Inventors:
Tona L. Huiner - Buffalo NY
International Classification:
G09B 1502
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for teaching the relationship between the conventional musical staff and the tone-producing elements or keys of a barred or keyboard type instrument. The apparatus includes an elongated base member having a planar surface on which a replica of a portion of a conventional musical staff consisting of at least five parallel lines is depicted. Each line positioned on the base member is separated from the next line by a distance essentially equal to the width of two tone-producing elements on the instrument. A plurality of cover strips fabricated out of releasable material having a width equal to the width of a single key are superimposed over the lines on the base member in overlying relationship to the lines to provide alternating and parallel covered and uncovered areas of substantially equal width. In utilizing the method according to this invention, the apparatus is initially positioned parallel to the horizontal axis of the keyboard such that each covered and uncovered area corresponds to a particular key on the keyboard. Later, the apparatus is rotated to a second position which is perpendicular to the horizontal axis of the keyboard to represent a conventional musical staff wherein each line (covered area) and space (uncovered area) is visually represented in a one-to-one relationship with each corresponding tone-producing element of the instrument.