CBH Unfretted Clavichord action

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Carey Beebe demonstrating the action of the Unfretted Clavichord. The mechanism of the clavichord is simple in the extreme: When a note is played, the back part of the key rises, and the pair of strings are tapped by a tiny blade of brass called a tangent which is fixed near the far end of each key. The tangent both excites the appropriate strings into vibration and determines their speaking length. The players finger remains in direct mechanical connection to the strings. With a little more pressure, the pitch can be varied somewhat while the note is still sounding—this vibrato was called Bebung by the Germans. The other end of the speaking string length is always fixed by the bridge, which passes the tiny vibration of the strings to the soundboard for radiation so we can hear it. As soon as the key is released, the vibrations travel backwards along the strings to the left, where they are promptly stopped by the listing cloth—this material woven between the pairs of strings also affects the stiffness of touch, but has nothing to do with the typical soft tone of the clavichord.

This clavichord is Unfretted, meaning that it has individual pairs of strings throughout its whole compass.

Compare to the Double-fretted Clavichord action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3fV-ggsJrI

Unfretted Clavichord after J.C. Gerlach, Carey Beebe Sydney 2008, private ownership, Sydney

Category:

Music

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• clavichord
• Gerlach
• clavicorde
• clavicordo
• clavicordio
• 無碼條擊弦古鋼琴
• 独立弦式
• アンフレット
• クラヴィコード프렛이
• 없는
• 클라비코드
• hpschdnu

[josh9point0]

Nice!!! Thanks for this. Why do the keys extend beyond the tangents so much?

[hpschdnu]

The line of tangents for the striking point does not exactly match the hitchpin locations because most of the bass strings are hitched to the block on the left wall of the case. It is quite usual to have the extreme bass tangents some distance from the end of their keys, whereas the treblemost tangents are almost at the extreme end of their keys.

[josh9point0]

Has anyone ever made an instrument (not a Casio keyboard!) that is a clavichord, harpsichord & fortepiano, all in one, far end action of keys being decided by the operation of levers/stops, controlled by the player ??

That would be cool!! But complex!