[CAUT] Harpsichord popping strings

[reggaepass at aol.com]

but don’t all “transposing”harpsichords go from A440 down to A415, and then also to A392?
We have two harpsichords (which I service at least once each week, and get used regularly).  One is a Zuckerman double manual and the other, an early Hyman single.  The Zuck. transposes down one step, and we modified the Hyman to be able to do the same.


Alan Eder





-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Busby <jim_busby at byu.edu>
To: caut <caut at ptg.org>
Sent: Mon, Oct 11, 2010 10:58 am
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Harpsichord popping strings



Hi, 
 
I’ll show my ignorance here because I only have 4harpsichords, and only one transposes, but don’t all “transposing”harpsichords go from A440 down to A415, and then also to A392? I’ve alwaysthought that A415 was basically to accommodate German period instruments andthe A392 to accommodate French composers and the corresponding instruments . (Lully,Couperin, etc.) Do most transposing keyboards only go down one note? What aboutthe French? (Please don’t answer that <G>) And is the “upper”always A440?  You harpsichord guys cut me some slack here. This iscertainly something a CAUT should know.
 
Thanks.
 
Jim
 
 
 

From:caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of DennisJohnson
Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 3:21 PM
To: caut at ptg.org
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Harpsichord popping strings

 
Hi-

That means also when you are in the 440 position key #1 uses wire #2. Unless the builder added one more unison set at the top then last note in thetreble will not have any wire to puck so no sound.   When I firstcame here the harpsichord was in the low 415 position but tuned to 440 so theycould get all the notes.  That could explain a lot.  If this is thecase, let them know that excessive tension can also cause warping and stickingregisters- or worse.  

good luck,

Dennis Johnson
________

On Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 2:46 PM, Fred Sturm <fssturm at unm.edu> wrote:

 

On Oct 11, 2010, at 1:42 PM, Paul T Williams wrote:




Youknow, the action is transferable to a lower pitch.....maybe we've been tuningit all these years at too high of tension????? I'll look into that as well.

 

If the action is set to the left, with the spacer to theright, it is in low pitch position. And vice versa. So if the spacer is on theleft, it should be OK at 440, but not if the spacer is on the right.



Regards,

Fred Sturm

fssturm at unm.edu


“Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer withwhich to shape it.” Brecht


 

 

 
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