Clavichord for Beginners

3. Clavichord Lessons, Series I

13 chaPter three Clavichord Lessons, Series I Of all the major keyboard instruments, the clavichord is most like a violin. Both pitch and quality of tone are subject to your touch. The mechanism is so direct that you can actually feel your fingers, via the tangent, pressing against the strings. Learning to play the clavichord requires focused attention. It is important to practice for short periods at first, advancing slowly. Linger for some time over each lesson, repeating it until you can apply it well. You may also consult the accompanying DVD. Lesson One: Lowering a Key Soundlessly 1. Position yourself comfortably at the keyboard as described earlier, keeping your arms and wrists at ease. 2. Gently place all five fingertips of the right hand near the front edge of keys CDEFG an octave above middle C. (Note: You may use any five successive, natural keys for this exercise and for any suitable exercise that follows.) 3. Lower your index finger on D so slowly that you can feel the pliancy of the key’s descent. 4. Watch the tangent press up against a set of strings without making any sound. • Rest there, keeping this pressure constant until the key is released. • Your other fingers stay quietly on the surface of their keys without your lowering them at all. 5. Try this exercise with the other fingers of your right hand, one at a time. 6. Repeat the exercise with your left hand, placing five fingers on CDEFG below middle C and starting with the index finger pressing F. This exercise requires great patience. Only gradually will one finger function independently while the other fingers remain still. If your playing finger trembles or makes a slight sound, just observe this without concern. 14 Clavichord for Beginners Lesson Two: Making a Sound Producing a pleasant sound may take practice . . . and can surprise you when it first occurs. 1. Place your curved right-hand fingers near the edge of CDEFG an octave above middle C. • Keep your thumbtip as nearly in line with the other fingertips as is comfortable . • All your nonplaying fingers should stay quietly on key surfaces without depressing them in the least. 2. To make a sound, lower your index finger on D, causing the tangent to strike the strings (example 3.1). • Note the tactile relationship between the tangent, the key, and the fleshy part of your fingertip. 3. Hold D down steadily, keeping the pressure of the tangent constant. The slightest fluctuation will change the pitch. • Listen to the entire length of the sound and how it fades away. 4. Release D, staying in contact with the key as it returns to rest position. • Cloth strips woven among the strings left of the tangent will dampen extraneous string sound. • The strings may buzz if the tangent is released with hesitation, especially if its surface is worn or slants incorrectly. In that case, the surface should be expertly filed. 5. Slowly repeat this exercise with your other fingers, one at a time. Remember to keep nonplaying fingers quiet and your wrist and arm at ease (example 3.2). exAMPLe 3.1 exAMPLe 3.2 15 Clavichord Lessons, Series I 6. Do the same exercise with your left hand over CDEFG below middle C. First play and then repeat F with the index finger (example 3.3). 7. Then play the exercise with fingers 3, 4, 5, and 1 of the left hand, one finger at a time (example 3.4). 8. Whenever you need to rest completely, drop your hands and arms to your sides. exAMPLe 3.3 exAMPLe 3.4 16 Clavichord for Beginners Lesson Three: Playing Two Notes in a row The way one finger rises as the other descends affects the sound. 1. With your right-hand fingers on CDEFG, alternate D and E with fingers 2 and 3. • Note the pressure it takes for your finger to lower and hold each key. • Be careful to transfer this correct pressure from one note to the other in order to stay on pitch. 2. Practice connecting the two notes or detaching them slightly. • Note the difference in sound and feel when you play two notes in the middle as compared with two notes in the uppermost part of the keyboard . 3. With your left-hand fingers on CDEFG, repeat the previous exercise, alternating F and E with fingers 2 and 3. • Compare the feel...