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MMD > Archives > December 2005 > 2005.12.31 > 09Prev  Next


Blower for Small Pipe Organ
By Tony Decap

Dear readers,  In regard to the blowers for small pipe organ, I just
want to mention that a lot of people think that when a blower is used,
they can feed the air straight in to the chests.  It all depends
about how far one wants to go, but the pressure a blower creates (used
dynamically, or in other words, when the organ actually plays) is very
unstable.

True, when no air is used, the blower will build up to a certain
pressure and stop there.  But as soon as air is used, pressure drops
rapidly.  It depends on many factors of just how unstable the air will
be, like the volume of air the blower delivers, and the volume of air
we have in all the chests, but unstable it is.

There are two major problems with this:

1. Most pipes are only playing perfectly at the pressure they are
intended to play at.  More pressure makes them sound louder, harsher
and in higher pitch, while less pressure makes them sound softer,
mellower and lower in pitch.  Although these effects may be very useful
when you can control them (as we do with our electronic regulators),
when uncontrolled these are very undesired effects.

2. An arranger counts on the only means he has to bring any dynamics in
his arrangement: more notes/pipes means louder, less notes/pipes means
softer.  But an unregulated blower will counter that effect.  Using one
pipe will kind of blow the pipe out of his socket (and also out of
tune), using many pipes when we want a forte will make the pressure
drop and this will make the arrangement sound flat.

Without regulating it works, but "nice" is something else.

Happy Holidays,
Tony Decap
Herentals, Belgium


(Message sent Sat 31 Dec 2005, 15:28:37 GMT, from time zone GMT+0100.)

Key Words in Subject:  Blower, Organ, Pipe, Small

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