Capo for adjusting pitch of individual strings

Abstract

A pitch adjusting device, such as a capo, and a method for adjusting the pitch for a stringed instrument that comprises a neck. The capo comprises at least one string actuating member that is an elongated member held to the capo by a biasing means such that the string actuating member extends along the extension direction of the neck when the capo is attached to the stringed instrument. The string actuating member is adjustable in a linear direction along said extension direction at the biasing means.

Claims

1. A capo for attachment to a neck or a head of a stringed instrument, wherein the capo is configured to be equipped with a plurality of string actuating members, wherein each string actuating member is associated with one string of the stringed instrument, wherein the string actuating member is an elongated member held to the capo by a biasing means such that said string actuating member extends through the biasing means and along an extension direction of the neck when the capo is attached to the stringed instrument, wherein said string actuating member is adjustable in a linear direction along said extension direction of the neck at the biasing means, wherein each string actuating member is separately adjustable along the length of the string, wherein the string actuating member is biased, at the biasing means, towards the string by a spring element or an elastic member, and wherein the string actuating member is adjustable at the biasing means without releasing the capo from the stringed instrument.

2. The capo of claim 1, wherein the string actuating member is adapted to reduce the playable length of a specific string through actuating said string against any one of a fretboard, a finger board, and the front side of the neck.

3. The capo of claim 1, wherein the string actuating member is longer than 12 cm.

4. The capo of claim 1, wherein the string actuating member is extending from the biasing means and actuating a string at least 10 cm from said biasing means.

5. The capo of claim 1, wherein the capo further comprises an attachment means for securing the capo to the stringed instrument.

6. The capo of claim 1, wherein the biasing means is adapted to be actuated between a first position biasing the string actuating member towards a string of the stringed instrument and a second position wherein the string actuating member is adjustable without any tension at the biasing means.

7. The capo of claim 1, wherein the string actuating member is adjustable at the biasing means without releasing the attachment means of the capo from the stringed instrument.

8. The capo of claim 1, wherein the spring element is a torsion, compression or extension spring, and is used to place the string actuating member in a state of tension between the biasing means and the string.

9. The capo of claim 1, wherein said capo is adapted to be attached above the nut of the stringed instrument.

10. The capo of claim 1, wherein the biasing means is adapted to bias the string actuating member towards a string of the stringed instrument.

11. The capo of claim 1, wherein the capo comprises at least three string actuating members.

12. The capo of claim 1, wherein the string actuating member comprises a string holding means adapted to abut a single string.

13. The capo of claim 1, wherein said capo comprises multiple string actuating members, each associated with one string of the stringed instrument, and wherein each string actuating member is separately adjustable at the biasing means along the direction of the length of the string.

14. The capo of claim 1, wherein the capo comprises the same number of string actuating members as the number of strings on the stringed instrument.

15. The capo of claim 1, wherein the capo is part of the stringed instrument.

16. The capo of claim 8, wherein the biasing means is a torsion spring.

17. The capo of claim 1, wherein the attachment means may further comprise an attachment plate distributing the load over the neck of a stringed instrument.

18. The capo of claim 1, wherein capo is arranged to be attached to any of the neck, above the nut or to the head of the stringed instrument.

19. A guitar, comprising: a neck; a head; and a capo attached to the neck or the head, the capo is configured to be equipped with a plurality of string actuating members, wherein each string actuating member is associated with one string of the guitar, wherein the string actuating member is an elongated member held to the capo by a biasing means such that said string actuating member extends through the biasing means and along an extension direction of the neck when the capo is attached to the stringed instrument, wherein said string actuating member is adjustable in a linear direction along said extension direction of the neck at the biasing means, wherein each string actuating member is separately adjustable along the length of the string wherein the string actuating member is biased, at the biasing means, towards the string by a spring element or an elastic member, and wherein the string actuating member is adjustable at the biasing means without releasing the capo from the stringed instrument.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the capo attached to a stringed instrument.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of the capo.

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the attachment means and the biasing means of the capo.

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a capo with two string actuating members extending through the biasing means.

(6) FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of a capo with six string actuating members.

(7) FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of biasing means and string actuating members of a capo.

(8) FIG. 7a illustrates one embodiment of a biasing means of the capo.

(9) FIG. 7b illustrates one embodiment of an attachment means of the capo.

(10) FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of a capo attached to a stringed instrument.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(11) In the following, a detailed description of the different embodiments of the solution is disclosed under reference to the accompanying drawings. All examples herein should be seen as part of the general description and are therefore possible to combine in any way of general terms. Individual features of the various embodiments and aspects may be combined or exchanged unless such combination or exchange is clearly contradictory to the overall function of the capo.

(12) Briefly described the solution relates to a capo adapted to be attached to a stringed instrument, wherein the capo comprises at least one string actuating member that may adjust the pitch of a specific string through pressing it towards any one of a fretboard, a finger board, or the front side of the neck of the stringed instrument. The string actuating member is attached to the capo by a biasing means enabling the string actuating member to be adjusted without removing or releasing the attachment of the capo from the stringed instrument.

(13) FIG. 1 illustrates a capo 1 attached to the head 2b of a stringed instrument 2. In this particular illustration the stringed instrument 2 is a guitar with six strings 9. However, the capo 1 as described herein can be used with other types of stringed instruments 2. The capo 1 has at least one, or as illustrated in FIG. 1 three string actuating members 3 extending through a biasing means 4 along the extension direction of the neck 2a. The extension direction of the neck 2a as described herein is a bidirectional direction, however, it shall be noted that the string actuating members 3 only actuates strings in one direction from the biasing means 4 as shown in FIG. 1. The string actuating members 3 are elongated members biased towards the strings by means of the biasing means 4. In the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 1 the biasing means 4 is a material with openings allowing individual biasing of the string actuating members 3. However, different form of biasing means 4, with or without one or more spring members, may be used in different embodiments as described herein and illustrated in the set of figures. As illustrated in FIG. 1 the capo 1 is arranged above the nut of the stringed instrument 2 in some embodiments.

(14) The string actuating member 3 further comprises a string holding means 5 at the end of the string actuating member 3. The string holding means 5 is adapted to ensure that the string actuating member 3 holds the string securely and can for example be a rubber case around the string actuating member 3 or a slot in the string actuating member 3 securing the string 9.

(15) As further shown in FIG. 1 it is one advantage with the present solution that the string actuating members 3 don't block the access to other strings on the stringed instrument 2. Thereby, it is possible to play strings currently not actuated by a string actuating member 3 all the way to the nut or to the first fret of the fretboard (if the stringed instrument has a fretboard) without interference with the capo 1. This is further enabled by the capo 1 in some embodiments being arranged above the nut of the stringed instrument 2.

(16) As previously stated, the stringed instrument 2 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is a guitar but the stringed instrument 2 could be any other form of instrument utilizing vibrating strings, such as a twelve-stringed guitar, a violin, a cello, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, or similar.

(17) FIG. 2 illustrates the embodiment of the capo 1 as shown in FIG. 1, however in FIG. 2 the capo 1 isn't attached to a stringed instrument 2.

(18) FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of an attachment means 7 and a biasing means 4 of a capo 1. It shall be noted that many different sorts of attachment means 7 can be used to attach the capo 1 to a stringed instrument 2.

(19) FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of the capo 1 with two string actuating members 3 extending through the biasing means 4.

(20) FIG. 1-4 further illustrates parts that in some embodiments are parts of the capo 1, such as screws enabling adjustment of the tension created by the biasing means 4.

(21) FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of the capo 1 comprising multiple string actuating members 3 extending through biasing means 4. The biasing means 4 are in the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 5 rotatably arranged around an axis 6 (as shown in FIG. 6) and adapted to bias the string actuating members 3 separately towards a string 9 of a stringed instrument 2.

(22) FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of the biasing means 4 from the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 5 and the axis 6 enabling the biasing means 4 to be rotatably arranged.

(23) FIG. 7a illustrate one embodiment of part of the biasing means 4 with an opening 6a adapted to receive the axis 6 (as illustrated in FIG. 6). FIG. 7a further illustrates how the opening 6a has a slit adapted to receive part of a spring member that in some embodiments enables the biasing means 4 to bias a string actuating member 3 towards a string 9 of a stringed instrument 2.

(24) FIG. 7b illustrates one embodiment of parts of a capo 1, there among the attachment means 7. In some embodiments, the attachment means 7 may further comprise an attachment plate 7a distributing the load over the neck 2a of a stringed instrument 2 to reduce the risk of damaging the instrument.

(25) FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of a capo 1, wherein the capo 1 is arranged on the neck 2a of the stringed instrument 2. FIG. 8 further illustrates how the capo 1 is arranged below the nut 2c in contrary to for example FIG. 1 wherein the capo 1 is arranged above the nut 2c.