Building an Ottavino (a mini-harpsichord)

[@NickRossi]

I could never in a million years think my way through something like this.

[@adamcolbertmusic]

Ohhhhhh, I bet after a hundred thousand years you'd be surprised!!!! 😜

[@DJWhisler]

Idk why but im trying to make one. Defined without all the fancy details!

[@suspense_comix3237]

This instrument is more like a mini Clavichord. I kinda want to design a Clavichord that can be 3D printed. This way, I can take a keyboard instrument anywhere and it can fit on my lap just barely. It won’t have 88 keys, but more like half of what a Piano has. Clavichords in real life don’t have 88 keys, either. It probably won’t sound good but it will be a 3D printed version and has rubber bands as strings.

[@refugio311]

una insparacón : con vida y lúcida de conversación !

[@ogreunderbridge5204]

Nice. I always wanted a harpsichord. Could not afford one, those I´ve seen for sale costs more than classic campaign furnitures. I usually have good luck with wood working, maybe I´ll should give building one a try. I´d like one in transportable size but I also like having full range of tones and the tonal modes. Do you know any site with good descriptions to draw such design influences from ? Guitarist caught shopping in a piano shop; What piano string gauges fits what tone ranges ? And whats up with double/triple strings on each note ?

[@douglasnadel1028]

You can buy a kit for a full-size harpsichord from Zuckermann's, these are still quite expensive. Renaissance Workshop Company sells kits and plans for a full-size spinet. Check out my video on building an Ottavino Spinet kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJK2loyErMdnjrc If you want to try building it, email me and I'll send you plans [e-mail]

[@dbarr15]

Doug, where did you get your jacks? Thanks Doug

[@douglasnadel1028]

Zuckermann Harpsichords www.zhi.net

[@latouchemusical2095]

What is thé music you play

[@douglasnadel1028]

I think that tune is called "Alpine Melody," it was in one of my daughter's beginner piano books

[@shawncharton9416]

They call it that because it sounds an octave higher than standard.

[@douglasnadel1028]

That's interesting. So is that the same as saying it's at 2' pitch?

[@shawncharton9416]

4'. 8' is standard. An octave above is 4'. 2' would be two octaves up.

[@Wolfganger]

Bro you should make a business!

[@bricology]

Douglas -- out of the many hundreds (thousands?) of videos of construction projects that I've watched on KZbin over the years, that was one of the most impressive and lucid ones that I've seen. And the results of your work are truly impressive. Well done!

[@telkakaston1657]

Wow! I just found your channel and I can't give you enough likes! I come from a musical family and am a violinist. My father was a musician and owned a music store for 35 years. Every summer, my dad's workroom was filled with stringed instruments from all of our county's schools. I loved to just stand in the doorway and smell the wood and rosin as my dad cleaned each instrument and replaced bridges and strings. I miss that and I miss him, dearly. However, I recently went to his store (now a curio shop), and I swear I could smell the rosin, LOL! Dad would have loved your channel and I know that I will have him in mind as I watch more of your videos. I can't wait to see the other instruments that you've made. SUBSCRIBED!

[@douglasnadel1028]

Thanks so much for your wonderful comment!

[@e-mananimates2274]

You know, for a "toy," that actually sounds beautiful!

[@hanellipsis]

Actually called 'ottavino' because it's tuned an octave higher usual.

[@nialltracey2599]

To expand on that and explain why, the -ino ending in Italian is a "diminutive", ie. it "shrinks" the thing it comes after. A sopranino recorder is smaller and higher than a soprano. "Ottavino" is also another name for the piccolo flute, so called because it plays a whole octave up from the written music. Anyone playing on an ottavino harpischord would likely be playing tunes notated for an instrument pitched an octave or two down, hence the name.

[@nickdryad]

Mozart would say “Not enough notes.” Seriously that was very impressive.

[@robbinlynnspencer-buchtel6896]

That is AMAZING! Do you sell your creations?

[@douglasnadel1028]

Contact me at [e-mail]

[@InstrumentManiac]

A fascinating video. You are truly a wood working & musical genius!

[@Tetasha]

Amazing work! I think besides the absolutely fantastic craftsmanship, that's most adorable a harspichord can get

[@tedeumlaudamus9517]

Super impressed - do you build clavichords as well?

[@sophiamoe9286]

It has the quality, timbre, intensity, and the sweetness of a soprano voice when it plays.

[@fnersch3367]

Have built many instruments like this over the last 60 years and still do. Great work you have done on this. Thanks for sharing.

[@TaiganTundra]

I'm thinking of getting into building minikeyboards, I suppose the easiest thing to start with would be a clavichord?

[@fnersch3367]

@@TaiganTundra Yep.

[@cayr7745]

Absolutely fantastic. Now I want to buy one. Well done and good presentation. Thank you.

[@douglasnadel1028]

Contact me at [e-mail]

[@gabrieldgful]

Wow your work is beautiful. This was really helpful thank you

[@JonathanHorwitz]

Beautiful, just beautiful! Thank You for your great skill and patience, making the World even more wonderful.

[@SheldonBeldon]

totally fucking awesome

[@monteverdi1567]

Impressive work and a beautiful result!

[@58norman]

Wow, just wonderful. Great work man.

[@egandavid]

SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!

[@iknikblackstone9082]

This is amazing craftmanshift Douglas !

[@spencerbrodhead]

This is awesome! Very nice!

[@ThinkCleverAndSmart]

I realized at the end that I had my mouth open for almost the entirety of the video. Simply jaw-dropping!

[@e_fission]

I don’t think anything could’ve prepared me for how beautifully that turned out in the end. Tremendous work!

[@julesmarwell8023]

FROM one, lover of the harpsichord from down under. Thank You

[@Aver812]

My gosh its beautiful

[@BennyCoricidin]

That is really cool.

[@青い虎-v9v]

One of the most amazing things i have ever seen.

[@MrMikeEdie]

Very, vrey impressed.

[@Lovelyquid]

One could say you're skilled !! Just amazing !!

[@MishimaToshiro]

What a beauty!!

[@scotty]

man that was GREAT !

[@Kevin15047]

Alpine Melody! I was leafing through my Alfred level one lesson book. "I know this song, I have played this song, a lot, but I can't remember the damn name."

[@douglasnadel1028]

Yes! I learned it from my daughter's Alfred book, too. Ha ha!

[@athosnogueira6755]

absolutely incredible

[@sophiamoe9286]

This is a mini harpsichord at 4' which sounds from E4 to F6; you should make an octave lower version, a 8' instrument which will sound from E3 to F5!!!! Great one!!!!

[@fnersch3367]

I built a 17th C. ottavino a few years ago. I never was able to get the plectra to work properly. No matter what I do I can't get them trimmed so they aren't so stiff. The action is too heavy. I wonder how you trimmed yours.

[@douglasnadel1028]

The ones I used were plastic (celcon) and I got them from Zuckermann. It's been said that it takes just as long to voice a harpsichord as it takes to build one. When I visited Zuckermann's workshop they basically told me I wouldn't be able to voice it and I should hire them to do it. Basically I used a very sharp #11 scalpel blade to thin the plectra, then carve a triangular-shaped profile and then taper the tip. On an ottavino the plectra are very short and so it's hard to thin them enough. Fortunately the plectra are cheap and easy to replace if you go too far. Good luck!

[@fnersch3367]

@@douglasnadel1028 - thanks for this tip (no pun intended). I'll try it. I built my first Zuckermann kit in 1972. Still have it!

[@A3Kr0n]

Seriously, is a harpsichord ever in tune? At least when mine goes out of tune all the strings do so in unison. Except that one in the bass...

[@CyranMakesMusic]

Wow awesome

[@adamcolbertmusic]

I'm not even 30 seconds into this, but I'd like to say that even "toy" instruments can truly be "real" instruments ✊😁🤘

[@SonetoG]

Hi, congratulations for your work! Where did you buy these tuning, hitch and balance pins? Thanks!

[@douglasnadel1028]

That all came from Zuckermann Harpsichords. www.zhi.net. Expensive but quality products.

[@apofficial2265]

My eye only watching And my brain even after looking and hearing the instructions 💫💤💤💤

[@michaelg9344]

You are truly gifted.

[@michaelg9344]

I mean I hope the next generation if any, will pass on all these skills.

[@rcc3574]

Inspirational! Thanks for sharing your talent!!

[@cbo208]

So beautiful! I’m obsessed with it 😍

[@DanielPJMMAS]

One the roses, if properly made, the parchment acts as a tiny extra 'soundboard,' like a tiny snare drum! One instrument I had built (a cittern), the parchment added an entirely new 'ring' to the sound.

[@musical2874]

Is it just me or is this the cutest harpsichord ever

[@ekstrapolatoraproksymujacy412]

You are not changing how close you are to breaking point by changing wire diameter, thinner wire has lower breaking tension but string of the same length tuned to the same note with thinner wire have less tension, those two effect calcels out perfectly, so you are always at the same precentage of breaking strength no matter wire diameter. If you want to be really precise about that, sometimes, the opposite may be true, thinner wires because of the way they are made, for some alloys are a little harder and have a little greater tensile strength than thicker wires. Despite that thinner wire usually sounds better but have less power, not going into detail better sound is effect of smaller stiffness of thin wire. the thing with being closer to breaking strength being better is mostly about that, because to actually get closer to breaking point you have to make the string longer for given note, and so the string is thinner in respect to length and so it is less stiff and sounds better but overall mass is not smaller (like with just using thinner wire for shorter length), but actually bigger so power also is slightly increased. Of course you can't increase the speaking length to whatever sounds best, especially if you want low notes in small instrument, so in modern instruments, low notes have wound string, length is short, but winding gives the string more mass and doesn't introduce much stiffness beyond what stiffness thin core has. There also is another trick which was sometimes used in old clavichords etc... which is to use twisted pair of thinner core wires for bass notes, this way you have the mass of thicker wire, but smaller stiffness, this is something like inbetween solid wire string and wounded string.

[@sophiamoe9286]

This is a mini Soprano Harpsichord with compass of E4 to F6!!!

[@makytondr8607]

Wow! Your instrument sounds so beautiful and clean!

[@pierre5325]

Delightful and exciting. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@alanonblaze8016]

beautiful we need more people bring things like this back very wonderful

[@gustavgnoettgen]

That future researcher said about technology that old stuff gets exchanged for new stuff, and used electronic pianos as an example. Because the sound would be good enough! That's nonsense, I get goosebumps when I hear a real piano from time to time. The real deal should better never die out, instead we need to explore more mechanical instruments and solutions.

[@lawabidingcitizen5153]

@@gustavgnoettgen On a good electronic piano, the sound is good enough, it's just lacking in terms of feel and they lack the uniqueness of the sound from one build to the other

[@gustavgnoettgen]

@@lawabidingcitizen5153 not good enough for me

[@lawabidingcitizen5153]

@@gustavgnoettgen In the end it's up to the player, personally sound wise, either is good enough, but the acoustic piano has a special feel for me. I'd still probably prefer having an electronic one mainly because of its synth sound options for more Rock/Metal oriented playing

[@tedeumlaudamus9517]

@@gustavgnoettgen Agreed 100%

[@reptilejesus829]

Excellent work - really impressive thank you for uploading this

[@crazyhorsetrading8655]

what a gorgeous instrument. beautifully built, and sounds fantastic. Well done.

[@MunthApollo]

What a magical little instrument! It makes me think a little of a music box, which, seeing that it is a box that makes music, I guess that's an appropriate term haha... Anyway, beautiful work.

[@MeanOldMatt]

This is some absolutely fantastic craftsmanship

[@gatozarin]

loved the touch of humour with the kit kats 😂😂😂

[@musicalintentions]

Your work is amazing!

[@SweetBabyRey]

Not going to lie I’m green with envy I am legitimately jealous. I wish I could do this. DAMN ID LOVE TO MAKE ONE OF THESE

[@douglasnadel1028]

Start with a simpler project and work up to it!

[@jonlilley2832]

Bravo, Douglas! Keep up the great work! I think it'd be a lot of fun to build a harpsichord, but my mind addles at the thought of just how long it would take. And, I can't even quantify the amount of tenacity required either. Kudos for a job well done!

[@emmet_guitarist]

😍

[@koraykumru1295]

This awesome in so many ways! Recently discovering the harmonium as an instrument makes this even more attractive to me!

[@DJWhisler]

I don't know why, but I am trying to make one myself. This video just shows me the intensity of how perfect everything needs to be. Thank you, by the way, no other video on KZbin goes through the detail need to create one! Good luck to me... haa

[@douglasnadel1028]

Hey check out my video of building an Ottavino Spinet, I have a construction manual available for it. [e-mail]

[@IO-zz2xy]

Think that tune is The Harp Song?

[@seguindoomanual3610]

Hello, can you give me the cutting plan? I would like to make one of these for myself aou brazilian regardless of anything, great work

[@douglasnadel1028]

I don't have real plans for this one but see my video on building an Ottavino Spinet, I have a detailed construction manual. If you want that email me [e-mail]

[@christopherotto5433]

I'm curious about the vendor for the Port Orford Cedar...?

[@douglasnadel1028]

I believe I got it at Hearne Hardwoods in Oxford, PA. They have some really beautiful stock there. More recently I've bought spruce soundboards from Stew-Mac

[@mdouglaswray]

Outstanding in all ways!!

[@kuroageha1096]

11:48 how does it sound like

[@estherbrown4084]

Could somebody please transcribe what the man said about the differences between the keyboard instruments?

[@douglasnadel1028]

A Grand Harpsichord has strings running front to back. A Virginal has strings left to right (this is an Ottavino Virginal). A Spinet has them running at an angle. There's also a Clavicytherium where the strings are vertical

[@shroomatic]

Amazing work! Can you share the blueprints or smthn?

[@douglasnadel1028]

email me at [e-mail]

[@sound.workshop]

lovely project and presentation. I would love to have a little ottavino

[@douglasnadel1028]

One of my Ottavino Spinets is still available, see video linked above, email me if you're interested [e-mail]

[@RosssRoyce]

Youre super gifted, thanks for vid!

[@efrenmartinezmorales4792]

One question, were those models of harpsichords used in general during the time or are they exclusively for children?

[@douglasnadel1028]

Don't really have any idea

[@johnlogan1333]

How charming...

[@pablovega7880]

exelencia elevada a decima potencia

[@Gadadharadas]

The rose in the soundboard hole serves a purpose more important than a decorative one. Remove it, and the instrument may have a sharp resonance on a particular frequency. Which results in unpleasant sound. The hole divided in many small ones flattens the resonance curve effectively.

[@douglasnadel1028]

That's interesting.... It should be possible to measure the resonance with and without the rose in place

[@paulnijsten6360]

it's otTAvino btw

[@brendavanetten3877]

I would like to build one but the keys not being straight puts me off. How am I ever going to manage that?

[@douglasnadel1028]

No doubt, lining up the keys takes a lot of patience. Check out my Ottavino Spinet video, the keys are a little easier to make than on this Virginal

[@joan-lisa-smith]

Wow, beautiful

[@DaJesuts]

How did you know where to place the balance pin? Is there a formula based off of the length of each key or "lever?"

[@douglasnadel1028]

You can put a small weight (some suggest a couple pennies) on the front end of each key lever, then find it's balance point, so that with the weight removed it will fall back into place properly. However, this is more or less guesswork and you will likely need to add some small weights (I use fishing line weights) to get it right.

[@dariopietricola1376]

Hi! Please, where didi you found the jacks?

[@douglasnadel1028]

I bought them from Zuckermann www.zhi.net

[@guyug6940]

1:06 hes just like me😔

[@gallopingglen1]

that was really funny with the kit-kat ebony, well done on the beautiful build

[@douglasnadel1028]

Hey, thanks. I do get hungry in the workshop sometimes...

[@anndeefam]

you might as well go ahead and give it to a museum that's where it should be, because I'm sure someone would give a weighty sum of money for it but it's obvious you would never sell it.

[@douglasnadel1028]

You are too kind! I actually did sell it, to someone in Japan. Building three Ottavino Spinets now, stay tuned

[@yori4666]

Thanks. Very nice.

[@hiw9528]

How cute is that!! Can one buy this or a similar one somewhere?

[@douglasnadel1028]

I have one more Ottavino Spinet available. See link above for it's video and email me if you're interested [e-mail]

[@briggy4359]

You're really cool dude.

[@stevepethel6843]

Wow... Knowledge skill patience determinarion you have. It and something more ..God bless you for this video ...

[@roberthopkins1085]

What an interesting guy

[@edoardobuonanno7329]

sorry but the tuning pegs with which wood did you make them (or where did you buy them) ???

[@douglasnadel1028]

The tuning pegs are metal, I got them from Zuckermann's www.zhi.net

[@ulisesvazquez4623]

Wooo I'd wanna buy it. I wish you make more!

[@ovodice]

hello how are you, congratulations for that beautiful instrument ... I would like to ask you about the strings, what instrument are they from? how many? thanks

[@douglasnadel1028]

There are 26 strings. I used stainless steel music wire from Zuckermann's www.zhi.net. 0.008" for the upper half and 0.009" for the lower half.

[@ovodice]

@@douglasnadel1028 Muchas gracias amigo!

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

(Apologies in advance if you've already covered this in one of your videos that I haven't seen yet about building another harpsichord.) Looking at the keys of the lowest octave, I wonder if the original in the museum had a short/broken octave. Lowest note E doesn't guarantee, but is a clue favoring, the E actually corresponds to the C below that; F is as normal; but then the F♯ key actually plays the D below that; the G is as normal; and then the G♯ key actually plays the E below that. The overall effect is that you extend the range of the instrument downwards by a major third at the cost of missing some in-between notes that were considered to be not used as often. A similar system existed on some harpsichords appearing to have low B as their lowest note, which actually played G below that, with the C♯ and E♭ keys being likewise substituted. Some harpsichords and organs (presumably also ottavinos) had split keys so that you could get both F♯ and D, and both G♯ and E (or both C♯ and A, and both E♭ and B). These split keys looked very much like the split flat/sharp keys that appeared on some instruments (including some of the same instruments) higher on the keyboard to enable playing of flats and sharps that were not enharmonic in meantone tuning (12 tone equal temperament was known about back then, but it wasn't in favor then the way it is now, and music went through an intermediate stage of well-tempered tuning before equal temperament finally become dominant in the late 19th/early 20th Century). (And, although I have yet to see images or footage of one, supposedly some Viennese instruments had sort of a combination of both short/broken octave systems, and lasted into Haydn's time.) Short/broken octaves obviously aren't very user-friendly if you're expecting the whole keyboard to work the same way, but they saved on instrument cost in a time when remote key signatures were rare, _especially_ on pipe organs; on the plus side, if you _do_ manage to get used to playing on them, you can reach some intervals that you can't reach elsewhere on the keyboard unless you're Sergei Rachmaninov.

[@douglasnadel1028]

I don't know if the original Vaninus instrument had a short octave or not. It seems to me that if you're playing this little thing, you've already given up on having a decent range of notes to work with....

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@douglasnadel1028 True enough, but on the other hand, if you already have a short range, an extension by a major third makes more of a percentage difference than it would on a full-compass instrument.

[@fepatton]

Fantastic work! It looks amazing, and I love that you made three of them at once! I had flashbacks to my teen years when my Dad and I built a clavichord kit, and to several years ago when I replaced the action on our Zuckerman harpsichord! Your approach to making the register is really clever and I like you how you approached the keyboard. Definitely going to check out your marquetry video. I don't suppose you have drawings for sale? I'm thinking I'd like to build one.

[@douglasnadel1028]

Thanks! I only made one Ottavino Virginal, but I made three Spiinets, see my other video kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJK2loyErMdnjrc I have plans and instructions for the Spinet, email me [e-mail]

[@fepatton]

@@douglasnadel1028 Funny - I was watching the spinet video on my TV while commenting on my laptop. This comment was meant to go there! Will contact you. Thanks!

[@blindcanseemusic]

Does the touch of the keyboard vary from one end to the other? Eg do the shorter keys feel different to play than the longer ones?

[@douglasnadel1028]

Not really. All the keys have the same vertical range of motion, and require the same amount of force to push down, which can be adjusted by adding small weights. The main factor affecting the touch of each key is how each plectra is voiced. Tiny differences in the shape of the plectra affect how it feels (and sounds) when plucking the string.