Building A Clavichord

Building A Clavichord
Strings, tuning pins, etc: Marc Vogel
Keyfronts: Elena Dal Cortivo

[@richardk1598]

What if I told you, you are the first person on youtube to upload a somewhat entire building process of a clavichord. I am in my own process and this video is incredibly helpful and very important for documentation. Thank you

[@mercoid]

It’s a nice video, and the instrument sounds wonderful…, but gimme a break! He skipped dozens of steps of the build in this video.

[@SassyTesla]

I am also looking to build one, information is quite sparse

[@adamcolbertmusic]

It's such a cruel irony that such a "primitive" musical instrument by today's standards is so incredibly rare and/or expensive to obtain and blueprints are basically impossible to find.

[@andrewhicks8340]

I built a clavichord from a kit In the 1970's, from Burton Harpsichords in Nebraska. I am still playing it nearly every day, almost fifty years later. Thank you for this beautiful video, giving a sense of the process. I am in awe of your workmanship. I wish for you many years of playing your beautiful instrument. Edited to add: I am, like you, an organist, now retired. The clavichord was my home instrument through my career, and I found it very beneficial for developng a good touch for mechanical action organs.

[@OfficialWorldChampion]

those keyfronts are so beautiful - and the sound

[@omyoday9593]

Congratulations on a beautiful instrument, and a beautifully edited video. I built the King of Sweden clavichord kit that I had on the shelf, for something to do during the lockdown in 2020. They are remarkable little instruments. Not quite like my concert harpsichord, but they have a charm all their own, don't they.... Beautiful.

[@SYLVESTRIVS]

Thank you. Kind regards from Brazil 💚💛💙

[@penman8996]

Thank you - a magical film.

[@yee2867]

Incredible construction, I hope to see more of you in the future :b

[@handavid6421]

amazing! I hope that I could build one someday...

[@annulrsolformrkelse4023]

pure beauty! Thank you for sharing.

[@aahmadadam11]

A remarkable video, well done!

[@JerryAGreene]

Very nice! Thank you for sharing

[@koinpusher]

Holy shit! I need to go buy wood now...

[@martinslunecko274]

Nice, aesthetically pleasurable video. Thanks for that.

[@Lifecomesfromwithin]

I built a Zuckerman clavichord kit in the 80s but sold it to move out west unfortunately. I have a 5 octave one and have thought of putting heavier tangents on it. Have you ever thought of using very heavy tangents to give a louder sound?

[@samcmonsalve]

Lovely ❤

[@marcoscorsolini8803]

Stunning work indeed! I wonder, are plans and materials available somewhere? I would love to try to build one myself.

[@valentinrichter]

Thanks for commenting! For this clavichord, I came up with my own plans after studying some 17th century instruments. Many things, including plans, can be found here: www.vogel-scheer.de/en/ Another good option would be to look at clavichord kits (pre-manufactured parts, unassembled). Good luck and best regards!

[@marcoscorsolini8803]

@@valentinrichter Many thanks for the information! Cheers))

[@De_mitaSiburian-uw7xs]

Planeo hacer un clavicordio con cuerdas de guitarra, no sé qué pasará después. Todavía estoy planeando, no sé nada sobre el clavicordio. Yo dudo.

[@Pseudotype1]

The out-of-focus blurring detracted from the quality of this otherwise very cool video.

[@bruhlickd]

Very clearly images from distant.

[@TheReverantChoir]

Could someone recommend a website or video that explains how to build a clavichord step by step? It'd mean so much to me. It's one of my goals in life

[@tophtodaro4927]

How is the playing portion of the key attatched to the rest of the lever? at 1:44 I can see the two must be made separately. Do you dowl the two together? Awesome video!

[@shrihansuchit6647]

Is it possible?

[@burakylmaz3986]

Hello Lucas, thanks for the video. May I ask you some questions? I'm thinking of building myself a clavichord and am curious about some particulars. How many hours had it taken you to build this clavichord, from start to finish? Also, I'm thinking of buying a plan from Marc Vogel, and am not sure if plans are enough to build from scratch.

[@valentinrichter]

Hello, I didn't count exactly, but I estimate that it took me about 350-400 hours of work in total, of which about a third was for planning and organising materials. I can recommend that you join groups that discuss the building of clavichords or harpsichords, for example on facebook. There you can get an impression of the building process and develop a feeling for it. Good Luck! Valentin

[@burakylmaz3986]

@@valentinrichter Thank you for the answer, Valentin! I also assumed it would take around 350-400 hours, so it's good to hear. I will check some groups, and try to get a feeling for it as you say. Thank you! Burak

[@andreacannizzo9641]

I would like to create my own clavichord, can you please tell me where to start? Is there any exhaustive book or manual out there that teaches it?

[@brianexplores285]

Bravo! Did you build from scratch or kit? Beautifully done.

[@valentinrichter]

Thank you :) I built from scratch.

[@brianexplores285]

@@valentinrichter outstanding. Such precise dovetailing. Could you say something about the interior of the lid?

[@valentinrichter]

​@@brianexplores285 Thanks. The lid is made out of maple (inside) and cherry (outside). There is also a small strip of black oak (/fumed oak) between two wider strips (also cherry) for decoration on the inside (as visible from 4:03). For making the vignette I allowed myself to use a template.

[@brianexplores285]

@@valentinrichter it is marquetry? The scene was brief so I couldn’t quite tell.

[@alexdeutscher3146]

First of all, congratulations for the beautiful work with this clavichord. I'd like to know where you got those ornamental pieces you glued to the front of the keyboard. In the video they appear at 1:52. I thank you in advance for the information.

[@valentinrichter]

The keyfronts were made by Elena Dal Cortivo.

[@alexdeutscher3146]

@@valentinrichter Thank you, but how is it possible to buy these parts with her?

[@alexdeutscher3146]

@@valentinrichter Thanks, I found her website where she sells all the parts.

[@lindatenbras6711]

Hello is it possible to buy blueprints as well?

[@melzlink4100]

Do you sell these instruments?

[@leletih]

Where can I import one for my country?

[@iosonoergo]

The brano is Weiss?

[@adamcolbertmusic]

If you made it out of collarbones, it would be a claviclechord 🥁chssss

[@mervynevans5176]

Hola. Cómo se consigue los planos

[@SYLVESTRIVS]

Marc vogel, pero yo consigue en fortepiano.com. soy bradileño, amigo

[@melzlink4100]

What temperament?

[@valentinrichter]

It used to be constructed for a rather mild temperament (somewhat similar to Valotti) - but (by bending the tangents a bit) I changed it to a slightly modified meantone temperament later.

[@Oeli_Maurer]

Hallo lieber Valentin Ich bin äusserst interessiert an deinem Clavichord-Projekt, da ich selbst vorhabe ein solches Instrument zu bauen. Ich habe auf deinem Instagram Profil ausserdem gesehen, dass du bereits ein zweites, wunderschönes Clavichord gebaut hast. Da es nur sehr wenig Dokumentation im Internet zu finden gibt, wollte ich dich fragen, ob du bereit wärst, einige zusätzliche Fotos mir per Email zu schicken und/oder ob du mir (falls noch vorhanden) Einsicht in die Pläne geben könntest. Gibt es ausserdem Literatur über Clavichordbau die du mir empfehlen könntest? Vielen Dank im Voraus für deine Antwort. Oeli

[@valentinrichter]

Hallo Oeli Schreib mir doch gerne eine Nachricht bei Instagram oder Facebook, dann kann ich Dir dort zusätzliche Informationen/Bilder zukommen lassen. Herzliche Grüsse Valentin

[@jairalves1706]

Wow! You are amazing! I am impressed with your improvisation! Is it possible to follow you on Instagram? Greetings from Brazil!

[@valentinrichter]

Thank you for your comment! My Instagram is: @valentinlrichter