The tedious task of distributing the Pythagorean comma is limited to four adjacent fifths / fourths at the other end, i.e., is achieved by tuning “just” three tones g’, d’, and a’. The convenient part of that recipe is that one can tune pure fifths (and fourths) starting at the upper end (c”).

When done, tune E and B for pure intervals A – E – B, hence shifting a quarter of the Pythagorean comma from A – E to B – F#.

Tune the intervals G, D, and A such that the “error” (Pythagorean comma) is distributed evenly between C – G – D – A – E (see the posting “Interval tuning” for details).

from c” (down towards c’), tune pure fifths and pure fourths C – F – Bb – Eb – Ab – C# – F# – B – E.

The reason for this is that a popular / convenient recipe for “Werckmeister III” tuning starts with c’ rather than a’: Initially, we were typically tuning to a = 415 Hz (the bass sounds so full, nice & warm on an Italian harpsichord!!) actually, we used a tuning fork for c’ = 493.5 Hz rather than starting with a’. The Initial, Traditional Recipe - Werckmeister III It permits accommodating continuo / ensemble playing with instruments in either baroque (a = 415 Hz) or modern (a = 440 Hz) pitch settings. The transposing keyboard is not exactly historic, but is rather a convenience feature built into many current replicas of old instruments. Both these are keys “far away from C major” and will therefore sound much worse than expected - if they are usable at all! Conclusion: after using the transposition mechanism, one still needs to re-tune the instrument. When shifting down, it will use the former B major keys. However, as we are not using equal temperament tuning, you should not expect to be able simply to “shift & play”! When shifting up, C major will be using the former C# major keys. One can switch between a = 415 Hz and a = 440 Hz without dramatic retuning. This is a so-called transposing keyboard. Instead, many harpsichords allow for the entire keyboard to be shifted sideways (there is an extra string with every stop). Ideally, you would need to wait for the instrument to adjust itself to the new tension levels, then, after a while (hours), do a second (and later maybe a third) tuning. You could do a very coarse tuning at best, then you will need to restart from scratch. Changing the tension of a string so dramatically will inevitably alter the tension (and hence the pitch) of neighboring strings: with such a big change you would constantly alter the pitch of strings already tuned. The former would cause the strings not to have enough tension for the full sound (if tuning down), or, conversely, excessive tension (when tuning up) might cause strings to break.Īpart from this, such a huge change in pitch would make it impossible to tune the instrument at once. The selection is of course not achieved by changing the pitch of all strings by half a tone, but through a transposing keyboard, see below. Our harpsichord is designed to be usable at both a = 440 Hz and a = 415 Hz: essentially a half-tone (99 Cent) difference. These were often delimited to a specific time at a specific geographical region or location, to a court or an institution. Historically, people used a variety of different standard pitches (even pitches higher than a = 440 Hz). These two pitch levels are the most common ones. Thereafter, one tunes the initial / central octave range from this one starting point. Tuning recipes in baroque times were based upon interval tuning: one tunes a first string using a tuning fork: typically a = 440 Hz or, especially for baroque or pre-baroque tuning, a = 415 Hz.

So, the course addressed traditional / historic methods for setting up the tuning within the initial octave range. At that time, electronic tuning aides were expensive.

Some time after taking delivery of the instrument (around 1980), Lea had attended a course on harpsichord tuning. I don’t want to bore them with trivialities! Setting the Pitch in the Early 80’s People who know how to tune a harpsichord should stop reading here. In this posting, I merely want to describe my / our experiences with harpsichord tuning over the past (almost) 30 years. Others have done that and are certainly more qualified than I am (see below). I’m not trying to write a set of instructions on how to tune a harpsichord. Addendum - The Obsolescence of our Korg Tuning Meter.Make Sure You are Not Off by a Half-Tone!.How is this Different from Older Methods?.

The Initial, Traditional Recipe - Werckmeister III.

Common tuning fork frequencies