Comments on: Classic Gear: Harpsichord

By: Vince M

Vince M — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:22:02 +0000

I was trying to come up with the earliest use of harpsichord in pop music – I was going to go with Brian Wilson’s “When I Grow Up (to be a Man)”, but then I remembered Rosemary Clooney’s “Come On-a My House” from 1951. I give Lurch from “The Addams Family” credit for popularizing it in the ’60s.

By: Lucas Aeschlimann

Lucas Aeschlimann — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:13:23 +0000

There are a lot of nice tracks with harpsichord used (or at least it sounds like one on the record ): Examples:

around the sixties:

Turn of the Century – Bee Gees
Richard Harrison – MacArthur Park
Christophe – Aline ( a French artist)
Manfred Mann – Everyday another hair turns gray
Paul Mauriat – Love is Blue (Instrumental)
Andy Williams – Solitaire
Gilbert Becaud – Mes Mains (French)
The Association – Windy

By: Len Liechti

Len Liechti — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:02:44 +0000

Some years ago I did an Open University course in classical music theory and practice which leaned heavily on JS Bach and the Baroque. At the Summer School in Cardiff I nearly got kicked off the course when the head lecturer caught me playing a lousy version of Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” on the resident harpsichord.

On “I’m Not Sure” from Johnny Winter’s Second Winter album, brother Edgar plays a devastating solo on what sounds like a harpsichord and is indeed credited as a harpsichord. I’ve a feeling it may actually be an electric Baldwin or Hohner instrument. Can anybody confirm?

By: Gary

Gary — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:05:22 +0000

Nice post. Love the Left Banke tune.

Probably the clavichord is the real precursor to the piano, as It actually struck keys – though in a much less complex way. Too bad pop groups didn’t use the clavichord as it’s capable of bluesy pitch-bending.

The Beatles’ In My Life used a sped-up piano, not a harpsichord.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:10:03 +0000

Thank you Paul. That photo comes from this excellent flickr photostream of new harpsichords built by William Horn. It was hard to pick an image considering the endless range of models, I have no idea what types they were using back then. And I must admit, of all the gear we’ve covered so far, this is the one I knew least about starting off.

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:05:58 +0000

Great post as usual. I love the blue harpsichord you chose for the picture. Love the Bach too.