headcase 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2016 Just came across this, if anyone is lusting after a 4 octave Morley Clavichord http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1970s-JOHN-MORLEY-London-4-Octave-Clavichord-Stool-Spinet-Harpischord-P28-/391403402859?hash=item5b2175f66b Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davidh 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2016 That seems like a fair price. Clavichord touch is very different from that of pianos and organs as the key is connected to the string for as long as it sounds, so finger pressure affects pitch, and even allows for "bebung" (vibrato). If a key is not depressed firmly it can chatter as the tangent hits the string. The positive aspect is that the player has far more control, but the downside is that it is much harder to learn the appropriate touch. Morley instruments are designed to make things easier for the pianist, but at the expensive of being less sensitive to touch than instruments which have been built along more traditional lines. The prospective purchaser needs to be aware that there is a trade-off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Colin Pykett 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2016 The clavichord demonstrates that exploiting the possibilties of 'aftertouch' by a skilled player arose centuries before today's electronic keyboardists thought they had invented it (realised in the 1980s thanks to MIDI of course). CEP Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
innate 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2016 I bought a synthesiser in the late '80s specifically because it had individual aftertouch on each key which you could programme to control volume, pitch, timbre. We all wish we had it on our pianos and organs occasionally, no? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
