Keyboard colours...

[Pat17]

From what I can see when browsing the net, usually organ keyboards are either with white natural / black sharp layout, or vice versa black natural / white sharp keys.
But sometimes we can see quite different colours, such as this one (coming from Hoffrichter website)

I just wonder... Is it a colour that actually exists on real pipe organs, or is it just a variation made possible by the development of digital and/or virtual organ consoles?

[ggoode.sa]

As many early organ consoles were custom made of wood, different colors were used depending on what wood type was chosen. I'm sure that local economic and artistic pressures had something to do with differences as well. So these variations in color do exist before the development of digital/virtual organ consoles.
GrahamG

[Pat17]

Thanks for sharing, Graham!

I guess it must also be linked to regional cultures somewhere, as I don't remember having seen such colours on the organs in my home country in France (besides, not being an expert, I am not fully aware of everything there...).

[Ghekorg7]

Thanks for sharing, Graham!

I guess it must also be linked to regional cultures somewhere, as I don't remember having seen such colours on the organs in my home country in France (besides, not being an expert, I am not fully aware of everything there...).

See my Avatar, is a French Clavichord keyboard.......

[Pat17]

See my Avatar, is a French Clavichord keyboard.......

Thanks Ghekorg!

Though clavichords and harpsichords and organs shared a lot - especially when it comes to the keyboard - I still wonder whether such colours were used for organs keyboards in France. If you know about cases where the traditional black and white colours were used, I would love to get the information from you!

[Ghekorg7]

Thank you Pat !

I'll see what I can do. I think I saw a ... colourfull keyboard from a clavichord somewhere..
Wait here, I'll post the photo.

Clavichords and Clavecins are allways beautifull and in my heart. Especialy the French ones..(my French educated self.....).
I used to play an old one (1749 model) in my Odeon days.... now I keep practicing with HW3 and GO. For months I used the Blanchet 1720 and the Taskin egal (GO) the sole clavichord of HW3 & sfz (awsome sound !), but above all the last 4 months I stuck with Mietke of HW3. The best there is ! It's a german 1720 exact replica and ubelieveble.
I just wish we had a French one with the same quality.
Last but not least there are the Small Italian the Epinette and the Dutch Bezemer(old HW1 and better new sampled HW3). All FREE !
These virtual instruments are the best gifts we could imagine having...

'till later
Panos

[Pat17]

I'll see what I can do. I think I saw a ... colourfull keyboard from a clavichord somewhere..
Wait here, I'll post the photo.

Thanks Panos!

Clavichords and Clavecins are allways beautifull and in my heart. Especialy the French ones..(my French educated self.....).

Nostalgia is always important in our feelings! More than what we usually think, or are really to admit...

I used to play an old one (1749 model) in my Odeon days.... now I keep practicing with HW3 and GO. For months I used the Blanchet 1720 and the Taskin egal (GO) the sole clavichord of HW3 & sfz (awsome sound !), but above all the last 4 months I stuck with Mietke of HW3. The best there is ! It's a german 1720 exact replica and ubelieveble.
I just wish we had a French one with the same quality.
Last but not least there are the Small Italian the Epinette and the Dutch Bezemer(old HW1 and better new sampled HW3). All FREE !
These virtual instruments are the best gifts we could imagine having...

That's quite interesting... Actually you are not the first one referring to the Mietke. Though strangely enough, when I heard to its sample music, I was not impressed. Considering its cheap price, I might go and order it to judge on the real stuff... For the time being, I'm using another free instrument (from Sygsoft if I am not mistaken), which is quite good. But I'm not very familiar with harpsichord / clavecin as well.

Thanks a lot for all this information!

[dll927]

In recent times, this seems to be something of a matter of someone's choice. For those who notice such things, the main (front) console at the Crystal Cathedral has wood-colored naturals on the manuals.

[drwilx]

Ghekorg,

Check out the harpsichords here

http://ftp.pwp.att.net/p/a/pastorstr.../downloads.htm

You might enjoy playing them.

Regards,

Dennis

[Ghekorg7]

Ghekorg,

Check out the harpsichords here

http://ftp.pwp.att.net/p/a/pastorstr.../downloads.htm

You might enjoy playing them.

Regards,

Dennis

Hi Dennis and thanks !

I allready have them all ! I got every kind of free stuff there is...
I just can;t get Muselar to work...(YET!)


Hi Pat !
Mietke harpsichord is FREE, is the best of all ! You can download it from pcorgan.com !
If you play it from a velocity sencitive keyboard (contrary to nature of it) the program does the delay between lower and upper keyboard stops - just like the original has a delay between front and back in a coupler setting !! See the full info from HW3 "organ info" option when you run the program (set loaded of course...)

Ok here's a very colourfull keyboard (kipnis clavichord)
A photo of Mietke Harpsichord 1710 replika with earthy coloured keyboards
and.....
W.A. Motzart's clavichord with black and white keyboard !

Still lookin' for some French built organs with coloured keys....

Enjoy !
Panos

[tittualex]

Does the change in colour affect the playing ?????

I mean, If somebody who is used to playing on a keyboard with white naturals and black sharps... suddenly finds himself before a console with black naturals and white sharps.... will it disorientate him????????

Alex.

[Soubasse]

One of the first organs on which I took lessons had wooden keys which, lacking in a hard wearing top like ivory or bone, had grooves worn into them after a few years. Then there were some of the harpsichords I played at Uni which were quite similar to the above photos. Never found the colours off-putting myself, it was always a shape thing for me, provided the sharp/flat keys were grouped 2-3-2-3-2-3 etc, I was happy.

[Ghekorg7]

Hi all !
Alex , last month I played on the well preserved 1720 German Harpsichord in Nakas Odeon Athens. I was well prepared with the fugue from BWV561 and feld a bit disoriented at first, in danger to loose control of the fugue..
So , I followed something like our friend Soubasse said : 2-3-2-3-2-3 - black'n white keys.....
Imagine what happens in the multicoloured one (above picture) !!

[Krummhorn]

Does the change in colour affect the playing ?????

I mean, If somebody who is used to playing on a keyboard with white naturals and black sharps... suddenly finds himself before a console with black naturals and white sharps.... will it disorientate him????????

Alex.

For me personally, no ... as I never look at my hands while playing. My fingers seem to know instinctively where to go. The keyboards could be bright pink with yellow polka dots and the tips of my fingers wouldn't care.

[Pat17]

Mietke harpsichord is FREE, is the best of all ! You can download it from pcorgan.com !
If you play it from a velocity sencitive keyboard (contrary to nature of it) the program does the delay between lower and upper keyboard stops - just like the original has a delay between front and back in a coupler setting !! See the full info from HW3 "organ info" option when you run the program (set loaded of course...)

Thanks for the info Panos!

I think I'll give a try... If happy about it, I shall pay the 43 euros required on the original site, otherwise, I shall deinstall it...

By the way, I'm just coming back from Amsterdam, where I bought a booklet about the Nieuwe Kerk organ. Quite beautifuls keyboards, same colour as previously shown... and even split sharps, which allow to squeeze an octave in a very short place (too bad I cannot find a picture on the net).