How does the harpsichord work?

Answer 1

By plucking a string, a low or a high sound is made!
Harps are played by placing the larger column on your right shoulder and playing the correct strings with your fingers. (Excluding the pinkie finger) Depending on what harp you have, you may switch the pitch of the note to sharp or flat by using pedals (using feet) or levers (using hands). It's a very difficult instrument to play, but it's beautiful. I know because i play the harp. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

The Harpsichord was and is (they are still being produced and of course), historical instruments are played rather like the Stradivarius fiddle. It was one of the ancestors of the piano and differs in usually having two keyboards and often a variety of pedals. I saw one in a New York church that had five pedals and first thought my eyeglasses were playing tricks! No I was right. Modern Harpsichords are made by Neupert, do not confuse with Newport and some French and possibly Austrian outfits. The US Firm Baldwin made a concert harpsichord, amplified but sort of part acoustic for popular musicians in the sixties. it weiged in at 88 lbs and was a bit to heavy for touring musicians. The essential angle about the Harpsichord is the instrument plucks the strings at an angle like a guitar and does not strike them percussively as does a modern Pianoforte. The Pedals are used to modify the sound, of course. a special Pedal Harpsichord with a large pedal board was made primarily as a (Trainer) for organists. One was used and played in Africa by Dr. Albert W Schweitzer. The author John Gunther mistakenly called it a piano in his book (Inside Africa)/ On e modern Harpsichord was/is the Zuckerman. There were some jazz and rock applications by groups such as the(Doors)- Road House Blues...All Night Long! The harpsichord is considered a stringed instrument, not a keyboard instrument.

Answer 3

Harpsichords can do many more things than a piano.

When a key is pressed, a thing called a "jack" pops up and plucks the string. The jack doesn't necesserely pluck it, but something called a "plectrum" on the jack does the job. When it comes down, it doesn't make noise because of a damper on the jack.

Some harpsichords can have 2,3 or more sets of strings, which are at different pitches, or octaves, to have a more colorful sound.

Answer 4

First let me say that harpsichords can have one or two keyboards, and even a pedal keyboard underneath.

For one keyboarded harpsichords, it's much like the piano, you press a key to have the correspondent sound. For two keyboarded harpsichords, you can play each keyboard independently, generally they're used one for melody and the other for accompanient, since one produces softer / nasal sounds. Sometimes the second keyboard plays transposed notes, so that's another function.

For the pedal keyboard, the way it works is the same as for the hands but used with the feet. Press the key to make a sound.

Note: For the harpsichords and clavichords as soon as you lift the finger pressing a note, the sound will fade right away, since there's no mechanism to lift off the dampers - to allow the notes to keep sounding even when after lifting of the fingers. For that reason haprischord musical pieces tend to have quick sucession of notes, to fill in the silence between melody notes.

Answer 5

A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when each key is depressed.

Answer 6

A harp is played by plucking the strings to make a tune.

Answer 7

Harps are played by using your 4 fingers not including your pinkie

Answer 8

The strings are plucked, unlike a piano which the strings are struck by a hammer. YouTube search it for videos of harpsichords