Isn’t it frustrating when you sit down at the organ bench to practice and find that some of the notes are ringing all the time or figured out? If the organ has mechanical action, this problem is usually quite easy to fix. In this article, I will show you how to fix sticky notes and ciphers on the mechanical organ.
1. Locate the tracker that is getting stuck. For this you will have to enter the organ. Check if you need a key to enter. If there is a second person nearby, ask them to repeatedly press this beeping key so that you can locate the particular tracker.
If you have to do this step yourself, take a quiet stop from this manual and try to locate this tracker on the skid by pulling multiple trackers and checking until the sound matches the sticky note.
2. If the key itself is lower or higher than others, please check and adjust the mechanics on the other side of the keyboard. This means that the tracker needs no adjustment, and only one particular key needs any adjustment. This usually happens during the fall and spring due to changes in humidity in the room.
3. If the key position is normal, but there is a constant sound pipe, check and adjust the mechanics higher up (possibly under the wind hood). In this case, the key itself is fine, but the valves may be too tight. You just need to relax them a bit.
4. Be careful to make very small adjustments as the screws are very sensitive. If you are not precise in your movements and make regulations on a large scale, the results can be quite shocking. The key can feel quite out of place, so adjust only fine movements.
Use these steps the next time you discover numbers on your organ. Locating the particular tracker on the sticky note usually takes more time than the entire tuning process. Remember, that in order not to cause any damage to the instrument, you have to be very sure of what you are doing, otherwise consult your organist or organist who is taking care of your organ.