From simon@alphabeck.co.uk Thu Nov 17 09:17:27 2011
Subject:Re: They're back

No, the tangents (ftom Latin "tangere", to touch) on a clavichord don't pluck the strings. They are metal blades (like the end of a screwdriver) which act as frets, dividing the string into a sounding and a damped section, as well as their impact making the strings vibrate. The tangent stays in contact with the string until the key is released, at which point the whole string's vibration is damped by a piece of cloth permanently attached at the end furthest from the bridge. This makes the clavichord a very quiet instrument, and very difficult to record or amplify, but it is also very expressive. Since the tangent meets the string in mid-air, you can even apply vibrato by wobbling the key gently up and down.

The Clavinet uses a similar system to the clavichord, but to stop it going out of tune due to finger pressure, it hammers the string onto a fixed metal anvil with a rubber pad and uses magnetic pickups and an active preamp to amplify the sound.

Simon

----- Original Message -----
From: Goff Macaraeg
To: CloneWheel@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2011 4:57 PM
Subject: Re: [CWSG] They're back


So those plucking things are called tangents.. Which came first? Hammers or tangents in the history of percussion keyboards?

-----Original Message-----
From: Daniel Forró
To: CloneWheel
Sent: Thu, Nov 17, 2011 7:49 pm
Subject: Re: [CWSG] They're back

If it was really piano, then it had hammers. Clavinet is based on
clavichord which has no hammers but tangents

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