Hi Floyd,
You might want to look at materials from a class I gave on
harpsichord voicing in 2006,
"Fine Tuning the Harpsichord" in 2007, and
Intro to the harpsichord in 2007 But to answer your question directly, I have measured it at about 75-125 grams for one jack (more to get through additional register). Note that you need to measure consistently: either holding the key at rest position, placing the weight, then immediately removing support for the key, or, alternately, taking the key to plucking point (the plectrum is contacting the key), hold it there, place the weight, remove support. The latter will require more weight, as you don't have the benefit of inertia of the initial free-fall, but the results might be more consistent with the feel (depending how precisely the height of the plectra under the string has been set, from note to note). But those details are in the handouts. The large files are the powerpoint converted to pdf, so they have the slides that went along with the class.
I'll note that in my experience, to get an "easier and smoother" pluck but with more or less the same volume, the best strategy is to taper the plectrum toward the tip, as opposed to narrowing it fairly evenly along the length. You want the plectrum to be displacing the string to the side as opposed to lifting it. That dichotomy is artificial, because both will happen in any case, but it is a matter of degree: more side, less up. This also means the pluck takes less keydip, a big help in double manuals. The image is of a curve like a parabola, more bend toward the tip (but in moderation) rather than like an arc.
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Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm@unm.edu http://fredsturm.net "When I smell a flower, I don't think about how it was cultivated. I like to listen to music the same way." -Federico Mompou
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-18-2015 12:33
From: Floyd Gadd
Subject: Harpsichord Touchweight
Has anybody quantified what level of weight on the keys should be required for the plectrum to complete the plucking of the string? I have an Albarda here that is fatiguing to play. I am preparing to do some regulating and voicing, and if there exists a protocol for identifying a standard range in this area, I would be most happy to learn about it. I do understand the principle of staggering the plucking of the different registers.
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Floyd Gadd
Regina SK
306-721-9699
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