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Harpsichords and Related Topics

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Subject:
From:
Tilman Skowroneck <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Harpsichords and Related Topics <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 7 Jun 2017 12:47:59 -0500
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On Wed, 7 Jun 2017 08:07:29 -0500, robert james seeley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

About Swedish clavichords

>1. angle of soundboard:
>
>in the older instruments, the grain of the soundboards runs parallel to the
>back and front of the case;
>
>in the later instruments, the grain slants diagonally from the back right
>to the front left of the soundboard, resulting in longer boards in the
>middle of the sound board:


I'm digging this out of my memory now...there are documents from the Swedish academy of science of the time that show that they did actual scientific tests to change/improve clavichord construction. Would have to look in Helenius-Öberg's book again, no time now. Anyway, yes, it's an earlier-versus-later instruments deliberate change of design.

>how does this affect resonance?

My dad once made four Hass-style clavichords, two with diagonal soundboards and two with straight-grained ones. Judging from those, it affects bounciness most of all, so: feel-of-touch parameters. Diagonally soundboarded clavichords are easier to play in comparison (very crude generalization).
On the other hand, the glued-in triangular corners tend to develop cracks in dry conditions.

>2. Spacing of key levers:
>
>In the older instruments, the key levers have spaces between levers in the
>middle of the keyboard, like a bird foot; usually these spaces occur
>between pairs alternated with trios of key levers;
>
>Is this the result of stringing with one guage or fewer guages of wire?
>
>In the newer instruments, there are no gaps between the key levers.

Difference between fretted and unfretted keyboards. 

fwiw Tilman

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