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Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Benefits Of Pipe Organ Maintenance

By Amy Gray


Well-established churches, especially cathedral, need massive music instruments for their congregation or choir. One of those instruments is a pipe organ. It produces sound when pressurized air is driven through organ pipes via a keyboard selection. Pipe organ maintenance is a very crucial aspect that needs to be maintained regularly. Below the importance are discussed in details.

Regular checkups need to be done for this instrument to produce the best sound quality. Tuning is one of primary keys to better sound production. An expert to avoid any damage can do it twice a year. An adjustment may be made at the end of winter and summer seasons since temperature affects them.

Another way of organ maintenance is by playing every note frequently in different time intervals. With that done, the organ will be more durable. The action prevents dust and dirt from building in the parts, relying on wind conduction and pipes as well. It ensures the needed humidity degree is in place. The drill is done to instruments that are not used regularly.

Leather and wood used to make the organ wear out as time passes by. They need to be renewed once this has been noted. Proven impregnation solutions are used for the treatment of such perishable materials. Once the soundboard is dismantled, the opening of the note channels is done first. If the damage is quite bad, the parts are replaced with new parts. The pieces require being constructed exactly as the original part.

Change of temperature in a room with an instrument affects the functionality. Caution should be taken if an apartment is heated. Attention needs to be given to the temperature of the room for it may prevent the wooden parts from drying. Spraying insecticides can curb insects that destroy wood. The organs should be left alone by ensuring favorable conditions are provided. This will reduce the need for restoration work.

A trusted organist is required for a machine to work at its best. They need to have the proper knowledge and appreciate the delegated responsibility. Their work is to observe, assess, and report any damage in time for the maintenance to get done.

Since the pipes are made of alloys of lead and tin, they are very delicate when handling. Simple knocks or bumps can cause major dents destroying the quality of the instrument. One should, therefore, handle them carefully to minimize damage. Thus, owners or technicians can avoid incurring a massive loss.

Pipe organs that were built back in the 1700 century have metal pipes covered with a red oxide layer. They have a black toned change making them appear like the crab shells. They are not supposed to get polished though. Polishing them can cause the loss of their authentic sound quality. The surfaces are not supposed to get touched with fingerprints. Touching can make them tarnish that may reduce their service quality. On the other hand, rust can be activated, making this majestic instrument look ugly.




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