Anyone who has ever played a harpsichord knows that the touch is entirely different from a piano's. The harpsichord feels "crunchy." This is because in depressing the key you must overcome the resistance the plectrum is exerting against the string. You can *feel* when the plectrum passes by the string. (You can hear it, too, of course, because the harpsichord then sounds that note.) Excess force causes an unpleasant "thumping."

A virginal feels the same way. The clavichord's touch is much like an organ's, yet the key dip (the distance the key travels before it reaches the full extent it may be depressed) is extremely shallow. Any excess force will cause the instrument to play out of tune.

If you are a pianist approaching the harpsichord for the first time, you might find the following generalities useful:

• Expect the key resistance, as described above. Also, the key dip probably will be more shallow than a piano's.
• Most harpsichords have only 4 to 4 1/2 octaves. The compass generally is from C [Great C--two octaves below Middle C] to c'' [two-line C--two octaves above Middle C] or f'' [two-line F, which is the F above c'']. Occasionally there is a key below C; this may be tuned to Contra B [the B right below Great C] but it is often tuned to Contra G [the G below Great C] in order to provide another V-I in the key of C. Harpsichords sometimes have a "short octave." Clavichords, especially small ones, usually do.
• Expect harpsichord keys to be a different size than piano keys. The keys are generally slimmer, so that an octave on the piano might be a 9th on a harpsichord. Finally, the distance from the end of the white key to the end of the black key is likely to be shorter. You'll have a "smaller target" for white keys. And black keys are slimmer, too, so they'll be more difficult to hit accurately. Do not despair, however! Your hand will quickly adjust to "harpsichord dimensions."
• Many harpsichord keyboards are made of wood rather than plastic or ivory, and therefore the tactile sensation may seem strange to you at first.
• Some harpsichords have a "reverse keyboard," in which the sharps are white and the naturals are black. This may disconcert you initially.
• Many harpsichords' cases rise quite high on either side of the keyboard. This gives you a feeling of being hemmed in. You may be reluctant to play high or low notes because you are afraid you'll bang into the side of the case.
• The shallow key dip and the "crunchy" feel of the keyboard will make trills a real delight. They will just spring from your fingers! You will see immediately one reason why Baroque music is peppered with ornaments. They're just plain fun! (The other reasons: to embellish the music and enhance the musical effect of the music; to "increase" volume; to display virtuosity or technique.)

• Each note must be articulated individually. You cannot "throw your fingers at" the harpsichord's keyboard, as you can sometimes do (and get away with) on the piano. On the harpsichord, you will create only a smear. Each finger and each note must be played individually. The harpsichord is an instrument of subtlety.
• I tell my students to think of having "active fingers." A teacher once told me to play with "high knuckles." Same thing.
• You will find that you must curve your fingers much more when you play a harpsichord than when you play the piano. This increased curvature also helps you play with active fingers.
• There are no dynamics possible on the harpsichord. To make the instrument louder, you must add another set ("rank") of strings. Alternatives (especially if you have only one rank of strings on your instrument!): arpeggiate chords, double roots and fifths of chords (even in both hands), add ornaments, extend ornaments (trill the entire measure, for example). For accents, place a small "hole" (a lift) before the note to be "accented." To reduce the volume if you cannot shut off a[nother] rank of strings, eliminate notes in a chord, do not play octaves in the bass (this is seldom found in harpsichord music anyway-- except Scarlatti), or trim ornaments.

My instrument is a Hubbard (note the classy place I store my tuning hammer), widely considered the best. Harpsichordistas have an immediate mental picture of this instrument when I say I have a "single-manual Flemish," but you probably don't! It's based on an instrument made by Hans Moermans in Antwerp in 1584 and has the traditional "long" shape and a curved bentside. This instrument is illustrated on the Hubbard site. Search for it under "kits".

I am extremely pleased with it. It holds its tune and doesn't weigh much. I have moved it around my home many times, and it's had numerous trips to churches, ballet theaters, schools, and so on. The instrument and stand are separate, so that makes it easier. A mini-van is a fine transport.

The Hubbard harpsichord is available as a finished instrument, a partially-completed kit, a kit, and portions of the kit (you supply the wood for the case, for example, but Hubbard sells you the keyboard, which you may not have the tools to make properly). Contact Hubbard and tell them Martha Beth sent you. (No, I don't get a kickback!!)

Many other companies offer kits, partials, and finished instruments, so start shopping! Make sure to ask for referrals; you want to talk to people who play them as well as those who made them.

Nota bene: If you ever must move across country with a commercial moving company, insist the movers place the instrument itself in a twin bed mattress carton, well padded with -your- blankets inside the carton. Yes, they'll give you a lot of trouble and tell you they'll treat it just as they do a piano. You'll have none of it. You'll have a twin bed mattress carton because you know what you're talking about, and they've probably never laid eyes on a harpsichord before!

For more information on harpsichords, consult Frank Hubbard's "bible" on the subject: Three Centuries of Harpsichord Making, Harvard University Press, 1965.

As long as I have my harpsichord on display, here's my Fudge clavichord and Zuckerman virginal. (Note: The clavichord is cherry, and though reddish, not as red as my lousy photo shows it! Violas da gamba on far wall.)

copyright 1996-2011, Martha Beth Lewis, Ph.D.
Contact me for reprint permission.