What's this piano called?

Ok, I am trying to find sounds from this kind of piano (used in the 1700's). But I don't know what it's called. Searching for just piano on sfx-sites just gives me regular piano sounds. Not what I want.

Anyway, here's the instrument:

 

chance

predictably random
Forum Staff
Moderator
Ok, sounds almost the same.
Yeah, harpsichords and clavichords sound similar. Mostly because each note is actually two strings. But harpsichord strings are "plucked" when a key is pressed. So there's a little difference in sound to the trained ear. (Can't really tell the difference myself.)

That video sounds more like a piano with some post-processing, or maybe a real-time electronic effect. Not actually a Baroque instrument. But that's just a guess.

EDIT: you might be able to re-produce that sound from an original piano song. Just make two copies of the original piece, and shift one by (say) 10 milliseconds. And maybe shift the pitch up/down by a tiny amount. Like one-eighth of an interval. That might create the two-string effect.

Might try this with Audacity.
 
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Gamer (ex-Cantavanda)

〜Flower Prince〜
I'm a piano, harpsichord and organ player myself, I often play Fugues by Bach on those instruments, as said before, what you're seeing in that vid is a harpsichord, but it sounds too perfect to be a real one, so it sounds more like a VST (virtual instrument / sample) to me, made with MIDI/synthesizers.
 

chance

predictably random
Forum Staff
Moderator
I'm a piano, harpsichord and organ player myself, I often play Fugues by Bach on those instruments (snip)
Just curious... do you own a harpsichord? Or have easy access to one? They aren't that common anymore, as far as I know. Although I suppose you can buy reproductions.

Ever tried playing modern stuff on a harpsichord? Curious what Jerry Lee Lewis would sound like. Actually... he might break it.
 

Gamer (ex-Cantavanda)

〜Flower Prince〜
I own a "harmonium" in my house, which is a smaller organ, which works on air that I pedal.
I also have access to the church organ of my city church, the story behind this is really funny, once I went into the big church when it was very late, and there was no one, I saw on the floor a small harmonium there so played on it, then the priest heard me and let me play on the big church organ, and I can play on it when I want!

But for harpsichords, yes, I know where three of them are. One of them is in my high school (classical music + normal courses high school), and two of them are in the classical keyboard center in Ghent (city close to me), where I go often, and at the end of this schoolyear (around June) I will go there and rent a piano room, and record (video+audio) 10+ classical piano pieces and put them on YT. But yeah, there's also two harpsichords there.

And YES! It's really really funny to try and play Chopin/Rachmaninoff, or Video Game music on it, it's really gay to do!
 
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