Device and method of teaching finger positions for fretted string instruments

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR TEACHING FINGER POSITIONS FOR PLAYING CHORD TYPES ON A FRETTED STRING INSTRUMENT, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) A SHEET MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE PROVIDED WITH INDICIA THEREON REPRESENTING FINGER POSITIONS FOR A CHORD TYPE, (B) SAID INDICIA COMPRISING A SERIES OF LATERALLY SPACED COLUMNS OF FINGER POSITION INDICATORS, EACH OF SAID COLUMNS REPRESENTING A DIFFERENT VOICING FOR SAID CHORD TYPE, (C) EACH OF SAID COLUMNS HAVING ITS FINGER POSITION INDICATORS ARRANGED IN LATERALLY SPACED GROUPS CORRESPONDING TO THE DIFFERENT INVERSIONS OF THE VOICING, AND (D) A TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER FOR OVERLYING SAID SURFACE SO THAT SAID FINGER POSITION INDICIA ARE VISIBLE THROUGH SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER, (E) SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER HAVING A SERIES OF LATERALLY SPACED GRID LINES CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER TO SAID FINGER POSITION GROUPS AND EACH REPRESENTING THE FRET BOARD OF THE INSTRUMENT, SO THAT IN THE OPERATIVE OVERLYING POSITION OF SAID SHEET MEMBER SAID SERIES OF GRID LINES OVERLIE AND REGISTER WITH THE COMPANION UNDERLYING SERIES OF FINGER POSITION GROUPS TO INDICATE THE FINGER POSITIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT VOICES FOR SAID CHORD TYPE, (F) SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER HAVING A SERIES OF LATERALLY SPACED NOTES DELINEATED THEREON CORRESPONDING TO THE NOTES OF THE CHROMATIC SCALE, (G) SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER AND SAID UNDERLYING SHEET MEMBER BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER SO THAT SAID GRID L INES CAN BE POSITIONED OVER CORRESPONDING PARTS OF SAID INDICIA TO INDICATE THE FINGER POSITIONS FOR THE CHROMATIC VARIATION OF SAID CHORD TYPE, (H) SAID UNDERLYING SHEET MEMBER HAVING POSITIONING MEANS FOR SAID NOTES ON SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER SO THAT THE LATTER CAN BE CORRECTLY POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO SAID UNDERLYING SHEET MEMBER ACCORDING TO THE CHROMATIC VARIATIONS OF SAID CHORD TYPE.

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR TEACHING FINGER POSITIONS FOR PLAYING CHORD TYPES ON A FRETTED STRING INSTRUMENT, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) A SHEET MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE PROVIDED WITH INDICIA THEREON REPRESENTING FINGER POSITIONS FOR A CHORD TYPE, (B) SAID INDICIA COMPRISING A SERIES OF LATERALLY SPACED COLUMNS OF FINGER POSITION INDICATORS, EACH OF SAID COLUMNS REPRESENTING A DIFFERENT VOICING FOR SAID CHORD TYPE, (C) EACH OF SAID COLUMNS HAVING ITS FINGER POSITION INDICATORS ARRANGED IN LATERALLY SPACED GROUPS CORRESPONDING TO THE DIFFERENT INVERSIONS OF THE VOICING, AND (D) A TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER FOR OVERLYING SAID SURFACE SO THAT SAID FINGER POSITION INDICIA ARE VISIBLE THROUGH SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER, (E) SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER HAVING A SERIES OF LATERALLY SPACED GRID LINES CORRESPONDING IN NUMBER TO SAID FINGER POSITION GROUPS AND EACH REPRESENTING THE FRET BOARD OF THE INSTRUMENT, SO THAT IN THE OPERATIVE OVERLYING POSITION OF SAID SHEET MEMBER SAID SERIES OF GRID LINES OVERLIE AND REGISTER WITH THE COMPANION UNDERLYING SERIES OF FINGER POSITION GROUPS TO INDICATE THE FINGER POSITIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT VOICES FOR SAID CHORD TYPE, (F) SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER HAVING A SERIES OF LATERALLY SPACED NOTES DELINEATED THEREON CORRESPONDING TO THE NOTES OF THE CHROMATIC SCALE, (G) SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER AND SAID UNDERLYING SHEET MEMBER BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER SO THAT SAID GRID L INES CAN BE POSITIONED OVER CORRESPONDING PARTS OF SAID INDICIA TO INDICATE THE FINGER POSITIONS FOR THE CHROMATIC VARIATION OF SAID CHORD TYPE, (H) SAID UNDERLYING SHEET MEMBER HAVING POSITIONING MEANS FOR SAID NOTES ON SAID TRANSPARENT SHEET MEMBER SO THAT THE LATTER CAN BE CORRECTLY POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO SAID UNDERLYING SHEET MEMBER ACCORDING TO THE CHROMATIC VARIATIONS OF SAID CHORD TYPE.