Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum I know this is a piano forum but.....

Does anyone like the harpsichord and has anyone played one (a real one I mean?)

A friend of mine built a couple, and we used to play harpsichord/fiddle duets of old Scottish dance music. It was wonderful. There's a different feel to them from piano because the strings are plucked with a plectrum rather than struck with a hammer, and you can feel that. On his the "white" keys were black and the "black" keys were white, too There are some concerts around town featuring harpsichord fairly regularly and I always try to go.

If you get a chance to try one it's fun.

Cathy

I played a few long ago. As Cathy says, you can feel the plectrum setting and snapping through the strings. I've been looking for some time already to find an opportunity to get some playing on one to try a few pieces.

Does playing the harpsichord setting on my P155 count? Probably not, but that's the closest I've come. Really like it with pieces from the Anna Magdalena book.

I have a small spinet model that I built from a kit over 30 years ago. I accompany my wife Laurie on recorder:

Ave Maria

I would much rather play piano. It's very easy, since the action is so light, to hit wrong notes on the harpsichord. And I can play piano and forte and everything in between on the pianoforte But on the harpsichord you cannot vary the volume.

Sam

No,that is a pretend harpsichord and does not even resemble the proper instrument. Sometimes when I change the settings on my piano for fun and try the harpsichord or the organ or the orchestra setting but the real thing is better.

I played one when I lived in Boston. I particularly like the quick pluck sound on the release of the note, right before the damper mutes the string. Some good DPs mimic this, but the action isn't comparable to the real thing.

I like them and would love to have a try of one!

I had the use of a Virginal one summer a long time ago.

The sound was so much more alive than what I find on my digital piano.

The action was a lot different, the main resistance was near the top of the key stroke.
I was worried about breaking the instrument if I used heavy piano hands.

The keys were narrower. I think I could reach a tenth

It needed to be tuned frequently. I never got very good at tuning.

Very nicely played, both of you. And the alto recorder has just the right kind of voice for the spinet.
Happy New Year!