tension than those of the other side, the strainer plate can shift slightly to compensate for this difference. Moreover, rocking of either bracket about its mounting axis does not distort the snare position, since there is a transverse movement or hinging effect. That is, the strainer plate 21 is free to move up or down with relation to its connection to the end of the bracket 23.
In order to ensure proper muffling of the snare, spring elements 45 and 46 are mounted on the brackets 22 and 23 and adapted to have their outer ends bear against the strainer plates 20 and 21, respectively. These are strips of spring metal, and they are so fashioned that, when they are in the position shown in Figure 6, they are under tension. This tension urges the strainer plates with which they are in contact out away from the snare head, so that when the throw-in mechanism is moved to a position designed to render the snare ineffective these springs ensure movement of the snare away from the snare head. Their location to the inside of the bracket and beneath the strainer plates conceals them from view under normal conditions; and yet they are highly effective.
While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications.
Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.
I claim:
- Apparatus of the character described for providing self-adjusting connection between the strainer member at the end of a snare and a bracket member on the shell of a drum, including: an elongated opening through one of said members; and a hook portion on the other member adapted to extend through said opening and bear against one edge thereof, the engagement normally being only with the center of said hook portion.
- Apparatus of the character described for providing self-adjusting connection between the strainer member at the end of a snare and a bracket member on the shell of a drum, including: an elongated opening in the strainer member; and a broad hook portion on the bracket member adapted to extend through the opening, the hook portion having a central protuberance normally being the only part in engagement with the edge of the opening.
- Apparatus of the character described for supporting a snare on a drum having a shell and a head, including: a bracket mounted on the shell and having a portion substantially flush with but spaced from the head; a movable connection between one end of the snare and said portion; and spring means on said bracket urging said snare away from said head.
- Apparatus of the character described for supporting a snare on a drum having a shell and a head, including: a bracket mounted on the shell and having a portion substantially flush with but spaced from the head; a strainer plate on the end of the snare; a pivotal connection between the plate and said portion; and a spring on the bracket bearing against the plate to urge the snare away from the head.
- Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 1, including a spring on the bracket member bearing against the strainer member to urge the snare away from the head of the drum.
- Apparatus of the character described for operatively mounting a snare on a drum having a shell and a head, including: a bracket mounted on one side of said shell; a second bracket pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on the opposite side of said shell, one end of each bracket being substantially flush with but spaced from said head, the snare being carried by said ends; and means for rocking the second bracket about its mounting to render the snare effective or ineffective, this means including a lever and eccentric mounted on the shell and in pivotal association with the other end of the second bracket, the eccentric being rotatable about an axis perpendicular to that of the second bracket.
- Apparatus of the character described for operatively mounting a snare on a drum having a shell and a head, including: a pair of brackets pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on opposite sides of said shell, each having one end substantially flush with but spaced from said head, the snare being carried by said ends; threaded means for rocking one of the brackets about its pivotal mounting to adjust the tension of the snare against the head; and throw-in means for rocking the other bracket about its pivotal mounting to render the snare effective or ineffective, the throw-in means including a pivotally mounted eccentric member and a lever for rotating it, whereby the snare is rendered effective by movement of the lever in either direction from ineffective position.
- Apparatus of the character described for operatively mounting a snare on a drum having a shell and a head including: a pair of brackets pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on opposite sides of said shell, each having one end substantially flush with but spaced from said head, the snare being carried by said ends; threaded means for rocking one of the brackets about its pivotal mounting to adjust the tension of the snare against the head, the threaded means being adapted to move the end of the bracket furthest from the head toward the shell; spring means urging said end away from the shell; and throw-in means for rocking the other bracket about its pivotal mounting to render the snare effective or ineffective.
HENRY H. SLINGERLAND.
