A computer makes keeping shop records easy
I can say from personal experience that it is possible to voice and regulate organ pipes without keeping any notes or data whatsoever--voicing by the "seat of the pants," hoping that you will stumble upon a solution to the particular problems of that day. Unfortunately, this method leads to a kind of mental blackout when one tries to analyze just what it is that one has done or is trying to do.
The heart of analysis is comparison of data, and the computer makes these comparisons a piece of cake, and a bit of fun, too. Reed pipes invite the keeping of data--especially tongue thickness and length of the resonators. If you are tuned in to keeping scaling sheets in your shop records, you can grab a blank sheet and simply fill in the blanks, as you work on the pipes.
Figure 1 is a typical data sheet on a Trumpet stop. Five items provide a wealth of information to the voicer, all of which contribute to the quality of work that can be done on those pipes. They include:
* Tongue thickness
* Resonator length
* Top diameter
* Bottom diameter
* Boot hole
If there is a disparity in any of these factors, you are likely to hear it as the pipe speaks. They are items that should fall into a logarithmic scale from the bottom to the top of the rank. If there is an oddball, you can find it and remedy the situation.
If you think of a computer spreadsheet as a digital calculator, you can understand what is going on in a typical spreadsheet that renders these data in logarithmic format. Each "square" or "cell" of the spreadsheet can hold a number or a formula. With these building blocks you can lay out a pipe scale like checkers on a criss-cross board.
Here is a typical spreadsheet calculation of the top two octaves of a trumpet, representing these five important data items. (Again, see Figure 1)
Another handy recording device is a simple database for sample pipes, perhaps each "C" in the rank. Here is a format that will work for the same set of Hutchings Trumpet pipes. (See Figure 2)
Data for sample pipes may be kept using spreadsheets, database software, or a combination of both. Interpolations may be made for data that lies between samples. (See Figure 3)
Organ technicians who wish to obtain samples of these spreadsheets and databases may contact me at:
I will be happy to send samples that may be incorporated into various types of shop records. Spreadsheets are in generic format, and may be read in Excel or any typical spreadsheet program. Databases will be in .DBF format and may be read in database software like FoxPro or imported into Microsoft Access. Send five dollars and your mailing address, and I'll send you a diskette so you can give it a try! (H.L. Huestis, #1502, 1574 Gulf Rd., Point Roberts, WA 98281)
