There are also sources for purchasing harpsichord plectra of various sizes. On the plectrum on the left, the rougher side (which I assume is the bottom) is up on the right, the smoother side is up. My finger, however, can detect rougher and smoother sides. The plectra are said to have a flat bottom and a rounded top, but I can’t tell the difference visually. The plectra that Zuckermann supplies with the Troubadour Virginal kit are made of celcon, and are 0.02 inches in thickness: The back of the jack looks about the same except for a metal spring that allows the tongue to swing out of the way when the key is released:īack in the old days, the plectra were made from the shaft of bird feathers, and some people still do that, but these days they’re usually made of plastic. Look closely, and you’ll see a little slit in the tongue. Here’s the front of a jack that faces towards the string. The vertical slot at the top is for a piece of cloth that serves to damp the string when it’s not being plucked. That’s a total of 56, so I only have one to spare. The jacks in that kit are packaged in a plastic-wrapped block, 8 wide and 7 deep: Pressing a key on the virginal, watching the jack ascend and the plectrum pluck the string, and hearing the distinctive harpsichord twang - this is the event I’ve been anticipating even before I recieved the box containing the Zuckermann Troubadour Virginal kit. On the end of the key sits a wooden jack with a plastic plectrum that plucks the string. In a harpsichord, a finger presses a key down and the tail end of the key goes up.

Code by charles petzold