Almost done!

[mdyde]

Hello notdefined,

I apparently also did not know the difference between a floating division and a coupled one. Is this done differently on a real pipe organ? Our Skinner has a floating division, but as I have not even touched the console, I'm not quite sure how they use it.

Hauptwerk's native 'floating divisions' aren't exactly like floating divisions on a real organ:

On a real organ a floating division is a set of ranks that form a distinct division, but without an 'owning' keyboard. It's played only by coupling, being available on at least two other conventional (non-floating) divisions. I.e. you can play a real floating division's ranks via coupling on any one of several conventional keyboards, but it has no keyboard of its own.

Hauptwerk's 'floating divisions' are really more like 'floating keyboards' (the keyboard switches around, rather than the pipework). However, we decided to term them as 'floating divisions' because we felt it would make them more immediately understandable to organists.

It looks like I had better read some of the pages in the user guide that I glossed over. Leave it to Hauptwerk to come up with a very clever method. I like it! Some of us plan on getting together and throwing an 'open organ' get together over labor day. We hope that we can bend the arm of the organist from the SF Symphony (we have all been associated with them at one time or another) to give the Hauptwerk a run for it's money. While it cannot compete with the symphony's 147 rank Ruffatti, http://www.ruffatti.com/specs/davies.html I think he will be nonetheless impressed by it.

It looks like I had better read some of the pages in the user guide that I glossed over. Leave it to Hauptwerk to come up with a very clever method. I like it! Some of us plan on getting together and throwing an 'open organ' get together over labor day. We hope that we can bend the arm of the organist from the SF Symphony (we have all been associated with them at one time or another) to give the Hauptwerk a run for it's money. While it cannot compete with the symphony's 147 rank Ruffatti, http://www.ruffatti.com/specs/davies.html I think he will be nonetheless impressed by it.

Brilliant idea!

It looks like I had better read some of the pages in the user guide that I glossed over. Leave it to Hauptwerk to come up with a very clever method. I like it! Some of us plan on getting together and throwing an 'open organ' get together over labor day. We hope that we can bend the arm of the organist from the SF Symphony (we have all been associated with them at one time or another) to give the Hauptwerk a run for it's money. While it cannot compete with the symphony's 147 rank Ruffatti, http://www.ruffatti.com/specs/davies.html I think he will be nonetheless impressed by it.

Would be nice if you recorded that event which you've probably already thought of.

Rgds,
Ed

Unless folks object, I will indeed record it. If I can get the organists' permission, I'll even post it up on contrebombarde.

Re floating divisions on pipe organs - the ones I have come across are usually on a large instrument with 2 consoles, one in the organ loft and a remote down in the nave. The remote is often used for recitals etc so has, say, 4 manuals assigned with the usual Choir-Great-Swell-Solo manual setup, while the organ loft version sometimes has only 3 physical manuals with the Solo usable via couplers. I have only once come across a switch such has been described - in the 4 manual Willis in All Souls, langham place in London, the top manual of the 3 manual console can be switched between Solo and Swell (or indeed both).
I have also heard of (but not played) organs with chamades/bombardes which can be used on any manual, again via couplers.

The switch is a good idea and might be adopted more widely, perhaps?

Ian

Hi,

I have decided, with a 4 manual console playing the 5 manual PAB, not to use Floating Division, but instead coupling the Chamades to one of the four manuals if needed.

Greetings
Purator

The issue has been resolved. I happened across another CMK3 in need of mechanical repair, completed that bit so now I've 5 manuals. I may hook all 5 up just to say I've done it but revert back to 4 for modesty's sake.

Due to personal stupidity beyond my control, I had to obtain a 5th keyboard to replace one I had damaged. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I was able to figure out how to repair it after the new keyboard arrived, so the console now has 5 keyboards. Problem solved, kinda sorta.

Hi Tom,

Do they have an arm-stretcher at your gym?

Pax,

Thomas

Ha ha ha, if they did, I'd probably give it a try. I did some playing on the top manual, although it was a stretch, it was not an uncomfortable one. It might be if the brackets did not rotate the keyboards downwards ever so slightly. The place that is going to fabricate them is using a 2.5º pitch.