An instrument that is well-voiced and regulated should become almost unnoticed by the player.  It should be consistent and predictable from note to note, dependable no matter how fast or slowly it is played, and respond differently to a variety of touches.  A player should need to only be aware of their musical intentions and the instrument’s sound.  Anything that needs attention in between just gets in the way of making music.  Many of my customers have had the pleasant experience of finding they are able to play better after I have had an opportunity to optimize their instrument’s action.  After completing one such project, a professional player leaped up from testing his instrument, hugged me, and proclaimed that what he had previously thought had been the limits of his playing ability had actually been his instrument’s limitations getting in his way. 

The past decade has seen significant improvements in understanding how to reproduce the sounds of the antique instruments, leaving many older, modern instruments less useful and less satisfying in comparison.  We have had much success with rebuilding, restoring, converting, and updating these older harpsichords, clavichords and fortepianos.  This approach can be a relatively inexpensive way to acquire a “new” instrument. 

Our services range from regulation, voicing, tuning and repair work on most makes of harpsichords, clavichords and fortepianos, to major rebuilding, new soundboards, keyboards and actions.  Please see the specific services more fully described in the sections on Harpsichord, Clavichord, and Fortepiano. 

Click here for a more detailed listing of all services. 

For more information please email us at: pyirvin@comcast.net