Engineering and Art

Organ building is equal parts art and engineering. Pipe organ key action design combines both. Mechanical key action connects each key with a corresponding pipe valve through direct linkages that provide the musician with closer control over how and when wind enters the pipe. These linkages are sometimes referred to as trackers, so you will also see and hear this type of action referred to as tracker action.

The benefit to the musician of key action type is often debated but true. For some larger instruments, mechanical action is not possible. For my cabinet organs, it is playable, reliable, and easy to maintain. It is sustainable and pragmatic.

The renderings here show a splayed key action design example repurposed from one that I developed for an organ I built where I wanted the instrument to have the feel of a larger organ. A proficient mechanical key action design facilitates communication between the musician and his or her instrument.

Posted June 6, 2021 09:53