Abstract
Improvements in stringed instrument playing tool is disclosed. The guitar pick stick has curved and flat surfaces that allows the tool to strike one or multiple strings using the curved surface or to strike multiple strings using the side of the curved surface to reach end strings or all of the strings on the instrument. The end can be pointed, fanned or have other shapes that further be used to pick or strum individual strings. Using the different areas can produce different sounds and in addition, striking the strings at different locations along the length of the strings can produce different tonal effects. A raised area can exist in the center or off-center of the guitar pick stick and allows the user to rub the raised area of the guitar pick stick across one or a variety of strings to provide a different acoustical sound.
Claims
1. A guitar pick stick comprising: a curved shaft; said curved shaft having a flattened area on at least half of an outer curved area of the curved shaft; said curved shaft having at least one raised area on said outer curved surface, and said curved shaft has a gripping surface on at least one-fourth of said curved shaft.
2. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein said curved shaft is selected from the group consisting of wood, plastic or metal.
3. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein said curved shaft has a length of between 6 and 18 inches.
4. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein said curved shaft has a radius of curvature of between 6 and 18 inches.
5. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein said curved shaft has a plurality of tactile features.
6. The guitar pick stick according to claim 5, wherein said tactile features are holes.
7. The guitar pick stick according to claim 5, wherein said tactile features are raised ridges.
8. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein said guitar pick stick has an essentially round cross-section.
9. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein said guitar pick stick has an essentially rectangular cross-section.
10. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, further includes at least one nub that extends from said curved shaft.
11. The guitar pick stick according to claim 10, wherein said nub is raised from said curved shaft from 1/16 to of an inch.
12. The guitar pick stick according to claim 10, wherein said nub has a tapered point.
13. The guitar pick stick according to claim 10, wherein said nub has a rounded point.
14. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, further includes at least one thumb locator.
15. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein at least one end of said curved shaft has a tapered tip.
16. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, has a surface that is configured for striking strings of a stringed instrument.
17. The guitar pick stick according to claim 16, wherein said flattened area is configured for striking a plurality of strings simultaneously.
18. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein at least one side of said curved shaft is flat.
19. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein said guitar pick stick has a diameter of between inch to inch.
20. The guitar pick stick according to claim 1, wherein one or more side of said curved shaft are scalloped.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)
(1) FIG. 1 shows a guitar pick stick in an environment of use.
(2) FIG. 2 shows a side view of the guitar pick stick.
(3) FIG. 3 shows a top view of the guitar pick stick.
(4) FIG. 4 shows a sectional view taken along lines 4-4 from FIG. 2.
(5) FIG. 5 shows a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 from FIG. 2.
(6) FIG. 6 shows a sectional view taken along lines 6-6 from FIG. 2.
(7) FIG. 7 shows a side of the guitar pick stick plucking a single string.
(8) FIG. 8 shows the guitar pick stick being held in and hand with the thumb in the thumb locator.
(9) FIG. 9 shows a side of the guitar pick stick striking multiple strings with the curved surface.
(10) FIG. 10 shows a side of the guitar pick stick striking all of the strings with the flat side of the guitar pick stick.
(11) FIG. 11 shows a side of the guitar pick stick using the elevated nub.
(12) FIG. 12 shows a plan view of the guitar pick stick in a second preferred embodiment.
(13) FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the guitar pick stick in a second preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(14) It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the system and method of the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but is merely representative of various embodiments of the invention. The illustrated embodiments of the invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout.
ITEM NUMBERS AND DESCRIPTION
(15) 20 user 21 guitar 22 guitar neck 23 guitar string(s) 24 guitar bridge 25 hand 26 string bend 27 strings 30 guitar pick stick 31 rounded body 32 taper 33 tip 34 radius about 8 35 nub 36 thumb locator 37 holes 38 curved end 40 flattened body 41 flattened body 42 taper 43 tip 44 radius about 3/16 45 radius 46 radius 47 radius 48 round 96 side-to-side 97 strike 98 strike 99 pick
(16) FIG. 1 shows a guitar pick stick 30 in an environment of use. In this figure, the user 20 or performer is shown with a guitar 21 resting on the user's 20 knee. This is a typical configuration for a user 20 holding and playing a guitar 21 as they hold the neck 22 and press the strings 23 with one hand. In this embodiment, the user 20 is holding the guitar pick stick 30 in their hand 25 as they play strike the strings 23 of the guitar with the guitar pick stick 30. Using the guitar pick stick 30 to strike the strings 23 in proximity of the guitar bridge 24 can alter the sound from the instrument. While this embodiment shows the guitar pick stick 30 being used on a guitar, it should be understood that using the guitar pick stick 30 is not limited to a guitar, and can be used on nearly any stringed instrument where the guitar pick stick 30 is used as a percussion type instrument to strike the strings 23.
(17) Depending upon the grip of the user's hand 25 on the guitar pick stick 30, the result can be a single sound of one or more strings, or the guitar pick stick 30 can bounce on the string(s) 23 to provide a different sound or tonal quality. The curved surfaces and ends of the guitar pick stick 30 can also be used to allow the user to use the guitar pick stick 30 to play the instrument in a variety of ways. While the guitar pick stick was originally intended for use on a steel string guitar, the guitar pick stick can be used on different instruments and with instruments having different string materials including, but not limited to violins, harps, cello and can further be used on percussion instruments. Some of the different playing techniques and uses of the guitar pick stick 30 on a stringed instrument is shown and described in other figures herein.
(18) FIG. 2 shows a side view of the guitar pick stick 30 and FIG. 3 shows a top view of the guitar pick stick 30. The guitar pick stick 30 is curved to allow the user to grasp the guitar pick stick 30 and strike the strings without contacting the body of the guitar with their hand as they play. The radius 34 of curvature is about a 9-inch radius, but a radius of between 6 and 18 inches can be used. The different radius changes the number of strings that are contacted when the guitar pick stick 30 strikes the strings. The guitar pick stick 30 is essentially flat in the top view, and a performer can rotate the guitar pick stick 30 from vertical to alter the effective radius that contacts the strings. The overall length of the guitar pick stick 30 is between 6 and 18 inches
(19) The guitar pick stick 30 has a nub 35 that separates the flattened body portion 40 from the rounded body portion 31. The nub 35 is shown at about the center of the guitar pick stick 30 but can exist in a location that is favored to either side of the guitar pick stick 30. The nub 35 is elevated slightly from the body of the guitar pick stick 30 to an elevation of between 1/16 to 3/16 of an inch. One side of the guitar pick stick 30 has a thumb locator 36 or recess that provides a flat surface for both locating the thumb and preventing rotation of the guitar pick stick 30 when striking the strings. The ends of the guitar pick stick 30 are shown with different termination details. One end has a taper 42 with a blade shaped tip 43, while the other end shows a taper 32 with a tip 33. It is also contemplated that one or both ends can have interchangeable shapes or picks to perform other playing variations and techniques on the instrument. A number of cross-sectional views are taken from FIG. 2 to show the shape of the guitar pick stick 30.
(20) FIG. 4 shows a sectional view taken along lines 4-4 from FIG. 2. This portion of the guitar pick stick 30 has a flattened body 41 surface with radius sides 45 and 46. The radius sides 45 and/or 46 can be smooth or one can be scalloped to drag against the strings like a bow to create a different sounds or tones. The flattened body 40 can be minimal to impact the strings, and in the figure the sides of the flattened body 40 also have a flattened surface. The back side of the cross-section can be rounded 48 or flattened with a radius 47. The different sides and radius allow the player to strike the strings with different surfaces that can result in differing sounds.
(21) FIG. 5 shows a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 from FIG. 2. This cross-section shows that the nub 35 is elevated slightly from the body of the guitar pick stick 30 to an elevation of between 1/16 to of an inch from the radius 44 of the guitar pick stick 30. The radius 44 of the guitar pick stick 30 is between to inch in diameter, with the preferred diameter being about inch in diameter. The elevated nub 35 can be used to rapidly or slowly be drawn across the strings of the instrument to create a particular sound. As the nub 35 is drawn over a string it essentially will pluck the string. The nub 35 is shown at about the center of the guitar pick stick 30 but can exist in a location that is favored to either side of the guitar pick stick 30.
(22) FIG. 6 shows a sectional view taken along lines 6-6 from FIG. 2. The guitar pick stick 30 is shown with the rounded body 31 that a user can grasp or the user can grasp the opposite end of the guitar pick stick 30 and strike the strings with the rounded body 31. The rounded body 31 of the guitar pick stick 30 is between to inch in diameter, with the preferred diameter being about inch in diameter.
(23) FIG. 7 shows a side of the guitar pick stick 30 plucking a single string 23. The strings 23 are shown above the guitar 21 soundboard. The tip 43 of the taper 42 of the guitar pick stick 30 is shown in contact with a single string 26 that is being bent 99 with the guitar pick stick 30 to pick the string with the remaining strings 23 are undisturbed.
(24) FIG. 8 shows the guitar pick stick 30 being held in and hand 25 with the thumb in the thumb locator 36. The nub 35 is located above the thumb locator 36. This is a typical orientation of the guitar pick stick 30 in a user's hand 25. The guitar pick stick 30 can have two or more radius of curvature with one curvature above the nub 35 and another, straighter, curvature of from the nub 35 into the hand 25 of the user.
(25) FIG. 9 shows a side of the guitar pick stick 30 striking multiple strings with the curved surface. The guitar pick stick 30 is curved to allow the user to grasp the guitar pick stick 30 and strike the strings without contacting the body of the guitar with their hand as they play. The guitar pick stick 30 is shown being rotated to strike 98 the strings 27 above the guitar 21 soundboard. The guitar pick stick 30 can bounce on the strings 27 and within the hand of the user to produce multiple strikes. The thumb locator/recess 36 can be seen in this view.
(26) FIG. 10 shows a side of the guitar pick stick 30 striking all of the strings 23 with the flat side of the guitar pick stick 30. Using this flatter side of the guitar pick stick 30, allows the performer to strike 97 the higher string, lower strings or all of the strings above the guitar 21 soundboard as shown in the figure.
(27) FIG. 11 shows a side of the guitar pick stick 30 using the elevated nub 35. The elevated nub 35 can be used to rapidly or slowly be drawn side-to-side 96 across the strings 23 of the soundboard of the guitar 21 instrument to create a particular sound. As the nub 35 is drawn over a string it essentially will pluck the string(s) 23. The nub 35 is shown at about the center of the guitar pick stick 30 but can exist in a location that is favored to either side of the guitar pick stick 30. The thumb locator/recess 36 can be seen in this view.
(28) FIG. 12 shows a plan view of the guitar pick stick 30 in a second preferred embodiment and FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the guitar pick stick 30 in a second preferred embodiment. In this embodiment the guitar pick stick 30 the body is essentially flat and has a more rectangular or square cross-section as can be seen in the perspective view. In this embodiment the guitar pick stick 30 has the nub 35 for strumming the strings. A series of holes 37 above the nub 35 provide styling and also provides for a tactile feel for the center of the guitar pick stick 30. While holes 37 are shown, it is also contemplated that the holes can be replaced with raised ridges of tactile features. The flattened body 44 has a slight radius to strike multiple strings and to provide a comfortable grasp with the guitar pick stick 30 is held in the hand. The curved end 38 has a gradual taper and terminates at a tip 43 with a taper 42.
(29) Thus, specific embodiments of a guitar pick stick have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
SEQUENCE LISTING
(30) Not Applicable.
