baroque tuning

Harpsichord Tuning

(…) Tuning with a tuning meter is different (…) in several ways: primarily, there is no “chained” tuning, i.e., every tone is tuned individually and independently, i.e., the pitch of any string (within the first octave) does not depend on the tuning of any other string, and the resulting tuning accuracy is only given by the accuracy of the tuning of all individual strings — and by the accuracy of the tuning meter. Tuning can be done in the common (and convenient) range a .. a’ for all tuning schemes — or in any other range given by the tuning scheme / table…

Progress in Tuning?

My original intent was to write a blog entry about how we tune our harpsichord (i.e., both what type of tuning we aim for, as well as how we achieve that technically). However, then I realized that I can’t discuss the technicalities of tuning without first defining what I mean with the various terms. People who know how to tune a harpsichord should stop reading here…

Encounters with Music Instruments

… in a family with 5 boys. My mother had been playing recorder when she was young. I remember that she had 2 – 3 recorders (alto and soprano). With 5 boys there was very little chance for quiet times to play — and for the instruments to survive! Once we got our hands on these instruments, we ruined them quickly by biting into the mouthpiece, destroying the labium with screwdrivers or needles, etc. …