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Phillip J Allen
06-12-2015, 11:02 AM
Hi all,

I am interested in building a clavichord. I haven't decided fretted or un-fretted yet. But I am thinking something small, table-top portable. I have built a viola and various pieces of furniture so I don't feel that I need to purchase semi-prebuilt kit. My girl friend told me we have no more room for more furniture, thus the reason for a table-top/portable clavichord!

So I was wondering books/plans are there out there? Preferably cheap or free... (I know wishful thinking!)
Does anyone have any suggestions for a first time build? Looking on the web at the various suppliers it seems that most are wanting to sell kits.

regards,

Phil

Don Bunce
06-13-2015, 9:07 AM
Plans are available here:

http://www.renwks.com/products/clavichord/clavichord.htm#prices

Alan Caro
07-02-2015, 10:22 AM
Phillip J Allen,

As clavichords were made over a long period and all over Europe- and a few in Colonial America- there are a lot of styles from which to choose.

https://www.google.com/search?q=images+clavichord&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=DDaVVe2wOpH9ggSEg4GgDw&ved=0CCoQsAQ&biw=2048&bih=1015#imgrc=50sX3AWX6lgeWM%3A

I like the wonderful, almost Medieval proportions of the early Italian instruments with projecting keyboards:

http://www.clavicordes.be/en/instruments/clavichords/clavichord-palazzo-ducale-urbino-1479


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> and these are small and light for table top use.

The one above is a reproduction based on a marquetry design in a study in Urbino- instrument fashions for 1479.

While this an appealing object, given the amount of work involved, my suggestion is to consider building a copy of a late instrument with a useful keyboard range and known playability and sound qualities. My choice for this would be the 1784 Gottlieb Hubert double-fretted in the Russell collection in Edinburgh:

http://images.is.ed.ac.uk/luna/servlet/detail/UoEart~2~2~34047~103814:Clavichord--Christian-Gottlob-Huber (http://images.is.ed.ac.uk/luna/servlet/detail/UoEart%7E2%7E2%7E34047%7E103814:Clavichord--Christian-Gottlob-Huber)

316633

The 1784 Hubert is often reproduced- see above- I've played a couple of copies of it- excellent sound and key action. At a clavichord symposium in Italy in 1993 and Huberts were the hot ticket, supplanting the popularity (if that word can be applied to clavichords) of the big unfretted, 5-octave Hass. The 1784 also has a very useful range- 53 notes and at 50" X 15" is not beyond table use. You can see the original does not have an integrated stand. I like the exposed dovetailed corners very much. That was not typical. Especially as they got larger and had more strings, clavichords with diagonal stringing tend to put a torsion on and distort the case over time, lifting the front right corner. This is possible to see in the photo of the original Hubert, though it's not too serious. Tat's one advantage of the Italian projecting keyboard configuration as the strings are parallel to the keyboard and the front case side is a continuous rather than divided into sections to accommodate the recessed keyboard. The later German instruments usually had blind dovetails, but Hubert opted to use through dovetails, which are not only stronger, but I think gives this instrument an interesting appearance and a kind of structural expression.

The problem with building a copy is having to buy the plans and the Russell Collection charges £56.00 or about $88. But for someone without a lot of first-hand knowledge and museum experience, buing plans is a tremendous shortcut to an instrument that is worthwhile to build and inviting to use. As clavichords are so simple, it's possible to design a clavichord, but it can take quite a long time to refine, get the keyboard right, have the details correct in section, the bridge placement, and etc. And, as with many things that are simple, every component has to be very good at what it does. Poor designs are difficult to play- if the string tension is incorrect, the tangents bounce off or the feel is mushy and without liveliness, if the fretting is incorrect, it's never in tune, keyboards need to have the balance point exactly right for rapid return yet without heaviness, the key lever guide racks - little tabs on the back of the keys that slide in vertical slots need to be extremely quiet in such a quiet instrument, the tangents can't be too far from the strings- or too near, and so on. With a new design, even with quite a lot of construction reworking and experimentation with string diameters, it's not certain how playable it will be, the sound, noisy keyboard and etc. My sense is that designing without a solid experience may only represent the model for the real one- No. 2 or No.3, so buying the plans may be a great savings in both cost and frustration.

This is the little Zuckermann "King of Sweden" I assembled in the mid -80's. A very nice sound, and very compact, but only 45 keys- and not enough.

316634

However, if you'd still prefer to design one, I could steer you in the right direction- once the the keyboard / string / bridge layout is done, using the vast amount of information and details available, clavichords are fairly straightforward extrusions of the plan. There would be inevitable "adjustments", especially in the string gauges as the string tension is central to a playable and consistent action. Do you draft or have CAD?

Alan Caro

george wilson
11-23-2015, 8:13 AM
Nice clavichords,Alan. It is evident you prefer the gebunden type. I made one many years ago. I love that early Italian one (though no doubt inferior to the more advanced models)! Took no pictures (I was SO bad about that,much to my present regret). Can't recall how I devised the keyboard layout,but I drew the plans myself. It must have been based on the rule of 17.85 when laying out where the tangents had to be placed. Again,there are several things I built that I can't at all recall how I did it. In many cases I can't even recall building the object. It is really strange what age does to your head.

My instrument was strictly a one off. I "veneered" the case with block printed black paper varnished over. I carved the block with an Italian renaissance design that I composed myself,based upon period design elements. Still have the carved block somewhere around here. Used gold ink for the design,and just used a simple brayer to roll the paper against the ink. No printing press! Worked out perfectly well,and made a relatively quick and decorative instrument. The instrument was a gift. I couldn't spent too much time on it. I think I hand painted "Musica Donum Dei"(sp!!!!),(Music is the gift of God),inside the lid with Roman letters. My phrase may need some correcting as it has been over 35 years,and I'm forgetting my Latin.

I had some theories that worked out quite well,making a smallish instrument that had the volume of much larger types. For instance,there was NO down bearing on the curved bridge. The strings were held against it by means of 2 inward leaning brass pins which made the strings stay firmly against the bridge. The other "innovation" was I used cut nails for tangents,they being thicker than usual tangents. And,importantly,each tangent was driven into a round lead slug embedded into the rear of each key. My purpose was to keep the vibrations from "leaking" away at the tangent end,re directing them towards the bridge. The soundboard was free to vibrate,having no downbearing upon it. The tangents were filed slightly concave on their tops,and rounded convex at 90º to the hollow,and the tops were polished so no accidental grating sound would be produced if the player made vibrato on a key.

These modifications worked quite well. The instrument was placed in the visitor's section of the shop,and played by many,some of whom were knowledgeable about clavichords. They remarked about the volume the small instrument produced(though,as is the nature of clavichords,the instrument was inherently in the quiet range. Something you had to listen down to. But,the most sensitive of keyboard instruments). Composers liked to use them for practice. Since varying the key pressure (sort of) allowed the playing of crescendos,and even vibratos,two things the harpsichord was unable to do,I'm sure the musicians wished that clavichords were louder,and more suitable for concert playing.

Alan Caro
11-24-2015, 8:05 PM
george wilson,

Clavichords have a special appeal for me generally: intimate and expressive while seeming almost impossibly simple. There's a lot of effect and musical quality from a piece of brass or iron on the end of lever. That two, three, or even four notes can be made by the same string is another engineering elegance comparative to other keyboard instruments that in general always became more complex. The action of a single note on a concert grand piano- key, hammer, escapement can have more than 120 parts.

It's ironic that many clavichords were made by organ builders between organ projects or to use off-cuts. Organs were one of the most complex and precise machines in the World until the 19th C. and steam ships. Organs are today by far the most intricate musical instrument. And, here the same builder was making the most complex machine in the World and the simplest keyboard in the same shop. There was a strong relationship between organs and clavichords as organists also used clavichords for practice and teaching- J.S. and CPE Bach both extolled it for teaching as the touch sensitivity developed finger control. There were pedal clavichords with a pair of keyboards stacked and a pedal boards to be able to practice organ repetoire. Clavichords were were inexpensive - the spinet piano of their era and otherwise someone would have to be paid to work the organ bellows in a freezing church. As you see, I'm a big fan- sorry for the essay.

https://sp.yimg.com/xj/th?id=OIP.M689219f5641d0b777fa44b662c197510o0&pid=15.1&P=0&w=300&h=300 A copy of the 1765 Gerstenberg pedal clavichord in the Leipzig collection.

As quiet as they are, clavichords are still good recital instruments and some have played flute or recorder or accompanied a singer. I've heard clavichords in recital and for example at the Magano Festival in Italy in 1993, there were 200+ in the audience in a medium scale 12th C. church- completely audible. The way clavichords are built up- extruded- from a very thick base and the solid pinblock- 4 or 5 inches of solid Oak, and the case liners, and etc. puts the soundboard a a big disadvantage already. Your refinements make sense, to add mass to the tangents and lower the effective weight of the strings.

I remember seeing that little clavichord in what I call the "Shop V2" - perhaps 1975?- though I think I never saw it with the decoration. Do you have any photos of that one? Your account of building and experimenting is quite typical. Clavichords are extremely quiet and builders today still work on various refinements to produce more volume. Ironically, the little "fretted" ones- each key makes more than one note by the position the tangent hits the string- are louder than the large instruments with a separate pair of strings for every note. Clavichords have fairly small soundboard and the fretting with fewer sets of strings means the soundboard is less encumbered.

There was continual refinement to clavichords in the historical period as the only other expressive contrapuntal instrument was the lute. Ultimately, there two problems with the clavichord design, the main one being that the tangent travels at the proportional lever speed. To increase the volume, the tangents would have to have a mechanism for an additional lever advantage to accelerate the tangents. There were "tangent pianos" but I find the timbre kind of unpleasant- a bit honky-tonk harpsichord because the strings end up being at much higher tension. In 1708-9 Christifori developed the first practical piano action escapement and the clavichord was "solved". However, clavichords were so admired for the degree of expressivity- and were much less expensive than pianos, that they made nearly continuously from about 1400 to 1830 and then revived in the 1880's by Dolmetsch and others. They lasted the longest in Scandanavia and there are unfretted clavichords nearly 7' long and 5'1/2 to 6 -octaves in the 1790's-1800's.

But, yes, I prefer the timbre and playability- the keylevers are shorter- of the late double fretted instrument such as the 1784 Hubert mentioned in the earlier reply, but the big Hass unfretted do have an intriguing dark quality that is also appealing. Besides J.S. Bach's Clavierubung, CPE Bach arly Haydn sonatas can be very affecting on clavichord.

Here's the big Rackwitz of 1796 in the Russell collection Edinburgh - 5-1/3 octaves and 6'-7". Has a kind of appealing modernity.

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Clavichords are a charming instrument- simple and without pretense to the concert hall virtuoso and I end up liking them all.

Alan Caro

george wilson
11-25-2015, 9:56 AM
Alan,as I mentioned to you,harpsichords and clavichords were both originally built up from drawings made on the piece of wood that would become their bottoms. You said that I began my clavichord with a drawing on the bottom. I must take your word on that,as I have no recollection of doing that,(like in so many other projects!). It must have been before 1974 and my memory fades.

Is that instrument above gebunden or bund frei? I can make out the listing,but not the layout of the tangents. The listing ought to give me a clue,but it's been too long. I haven't thought about clavichords in a very long time.

On old instruments you can still see the maker's drawings,so my method must have been authentic. I do recall that I used a single large plank of pine upon which to build the clavichord. From the drawing I must then have employed the rule of 17.85(otherwise called the rule of 18),to lay out the positions of the tangents. From there,to lay out the crooked key levers,bizarre as they look,but quite functional.

I do recall that I used the feathers at the back of the key levers,fitting into the rack of narrow slits,to keep the keys from tipping or wandering sideways. As mentioned,I still have the wood printing block with which I printed the renaissance design. I still like the design I drew and carved out. Since,being left handed,I never played keyboard instruments,I doubt the block will ever grace another clavichord cabinet,or probably anything else.

Back in those days I did make several one off unusual projects that customers ordered: A Theorbo(for the New England Conservatory of Music,IIRC),an Orpharion for an excellent player visiting Williamsburg and working for the Summer(no pictures again,I was SO bad about that!) Here's a shot of the Theorbo,at least. Several lutes were also made.A baroque lion's head violin for the Concert Master of the Baltimore symphony,and so on. Instruments that would never actually have been made in Williamsburg in the 18th. C.. But,they made the shop much more interesting to the visitors,and challenged my mind a bit-the theorbo did! And,the clavichord must have also. I wish I could have remembered more about building it,but it has slipped through the widening mesh of my old brain,assisted in no small measure by pain pills!


As I rummaged through my pictures,some other unusual instruments,a few at least. I have no decent full views of a cittern I made for an artist. Completely out of joint with the 18th. C.,to say the least! Inspired by a cittern made for Arch Duke Ferdinand by Girolamo da Virchi in the 16th. C.. Now part of the Hapsburg treasures. He nearly bankrupted the country buying art. He hired at high wages the best craftsmen he could find,and had their quarters and work shops near his own,so he could visit them at work frequently,and marvel at how they accomplished their works. The peghead depicts Lucretia the Roman being swallowed into Hell while she takes a brief look over her pawns(the pegs). Polychromed and gold gilt as was the original. Considered gaudy today,but fit for a king back then. The peghead is boxwood. The hook on the back is to hang the instrument on a wall,as was commonly done at that time with citterns.

Then,the marquetry guitar I made for a well known actor/collector.

Curiously enough,at the time,when I was 29,making the reproduction of the Kirkman harpsichord in the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg,presented the most challenge. No one in the whole museum had ever veneered anything,me included. I made it through,though,by the required date. I still have the packet of veneer containing the beautiful,dark mahogany burls that the panels are made from. The finish is oil violin varnish,applied in many coats with an ox hair brush and rubbed to a piano finish that took many hours. This bad picture was taken by candle light by an apprentice on 400 speed film and made into a slide. Not a great shot. This instrument has been played so much that the ivory on several keys was worn out as of over 10 years ago. A real work horse indeed! We now have an excellent keyboard technician who may do some rebuilding on it now that I am retired. He has my blessing.

The theorbo may be seen that the neck is tilted somewhat. This is on purpose to help center the bridge on the top. Does make it look rather broken,though it is not. I can't recall HOW we packed this instrument for shipping to New England. It made it somehow.

george wilson
11-25-2015, 11:08 AM
I reflect upon how terrible it is to have no recollection at all on making significant things that I spent months upon.

Don't be like me and not,or seldom take pictures. You and your memory will not last forever,and pictures would be a very valuable resource for you to have,even if you never show them to anyone else.

Phillip J Allen
12-10-2015, 12:33 PM
Thanks guys for all the suggestions. Well I have started down the rabbit hole!!!!!!

I just purchased the Christian Gottlob Hubert 1784 clavichord (TD14) technical drawings from the Friends of St Cecilia's Hall & Museum ( http://www.homepages.ed.ac.uk/am/ezhm01//friends/publications.htm ).

I will keep you all informed of my progress once the plans get here.

Phil

Alan Caro
12-12-2015, 10:59 AM
Philip J Allen,

I think the Hubert will be a good project. In my view, it's a great balance between the very compact, and less refined unsigned instruments that organ or harpsichord builders fit in between their real work. There are simpler instruments to copy, but the Hubert has a beautiful sound and action and there are several good wood-working techniques employed. There are also subtleties to learn- the lid is frame / floating panel and getting a very quiet, fast keyboard takes patience and exact tolerances. I hope the Russell Collection plans include the string diameters and materials.

Speaking of strings, you might consider Malcolm Rose:

http://www.malcolm-rose.com/Strings/strings.html

The strings are especially important on a clavichord ad the feel of the action depends on the tension and the Bebung- the vibrato- on the stretchiness. The ability of the clavichord to create vibrato and distort harmonies by key pressure are unique in keyboard instruments and there are some manuscripts with a little wavy, vertical line to denote this technique.

If you are interested in having a music desk or stand, there are options that are period-looking and not permanently attached. In the original post, there was mention of using this on a table, but from experience, the playing position is in some way never very inviting, the hieght is not quite right, the table structure is too thick, and etc.

Something that would be of benefit if you haven't spent time with clavichords would be to spend some time with clavichords. There seems to be quite good early music activity in Denver: http://www.earlymusiccolorado.org/calendar.html. There may a group or consort having a member with a clavichord. Clavichordistas are usually enthusiastic and convivial so there is a lot of sharing of information. I participated in the 1993 and 1995 the Magnano Clavichord Congresso (attended 1993) in Italy and that was a wild crowd for a 12th Century church. And if could see a couple of instruments good or bad, it's worthwhile. Early on in my interest I went to the Smithsonian and saw some old ones in pieces. There are some terrible ones to be found- early plywood, straight key lever Zuckermann with the turnbuckle structure , some semi-acceptable German 60-70's ones and those are as instructive as the good ones. When you come across a really good one, it's a revelation as is the case I suppose with any musical instrument. Also, YouTube has some great recordings: Thurston Dart playing Bach French Suites and a fantastic Froberger disk. Froberger, Sweelinck, and CPE Bach are among the composers whose music is best adapted to clavichord. Christopher Hogwood playing CPE Bach. Igor Kipnis recorded quite a bit, Wim Winters has some videos including Beethoven's Pathetique and there is Mozart, Haydn, demonstrations of historic instruments, and so on.

Yes looking forward to watching the project and feel free to write.

Alan Caro

Alan Caro
12-12-2015, 11:54 AM
Alan,as I mentioned to you,harpsichords and clavichords were both originally built up from drawings made on the piece of wood that would become their bottoms. You said that I began my clavichord with a drawing on the bottom. I must take your word on that,as I have no recollection of doing that,(like in so many other projects!). It must have been before 1974 and my memory fades.

Is that instrument above gebunden or bund frei? I can make out the listing,but not the layout of the tangents. The listing ought to give me a clue,but it's been too long. I haven't thought about clavichords in a very long time.

On old instruments you can still see the maker's drawings,so my method must have been authentic. I do recall that I used a single large plank of pine upon which to build the clavichord. From the drawing I must then have employed the rule of 17.85(otherwise called the rule of 18),to lay out the positions of the tangents. From there,to lay out the crooked key levers,bizarre as they look,but quite functional.

I do recall that I used the feathers at the back of the key levers,fitting into the rack of narrow slits,to keep the keys from tipping or wandering sideways. As mentioned,I still have the wood printing block with which I printed the renaissance design. I still like the design I drew and carved out. Since,being left handed,I never played keyboard instruments,I doubt the block will ever grace another clavichord cabinet,or probably anything else.

Back in those days I did make several one off unusual projects that customers ordered: A Theorbo(for the New England Conservatory of Music,IIRC),an Orpharion for an excellent player visiting Williamsburg and working for the Summer(no pictures again,I was SO bad about that!) Here's a shot of the Theorbo,at least. Several lutes were also made.A baroque lion's head violin for the Concert Master of the Baltimore symphony,and so on. Instruments that would never actually have been made in Williamsburg in the 18th. C.. But,they made the shop much more interesting to the visitors,and challenged my mind a bit-the theorbo did! And,the clavichord must have also. I wish I could have remembered more about building it,but it has slipped through the widening mesh of my old brain,assisted in no small measure by pain pills!


As I rummaged through my pictures,some other unusual instruments,a few at least. I have no decent full views of a cittern I made for an artist. Completely out of joint with the 18th. C.,to say the least! Inspired by a cittern made for Arch Duke Ferdinand by Girolamo da Virchi in the 16th. C.. Now part of the Hapsburg treasures. He nearly bankrupted the country buying art. He hired at high wages the best craftsmen he could find,and had their quarters and work shops near his own,so he could visit them at work frequently,and marvel at how they accomplished their works. The peghead depicts Lucretia the Roman being swallowed into Hell while she takes a brief look over her pawns(the pegs). Polychromed and gold gilt as was the original. Considered gaudy today,but fit for a king back then. The peghead is boxwood. The hook on the back is to hang the instrument on a wall,as was commonly done at that time with citterns.

Then,the marquetry guitar I made for a well known actor/collector.

Curiously enough,at the time,when I was 29,making the reproduction of the Kirkman harpsichord in the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg,presented the most challenge. No one in the whole museum had ever veneered anything,me included. I made it through,though,by the required date. I still have the packet of veneer containing the beautiful,dark mahogany burls that the panels are made from. The finish is oil violin varnish,applied in many coats with an ox hair brush and rubbed to a piano finish that took many hours. This bad picture was taken by candle light by an apprentice on 400 speed film and made into a slide. Not a great shot. This instrument has been played so much that the ivory on several keys was worn out as of over 10 years ago. A real work horse indeed! We now have an excellent keyboard technician who may do some rebuilding on it now that I am retired. He has my blessing.

The theorbo may be seen that the neck is tilted somewhat. This is on purpose to help center the bridge on the top. Does make it look rather broken,though it is not. I can't recall HOW we packed this instrument for shipping to New England. It made it somehow.

george wilson,

The 1796 Rackwitz is indeed bundfreiand very large- as long as a Steinway B. I like the dark timbre of the large 5+ octave fretless instruments but because there are so many more strings, the keylevers are much longer making them feel a bit heavy and slower and the weight of the strings proportionally to the soundboard area makes the sound dark and quieter. the one compensation is that the have longer string scales so the sustain is longer, but the string tension is just higher enough that it makes the Bebung- the vibrato- less pronounced. some of that eppresiveness is lost. The fretless instruments were developed when equal-temperament meant it was acceptable to play in any key and having sperate strings for every note meant adjacent notes could be sounded simultaneously. Hubert and some other makers though worked out double-fretting so it occurred on from natural to adjacent accidental and not on adjacent naturals.

I was trying to remember when I saw the clavichord, but I think it was not in the G-R Office shop, but in the early days of the Cabinet V2 shop- I don't know= 1975? It had a good, full sound and the keyboard was quiet, which is very difficult with the rack system. But, it's possble I saw the drafted layout on the bottom in the G-R Office and the clavichord in the white at Shop V2.

It's great to see photos of some of the other works of art from your shop such as the theorbo. When you say the neck is "tilted" do you mean it is not exactly parallel to the fingerboard? If I try to imagine it, might be that it is slightly racked towards the left of the picture, but theorboes have that separate, offset, curved pegbox for the extended bass strings, and that being the case, it's probably perfect. Good to see the Kirckmann copy I watched being made and was such a memorable education in instrument-making as well as research and reverse-engineering. Having spent a lot of time playing original Kirckmanns at the Fenton House collection when I lived nearby it in London, I can say it's far better made than the original, and Kirckmans were quite well made for that period- miles better than Ruckers for example. The cittern is an another amazing instrument and I'm sure you're right that nothing on that level would have been made or even seen in 18th C. Virginia. One instrument that's missing in the portfolio is the astounding highly decorated lute with the marquetry /inlay neck /fretboard.

It is a shame not have pictures of your work. I'm the same way- I have photos of many- but not all- - the custom houses I designed,I did an 8,000 square foot house in Jakarta that I never even saw photos of,but there are about 400 production houses in southern CA, AZ, WA that I never saw. As you have a good number still around, it's a good time to document more. That amazing 1958 Gretsch copy I think is another worthwhile candidate for a formal portrait.


I don't think I have but one Polaroid of the first harpsichord kit I assembled in 1970 as a tot- I cut linoleum blocks to print the Flemish papers for that one in a high school art class, nor the clavichord I worked on at the Paris Conservatoire one Summer. Oh well.,..So, while I think of it, here is the 1974 Zuckermann Flemish that I rebuilt and decorated in 1991:

327022 327023 327024 and here's a house in Malibu above the Pacisic Coast HWY: 327025



My regret is that after all these years I never built a good, authentic stand. It needs a n authentic-pattern good forest of heavy turnings on ship framing to support it's 80lbs.

But, I think it's typical of a lot of people to neglect documenting their work. But, not too late.


Alan Caro

george wilson
12-15-2015, 9:42 AM
Alan,I must say,that is the prettiest Zuckermann I have ever seen!!! The ornamentation completely transformed the usually very plain appearance of these kit instruments. My only wish is that you had put the date in Roman Numerals as I did,to disguise to a small extent the date.

I did that on the Kirckman. Never the less,on one occasion,some 12 year old in the crowd of tourists said " Why does it say the harpsichord was made in 1971?" He had obviously just learned Roman Numerals in school. Of course,most adults (I suppose),had forgotten how to read them (Or,had gotten too lazy to translate them !)

Seeing these nice clavichords almost makes me want to make one for our house. But,both myself and my wife are left handed. That puts a kink in our using a right handed keyboard (Unless we had started very young,as I did on the guitar,forcing myself to learn right handed).

We were recently in the Metropolitan in New York,where we were able to see some early pentagonal spinets. As you know,Queen Elizabeth's virginal was an Italian pentagonal spinet. Their delicacy and tiny little moldings are such a delight to look at, I get inspired to make one of those,too! One of those situations where the spirit is willing,but the creaky old body is not!

Besides,there are several models of guitars I'd like to eventually build. A teardrop soundhole Gretsch is one-the 18" wide one they made to compete with the Gibson Super 400 arch top. It has more binding than an ancient Chinese woman's foot!. I have never had the chance to examine one in person,unfortunately. Another one is an arch top to use my beautiful alnico 5 Gibson pickups on. Somehow they were for sale on Ebay,somehow liberated brand new from the Gibson Custom Shop,I suppose. I'd looked for some for years. I would not necessarily copy any guitar to mount them on. I have some cool ideas I'd like to effect on this guitar.

I'm also tempted to build myself a quick Telecaster now that I have a 1950's style Standel amp,a perfect repro from the fellow who bought the rights. I'd like to try to recapture the amazing tone that Buddy Merrill had when he played his on the Lawrence Welk show. Corny as the show was,Buddy's playing and tonality were something I waited all week to hear on the first TV set we got when I was 17 in Alaska. Buddy played at least 3 different Fenders on the show,and still got that tone,somehow. We had 1 channel! How times have changed! Now 200 channels,and not one with anything worth watching most of the time!!!:) You can still see Buddy on Youtube. He lost his amp in a flood. After that,his tone was forever lost. They only ever made 50 of those blonde tube amps,but anyone who was anyone in the electric guitar World played one.

Well,as you can see,my musical interests span about 500 years!

OH,BEFORE I FORGET: Do not use tin plated strings for keyboard instruments(or others). They do not sound as good as plain strings. Just keep your salty hands off the unplated strings,and all will be well. And,I am unsure about using English strings. I don't know if they have gotten better by now,but their vintage Sheffield knives will just NOT take as keen an edge as I'd like,due to the sulfur that their use of coal put into their steel.

Phillip J Allen
01-10-2016, 12:07 PM
Hi all,


The Christian Gottlob Hubert 1784 clavichord plans from St Cecilia arrived last week. There is quit a bit of line work on them. They are not the easiest plans to read but I must admit they contain a lot of information. So as you can guess I have spent a few hours just reading them. I am debating if I should try drafting them in 3D so I can make sure I know exactly what goes where before I start cutting….always a good idea! I have been collecting pictures of clavichords to help decipher the line work.


So this brings up the next issue, Is there a good set of building instructions somewhere for “how-to-build” a clavichord? I have seen a few books on the net for harpsichords but not clavichords. I have found a few blogs on building clavichords:
dustyfeet.com/mykeyboardbaby1.html
renaissance-keyboards.blogspot.com
tabulatura.com/clavcho.htm
www.hubharp.com/glossary.htm (http://www.hubharp.com/glossary.htm)
http://www.claviantica.com/Publications_files/Pisaurensis_clavichord_files/Pisaurensis_Introduction_files/Introduction.htm


These blogs and web pages have lots of really useful information but I still have a few building questions such as:
1. Cutting the Balance-Pin slots: just drill them vertical and then use and angle block & a small chisel?
2. Are there some tricks/tips to lining up the keyboard basswood-plank, balance-pins & guide-pins before cutting the keys?
3. Arcades: we are gluing the wood-long-grain of the arcades onto the wood-end-grain of the basswood keys….don't they eventually break off..not the strongest of glue joints. I am thinking of grinding an old spade drill bit to make the arcades circular patterns.
4. The sycamore bride, cut out the curve and shape it but should a screw & glue it to the sound-board or should I bend-nails over as the plans show?
5. How loose are the hitch-pins & tuning-pins? I made a bowed psaltery and those were quite tight but I saw on some videos that the pins were so loose you could just pull them out of the holes…


The case-work seems straight-forward enough but I think getting the keys just right will be the real tricky part. I am sure there are more questions to come.


I am considering purchasing additional plans from some of the commercial kit companies just to get detailed construction instructions.


Phil
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Ernie Miller
01-11-2016, 9:57 AM
Phil

Perhaps I can help a bit. While there are probably as many ways to do things as there are builders, here's how I've tackled your questions for the past 30 years.

1. Drill for the balance pins vertically and then use a shop made punch to make the mortise. I made my punch 30 years ago and it's still going strong. It's made from a hardened piano tuning pin punch. Grind a triangle into one end. The thickness of the triangle is critical. It should be a few thousandths of an inch thinner than the balance rail pin you will use, and about as long as the thickness of the wood your keyboard blank is made out of. To use the punch, insert the tip into the top of the balance rail hole. Then use a hammer to bang it full depth of the triangle into the key.


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2. The keyboard blank and the keyframe must be drilled at the same time. The keyboard blank is located on the keyframe according to the measurements on your plan. There should be an elevation drawing on your plan that contains this info. Draw a line on each end of the keyboard showing the position of the balance rail holes. Then draw a line on each of the keyframe stiles that denotes how far back on the stiles the balance rail holes will be. Here's a picture that should help make sense of this.



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Once you have determined the correct position of the keyboard onto the keyframe, attach the two together. I just shoot a few brads in various places. You don't want the keyframe and keyboard blank to separate until the drilling is completed. Drill your balance rail holes. By doing it this way, you are guaranteed that the balance rail pins will line up correctly with the holes in the keys - even if you drilled the holes off center.

3. I make arcades using 3 drill bits - 5/8", 3/8", and 1/8". On the arcade blank, I drill the 5/8" hole first (about 1/16" deep), then the 3/8" hole another 1/16" deep, and finally I touch the hole left in the center of the arcade by the first two bits with the 1/8" bit just to clean up the hole. Here what the arcades look like after drilling.



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You are correct about the end grain/long grain orientation of the arcades. On the other hand, I've never had one come off in thirty years.

4. I've never built a clavichord, so I have no idea what this is.

5. Generally speaking, if you can pull out a tuning pin by hand, it's too loose. I generally use a drill bit about .008" smaller than the diameter of the tuning pin. It depends on the density of the wood used for the wrestplank - I use red oak. A little experimentation is in order here.

If I can offer some further help, drop me a PM. Good luck on your project.

Ernie

Alan Caro
01-12-2016, 12:49 AM
Phillip J Allen,

The time-saving qualities of buying plans is made clear by the shear size!

Yes, the keyboard is the critical component and all the clearances such as the balance rail guide pins and the keylever rack should all be initially undersized and gradually fit for nominal clearance. The wood of course may move around during and after construction, but the action needs to be very precise to be quiet and of course, very small mis-alignments will change the gaps in between the keys, so the guide alignment as you've intuited needs to be very accurate.

Ernie Miller has made a good description of the keyboard-making and I'll add a few other comments on the subject. My suggestion is that you have a blueprinters make a full size, very accurate print of the plan of the keyboard and glue the print to the glued up planks for the keyboard. I hope George Wilson will comment also, but my thought is to make the keyboard glued up plank, the balance rail- which is also a structural element that stiffens the case bottom- and the rear guide rack all at once. I assume the materials are specified and the keyboard to be Basswood or Beech. Position the glued up keyboard plank (with attached layout drawing over it and drill the balance guide pin holes into the balance rail. The pins should be a tight fit. Hammer a few pins along the length so the keyboard plank is more or less nailed in place to the balance rail.

Position the guide rack accurately behind the keyboard plank and transfer the rear guide marking positions to the rack. As long as the vertical slots in the rack are marked and subsequently cut in those positions, the keys will be in alignment. After the guide components are transferred in this way, then the keylevers can be cut apart. On fretted instruments the shape of every key is a bit different and the zig-zag in the bass is more extreme and the in the treble which are more less angular tapered shapes. The plans probably indicate in section the carving of the tops of the back portion of the keylevers, typically an inverted V on the angled portion and with the key front and rear portion (where the tangents are mounted) are level. While the drawing is in place make light marks through for the position of the tangents.

After all the guide components - the balance rail pins and rack slots and guide rack guide (and the guide rack may e inegral wit the hitchpin rail/ case liner)positions are marked out on the keylevers, the key levers can be cut from the plank- separated. The longitudinal separations are made using a thin chisel and most of the cutting is from underneath. The key heads are undercut at an angle to lighten the key front and this reduces the need for weights at the back. The key covers- ebony will make the keys fit accurately and the arcades make the key fronts neater. I haven't seen the technique Ernie Miller mentions of drilling multiple concentric holes but it's seems fairly sensible. In harpsichord shops, the makers usually make or have made a tool steel rotary cutter. As Mr. Miller suggests two are made at once and then cut apart on the diameter. There are shops that make such tools as custom molding router bits that can make the tool also. A furniture maker friend has these done for about $50 in Los Angeles. It highly probable that you could buy arcades from Zuckermann Harpsichords - and they will have tuning pins (and tuning hammer), hitchpins balance, key covering material, accidentals, and bridge pins, listing (damping) felt, and a good quality of strings, and possibly even soundboard material. The original soundboard was probably what is called "Swiss Pine" but Sitka Spruce is common now in the US. Stain the arcades to match the wood of the key covers.

The idea of a 3D model is a very good one- Sketchup is excellent for this kind of thing. If there was a way to send some readable from of the plans and sections, I could help interpret them at least in general form, but looking at a lot of photos will help- the parts are generally similar- almost standardized, though the signed instruments by makers such as Hass, Silbermann, and Hubert have more refinements, and there are national characteristics as there are for some instruments. Clavichords are more or less vertical extrusions of the plan. the bottom is thick planked and stiffened by the balance rail and vertical longitudinal liners. The Wrest plank is often solid oak mounted on the bottom although some fretted clavichord with lower string tension have the angles portion floating.

http://www.laurieleighantiques.com/images/sondermannstruc.jpg http://www.clavichords.com/lightbox/Hubert-kit-parts_M4a.jpg

Yes, the out case joinery is usually quite straightforward, only keep in mind the importance of the torsional stiffness because of the diagonal stringing and the way the case is weakened by the inset keyboard.

A really good project- I've been thinking about a clavichord project for the last 15 years as I have an innovative structural and acoustic design I'd like to try.

Let us know how you're progressing.

If you can find it at a library, look for Frank Hubbard: "Three Centuries of Harpsichord Building and the Russell book "The Harpsichord and Clavichord". Also, here is a 2009 sort of day by day blog :

http://renaissance-keyboards.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html (http://renaissance-keyboards.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html)


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-rmghyUMI3E/Sq3d6JDQlKI/AAAAAAAAAHc/UdXJZQ2WsV4/s1600/day7.jpg
Alan Caro

Phillip J Allen
01-12-2016, 11:12 AM
Thanks Ernie and Alan for all the really good suggestions!

Your descriptions of drilling the balance pin holes before cutting the keyboard blank apart makes a lot of sense. Also my plans don't utilize a back guide plank for the keys but lever-guide-pins. So I guess after temporarily fixing the keyboard blank to the balance-rail, I should not only drill the balance-pin holes but also the lever-guide pins on the back-rail at this time to guarantee alignment. I will print out another copy of the plans to put on the keyboard-blank. I was smart this time and scanned and printed out a work-copy of the original plan I bought so I will always have the pristine original copy.

As far as the arcades I will run a few tests with the sequential drill bits as Ernie suggested but I think that I might try shaping an old spade drill bit. I don't really want to spend the money now to get a custom molding router bit. I am planning to cut up some crab-apple wood I harvested from a couple of local trees for the key-coverings and the arcades. The accidentals I might cover with maple and/or holly. The goal is to keep the wood expenditures to a minimum. The case I am thinking of using cotton-wood with black walnut accents for the top panels. I made a music stand out of cotton-wood & walnut and it looks very nice. Also out here in Colorado you can get some really big pieces of cotton wood and some of it can have some really lovely ripple-texture.

The triangular-punch for the balance-pin slots looks pretty neat. I guess it doesn't take much to open a small, narrow hole in basswood.

#4 Sycamore "bride", sorry poor spelling, The "Bridge". I was wondering how I should first cut the sycamore bridge to an "S" shape? Should I cut it from a plank and not worry about grain-direction? Should I try to steam-bed a solid square beam to the "S"-shape or laminate some thinner strips to the S-shape? Then finally besides gluing, how should I affix the bridge to the sound-board? These plans show that Hubert apparently glued and nailed it from below and bent the nails-tips over on the top of the bridge. Is this necessary? Or should I try screwing it from the bottom?

I also found a mailing list forum, www.albany.edu/hpschd-l, and have found a few interesting discussions on building.

Thanks again and I am sure I will have more questions once I start building.
Phil

Ernie Miller
01-12-2016, 11:52 AM
Absolutely! If your plan calls for pins in the back rail to guide the keys, drill them while the keyboard and keyframe are still attached.

When I built my first harpsichord thirty years ago, I thought it would be my "one and only". As a result, I decided to make the arcades using forstner bits. They came out so well, that I stayed with them for all these years rather than have a custom bit made.

As for gluing the bridge to the soundboard, the traditional method is to use go-bars. Lacking a go-bar deck, you can nail the bridge down from the top, through the soundboard, and into your work table (as long as you don't mind holes in your work table). Place the completed bridge on your plan and make a pencil mark for each nail that will not coincide with a bridge pin. Cut enough small rectangular pieces of 1/8" thick scrap, like cut-offs from your soundboard, drill a hole in the center of each big enough to let the nail slip through, put the nail through the hole and use it to clamp your bridge to the soundboard/table. Don't forget to pre-drill a hole all the way through the bridge at each pencil mark, but not into the table below. After the glue has cured, break off the scrap wooden pads which will expose the nail head about 1/8" above the top surface of the bridge. That will allow you to grab the nail head with a pliers or vice grip and pull it out. After they're removed, glue a round toothpick into each hole and sand flush. The term "nails" is a misnomer in this case - they're really wire nails, about 1/16" in diameter and long enough so that they bury into the table at least 1/4". You can buy them at any big box store.

This picture should clarify my ramblings a bit.


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Ernie

John K Jordan
01-12-2016, 10:21 PM
What an amazingly interesting discussion!! I just found this thread and raced through it, now to go back and read every word. What a terrible thing to do to a guy - now I want to build one!

Phillip, if I may ask, was there something in particular that made you decide on the model you chose? (the Christian Gottlob Hubert 1784 clavichord?) Just looking around a little and the possibilities are overwhelming. I play piano and have done some repair and adjustment and rebuilt a player piano but I have never built any instrument from scratch. This is so tempting.

JKJ

Phillip J Allen
01-13-2016, 4:36 PM
John,

I selected Hubert's clavichord since Alan Caro suggested it earlier on this thread, so I said what the heck! Lets try it! I am still in the planning stage and have to finish my girlfriends bar-cart before I start.

george wilson
01-14-2016, 8:40 AM
A maid sucked off an arcade from an original spinet in Williamsburg with her vacuum(Another time a maid sucked nearly ALL the jacks out of an old Chickering harpsichord! The musicians managed to get them back in place since they had numbers on them.:)). The curators got me to make a new ivory arcade. It had an ogee molding surrounding a bottom with a curve ending in a little peak. I filed up a piece of saw steel and did the job in my lathe. Afterwards I "aged" the arcade with a little ground in grime made of a cigarette ash and some water. I took an original key and the newly arcaded key to the curators,and every one picked the new one as the original. Then,they got all excited and made me sign the repro with India ink on the bottom edge! I loved fooling those people.

Mel Fulks
01-14-2016, 10:23 AM
I been told most of the damage to Williamsburg stuff is done not by tourists,but employees using vacuum cleaners.

Ernie Miller
01-14-2016, 10:46 AM
Afterwards I "aged" the arcade with a little ground in grime made of a cigarette ash and some water.

Now you tell me - I quit smoking four years ago.:)

george wilson
01-14-2016, 6:07 PM
I quit cold turkey when I was 45. But,I was in my 30's back then.

The key to properly aging stuff is to see what kind of crud it has. Different objects can have very different grime embedded in the surfaces. One trick I have learned when making ivory parts that must be aged,is to paint them with a VERY THIN coating that has a bit of lamp black in it. The slution is alcohol with a TEENY bit of shellac in it. Old things usually sat in houses heated with wood or ESPECIALLY coal. Ivory gets a nearly indiscernable coat of fine black dust on it. This added to the oil if it is a spinning wheel bobbin,and a teeny bit of yellow DYE,not pigment,from light shining on it for many years. Learning how to do ivory right is a process it took some time to master. Aging boxwood is the hardest thing I have done. Staining it doesn't make it,because decades of Sunlight turn boxwood brown,but NOT in the pores. Adding stain gets into the pores.

Here's an original bobbin with iron shaft and brass flyer I made compared to the original 18th. C. one. Metals are the easiest to age. I used Oxpho Blue gun blue from Brownell's on the iron and brass. That and heat.