Editing Plectrum (section)

==Plectra in harpsichords==
[[File:Harpsichord jack.svg|thumb|300px|right|The upper portion of a harpsichord jack holding a plectrum]]
In a [[harpsichord]], there is a separate plectrum for each string. These plectra are very small, often only about 10 millimeters long, about 1.5 millimeters wide, and half a millimeter thick. The plectrum is gently tapered, being narrowest at the plucking end. The top surface of the plectrum is flat and horizontal and is held in the tongue of the jack; the tongue is pivoted so that the plectrum plucks the string when moving up, but is pushed away when moving down.

In the historical period of harpsichord construction (up to about 1800) plectra were made of sturdy feather quills, usually from [[crow]]s or [[raven]]s. In Italy, some makers (including [[Bartolomeo Cristofori]]) used [[vulture]] quills.<ref>Jensen 1998, 85. Not all bird species suffice; [[Wolfgang Zuckermann]] observed in 1969 that "quill from birds such as goose or chicken have given this material a bad name, since feathers from these fowl are not satisfactory for the purpose." Aside from crow and raven, he mentions [[condor]], eagle and turkey as good sources for plectra. See Wolfgang Zuckermann (1969): ''The Modern Harpsichord'', New York, October House, p. 61.</ref> Other Italian harpsichords employed plectra of [[leather]].<ref name="Hubbard 1967">Hubbard 1967</ref> In late French harpsichords by the great builder [[Pascal Taskin]], ''peau de buffle'', a [[chamois leather|chamois]]-like material from the hide of the [[European bison]], was used for plectra to produce a delicate [[Dynamics (music)|pianissimo]].<ref name="Hubbard 1967" />

Modern harpsichords frequently employ plectra made with plastic, specifically the plastic known as [[Polyoxymethylene|acetal]]. Some plectra are of the [[homopolymer]] variety of acetal, sold by [[DuPont]] under the name "Delrin", while others are of the [[copolymer]] variety, sold by [[Ticona]] as "Celcon".<ref>For a discussion of these plastics, see [http://www.fortepiano.com/plectra/plectra_002.htm].</ref> Harpsichord technicians and builders generally use the trade names to refer to these materials. In either of its varieties, acetal is far more durable than quill, which cuts down substantially on the time that must be spent in voicing (see below).<ref>This reflects what is probably the mainstream view; however, the builder Grant O'Brien has suggested that if cut properly, a quill plectrum will last indefinitely, and he mentions harpsichords from the historical period whose quills have lasted intact to the present. The correct form of voicing, O'Brien suggests, involves tapering, so that a plectrum will display constant curvature at the moment it is maximally displaced in plucking. {{Cite web|title=The use of raven feathers for quills in Neapolitan harpsichords|url=http://www.claviantica.com/Design_files/Construction_particulars_files/Raven_quills_files/Raven_quill_plucking_string.htm|access-date=2023-02-04|website=www.claviantica.com}}</ref>

Several contemporary builders and players<ref>Hendrik Broekman ([http://www.hubharp.com/technical_articles2/soundboard_quill.htm]), Tilman Skowroneck ([http://skowroneck.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/voicing-i/]), Keith Hill ([http://instrumentmaking.keithhillharpsichords.com/quilling.html]).</ref> have reasserted the superiority of bird quill for high-level harpsichords. While the difference in sound between acetal and quill is acknowledged to be small,<ref>See Skowroneck, op. cit., Broekman, op. cit., and for a particularly skeptical view, {{Cite web|title=The use of raven feathers for quills in Neapolitan harpsichords|first=Grant |last=O'Brien |url=http://www.claviantica.com/Design_files/Construction_particulars_files/Raven_quills.htm|access-date=2023-02-04|website=www.claviantica.com}}</ref> what difference may exist is held to be to the advantage of quill. In addition, quill plectra tend to fail gradually, giving warning by the diminishing volume, whereas acetal plectra fail suddenly and completely, sometimes in the middle of a performance.

===Voicing harpsichord plectra===
The plectra of a harpsichord must be cut precisely, in a process called "voicing". A properly voiced plectrum will pluck the string in a way that produces a good musical tone and matches well in loudness with all of the other strings. The underside of the plectrum must be appropriately slanted and entirely smooth, so that the jack will not "hang" (get caught on the string) when, after sounding a note, it is moved back down below the level of the string.

Normally, voicing is carried out by inserting the plectrum into the jack, then placing the jack on a small wooden voicing block, so that the top of the plectrum sits flush with the block. The plectrum is then cut and thinned on the underside with a small, very sharp knife, such as an [[X-Acto|X-Acto knife]].<ref>Kottick (1987)</ref> As the plectrum is progressively trimmed, its jack is replaced in the instrument at intervals to test the result for loudness, tone quality, and the possibility of hanging.

Voicing is a refined skill, carried out fluently by professional builders, but one that usually must also be learned (at least to some degree) by harpsichord owners.<ref>Source for all of this section: Kottick (1987)</ref>