Sound Rail

The Sound Rail is an innovative accessory of the 6ePick which enables the musician to "engage" with the top edges of one or more instrument strings, to produce musical sounds and effects (using the techniques described in the How To Use menu). It is positioned on the top side of the Main Body, which provides a robust mounting surface for it. Here we seek to describe the physical details of this feature of the 6ePick.

Sound Rail Component: The Tang

The Sound Rail is composed of two connected parts: the tang and the crown. The tang secures the Sound Rail to the Main Body (see Figures 1-4). It is centered on the underside of the crown, and is about half of its width (see Figure 5). It fits into a slot that runs nearly the full length of the top side of the Main Body, more or less centered across the narrow dimension of it.

The tang is secured in the slot by having each of its two ends shaped as "prongs": one is a "blunt" prong, which fits into a socket at the rear end of the slot; the other, a "sharp" prong, which fits into a socket at the front end (as shown in Figures 1-3). The Sound Rail has to be flexed during installation in order to fit the two prongs into their respective sockets, as explained in the Installation of Sound Rail section below, but once it is seated it is not easily dislodged. Moreover, each side of the tang, over much of its length, possesses a row of triangular barbs (see Figures 1 and 5). These are designed to press against the walls of the slot, providing additional friction fit to ensure that the tang is firmly seated, and that the Sound Rail will stay in place during use.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.

Figure 5.

Sound Rail Component: The Crown

Turning now to the crown: it is designed to provide a smooth, rounded and durable contact area for engaging with instrument strings. It lies on the top side of the tang, being semi-circular in cross section (see Figure 5). In side view it mirrors the slightly convexly curved top side of the Main Body (see Figure 2).

It extends beyond the length of the tang on both ends, cantilevering over the areas of the top side where the slot is not present, and continuing outward to cover the two junctures where the shoulders of the Playing Tips abut the Main Body (see Figure 6). These extensions are necessary since otherwise the non-smooth junctures would be exposed to the instrument strings when the crown was in use, a phenomenon that would produce harsh and discordant sounds, and possibly result in the tang of the Sound Rail being dislodged from its position in the slot.

Figure 6.

Sound Rail: Modular and Customizable

The Sound Rail is part of the modular system of the 6ePick, as is the case with the Playing Tips. However, since the lengths of the top sides of the different Main Body sizes do not match, it follows that the respective lengths of the Sound Rails also differ from one another. So, unlike the situation with the Playing Tips, the Sound Rails are not interchangeable between Main Body sizes. Yet, within a given Main Body size, the user can easily remove a Sound Rail and replace it with another one. This might be called for in the case of a worn or broken one, or if the musician wants to replace the present one with one made from a different material. (The steps for installing and removing a Sound Rail are presented in upcoming sections.)

Concerning the latter option, it is envisioned that the Sound Rail will be manufactured from various materials, such as plastics, hard rubber, and composites, with each of these materials producing different acoustic effects when the Sound Rail is brought into contact with instrument strings. So, as a further enhancement of the modular nature and customization potential of the 6ePick, the intention down the line is to provide a plurality of Sound Rails for each size of the Main Body, varying in material composition, to suit different playing styles and personal preferences for particular sounds. Yet, for purposes of the present testing program, all of the Sound Rails are made from the same material, the identity of which is withheld due to proprietary concerns and the current Patent Pending status of the 6ePick.

We note, in passing, that the top side of the Main Body, absent the Sound Rail, in and of itself can be employed in the same manner as the Sound Rail to produce musical sounds upon the top edges of instrument strings. It offers different shaped surfaces for the said interaction, potentially producing slightly different sounds and effects, but this operation suffers the drawback that the composition material of the Main Body may experience overly destructive long-term wear. Still, this is another aspect of the 6ePick that can be experimented with by testers.

Installation of Sound Rail

The installation of the Sound Rail is a bit tricky, since the length of the tang, from the tip of the sharp prong to the tip of the blunt one, is sufficiently greater than the surface opening of the Sound Rail slot that one simply can not push the tang directly down into the slot (see Figure 7). Rather, one needs to follow a series of simple installation steps. All that is required toolwise is a small paper clip ( or another flat object with similar thickness). These steps are described immediately below, and are visually shown in the accompanying Slide Carousel:

First, locate the small circular depression on the top side of the Main Body, near the front end of the Sound Rail slot (see Figure 8). This demarcation indicates the proper location of the sharp prong end of the tang.
Hold the Sound Rail at an approximate 20-30 degree angle, and insert the sharp prong into its socket at the front end of the main slot.
Apply downward force on that end of the Sound Rail, using the index finger of your left hand. This acts to prevent the sharp prong from jumping back out from its socket as you then insert a paper clip underneath the tang, at a spot a small distance off center, toward the front end. The paper clip keeps the center portion of the Sound Rail elevated for the next step.
Using the index finger of your right hand, press down on the farthest portion of the blunt prong end of the Sound Rail, causing the central portion of the Sound Rail to flex over the paper clip. Provided that the paper clip has been positioned far enough toward the front end, one should be able to push the blunt prong down into the Sound Rail Slot a sufficient distance that it will stay put.
Keeping the downward pressure with your left index finger on the front end of the Sound Rail, carefully remove the paper clip, and quickly press down upon the top center of the Sound Rail. This action forces the two prong ends to be pushed fully into their respective sockets.
Use both index fingers now to press down upon all points across the Sound Rail to make sure it is fully and securely seated.

Figure 7.

Figure 8.

Slide Carousel: Installation of the Sound Rail

Removing the Sound Rail

Removing the Sound Rail is an easy and straightforward process: a "thumbnail slot" is present on the left side of the Main Body, near the center of the main Sound Rail slot (see Figure 9), into which one can insert his/her thumbnail, or a similar tool, such as a screwdriver blade, to get underneath the crown, and apply outward pressure. This action pulls the two prong ends of the tang out from their respective sockets, thus freeing the Sound Rail. Be aware that it can release outward quickly and forcefully, so keep a good grip on it, or else it will fly off into space somewhere!

Figure 9. Thumbnail Slot

Bonus Reveal: Origin Story of the Sound Rail

Yes, you're right. The Sound Rail looks an awful lot like a fret. Guess what? The first one that I used was a fret!

When I made the decision to "go plastic" with my invention plectrum, I quickly found out that the plastics that I was using for the early prototypes did not hold up to being thrust down hard upon metal strings (unlike the bone material of the original Jawbone— see the Origin Story of the 6ePick in the About menu). So, I was just playing the guitar one day, looking down at the frets, and the thought came to me, "Gee, maybe I could insert one of those on the top side of the pick."

So, I ordered some frets from Amazon, picked out the one that looked like it would work, made a new design in Fusion 360, had it printed out, inserted the fret. It worked, but steel on steel was not a good sound! And, it was too difficult to work with such an inflexible material. But, it got me going in the right direction, and, most obviously, gave me a general shape and rows of barbs that could be emulated in plastic.

The present Sound Rail is being produced with a more durable plastic, and should one wear out . . . well, that's why it's designed as a modular system— take the old one out, put a new one in.