Ernie Miller
06-12-2012, 2:51 PM
Hi all,
I think I may be getting too old for this. Just completed my latest harpsichord project – a big, double manual instrument sitting on a Louis XVI cabriole table stand. It is a little over 7 feet long by 39 inches wide at the front end. I started building last December and just finished this week – six and a half months of pure fun mixed with mind-numbing repetition. There are three sets of strings (62 strings per set) so everything that has to do with the playing action has to be done 186 times – 186 string loops to hand tie, 186 tuning pins to coil music wire onto, 186 register slots to cut (thank you Alan in Little Washington for your wonderful jig), 186 jacks to install, 186 plectra to voice, etc, etc, - you get the picture.
Here’s a few photos of the completed instrument.
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/DOUBLECASE1.jpg
(http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showphoto.php?photo=64970)
(http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showphoto.php?photo=64971)
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/DOUBLECASE3.jpg
The strings, jacks, registers, and tuning pins.
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/INTERIOR1.jpg
The keyboards
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/KEYBOARDS.jpg
(http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showphoto.php?photo=64970)
Here’s a photo of part of my wife Sandy's soundboard painting.
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/SOUNDBOARD.jpg
In short, double manual harpsichords are much more interesting to build due to the added complexity of the two keyboards. The upper keyboard slides forward and/or backwards. When pushed forward, it is coupled with the lower keyboard and its keys can be played from the lower keyboard. It looks like a player piano where the keys seem to play themselves. In fact, there are wooden connectors, called dogs, sticking up from the bottom keys. When the upper keyboard is pushed in, the ends of the upper keyboard keys are positioned directly over the dogs. When the bottom keyboard is played, the dogs push up on the underside of the upper keyboard keys to make them play as well. When the upper keyboard is pulled out to its forward position, the dogs miss the bottom of the upper keyboard keys and, therefore, the upper keyboard does not play. Of course each keyboard can be played manually - sometimes with one hand on the lower keyboard and the other hand on the upper. The two keyboards play different sets of strings so they don't have the same tone quality. By having two keyboards and three sets of strings along with a buff stop, there are 9 different tone qualities that can be produced - giving the player much more of a tonal variety than is possible on a single manual harpsichord.
Thanks for looking - I'm going to take a nap.
Ernie
I think I may be getting too old for this. Just completed my latest harpsichord project – a big, double manual instrument sitting on a Louis XVI cabriole table stand. It is a little over 7 feet long by 39 inches wide at the front end. I started building last December and just finished this week – six and a half months of pure fun mixed with mind-numbing repetition. There are three sets of strings (62 strings per set) so everything that has to do with the playing action has to be done 186 times – 186 string loops to hand tie, 186 tuning pins to coil music wire onto, 186 register slots to cut (thank you Alan in Little Washington for your wonderful jig), 186 jacks to install, 186 plectra to voice, etc, etc, - you get the picture.
Here’s a few photos of the completed instrument.
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/DOUBLECASE1.jpg
(http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showphoto.php?photo=64970)
(http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showphoto.php?photo=64971)
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/DOUBLECASE3.jpg
The strings, jacks, registers, and tuning pins.
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/INTERIOR1.jpg
The keyboards
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/KEYBOARDS.jpg
(http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showphoto.php?photo=64970)
Here’s a photo of part of my wife Sandy's soundboard painting.
http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/2512/SOUNDBOARD.jpg
In short, double manual harpsichords are much more interesting to build due to the added complexity of the two keyboards. The upper keyboard slides forward and/or backwards. When pushed forward, it is coupled with the lower keyboard and its keys can be played from the lower keyboard. It looks like a player piano where the keys seem to play themselves. In fact, there are wooden connectors, called dogs, sticking up from the bottom keys. When the upper keyboard is pushed in, the ends of the upper keyboard keys are positioned directly over the dogs. When the bottom keyboard is played, the dogs push up on the underside of the upper keyboard keys to make them play as well. When the upper keyboard is pulled out to its forward position, the dogs miss the bottom of the upper keyboard keys and, therefore, the upper keyboard does not play. Of course each keyboard can be played manually - sometimes with one hand on the lower keyboard and the other hand on the upper. The two keyboards play different sets of strings so they don't have the same tone quality. By having two keyboards and three sets of strings along with a buff stop, there are 9 different tone qualities that can be produced - giving the player much more of a tonal variety than is possible on a single manual harpsichord.
Thanks for looking - I'm going to take a nap.
Ernie