CBH Double-fretted Clavichord action

• Always read the accompanying technical description!

More harpsichord stuff @ www.hpschd.nu

Carey Beebe demonstrating the action of the Double-fretted 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 player's 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 Double- (or Diatonically-) fretted, meaning that for most of its compass from the tenor up, the strings are shared. As a result, the instrument is very compact. The bottom octave and half are unfretted. Our example shows the first fretted pair of notes—tenor f & f#—being played. All the naturals from here up have their own string pairs, but the accidentals are also determined from these. Thus, g & g# come from another pair of strings, the a is independent, b-flat and b share, c' and c#' share, d' is independent, e-flat' and e' share and so on.

Compare to the Unfretted Clavichord action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwGc70Tzu6k

Double-fretted Clavichord after Hubert from THE PARIS WORKSHOP.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• clavichord
• clavicorde
• clavicordio
• 含碼條擊弦古鋼琴
• フレット式クラヴィコード
• harpsichord
• fretted
• action
• hpschdnu

[tyuzynho]

what? the tangents are playing the same string for F and F# Oo

[hpschdnu]

Yes, that is correct. The setup is explained in the accompanying text. Compare the Double-fretted Clavichord action to the Unfretted, where all the notes are independent.

[yermyahu]

That's just darn creepy! To think...a keyboard instrument with separate vibrato per note 300-400 years ago. I never knew after all the synthesizers and organs I've played in my lifetime. But then again after finding out that the first known electronic keyboard instrument was made around 1870 I shouldn't be surprised. Wow.

[gggeeesssuuu]

wow!

[ffrgtm]

haha tangent is such a fitting name for the metal striker

[Majoofi]

fascinating thanks

[Clavichordist]

To play chords on an fretted instrument such as this, the performer would play thme arpeggiated or broken. The fretted instruments are actually more difficult to play in my opinion because of their nature.

[Askelairlines747]

so how can you play such chords ( even though they are kind of rare...)

[Clavichordist]

If you notice the two notes strike the same pair of strings so you can only play the two notes individually. This is what makes this a fretted clavichord. The way it works is simple. The strings are strung over a bridge. The tangent, the metal thing at the end of the key, hits the string when the key is pressed. the tangent produces the sound from hitting and at the same time acts as a fret like on a guitar. An unfretted instrument has one tangent per pair of strings so you can play both notes.

[danofsydney]

What an eductaional description/explaianation and video. Thanks Carey Beebe great yt channel!