The other issue with black and white keys might have been economic. Ivory was expensive, so using it only on the sharps/flats would have been sensible.
The clavichord is a precursor of the piano, as the clavichord pounds or hits the string. The harpsichord and the clavichord are not related. The harpsichord plucks the string. The harpsichord is not a precursor of the piano. They belong to different instrument families.
As the clavichord with the piano since the piano hits the string whereas the clavichord produces a sound by the vibration (so a question of timbre) of a string through its tangent.
It's more complicated than that. Christofori called his invention "clavicembalo col piano e forte" litterally "harpsichord with soft and loud". A harpsichord is similar to a piano (and guitar, and all plucked string instruments) in that the string is excited somewhere in the middle and the whole string vibrates. The clavichord is unique in that the tangent separates the string into two parts, on the right the string vibrates and communicates sound waves to the bridge and soundboard, but on the left it is damped. The point that is struck by the tangent is held in place and cannot vibrate. As a result of these two features, a clavichord makes much less sound than a harpsichord - let alone a piano - for the same impact on the keys. On the other hand, you _can_ play it "soft and loud", like a piano, which you can't on a harpsichord.
It's not meant to be an offense to you or your channel of course, but I think it sounds horrible to be honest. And I don't really know why the tangents have to be so big/heavy. I own an unfretted clavichord replica of an historical instrument(late 18th century) and it's way better. If you have a chance to play on a historical replica you will be amazed about how better it plays (although it will take days to get remotely decent sounds out of it, it requires very disciplined and precise finger movement and little-to-no arm weight). Also clavichords have been built until the early 19th century(in Sweden even later) and cannot really be considered strictly as proto-harpsichords/pianos. The mechanism is really too different. The closest thing in mechanism is probably tapping technique on the guitar, with the tangent (finger for guitar) "dividing" the string at some point and at the same time producing sound from each side of the string. (if you take away the red cloth strip on the left side of the strings two different tones will be produced at the same time) By contrast, the piano, while much more complex mechanically is very similiar to a hammered dulcimer in which a quick hit causes the entire string to vibrate. I hope this is of some help for anyone interested.
The clavichord is of quite basic design compared to more modern styles of instruments, and this is undoubtedly why it has the tonal quality it does. Specifically, the string is actuated at its speaking end, unlike a piano where the hammer strikes the string at some point not at the very end of the string. This affects the harmonic content of the note, and thus its timbre. The design of the clavichord does not allow for the adjustment of timbre by choosing different striking positions, which I suspect is one reason why they became obsolete -- i.e., by introducing the possibility of different striking positions with respect to the end of the string, tonal adjustments were possible, arguably making better sounding instruments. Another issue is that the sound boxes of clavichords are smaller than the sound board of a piano, no doubt leading to weaker bass -- probably another reason why clavichords fell out of favor. However, there are some players who still prefer clavichords. A reason appears to be what some people could consider a weakness, namely that the pitch is affected by how hard the player presses the key. That feature makes it more difficult to play accurately, but at the same time gives it an expressiveness greater than that of the piano or harpsichord, on neither of which can a note be given vibrato. One problem with clavichords, based on various videos I have seen, is action noise. A common problem with many clavichords is the noisiness of the action, some quite badly. The fact that the instrument you have there does not seem to have this problem suggests to me it may be of more recent manufacture and therefore of better design. I am wondering when this instrument was made.
Love Italian concerto by Bach played on a harpsichord - stupendous. Dude, the sound of clavichord sooo genteel and drawing roomish - radically unique and cool ! Oh man would love to own one - but then I say that about every instrument under review. Great stuff!
Hey Mr. James why don't you play some funky beats on this clavichord like funk on the clavinet? I would like to see how it sounds like. Clavichord & Double Bass funk seems would be cool.
I haven't played songs like that in quite a while, but I am working on learning more and more songs to play on these instruments. I have a busy schedule though.
@@ThePianoforever I appreciate your busy schedule! I am a professional concert violist, teacher, performer, Anglican cathedral choirmaster and organist of a world class men and boys choir, harpsichordist and composer. I surely thought you would know something from the Goldberg Variations, Well T 1 or 2, Inventions and Sinfonias, etc. or even early Mozart Sonatas. Your obviously an accomplished pianist of considerable talent and skill. I enjoy your Utube videos a lot and have learned much from you. I am 61 years old with 2 Masters and 2 Phds in music.
It wasn't necessarily out of tune. While it is true that you have to tune these types of instruments *much* more often than modern pianos, it is most likely tuned to some unequal temperament appropriate for the type of music that would be played on it, which is to say, not really any modern music. Unequal temperaments are only playable in certain keys, depending on the temperament used. Here is an excellent demonstration: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-58LgBQqGXIY.html
hi james this is a good video I would enjoy learning to play the clavicord. alsoa harpsichord. I did not know that any stillare around. also I am waiting for you to post bach music. I love hearing the harpsichord. when I play a lovers concerto .from bethoven. I just can,t play it enough. with my lowrey organ.
Beautifully played, but I would like to have heard more. Have you see or heard Wim Winters play his clavichord on You Tube? He is well worth a listen. (Please don't think I am detracting from your expertise, just pointing you in a different direction!) Best wishes.
This might be a silly question, but I'm super curious and must ask. What would a clavichord sound like without the felt ribbon? Would it have more sustain? Would it sound good or bad?
As MelinusMargos says above, without the felt ribbon you would get TWO notes; the two parts of the string either side of the tangent would sound separately, each with a different pitch related to their length.
In France, where I live, a lady once told me, "If you REALLY listen to Bach's music, you can tell that in his heart, he was a Roman Catholic!" I was speechless, but maybe you could have enlightened her...
