Editing Clavichord (section)

==Structure and action==
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[[File:Clavichord action.svg|thumb|500px|Schematic diagram of clavichord mechanism: A/B. Keys. 1A/1B. Tangents. 2A/2B. Keylevers. 3. String. 4. Soundboard. 5. Bridge-pin, next to hitch-pin. 6. Damping felt, next to tuning peg. (Note that this sketch is a simplification. In the actual instrument, the strings run perpendicular to the keylevers. In other words, the strings run lengthwise in the instrument.)<ref>{{harvnb|Brauchli|1998|pp=1–10}}. The introduction to this book contains far more detailed and accurate diagrams, labeled by the technical names of the different parts of the clavichord.</ref>]]
[[File:Tangenty.JPG|thumb|Tangents]]
In the clavichord, strings run transversely from the [[hitchpin rail]] at the left-hand end to tuning pegs on the right. Towards the right end they pass over a curved wooden bridge. The action is simple, with the keys being levers with a small brass tangent, a small piece of metal similar in shape and size to the head of a flat-bladed screwdriver, at the far end. The strings, which are usually of brass, or else a combination of brass and iron, are usually arranged in pairs, like a lute or mandolin. When the key is pressed, the tangent strikes the strings above, causing them to sound in a similar fashion to the ''hammering'' technique on a guitar. Unlike in a piano action, the tangent does not rebound from the string; rather, it stays in contact with the string as long as the key is held, acting as both the [[Nut (string instrument)|nut]] and as the initiator of sound. The volume of the note can be changed by striking harder or softer, and the pitch can also be affected by varying the force of the tangent against the string (known as ''[[Bebung]]''). When the key is released, the tangent loses contact with the string and the vibration of the string is silenced by strips of damping cloth.
[[File:122 Museu de la Música.jpg|thumb|left|Detail of the Clavichord at [[Museu de la Música de Barcelona]]]]
The action of the clavichord is unique among all keyboard instruments in that one part of the action simultaneously initiates the sound vibration while at the same time defining the endpoint of the vibrating string, and thus its pitch. Because of this intimate contact between the player's hand and the production of sound, the clavichord has been referred to as the most intimate of keyboard instruments. Despite its many (serious) limitations, including extremely low volume, it has considerable expressive power, the player being able to control attack, duration, and volume, and even provide certain subtle effects of swelling of tone and a type of vibrato unique to the clavichord.