h'chord LM

[Dave Doremus]

I have just a couple of additions to this:

1) The jack needs to hang by the damper, if not the damper will not 
work. THis is especially true in transposing instruments.
2) Staggering the choirs properly is critial to the touch. This will 
require some lost motion. Often the 4' or the back 8' will pluck 
first, with less lost motion. The front 8' is usually last, requiring 
quite a bit.
3) You need to set the first plucking choir so the quills are just 
under the strings (maybe a 1/16), without the dampers involved. Then 
adjust the dampers so that they are on the string when the jack is at 
rest, permitting the quill to slide under the string. Then couple, 
and turn on the 4', and smoothly play the note on the bottom 8', you 
should hear the three plucks distinctly.

4) Staggering is also affected by voicing, the stiffness of the 
quills will determine when they pluck, if you change a quill or 
revoice, you must check the staggering.

Frank Hubbard has an old good pamphlet on harpsichord regulating that 
might still be available.

Ed is right, if you dont know what you're doing be careful before you 
turn too many screws.

----Dave


-----------------------------
Dave Doremus RPT
New Orleans
algiers_piano@bellsouth.net
------------------------------

At 11:13 AM -0500 3/19/03, Ed Sutton wrote:
>     In a well-regulated harpsichord, the issue is not so much lost motion
>between the string and plectrum as "speaking order" of the registers.   The
>jack should not hang by the damper (except maybe a little in the bass).  If
>you adjust the lost motion at random you will destroy the regulation of the
>speaking order.  If the harpsichord was properly regulated to start, it is
>possible to adjust for seasonal rise and fall of the strings by shimming the
>back key rail, or in some cases turning two adjustment screws under the
>case.  This takes minutes, and will not deregulate the speaking order.
>     If the harpsichord was not properly regulated to begin with, you need to
>know enough to know that, and how to do a full regulation.
>     This is why it is best to take a class on harpsichord regulating before
>turning the screws.
>     Believe me, I now know that I have spent many hours of my life turning
>jack screws that I should have left alone.
>         Ed Sutton, Repentent Jack Screw Turner
>

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