II- Stringed Plucked Instruments

Harp & Harpsichord

HARP
 Harp

 The harp is classified in the plucked string family.

 It is a multistring instruments and the strings are plucked
directly by the finger of the player.
 The Pedal Harp or Concert harp has about 47 strings
stretched across a wooden frame.
 There are 7 pedals at the bottom of the harp that adjust
the length of the strings to produce more pitches ( sharp
# and flat b ).
 The strings of a harp are color-coded for quick reference. All of the C strings
are red and all of the F strings are black or dark blue. All of the other
strings are white, or not colored as in the case of metal wire strings.
Techniques associated to the Harp

 There are two special technical terms which are

particularly associated with the harp, as well as with the
piano. These are arpeggio and glissando.
 Arpeggio: means to play a chord in a sequence, or
note after note
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FMBoMpwzrM
Arpeggio notation
 Glissando:
 In music, a glissando (Italian-plural: glissandi, abbreviated gliss.) is a
glide from one pitch to another.
 Derived from the French glisser, "to glide“.
 One of the most beautiful sounds that
the harp produces is the glissando. It's running the strings , it is
played by rapidly sliding over a succession of adjacent strings with
one or more fingers and can be executed with the left, right, or both
hands.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2PLZp8aujg
Glissando notation
 Listen: Gliere Concerto
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUrvEOeNp1I

 Glissando can be played on the piano and on other instruments as well. It

gives an exciting/impressive sound.
 Glissando on the piano:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZUizGlJjEA
HARPSICHORD
 HARPSICHORD

 The Harpsichord is also a plucked stringed instrument in

which the strings are plucked by quills or picks.
 The harpsichord is the fore-runner of the piano.
 It was one of the most important keyboard instruments
in Baroque Period (1600-1750)
 Most of the great Baroque composers played or wrote for
the harpsichord, such as J.S Bach, Antonio Vivaldi,
Frideric Handel,…..
Listening

 Bach (German composer- 1685---1750)- Concerto for 3 Harpsichords in D

minor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdNjyzxqmWU

 Antonio Vivaldi (Italian composer) – Summer from 4 Seasons:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5B9dZtqInI

 George Frideric Handel (German composer)- Passacaglia:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13oQxH21TWg
 The harpsichord is incapable of playing soft or loud, of doing
any DYNAMICS gradation (Piano-Forte).
 The sound of the harpsichord is always the same (as intensity and
color of sound)
 Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71iUAFFQ8ik
Difference between Harpsichord and
Piano???
1. … 1-2 or 3 Manuals (keyboards)
2. …
3. ….
4. ….
How does a Harpsichord Work?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71x4MSlpGUk
Beautiful music for the Harpsichord

 VIVALDI – Summer (Four Seasons) 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5B9dZtqInI

 Vivaldi Four Seasons: Spring (La Primavera)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LiztfE1X7E
III- Stringed Hammered Instrument

Piano or Pianoforte
Pianoforte
 PIANO or PIANOFORTE

 Piano, also called pianoforte, is a stringed hammered instrument.

 It has white and black keys. The black keys are to play the sharp
and flat notes
 The standard modern piano contains 88 keys(52 white keys and 36
black keys), and has a compass of seven full octaves plus a few keys.
 The piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound by striking
strings with hammers as the musician presses the keys.
 There are 2 types of piano: Upright and Grand piano
 Upright piano
 Grand- Piano:
Brands of Pianos

1.Yamaha
2. Kawai
3. Steinway
4. Bösendorfer
5. Bechstein

And many others….

 The great technical improvement of the piano, in comparison with the
harpsichord, is the possibility of increasing or diminishing the intensity of
sound by using a heavier or lighter touch. This gives the player opportunity
to produce various kinds of DYNAMIC changes which were not available on the
Harpsichord ( hence its name: piano-forte, soft-loud)

 Listen: Chopin
 Nocturne in C # minor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxibkvfXWIo
 Revolutionary Etude: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VWHBHeNrg4
Piano Devices

 Piano has: hammers- Dampers and Pedals

 1. Hammers: Hammers are pieces of wood responsible for producing the
sound of the piano when you depress its keys
How does a Grand Piano hammers and
Dampers work?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDvS2V7HbnY&list=RDckLzGwJ06AI&inde
x=2
 2. Dampers: The damper controls the damping, or stopping, of the string's
vibration. Dampers are found on most, but not all strings on the piano.
 3. Pedals: Piano has 3 pedals. The purpose of the pedals is to change the
tone of the piano in some way.
 from left to right,
1.  the soft pedal (or una corda), 
2. the sostenuto pedal, and
3.  the sustaining pedal (or damper pedal).
What do the pedals on a piano do?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwYBBWFDZRA
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6effL4ATZVo&list=RDckLzGwJ06AI&index
=5
Beautiful Music for the Piano

 The Best Of YIRUMA | Yiruma's Greatest Hits ~ Best Piano:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z5EjAmZS1o