Hi Richard, Thank you very much. Your information is quite helpful. take care-----d D Marie Jones, RPT Kalamazoo College 269-383-0620 269-806-4067 (cell) From: rwest1 at unl.edu Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:18:02 -0600 To: caut at ptg.org Subject: Re: [CAUT] harpsichord questions I think the most overlooked aspect of harpsichord string replacement is the angle of the string from the nut (capo) to the tuning pin. The string has to end up being low enough to make good contact with the nut, but not so low as to put a severe angle from the nut to the tuning pin. The trick is to have several tight coils at the top of the pin to hold the wire to the pin via friction. Then the coils can be stretched out to bring the string down the tuning pin to the proper height relative to the nut. After the pin is driven in, the string should not be too low. A good way to tell if you have the string right is that it will be roughly the same height as its neighbors. The angle of the wire from the pin to the nut will be relatively shallow. I use the end of the black keys as a measure for the correct length of wire before coiling it on the pin. In other words I've made the hitch pin loop and I have the string on the hitch pin. I pull the string taut, and use the front end of the black key as a reference to cut the string. That leaves a good length of wire to make a nice number of coils. If you have a good custom-made instrument, just duplicate what's there. If your string is indistinguishable from the originals, then you've done okay. Richard West On Feb 17, 2010, at 11:04 AM, D Marie Jones wrote:Hi everyone, Thank you for the detailed comments and resources. I meet the harpsichord in a few weeks & I'll be sure to write back with any adventures & further questions. And, thank you Fred for the insightful details. take care. all the best---D D Marie Jones, RPTKalamazoo College 269-383-0620 269-806-4067 (cell) From: fssturm at unm.edu To: caut at ptg.org Date: Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:31:13 -0700 Subject: Re: [CAUT] harpsichord questions On Feb 17, 2010, at 2:00 AM, D Marie Jones wrote:1. What is the standard amount of string you leave beyond the pin to end up with the perfect amount of wraps? Something between 10 and 14 inches as a general rule. You can use a gauge, or you can use a rule of thumb like the span of your hand plus a bit (judged by eye) or sight down to the front edge of a keyboard, something along those lines. Differences of two or three coils aren't very noticeable, so I don't find the need to be overly precise. Less length toward the bass, especially the fat brass strings. 2. Is the process for stringing a harpsichord the same as a piano? Or are there hidden tricks that would be helpful to know in advance? Tying tails is the big skill to learn, and attaching to a becketless pin is another, if you need to. Also, for pins with a becket hole, it is wise to stick a wee bit of string beyond the end of the whole (not try to be precisely flush - the pin diameter is very small, and the hole is very large compared to the wire diameter, so you want to err on the side of a long becket), and make a positive bend in the wire with a pliers before inserting (as Ed Sutton recommended not long ago for the piano).Also, you need to be aware of the angle of the wire from the nut to where the wire comes off the pin. You need positive bearing. Sometimes that means having some coils at the bottom that aren't tight together. Match the look of what is there. But it is more important that you have positive bearing than that your coils are neatly together. Many harpsichords are strung in a style that has tight coils up top, then loose coils, then a couple tight coils at the bottom. 3. What is the best source for harpsichord string? You need to know the type of wire. Steel is either "piano style" high tensile, or "historic style" low tensile. Brass varies more. Hubbard http://hubharp.com/ , Zuckermann http://zhi.net/ and Instrument Workshop http://fortepiano.com/ are good sources. Regards,Fred SturmUniversity of New Mexicofssturm at unm.edu Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. Get it now. _________________________________________________________________ Your E-mail and More On-the-Go. Get Windows Live Hotmail Free. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469229/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/caut.php/attachments/20100218/5719ef21/attachment-0001.htm>
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