I agree with Anne's point.

Instruments played by one player who knows how to play it tend to stay in
regulation much longer than school instruments or rental instruments that
are played by many different people with different levels of keyboard
refinement. But it's not so much the number of players as the question of
exposing instruments to what I think of as the kind of touch that is
dangerous to the instrument and its voicing.

At UC Berkeley we have six harpsichords. The good instruments have now been
in bird quill for over ten years. Students are taught as a first principle
that a bad touch will damage the instrument. Once they have acquired even
the most basic elements of harpsichord touch -- and of respect for the
instrument, along with an understanding of its mechanism -- they are given
access to the instruments in bird quill. There are very few broken quills
during a year of fairly heavy use. One small harpsichord and one Hubbard
spinet have been left in delrin, so that they can be a first port of call
for those occasions when someone insists that a pianist needs to accompany
a singer on a harpsichord, for whatever reason... Both instruments have
actions and voicing that tend towards the indestructible, which in certain
circumstances becomes the overriding virtue.

In that way, delrin serves as an entrance portal to feather, but not all
students walk through the door.

Best wishes,
DM



*Davitt MoroneyProfessor of Music; University OrganistDirector, University
Baroque Ensemble*

On Mon, Jan 4, 2016 at 9:22 AM, michael johnson <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>
> Wise words Anne.   It's horse for course and in your case Delrin must make
> good sense.
>
> M
>
>
>
> Sent from myMail for iOS
>
>
> Monday, 4 January 2016, 16:51 +0000 from [log in to unmask]  <
> [log in to unmask]>:
> >Ah, another consideration is when you have a large stable of rental and
> personal instruments that go out to all manner of folks, sometimes for 3
> weeks at a time to a music festival in another state, being played by folks
> who are primarily big pianists? My delrin quills typically last many many
> many years, requiring a modest amount of time and attention to voicing from
> time to time. No oiling either.
> >
> >
> >Also, if you are experienced with quill, both as a technician and player,
> which I am, many types, I do believe the delrin shaping and voicing as a
> more realistic result.
> >
> >I love quill. I don't always use it. My purchasing and repair/restoration
> clients are given the option either way.
> >
> >Sometimes polyester is just more practical than silk........
> >
> >Anne A.
> >
> >
> >
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>
> ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
> Note:  opinions  expressed on HPSCHD-L are those of the  individual con-
> tributors and not necessarily  those of the list owners  nor of the Uni-
> versity of Iowa.  For a brief  summary of list  commands, send mail to
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::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Note:  opinions  expressed on HPSCHD-L are those of the  individual con-
tributors and not necessarily  those of the list owners  nor of the Uni-
versity of Iowa.  For a brief  summary of list  commands, send mail to
[log in to unmask]  saying  HELP .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::