Comparone tunes the harpsichord for a rehearsal

[@rodrigocamargo8400]

"in my van" :) Beautiful instrument and very nice and spirited explanation. Thank you.

[@geliopouthapesei]

Lmao that description

[@jhdgdyhi8]

Not just a great musician but also an attractive vivacious and yet down to earth personality. With the ability of communicating knowledge without unnecessary wording. Undoubtedly of Mediterranean, perhaps French Italian or Greek, origin.

[@ElaineComparone]

I can tune the entire instrument in 20 minutes if I have to, but I like to take my time. 30 or 40 minutes is ideal. Yes, tuning after a move is a must! Winter is pretty bad, but if you keep it humidified, at least the soundboard won't crack or open up. In summer, if you let it swell too much, the strings start to break. It's best to keep it well in tune at all times of year.

[@chrissansum]

Elaine Comparone I transported my recently-bought spinet to London for a short recital recently, spent about an hour tuning it, and then found it was hopelessly out of tune. I tuned it a second time in a rush, and it sounded great. With hindsight I’m guessing that it would be a good idea to let the instrument settle into its new environment for a while before tuning. Or maybe you do sometimes need to do two tunings when out on the road?

[@chrissansum]

Also, I am interested to know if you find a long thin tuning hammer handle (like in the video) easier to use than a shorter fatter one? My spinet came with a short quite thick one, and when pins are oriented at awkward angles I find it a bit awkward to use delicately. For my revival clavichord on the other hand I bought a tuning hammer that has a star shaped design, meaning you can orient it at any angle you want, making things much easier. The spinet on the other hand has the traditional flat pins, and its tuning hammer can only be used at the angle the tuning pin happens to be at. So for pins at awkward angles I end up having to rest my arm on the jack rail to get the angle required - still not easy though! Hope this makes sense.

[@ElaineComparone]

@@chrissansum That handle is long to you? the T-shape---which is that one you see----is not as long as the one that looks like a bent screw-driver. Haven't measured them. I used to have a shorter, fatter one, but who knows where it is. I've still got the one in the video and that's what I use. The star-shaped design is one I'm not familiar with. Does anyone use it in a youtube video? If so, let me know where I can see it! For curiosity's sake. I'm not traveling anymore, but it's still a task to keep my three harpsichord in tune. I'm going to give one to a student (the one manual Flemish model), so that will cut down on my work. Oh, how I love that Flemish though!!!

[@kungamusic]

fantastic player. Great spirit. Thanks Elaine. Have a nice day.

[@photo3642u]

Very informative Elaine, love your attention to detail for the benefit of others & yourself. And it went with you in your van!

[@ShelbyBryant]

You're my very favorite person on all of youtube. You're beautiful, and your playing is beautiful. You teach us cool stuff, and you are just so great!

[@ElaineComparone]

I really appreciate your comment! Makes me feel I haven't uploaded this stuff for nothing! Thank you!!

[@ShelbyBryant]

@@ElaineComparone Do you think you could record Chopin's A-minor fugue for us? I know it is a piano composition, but Chopin loved Bach so much, and his fugue is such a true homage to Bach's counterpoint yet still has Chopin's magical signature. I'd love to hear it under your hands on a harpsichord.

[@ElaineComparone]

I'll take a look at it and see: #1. If it's a good candidate for a harpsi-rendition and #2. If it's something I would enjoy learning. First, I have to find it. I don't know if it's in my library.@@ShelbyBryant

[@terrencejones]

Beautiful energy again thanks x

[@simcity92]

You are amazing! Thank you for this video.

[@searchingforlostatoms7191]

I don't play or read music, but I do have curiosity pertaining to mechanical nuances. Thanks for the demonstration. I learned something even though I won't use that information for anything practical

[@ElaineComparone]

Practical is all in the mind. How "practical" is music?

[@jhdgdyhi8]

@@ElaineComparone To me listening to music is actually a very powerful medicine and I forget all my troubles with it. Therefore, I guess, is very practical. Thanks for sharing your art BTW.

[@ElaineComparone]

@@jhdgdyhi8 You're welcome.

[@carlgomm9699]

I love the harpsichord,I'd love to hear some Christmas music on one of these

[@ElaineComparone]

I'm glad you like the instrument! I bet there's some harpsichordist on KZbin who played Christmas music. Unfortunately, I don't know who, so you can have fun looking around for someone. Merry Christmas to you, a little early!!

[@ShirleyKirsten]

I like it!

[@seedyoda5714]

Pure skill

[@EmperorCQX]

This is an interesting video. I always wanted to learn to tune my own piano but alas, my hands are as clumsy as ever when it comes to these thing :(!!!! Now i want to won a harpsichord, such a lovely instrument to have.

[@ChristianJiang]

Very interesting!

[@resonantdave]

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Comparone FTW!

[@johnstarrett7754]

She misspoke about the tuning. She is changing the tension of the string, not the length.

[@peteacher52]

Elaine is correct as are you yourself. Put a new string on a guitar and observe how many turns it takes on the tuning roller before it settles to pitch; its increased length is taken up on the roller. After that, there is little further change in length and tuning is indeed achieved mainly via tension adjustment.

[@howardcohen6817]

Thank you, Elaine. I don't really understand. Is the stand built for the instrument? Is the height adjustable?

[@ElaineComparone]

I had the stand built to accommodate either my Hubbard or Dowd harpsichord. The height is not adjustable. The only negative thing about it is that it weighs a ton. It has to be heavy and strong in order to safely hold the instruments. We have to take it apart when we move it. That's ok. But it's still something that takes two people to accomplish.

[@howardcohen6817]

@@ElaineComparone !! !!! !! !!! !! !!! !! !!!

[@toddberg3892]

Thank you for the walkthrough! I've always enjoyed the sound of the harpsichord. I play guitar and own a 12 string acoustic. Do you slightly detune the supplementary strings for each key to create a slow beat, making a richer sound? I do that with the 12 string and it sounds very colorful. I enjoy your videos. Thank you for the music.

[@sooth15]

Wow, this was really nice. How long does it usually take to tune the entire thing? Do you have to tune it after each time you move it to a new location? I assume winter time is the worst for tuning/keeping it tuned.

[@jimbo2629]

I use a tuning meter as it is more accurate than my ear/ brain. Great choice of harpsichord. You would save a lot of time if you had a simple single manual Italian!

[@constiff]

It sounds like tuning a guitar a little :D

[@elainecomparone9586]

It's a little similar-----metal strings for the harpsichord, various substances for guitar I think, but am no authority on that subject!

[@marcussfebruary9104]

Darn. The harpsichord is 50 years old.

[@ElaineComparone]

Yes indeed. And still in excellent shape!

[@marcussfebruary9104]

@@ElaineComparone if you don't mind me asking mam, how long have you been at the keyboard for😳😊🙂

[@ElaineComparone]

At the piano since $ years old, and at the harpsichord chord since college.@@marcussfebruary9104

[@ElaineComparone]

Sorry, printing mistake! 4 years old!! Just harpsichord (no extra "chord")!

[@marcussfebruary9104]

@@ElaineComparone 😄🙌not a problem, since 4! goodness that's explains the complete mastery😳😊

[@mariaelenakunstmann2713]

Beef bone? Whats that

[@ElaineComparone]

Cow bone. As opposed to elephant tusk. Better, don't you think?

[@foschi54]

Elaine Comparone brava hai un bell'orecchio.....sei di origine Italiana? Ma l'accordatore non è un mestiere x donna, è troppo faticoso! Quanto tempo credi che tenga quel coso in legno.....?Prova con lo Yamaha PT100. Ciao Diego ( Italia )

[@elainecomparone9586]

I did not understand much of what you wrote! I'm sorry!! My father's parents came from Italy. He did not speak Italian to the family. I'm glad you are practicing! Ciao Elaine

[@Mrs.Karen_Walker]

plastic jacks? hahahahahahahaahaha