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Secrets of the Organ Tone
By Tom McAuley

I've been fascinated with monkey organs since I discovered them about
three years ago, and I have listened to, played, and enjoyed as many as
I could find.  One thing I noticed very quickly was that, even on the
smallest 20-note organs, every organ-builder has a unique sound.

Pell's organs sound different than Raffin's, and both sound different
than Jaeger & Brommer's.  My question is:  Why?  If they all use
similar wooden and metal pipes, how do they make them sound different?

What accounts for the difference in the tone between different
organ-builders?  Can this be answered in less than a fifteen-year
apprenticeship to a master organ-builder?  :)

Thanks for sharing your wisdom,

Tom McAuley



(Message sent Tue, 02 Feb 1999 14:33:36 -0600 , from time zone -0600.)

Key Words in Subject:  Organ, Secrets, Tone

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