Voicing

We have begun to voice the harpsichord. First, we assembled the jacks by attaching their tongues, and plectra, and then adjusted them to be the appropriate height. Next, we thin the plectra (also called quill) to get the best sound and volume.

Karen uses a surgical scalpel for this very fine work. The jack is held upsidedown since we only trim on the underside of the plectra.

We voice by ear, but also by eye. The plectrum should bend evenly and gently from the base to the tip. It looks like this one might need a bit more attention.