The Harpsichord Owner's Guide

by Kottick, Edward L.

• ISBN13: 9780807817452
• ISBN10: 0807817457
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1987-10-01
• Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr

Summary

The revival of interest in harpsichords has motivated thousands of people to buy, build, and learn how to care for these instruments. Yet few have any idea how the harpsichord operates, how to keep it in good working order, how to make simple repairs, or how to tune it. Edward Kottick, an experienced harpsichord builder, offers the first practical guide to buying, repairing, and maintaining a harpsichord.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition	ix
Preface to the First Edition	x
Introduction	3	(6)
PART ONE THE HARPSICHORD AND ITS HISTORY
How the Harpsichord Works	9	(20)
Keyboard	9	(5)
Jacks	14	(6)
Strings	20	(2)
Soundboard	22	(4)
Room	26	(1)
Listener	27	(2)
A Short History of the Harpsichord	29	(20)
Italy	29	(5)
Flanders	34	(5)
France	39	(4)
England	43	(3)
Germany	46	(3)
The Harpsichord in the Twentieth Century	49	(5)
The revival harpsichord	49	(2)
The modern harpsichord	51	(3)
Buying a Harpsichord	54	(17)
What kind of harpsichord should you buy?	54	(6)
New or used?	60	(1)
Should you buy a kit instrument? Should you build it yourself of have someone else build it?	61	(2)
Should you buy from famous makers, even though they may be half a continent away, or should you buy from a local builder?	63	(8)
PART TWO MAINTENANCE TECHNIQUES
The Tool Kit	71	(6)
Tools	71	(4)
Tuning fork	71	(1)
Tuning hammer	72	(1)
Wire cutter	72	(1)
Hammer	72	(1)
Hook or nail	72	(1)
Voicing knife with spare blades	72	(2)
Voicing block	74	(1)
Small, long-nose pliers	74	(1)
Small scissors	75	(1)
Medium or large screwdrivers	75	(1)
Set of jeweler's screwdrivers	75	(1)
Six- or eight-inch mill bastard file	75	(1)
Six-inch steel rule	75	(1)
Small, sharp tweezers	75	(1)
Stand tool	75	(1)
Supplies	75	(2)
The Strings	77	(13)
Breaking strings	77	(1)
Changing a string	78	(1)
Tools and supplies needed	78	(1)
Making a string loop	79	(5)
Nail method	79	(2)
Hook method	81	(3)
Winding the string on the tuning pin	84	(5)
Threaded or tapered tuning pins with a hole	84	(1)
Tapered tuning pins without a hole	85	(1)
No-tech holeless pin string winding	85	(3)
Low-tech holeless pin string winding	88	(1)
Drilling a hole in a tapered tuning pin	89	(1)
Tools and supplies needed	89	(1)
The Jacks	90	(16)
Changing a tongue	90	(1)
Tools and supplies needed	90	(1)
Changing a Delrin plactrum	91	(2)
Tools and supplies needed	91	(2)
Voicing a Delrin plectrum	93	(8)
Tools and supplies needed	93	(3)
Cutting the plectrum to length	96	(1)
Thinning the plectrum	96	(5)
Changing and voicing a crow quill	101	(1)
Tools and supplies needed	101	(1)
Replacing a damper	102	(1)
Tools and supplies needed	102	(1)
Replacing a boar bristle in a wooden jack	103	(1)
Tools and supplies needed	103	(1)
Regulating the height of the jack	104	(2)
The Action	106	(10)
Removing the keyboard	106	(2)
Regulating the keyboard	108	(3)
Straightening the keys	108	(2)
Leveling the keys	110	(1)
Regulating the dip	111	(3)
Head stop	112	(1)
Rack stop	112	(1)
Jackrail stop	113	(1)
Adjusting the coupler	114	(2)
The Touch	116	(9)
Touch affected by lateral changes	116	(3)
Touch affected by vertical changes	119	(1)
Adjusting the stagger	120	(5)
PART THREE TROUBLESHOOTING THE HARPSICHORD
String Problems	125	(7)
Strange sounds	125	(4)
Strings that beat	125	(1)
Strings that are damped	125	(1)
Strings that buzz	126	(1)
False strings	127	(1)
Downbearing	128	(1)
Slipping strings	129	(1)
Breaking strings	130	(2)
Jack Problems	132	(10)
Sticking jacks	132	(3)
Dirt	132	(1)
Humidity	133	(1)
The shape of the jack itself	133	(1)
Interference with the operation of the jack	134	(1)
Two jacks operated by one key	135	(1)
Weak and inconsistent notes	135	(2)
Plectrum too short	135	(1)
Register slot too wide	135	(1)
Poor return of the jack tongue	136	(1)
Hangers	137	(2)
Interference	137	(1)
The plectrum	137	(1)
The tongue and the spring	138	(1)
Jack height and damper setting	138	(1)
Crow quill	138	(1)
Leaking dampers	139	(1)
Frozen registers	139	(3)
Action Problems	142	(7)
Sticking keys	142	(2)
Sticking at the balance pin	142	(1)
Sticking at the guide	143	(1)
Warped keys	143	(1)
Naturals that catch sharps	144	(1)
Squeaky, wiggly, and noisy keys	144	(2)
Squeaky keys	144	(1)
Wiggly keys	144	(1)
Noisey keys	144	(2)
Loose and leaking buff pads	146	(3)
PART FOUR CARE OF THE HARPSICHORD
Tuning, Temperaments, and Techniques	149	(15)
Tuning and temperament	150	(1)
Tuning	150	(1)
Temperament	151	(1)
A short history of temperament	151	(4)
Pythagorean tuning	151	(1)
Meantone temperament	152	(1)
Modified meantone temperament	153	(1)
Equal temperament	154	(1)
Tuning techniques	155	(2)
A tuning and two temperaments	157	(6)
The reference pitch	157	(1)
Pythagorean tuning	158	(1)
Quarter-comma meantone temperament	159	(1)
Modified meantone temperament	160	(1)
Completing the tuning	161	(2)
The need for frequent tuning	163	(1)
The Harpsichord as Furniture	164	(5)
Location	164	(1)
Cleaning the soundboard	165	(1)
Spills on the soundboard	165	(1)
Cleaning the keys	166	(1)
Cleaning the case	166	(1)
Moving the harpsichord	167	(2)
From room to room	167	(1)
To somewhere else	167	(2)
Epilogue The Well-Regulated Harpsichord	169	(2)
Notes	171	(6)
Index	177