Today I returned home to Tallahassee, Florida. My experience at Zuckermann was valuable and challenging, and I am very grateful for the training I received there. Thanks to all who have been keeping up with the blog. I plan to continue to make a few entries, as I have several projects lined up related to harpsichords.
Thomas
As of this afternoon, I have almost finished voicing the German. I plan to have Richard look over it tomorrow as he has a refined ear and is able to detect areas where I can improve the sound of the instrument. I am quite pleased with how this project is turning out. It has given me the chance to learn finishing techniques and to continue practicing both voicing and action work. I look forward to the completion of this project and, eventually, taking this beautiful instrument to the Boston festival in June. I have played a few short Bach preludes on the instrument and the tone is superb, sounding somewhat similar to an Italian style harpsichord. It is good, finally, to be playing this as I had never before played a German style harpsichord.
from Friday, December 12
It has been a long week. Richard and I stayed late on Monday in order to prepare everything that was to be delivered Tuesday (in case I haven’t mentioned it, Richard is the owner of Zuckermann). We found an issue with one of the harpsichords we were repairing, which required several extra hours of attention. Basically, the backs of the upper manual keys were slightly contacting the new lower guides upon depression of the keys. Stuart was able to take just enough material off of the guides to allow for proper clearance. The adjustment was slight (maybe 1/32 to 1/16 inch), but necessary.
Richard and I hit the road for New York on Tuesday at about 5 in the morning. I enjoy going into the city for deliveries and pickups, but it is always nice to get back home, especially after a 14 hour day. I have several projects left at the shop that I am determined to complete before leaving next Thursday, so hopefully I won’t run into too many delays. The priorities right now are to finish voicing the German harpsichord for the Boston Early Music Festival and to shoot and edit an instructional video on changing and voicing a quill to be posted to youtube. It’s looking like I may have a couple more late days before the week is done.
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. The break was relaxing, but I am glad to be back to work to finish up a good two more weeks.
Tragically, the computer I had brought up to Connecticut died about two weeks ago, and so my recent blog entries have been made on paper. Here are several of them:
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Preparing the action for an English spinet has taken up most of my time of late. In particular, I have been learning to carve keys in order to achieve proper balance. Rob and Stuart, who do the vast majority of the carpentry around the shop, have come up with some pretty ingenious methods of construction that both cut down on production time and produce a very nice result. Rob helped me set up jigs with various power sanders to help with most of the key carving. The final touches are done by hand with chisels, files, and of course, lots of sanding. I am happy to say that my chiseling skills have increased dramatically with this project, and the carving itself is aesthetically pleasing as well as functional.
Stuart has been constructing several cases, and from the looks of it, he is currently working on installing a soundboard in a French double. I believe this instrument will end up being a stage three kit. He has developed a procedure for stabilizing the humidity whilst installing soundboards, which will help to prevent soundboard cracking as the instrument settles into its new home. I am not certain about the details of what he is doing, so I apologize that I cannot be more specific (though maybe it’s a Zuckermann trade secret and I would be exiled if I were to reveal it!).
Monday, December 1, 2008
I just glanced in the finishing room today, and it looks like Tatiana is working on a lid painting of a mountain landscape that a customer has requested. I’ve been quite impressed with her soundboard and lid painting work. I have never been much of a painter myself, so it always amazes me to see the works-in-progress of a skilled artist. A very nice example of her work is the harpsichord currently on the mainpage of our website.
I expressed an interest in learning to apply a French polish, so Leslie is going to begin teaching me the process later today. It seems to be something that requires a good amount of patience, as it can be necessary to apply many coats of shellac and sand evenly in between each coat.
As for Stonington, we’ve seen a hint of snow, the leaves are basically gone, and there is maybe an hour of sunlight left after I get off work each day. It looks like I will not be around here next semester, so I really only have about two weeks left at Zuckermann for now. I may be heading to New York with Richard again next week, and I think it will be nice to be able to deliver to our customers harpsichords that I have had a chance to help work on.
This past week I’ve been working in finishing, learning to properly apply an tung oil to the German single harpsichord. Leslie has been teaching me about the different finishing processes. She is an extremely knowledgeable woodworker, and I have learned a great deal about the uses of oil vs. shellac, the importance of patient sanding between many coats, and so forth. The finish itself is turning out beautifully; American cherry has some gorgeous grain.
One of the advantages to working in a shop with many other people is the variety of skills and experience that everyone brings together. If someone is having an issue with some aspect of a repair or build, there always seems to be someone else who knows just the thing to get the job done well.
I have spent the past few days working on the keyboard for the new Concert harpsichord. I didn’t realize how much time it takes to get a new keyboard working; everything must be eased to the point where the keys move smoothly without side-to-side or front-to-back play. This can be a frustrating procedure, but following the methods I have learned makes it fairly straightforward.
I have been working on my first new instrument; a Zuckermann concert harpsichord. Stringing and nut pinning has occupied most of my day so far. It is slow and careful work, as this process determines the alignment of the strings, but it seems to be turning out well. The nice thing about working in the final stages of harpsichord production is that when I’m done, it has become (hopefully) something with a beautiful sound that I can play a bit. This takes the monotony out of repetitive tasks; the final goal is always in mind.
The German single manual harpsichord Stuart is building is looking great. I can’t wait to play it!
Yesterday I guided a tour of elementary school kids through the shop. They seemed to enjoy themselves. It was a good day to have visitors to the shop, as we have a German and an Italian harpsichord in the final stages of case construction. This step seems to be the most interesting thing for people to see, and I’ve enjoyed getting to see it myself. There are so many details to the process that I was unaware of, but it seems to be second nature for Rob and Stuart.
I spent most of today voicing the front 8’ choir of another Flemish instrument in for repair. I think my ear is slowly improving, but sometimes I have to put everything down and work on something else for a bit before I can really hear the subtle differences between notes.
I went to New York with Richard yesterday to make some deliveries. It began with a Ferry ride from New London out to Long Island, and from there we worked our way down into the city. It may be trite to say so, but New York City is an incredible place. I’m already planning my next visit.
Now it’s back to the Flemish harpsichords I’ve been working with. Shop standards are very high, which is definitely a good thing for me. I had to redo my voicing work on the older instrument a few times, and the whole process is helping me realize what to be listening for.
September 9, 2008
This was my second day working at Zuckermann. I started with some tuning of the clavichords and virginals in the showroom, and I began practicing voicing on one of the virginals. My scalpel wielding skills could use some work, as I broke countless quills this morning.
I find living in Stonington a bit surreal, perhaps because this is my first true venture away from Tallahassee. However, I have already begun to feel quite at home here. There is an odd peace that comes with a horizon lined with the masts of sailboats. I have found in former travels that the south has a way of staying with you, but for now, I’m just glad to be out of the heat.
September 14
Today I took the train the New Haven. There I saw some of the harpsichords in Yale’s collection. They had several instruments by Taskin on display-a double manual harpsichord and two epinettes- and a 45 note harpsichord by Giacomo Ridolfi. I see the beauty of the Italian instruments in their simplicity and mathematical elegance. I have started oiling the keys of a similar instrument that we are in the process of repairing.
The air was stifling when I stepped out onto Hillhouse Avenue, reminding me that Florida is not far behind. I met up with a friend and we managed to find some really good Indian food.
September 17
I have been spending most of my time on this Italian harpsichord from another builder that came in for repair. Rob took care of the carpentry, and it has been my job to string and voice the instrument, as well as work on the action. Needless to say, I have been learning quite a lot, and I am getting much more comfortable with the scalpel. However, the action work is somewhat frustrating, as the keys don’t seem to want to work properly.