Jacques, be wary of taking piano technique to a harpsichord. Couperin's manual on harpsichord playing is entitled "L'Art de toucher le clavecin". Hard hands don

Jacques, be wary of taking piano technique to a harpsichord. Couperin's manual on harpsichord playing is entitled "L'Art de toucher le clavecin". Hard hands don't work well. Also a harpsichord tone needs time to develop after the pluck. On a revival instrument, playing fast doesn't lose much. On an instrument built following historic practices, slower brings out the music. Scott Ross once cautioned against playing comme une machine à coudre.