The Clavichord

[Lyndon]

The clavichord is the oldest stringed keyboard instrument, and slightly predates the Harpsichord and of course the piano. In the 18th century, the clavichord reached peak exposure but only in a few countries, most clearly in Austria=Germany, Portugal, and Scandinavia, as well as to a lesser extent in Italy, it is virtually unknown in France and England.

The clavichord is the simplest keyboard action, it has one bridge lying on a resonant soundboard, at the other end a fret, called a tangent is mounted on the key, and when the key strikes the string, it frets the note and allows it to vibrate from the fret to the bridge, albeit at a quieter level than the harpsichord, there is felt woven to the left of the keys to stop the string from vibrating when the note is let go, and to stop the out of tune left of the key section of string from vibrating when the note is fretted.

Clavichords can be fretted, where 2.3 or 4 strings share the same pair of strings but by striking at different position sound different notes, the limitation of this is you can't play more than one not at a time on the fretted pair of strings, and if you happen to strike to at the same time an unpleasant dissonance is made. Because of this, by the early 1700s the unfretted clavichord was invented and became more popular as the century went on. Unfretted clavichords have one pair of strings for each individual note, so any combination of notes can be played at the same time, how ever they have more strings loading down the soundboard and can be somewhat quieter

the clavichord is the quietest keyboard instrument and is not really loud enough to accompany other instruments like guitar or violin. Badly built clavichords tend to be even quieter, and really well built ones can be much louder, but never close to as loud as a Harpsichord or guitar. The clavichord plays loud and soft like a piano but instead of Forte to Piano, it is more like Piano to PPP

the clavichord is the only keyboard that has finger controlled vibrato and pitch variation, by pushing the key deeper, the strings are stretched more and the pitch is raised, by pushing the key up and down while still holding the note a vibrato can be achieved.

 

[Lyndon]

going back over 20 years ago I built almost 20 clavichords and retired or quit because of the lousy pay, here is a recording of one of my best instruments, (not me playing)

 

[Lyndon]

I sort of invented a kind of electric clavichord, with steel strings instead of brass, solid wood soundboard like an electric guitar, and humbucking would pickups I made myself, each having about a mile of very thin wire wrapped around magnets and picking up the vibrations of the strings, just like an electric guitar.

This is my music on the electric clavichord, with an analog delay

and this is a group we called Pendulum with me on clavichord and my friend Hunter on Guitar

 

[Secret Chief]

The clavichord is the oldest stringed keyboard instrument, and slightly predates the Harpsichord and of course the piano. In the 18th century, the clavichord reached peak exposure but only in a few countries, most clearly in Austria=Germany, Portugal, and Scandinavia, as well as to a lesser extent in Italy, it is virtually unknown in France and England.

The clavichord is the simplest keyboard action, it has one bridge lying on a resonant soundboard, at the other end a fret, called a tangent is mounted on the key, and when the key strikes the string, it frets the note and allows it to vibrate from the fret to the bridge, albeit at a quieter level than the harpsichord, there is felt woven to the left of the keys to stop the string from vibrating when the note is let go, and to stop the out of tune left of the key section of string from vibrating when the note is fretted.

Clavichords can be fretted, where 2.3 or 4 strings share the same pair of strings but by striking at different position sound different notes, the limitation of this is you can't play more than one not at a time on the fretted pair of strings, and if you happen to strike to at the same time an unpleasant dissonance is made. Because of this, by the early 1700s the unfretted clavichord was invented and became more popular as the century went on. Unfretted clavichords have one pair of strings for each individual note, so any combination of notes can be played at the same time, how ever they have more strings loading down the soundboard and can be somewhat quieter

the clavichord is the quietest keyboard instrument and is not really loud enough to accompany other instruments like guitar or violin. Badly built clavichords tend to be even quieter, and really well built ones can be much louder, but never close to as loud as a Harpsichord or guitar. The clavichord plays loud and soft like a piano but instead of Forte to Piano, it is more like Piano to PPP

the clavichord is the only keyboard that has finger controlled vibrato and pitch variation, by pushing the key deeper, the strings are stretched more and the pitch is raised, by pushing the key up and down while still holding the note a vibrato can be achieved.

You are very talented.

 

[Lyndon]

You are very talented.

thank you, talented but broke; in 2000 after 7 years of working full time I calculated my hourly wage based on a profit of $10,000 over 7 years at about $3/hour, that's when I quit.

 

[Secret Chief]

thank you, talented but broke; in 2000 after 7 years of working full time I calculated my hourly wage based on a profit of $10,000 over 7 years at about $3/hour, that's when I quit.

Are you a fan of Baroque music?

 

[Lyndon]

Are you a fan of Baroque music?

Absolutely, I prefer baroque and renaissance music on original instruments, I'm not as big a fan of later classical music, and I used to be a punk rocker, now I like the Spanish reggaeton dance music station as well as our classical station

 

[Secret Chief]

Absolutely, I prefer baroque and renaissance music on original instruments, I'm not as big a fan of later classical music, and I used to be a punk rocker, now I like the Spanish reggaeton dance music station as well as our classical station

Weird isn't it. I've gone from being a Motorheadbanger to a Scriabin fanboy.

 

[Secret Chief]

@Lyndon

I'm guessing you know of the...

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

 

[exchemist]

going back over 20 years ago I built almost 20 clavichords and retired or quit because of the lousy pay, here is a recording of one of my best instruments, (not me playing)

Fantastic! I was trying to guess the first piece. At first it reminded me of Bach's French Suites, but as it went into the second movement I thought it couldn't quite be Bach. What is it?

 

[Lyndon]

Fantastic! I was trying to guess the first piece. At first it reminded me of Bach's French Suites, but as it went into the second movement I thought it couldn't quite be Bach. What is it?

its JS Bach then WF Bach, I'm afraid I lost the set list, and can't tell you more, I had a falling out with the recording artist, who agreed to let me post it on youtube but only if I didn't use his name.

 

[exchemist]

its JS Bach then WF Bach, I'm afraid I lost the set list, and can't tell you more, I had a falling out with the recording artist, who agreed to let me post it on youtube but only if I didn't use his name.

Ha! That accounts for why I thought it was JSB and then decided against.

I'd love to know what piece that was. I don't recognise it. But obviously the information is lost. Pity.

 

[exchemist]

@Lyndon

I'm guessing you know of the...

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Haha, yes. A really good baroque orchestra.

In fact, some of the players also hire themselves out under another name. Our local amateur choral soc was able to book them for our performances of Bach's B Minor Mass and Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers. They just turn up on the day, take a few directions from the conductor and away they go: you know you are in good hands. And the thing is they enjoy it so much. From my position at the front row of the basses, I could see the violinists exchanging glances and smiling as they handed off to one another.

 

[Lyndon]

This is an unfretted clavichord that is now with the University of Sydney's music dept.

This is a special double clavichord that strikes the string precisely in the middle so they vibrate on both sides, and is effectively louder but has a different quality of tone to the clavichord;

 

[sun rise]

Absolutely, I prefer baroque and renaissance music on original instruments, I'm not as big a fan of later classical music, and I used to be a punk rocker, now I like the Spanish reggaeton dance music station as well as our classical station

My wife often tells me with great enthusiasm about the latest gem for the lute that she's discovered in a manuscript she's working through.

NB: From her I know all about people who don't make a living in music.