Cutting and voicing plectra using bird's quill

Harpsichord plectra will eventually break, and they tend to do so in the most inopportune moments. Hence, learning how to replace broken plectra is an essential skill for every harpsichord owner and player. What's more, there seem to be few videos detailing how to use bird's quill for voicing, which is why I thought it sensible to share my personal method of cutting and voicing harpsichord plectra using bird's quill.
KZbin did not allow me to put a link into the video, so this will have to suffice. Information on oiling: www.denzilwraight.com/quillper...
Leave comments if you have any question or would like to see more videos on harpsichord maintenance!
www.andreas-gilger.de
www.cicerone-ensemble.de

[@matthiasgriewisch1021]

Keine weiteren Fragen soweit! Vielen Dank für dieses Video, das aus meiner Sicht alles gut und richtig und vor allem sehr angenehm unaufgeregt erklärt. Ich selbst schneide als erstes das dicke, hohle, runde Ende ab, und fange dann quasi mit dem starken Ende der Feder an. Also genau umgekehrt. Dadurch habe ich eine Art natürliche 'Widerhaken' der abgeschnittenen Federäste, die helfen, ein Zurückrutschen des Kiels zu verhindern. Aber das ist letztlich ein einigermaßen unwichtiges Detail - andersherum geht es auch. Wenn man eine Feder zu einer Schreibfeder schneidet, bearbeitet man auch ohne zu fragen das dicke Ende, insofern kam mir noch gar nicht der Gedanke, am dünnen Ende anzufangen! Anstelle von Öl nehme ich übrigens etwas Hirschtalg (gibt es in der Apotheke gegen trockene Hände), welches wunderbar funktioniert, und niemals bis zur Achse der Zunge vorkriecht, wo Öl bekannterweise Unheil anrichten kann. Wenn man ein ganzes Register damit gepflegt hat, ist die Kuppe des kleinen Fingers, mit der man es aufgetragen hat, wunderbar geschmeidig :-) Danke nochmal, es grüßt herzlich Matthias

[@robertporch5218]

Interesting. I would NOT use residue from one's forehead. This is likely to be sweat that is salty. I have always wiped the plectra on my nostril! The sebum works well and is convenient and helps if the string doesn't pluck smoothly. I always cut the end at about 45° with quil and Delrin. Sharpness of the (10A) blade is the key as you said. When quilling a whole instrument, I've used a bunch of feathers in rotation ( 8 ) and methodically working from treb to bass the plectra will gradually become wider and thicker. Keep up the good work! Rob

[@permacultureli]

you are very clear and careful with detail...thank you!

[@JanWeinhold001]

Excellent! Danke

[@permacultureli]

Andreas...Cannot but wonder how you laugh and what kind of humour can crawl out of you, but you are quite admirable...

[@AndreasGilger]

Haha, thank you! I'm afraid my sense of humour is a very nerdy one ;-)

[@permacultureli]

@@AndreasGilger glad you took that comment well...shows you are a good sport in any case.

[@clepsyd]

Great video! Thank you for making it. I would love to see more on Harpsichord building by you: you really explained it clearly and the videography was detailed. Subscribed in case you upload more of this type of content :)

[@AndreasGilger]

Thanks for the comment :) There'll indeed be more of this sort of content - I've got a video on replacing strings coming up, as well as a second video on tuning. Might be a few weeks as I'm in the middle of moving between countries, but it's a promise!

Absolutely wonderful and valuable information, very well explained. Grateful.

[@AndreasGilger]

Thank you! I'm quite happy to hear my video's proving useful :)

[@HeavyHarpsichord]

Thank you for posting this! I'm going to try using bird quills in my instrument as this seems easier and may help lighten the touch a bit. Much appreciated!

[@AndreasGilger]

Glad you found this useful :) Hopefully I'll be posting more videos on maintenance in the future, i.e. replacing strings, fixing squeaking keys etc.

[@HeavyHarpsichord]

@@AndreasGilger That would be great!

[@enjoyer8700]

Thank you 🙏⚜️

[@petitburger]

Thx!!

[@permacultureli]

I intuitively sense this kind of plectra must be ideal...I am assuming this to be very detailed and demanding work, I would imagine all the plectra must be very very similar in order to achieve an even voicing?...Does it vary from low ranges to higher ones?...or is it best when uniform...?...what a brilliant area of endeavour you share with us here...thank you....will look forward to any further videos you may be kind enough to share with us.

[@AndreasGilger]

Indeed, the closer you can get the plectra to one another, the better. Of course this is impossible with bird's quill, as it's a product of nature and hence not uniform. But you can get them close enough for the differences to be barely noticeable in normal playing. As you suspected, for an even tone and touch one needs to adjust the width/thickness/length depending on the range; roughly speaking, you'll want them to be somewhat wider and thicker in the bass and somewhat narrower and thinner in the treble. Personal preference and the precise conditions of one's instrument do however have their appropriate effects on that!

[@permacultureli]

@@AndreasGilger how fascinating to imagine such possible variants...should one expect the lower ranges to be usually more thundering than higher ranges?...it seems a bit that way to me, and I do like it....have you found benefits perhaps in choosing the same exact place in feathers to extract your plectra?...in pursuit of more control over the end result in voicing, naturally. Post more videos on restauration, you seem the ideal type for this. Thanks.

[@AndreasGilger]

@@permacultureli That would probably depend on the specific instrument - some harpsichords have very punchy bass notes which sometimes remind me of a theorbo, others have a much more boomy sound in the lower registers. At any rate, I feel that a good harpsichord has rather distinct ranges. When voicing, I try to emphasise these differences, so my plectra end up looking the way they do because I feel this brings out the instrument's characteristics more than making them all uniform would. That being said, I have not yet systematically explored all the outcomes of all possible ways of voicing. For example, I have never attempted to cut all plectra exactly the same. At any rate, I would expect this to lead either to a very harsh treble (as the treble would be voiced just as strongly as the bass), or conversely to a very weak bass (as the bass would be voiced just as softly as the treble).