[CAUT] Harpsichord popping strings

[G Cousins]

Jim,
Many of todays harpsichords were/are designed to be tuned to baroque pitch (A-415)
The tangents are used to easily transpose a semitone up to modern pitch (A-440)  or down to French baroque pitch (A-392)
Many instruments have the tuning pins set up in chromatic layout at 415, some do not.  
Keep in mind that after transposing the "C" tuning pins in the A415 position will be played by the "B"  keys no matter what the tuning pin layout
 
The challenge is when you have a non-transposer harpsichord and the faculty requests it to be tuned today up to 440, tomorrow down to 392, then tomorrow night back up to 415.
 
Quoting Thomas Paine " These are the times that try men's* souls."  (*and women's too)
 
Hope this helps,
Gerry Cousins
WCUPA
 


To: caut at ptg.org
From: reggaepass at aol.com
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:08:16 -0400
Subject: Re: [CAUT] Harpsichord popping strings




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

From: caut-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Dennis Johnson
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 the treble will not have any wire to puck so no sound.   When I first came here the harpsichord was in the low 415 position but tuned to 440 so they could get all the notes.  That could explain a lot.  If this is the case, let them know that excessive tension can also cause warping and sticking registers- 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:



You know, the action is transferable to a lower pitch.....maybe we've been tuning it 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 the right, it is in low pitch position. And vice versa. So if the spacer is on the left, 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 with which to shape it.” Brecht
 
  		 	   		  
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