CBH Harpsichord Tuning — Time-lapse

• Always read the accompanying technical description!

More harpsichord stuff @ http://www.hpschd.nu

Time-lapse of Carey Beebe tuning a harpsichord at the Carmel Bach Festival.

What takes just over twelve minutes in real life is compressed here to thirty-eight seconds. The pitch is established and the temperament set in the middle of the upper keyboard, which plucks the front 8´ strings. The bass is tuned down in octaves, then the back 8´ tuned in unison (played on the lower keyboard through the coupler). The treble of the front 8´ is then tuned from the middle up, followed by the treble of the back 8´ in unison. The 4´ register is then tuned from bass to treble. Finally, it's time for a little test piece.

Camera by Douglas Mueller — http://www.douglasmueller.net
Flemish Double Harpsichord after 1638 Ruckers by Kevin Fryer, San Francisco 1997 — http://www.kevinfryer.net
Carmel Bach Festival — http://www.bachfestival.org

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[hpschdnu]

Sorry if the accompanying text description is not perfectly clear. A pitch source is required to begin. The electronic tuner is only used for convenience to squark the first note (A440). The rest is tuned by ear. The temperament has no effect on the general tuning procedure shown here in time-lapse (for this particular program of the complete Brandenburg Concertos, seventh-comma).

[GaleoDeus]

Oh, not by ear. Didn't notice the tuner.

[GaleoDeus]

How the hell is he doing that chromatically by ear? Also, what's he tuning to? Equal? Meantone?

What a beautiful-looking instrument.