An Excerpt From

A Guide to the Harpsichord

By Ann Bond

The harpsichord is best played with the lid open; with the lid closed, the tone is stifled. Some players like to have the lid opened right out -- that is, with the flap extended to the front of the instrument, instead of folded back as on a grand piano. This gives the maximum reflecting surface, enabling both player and audience to hear the full tonal range, although a tall player will be slightly short of space.

First, make yourself comfortable at the keyboard; middle C (which is a bit to the right of center) should be in front of you. Make sure that your seat is at the right height: you may well need a slightly higher seat for an instrument with two manuals, in order to be able to reach the top keyboard without any strain on your neck or shoulder muscles. Put your feet flat on the floor in front of you, and get used to playing with them in this position, which is the only one that looks nice to the viewer. Check, periodically, where your feet are (you may be surprised); check, too, that your shoulder muscles have not become tense and dragged your shoulders up toward your ears -- a common reflex action when you are feeling anxious or uncertain.

Harpsichord playing is essentially a finger and knuckle, rather than a wrist and arm, activity, although the arms must also remain free and relaxed. The relative shortness of harpsichord keys is a natural guide to the proper position of your hand -- the fingers should be gently curved, so that (at rest) the fingertips lie just beyond the end of your thumb. Many writers, from the sixteenth-century Tomás de Santa Maria down to J. S. Bach and Rameau, refer to this position. In fact, if your hands are large no other position is really possible. You will also realize that your nails need to be kept short.