Talk:Clavichord

Untitled

The article Tangent (clavichord) should be merged into this article as it does not contain enough information to stand alone and references material unique to this article only. +Fenevad 18:53, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

There is an error in the text under fretting: which is larger, unfretted (more likely) or fretted clavichords? It says unfretted ones are bigger than unfretted ones.

It would be nice to have some audio examples of the instrument.

There are some in the link to Wikimedia Commons. Graham87 13:23, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

As far as I know the Clavichord builder Thomas Steiner lives in Basel, Switzerland, but appears as Austrian in the Text! I live in Basel and actually know where he has his atelier. Prysswerckh (talk) 12:32, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

I'm confused by a sentence in the wording underneath the picture of the clavichord's action. It reads, "Note that the key levers are perpendicular to the strings", but it appears to me that the key levers are parallel to the strings. Am I misunderstanding this diagram, or is there a mistake in the text? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.123.96.51 (talk) 19:18, 26 August 2009 (UTC)

The clavichord action diagram is a bit confusing, but can be understood. It does, however, contain actual errors: in stating that point 5 is "bridge pin next to hitch pin" and in point 6 "Damping felt, next to tuning peg." As the text description to the left of the picture makes clear, the tuning peg is next to the bridge pin (on the right-hand side of the instrument), while the felt damper is next to the hitch pin (on the left-hand side of the instrument). Maybe the contributor of the diagram (Berndt Mayer) could come up with a clearer picture with these points corrected? <UkinRanta (talk) 20:19, 18 November 2017 (UTC)>

New image

I've recently uploaded a 17th century engraving of a woman playing a clavichord (right) by Wenceslas Hollar. Feel free to use or not use. Dcoetzee 00:34, 20 March 2009 (UTC)

It doe not say what materials the instrument is made of. Is the frame of wood or metal? Xxanthippe (talk) 09:25, 16 February 2010 (UTC).

Please explain...

... how the dampers do not damp the string until the tangent loses contact. I cannot see a mechanism that lifts the dampers while the string is vibrating and then replaces them. --2001:44B8:3102:BB00:1C13:7597:BAAC:3566 (talk) 06:27, 4 July 2021 (UTC)

Yes, I'm also confused about the dampening mechanism and how that works. If you take the analogy of the guitar, the note is determined by the finger at the fret/neck to the distance to the bridge - on the clavichord the tangent is apparently equivalent to both the pick and the fret and the damper is equivalent to the bridge. The wikipedia article uses the helpful analogy of the "hammer-on" on guitar, but it's still a bit counterintuitive how it works. Any elaboration from someone more knowledgeable would be helpful. However, the action of a piano is much more confusing, so I don't know what I'm complaining about really. Thanks. 24.185.171.142 (talk) 01:00, 17 March 2022 (UTC)

Have you tried reading Brauchi's 1998 CUP book? There's also a recording of BWV 989 by Michael Thomas that might help. The commentary says, "The clavichord uses quite a different principle. The depression of the key strikes the string directly thus permitting variation of touch, as well as a form of vibrato." Mathsci (talk) 01:59, 17 March 2022 (UTC)

Thank you for your reply, but I don't think that specific quote answers my question. 24.185.171.142 (talk) 09:08, 19 March 2022 (UTC)

Confusion about the dates

The year of the German poem--1404--was in the early 15th century, not the 14th. 2601:241:8C00:8BD0:28C6:BC86:A0F2:1877 (talk) 13:45, 10 December 2023 (UTC)

Came here to say the same thing. 15th century is correct. 14th century is wrong.

Posting here because Wikipedia is "read-only" for the 99.99%. No point in trying to fix it when it'll just be rolled back within 10 minutes. 174.164.64.186 (talk) 03:15, 25 September 2024 (UTC)

I checked both sources and both say it's unclear when exactly the clavichord was invented. Brauchli says

"all elements necessary to the conception of the clavichord existed by the fourteenth century...As neither literary not iconographical evidence of a clavichord preceding the fifteenth century has been found, it is probable that the calvichord was conceived at the earliest in the fourteenth century"

Jeans says

 "The monochord was one of these, and when keys were attached to its movable bridges, it became a clavichord. It is not known when this took place, as fourteenth-century clavichords were also called monochords. It is never certain whether the writers of that time are referring to the one or to the other.

so I think it'd be more accurate to say "The clavichord was likely invented in the fourteenth century at the earliest, and the early fifteenth century at the latest". Any objections if I make that edit? MasonM (talk) 21:16, 7 June 2026 (UTC)

I just checked, and the "The clavichord was invented in the early fourteenth century." claim was added in https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clavichord&direction=next&oldid=253373430 by 137.132.250.12, who hasn't been active since 2015, so I went ahead and made the edit. MasonM (talk) 22:30, 7 June 2026 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: MUSC 2323 Spring 2026

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 20 January 2026 and 13 May 2026. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): The Golden Rabbit (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Fmb.2100 (talk) 04:51, 14 May 2026 (UTC)