Toward the modeling of harpsichord plucking.

The harpsichord’s plucking action is much less studied than the piano’s hammer striking action. A theoretical model was first proposed [D. H. Griffel, J. Sound Vib. 175, 289–297 (1994)] treating the plectrum as a rigid body or two rigid bodies connected with a torsional spring. This was later investigated experimentally [N. Giordano and J. P. Winans II, J. Sound Vib. 224, 455–473 (1999)] using a capacitive sensor, resulting in a more refined model based on simple one‐dimensional beam dynamics. In our work, we employ various string position sensors, and a more detailed plucked string trajectory is captured and analyzed. Also aided by high‐speed camera images, studies on the detailed plectrum’s shape of deflection are done. By a more rigorous treatment of elastic beam theory and looking into interactions of the plectrum and string after the initial release, we present a revised model on the plucking mechanism of the harpsichord string that contributes to its characteristic tone quality.