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Harpsichord, anyone?

gallahadesquire

By gallahadesquire
in Comedy & Tragedy

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whipped guy Grand Master

whipped guy

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As always I am amazed at not only Mr. Smith's knowledge regarding the organ, but also his interesting "now you know the rest of the story" anecdotes about various instruments! Priceless!

 

However, I must comment on what was the original intent of this thread. Several weeks ago my next door neighbor down south suddenly had to sell her home. She wanted me to have her electric keyboard. It needs to be repaired, but I was still very happy that she wanted me to have it. It has a harpsichord as well as what is classified as a cembalo sound. They are very similar, but the cembalo has a bit of a more robust character. In any event, it is perfect for my non professional needs and I can finally play 18th Century music on something that at least gives a semblance regarding how things should really sound. It certainly makes the music come to life in a way that a traditional piano does not even if it is not quite the real deal.

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whipped guy Grand Master

whipped guy

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I hate reviving old threads and especially one that has taken detour into different territory, but I just replaced an old electric keyboard that was given to me by my neighbor with a newer model. It has four harpsichord sounds and I am loving it. Does it sound exactly like the real thing? Not really, but it's quite close and perfect for my needs, plus it has piano and organ options as well. Not to mention other sounds all with the action of a concert grand. Also, no tuning involved.. It comes with equal temperament, but if you have a degree from MIT it can be tuned in a different manner.... Plus I have significant space issues and it is the only option to get a musical instrument into my life at the Southern Command Post. Regarding the organ sounds available, the Diapason Octive option has proven to be quite fun to ticker with! It reminds me of riding the carousel as a kid!!!!

 

http://www.farmersmuseum.org/files/images/exhibitions/tfm-exhibitpage-carousel.jpg

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gallahadesquire Grand Master

gallahadesquire

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Does it also change the touch of the keyboard? Some of the better models (and this sounds like one) change the touch between piano, organ, and harpoon ... uh, harpsichord.

 

I hate reviving old threads and especially one that has taken detour into different territory, but I just replaced an old electric keyboard that was given to me by my neighbor with a newer model. It has four harpsichord sounds and I am loving it. Does it sound exactly like the real thing? Not really, but it's quite close and perfect for my needs, plus it has piano and organ options as well. Not to mention other sounds all with the action of a concert grand. Also, no tuning involved.. It comes with equal temperament, but if you have a degree from MIT it can be tuned in a different manner.... Plus I have significant space issues and it is the only option to get a musical instrument into my life at the Southern Command Post. Regarding the organ sounds available, the Diapason Octive option has proven to be quite fun to ticker with! It reminds me of riding the carousel as a kid!!!!

 

http://www.farmersmuseum.org/files/images/exhibitions/tfm-exhibitpage-carousel.jpg

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Jbdesc Enthusiast

Jbdesc

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Wow, that is quite the instrument. I have an electric keyboard, I don't feel I play well enough to invest that heavily. That being said I am going to be buying a new one. Mine is not full size and is really limiting my ability to play, that and the weighted keys this one has do not feel very authentic like some of the newer ones. Off to the stores I go!

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whipped guy Grand Master

whipped guy

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More on this detail would be fascinating!

I have not gotten to that part yet. However, I doubt that I will be tampering with that aspect. One of the reasons one gets an electronic instrument is never having to tune it. However, if I ever get that degree from MIT I will consider playing around with it. That is part of what is called Virtual Technician and you can voice the instrument as well.

Does it also change the touch of the keyboard? Some of the better models (and this sounds like one) change the touch between piano, organ, and harpoon ... uh, harpsichord.
Yes, you can adjust the touch. There are five settings. It was suggested that I use light touch to start and then go from there. I decided to return it to the factory setting which is in the middle. For harpsichord and organ you can turn the touch off with a push of a button so as to replicate an instrument that is not touch sensitive.

 

Incidentally, it comes with all sorts of instrumental sounds. I have been experimenting and one of the guitar sounds blends in perfectly with the harpsichord options and replicates what a lute stop would sound like. It has been fun to play say the trio section of a minuet with such a setting. Things are also set up so one can easily do so at the push of a button as long as you set things up properly previous to playing the piece.

Wow, that is quite the instrument. I have an electric keyboard, I don't feel I play well enough to invest that heavily. That being said I am going to be buying a new one. Mine is not full size and is really limiting my ability to play, that and the weighted keys this one has do not feel very authentic like some of the newer ones. Off to the stores I go!
For the record it is a Kawai CN 35. The local dealer sells them for the online price and delivered it, put it together(I did give him a helping hand) and set it up at no additions charge. Plus, he took my old keyboard away (the one that my neighbor had given me) again at no additional charge. I had looked at a similar Yamaha Clavinova and this gave you more bang for your buck. Plus, it was easier to switch between the various parameters and "stops" while you were playing. It had better speakers as well. They have less expensive models that are again better value than comparable Clavinovas.
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whipped guy Grand Master

whipped guy

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I am trying to figure our which of the piano sounds best replicates a Viennese fortepiano. I am tempted to use the "Honky-tonk" sound that screams discordant old piano, but ironically what is classified as "Rock Pano" has a sound that is reasonably close. While there is an overall dry sound the bass rattles with a certain amount of fury that mellows out at a bit below middle C and then goes on to have a harp-like qulity above the staff. It has a twangy pungent sound at times as well. It seems to work with Mozart and Haydn, with early Haydn sounding equally as well (or better) using the harpsichord option.

 

In any event, using the Rock Piano option really makes Haydn's D-major Sonata Hob XVI/19 come to life. Haydn uses the extremes of the keyboard and the contrast in the different sounds is truly evident. The second movement has cello and flute like moments. Plus in the last movement the bass tremolos thunder and rattle ominously like I have never played it previously. This nicely contrasts the next section which suddenly shifts to the upper extremes of the keyboard to telling effect. On a traditional piano everything sounds homogenized. Not here. Loving it!

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AdamSmith Grand Master

AdamSmith

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The Duke organ is a marvel of tonal balance & correctness at the same time as an extraordinarily well controlled mix of 3 different styles that Flentrop initially fought against: foundation the high North German school, then Fenner insisted on the Spanish trumpets and some interior Spanish stops so the instrument could properly perform the 17th/18th-century Spanish repertoire. Then, after the wind chests had been fabricated and drilled, Fenner came swooping in with his new research on Cavaille-Coll and somehow persuaded Dirk to re-drill them to accommodate a bunch of French reed pipes so that the instrument could also perform the great 19th-century French Romantic pieces by Franck et al.

 

It is no wonder that the thing ended up costing $550,000 in 1977 dollars. :eek:

P.S. Dirk in revenge gave Fenner the devilishly difficult technical job of planning several of the mixtuur ranks necessary in any organ, and here especially so, to blend some of those pitch-wise almost irreconcilable ranks with one another, under the instrument's chosen 1695 Chaumont temperament.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipe_organ_tuning

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