Technical Library KEYBOARDS I: Transposing Entire Contents Copyright ©2005–2009 CBH

How to transpose the keyboards…

Many of today’s harpsichords were designed to be tuned at baroque pitch (A415), but are equipped with keyboards which easily transpose a semitone up to modern pitch (A440), or even down to French baroque pitch (A392).

When you want to play your harpsichord with modern instruments at A440, instead of raising the pitch of the strings, please transpose the keyboards.

Transposition involves sliding the keyboards 12mm to the right, causing each key to play the next higher jacks. Where your instrument has this facility, it is sensible to use it instead of pulling up all the strings and increasing the overall tension.

There are two methods of transposing, according to your confidence, and whether or not the fast method suits your instrument.

Note that in the transposed A440 position, regulation may not be quite as precise. This depends how the maker set up your instrument orginally. Some instruments may also have only enough strings and action for the actual range of the keyboard. In this case, you’ll lose the top note in the A440 position. If you tuned your harpsichord in any temperament other than equal, your good keys would have been inadvertently transposed, so you may want to retune anyway.

Many instruments have the tuning pins arranged in a chromatic layout at A415 pitch, in other words, reflecting the position of the accidental keys in groups of twos and threes throughout the compass. Some don’t: Remember that after transposition, the “C” tuning pins in the A415 position will be played by the “B” keys no matter what sort of tuning pin layout you have.

DON’T BEGIN TO BREAK STRINGS WHEN TUNING: HAVE YOUR MIND IN GEAR AND BE SURE YOU ARE TURNING THE CORRECT PIN.

It is becoming more common for some harpsichord makers to offer transposition to French Baroque pitch (A392), a full tone below modern pitch. There are many wind instruments available at this pitch, so it is making the harpsichord more useful if we can help accommodate our other musician friends. These “double transposing” instruments can often be recognized by a split transposing block and their pitch can be changed similarly.

ALWAYS ASCERTAIN THE KEYBOARD POSITION PRIOR TO TUNING SO THAT YOU ARE TUNING THE INSTRUMENT AT ITS CORRECT PITCH.

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