Clavichord...

[Derek]

Has anyone here played a clavichord? Do you like playing it, do you like its sound?

[allthumbs]

I love the bagpipes.

[mcgillcomposer]

Has anyone here played a clavichord? Do you like playing it, do you like its sound?

Hey Derek,

When I was doing my undergrad, I had the opportunity to play several keyboard instruments including the clavichord. I do like its sound - it is VERY intimate. I suppose what struck me most is how quiet it is and how delicately one must play it - it is an incredibly sensitive instrument. The bebung effect is also neat.

[pianowolfi]

I'd like to have one, one day. It's said to have been Bach's favorite instrument.

[Derek]

I've been obsessed with the clavichord recently. So much so that I've been reading up on how to build one, ha ha! I don't really have the resources to build one or buy one at the moment though.  But I've been making a ton of baroque (and modern) style improvs on my digital piano using the "clavichord" sound.  Yes, the "bebung" effect is one of the many reasons why I am interested in the instrument. I wonder why they never placed a mechanism into the piano that allowed this effect. It seems like you could put a lever beneath the keys, so when you hold down a key you could make a note have a vibrato or a bend.

[pianowolfi]

Yes so true. I miss this effect on the piano actually very much, often. There are clavichords that you can buy the parts of and build up yourself. Hee hee this makes me dream 

[devinemusic]

Hello!  This is my first post anywhere and I realise this thread is a month old, but I'm a harpsichordist and clavichord player lurking on a piano list...  If anyone's still there, I'd be happy to give chapter and verse as to why the clavichord is simply the most intimate and in many ways "pure" keyboard instrument to play, and therefore quite often the most satisfying - unless you're in a loud mood... 

[pianowolfi]

Hello!  This is my first post anywhere and I realise this thread is a month old, but I'm a harpsichordist and clavichord player lurking on a piano list...  If anyone's still there, I'd be happy to give chapter and verse as to why the clavichord is simply the most intimate and in many ways "pure" keyboard instrument to play, and therefore quite often the most satisfying - unless you're in a loud mood... 

Yes of course, I would be interested
Welcome to pianostreet

[timothy42b]

Hello!  This is my first post anywhere and I realise this thread is a month old, but I'm a harpsichordist and clavichord player lurking on a piano list...  If anyone's still there, I'd be happy to give chapter and verse as to why the clavichord is simply the most intimate and in many ways "pure" keyboard instrument to play, and therefore quite often the most satisfying - unless you're in a loud mood... 

Since you seem to have some expertise with the clavichord and harpsichord, can you comment on any of the digital recreations?  there are dedicated digital harpsichords as well as MIDI modules and various soft synths and sound fonts.  For most of us these would allow an easier entry into the area before buying additional instruments, but only if they are close enough.  I think most of us rationally accept that digital piano is acceptably close, though there are holdouts, but perhaps not much effort has been put into digital harpsichord or clavichord.  My older digital piano has a clavichord setting but it is awful, I never use it. 

[richard black]

The clavichord is by far the least suitable instrument for synthesising, because you can vary the pitch of the note (slightly) after it has struck by varying key pressure. The 'Clavichord' voice on synths is at best a very rough approximation to the sort of sound a clavichord makes.

[pianowolfi]

I would actually like to have a clavichord sometime. It fascinates me, also because it's often said that it has been Bach's favorite instrument. And because of the more direct connection that you have to the strings.

[timothy42b]

I played the church's Yamaha digital piano last night.  (they keep it in a back room for rehearsal, we use a grand and an organ in the service).

The clavichord and harpsichord voices were kind of fun to play with, but the dp touch was very very strange.  From what I've been reading clavichord technique is supposed to be much different because of the touch, so a digital piano may allow you to emulate the sound but not the direct connection the clavichordists seem to feel is important.