North Bennet Street School

Dates: Monday, June 29 - Friday, July 3 (5 meetings)

Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Instructors: Allan Winkler & Louis Del Bene PT '06, PA '07

Location: 538 High Street, Medford, MA

This summer’s classes will be held at Allan Winkler’s harpsichord workshop in Medford, MA, allowing for a closeup look at specialized tools and jigs, and technical discussions about the repair and overhaul procedures for harpsichords.

Price: $1,819 is the full cost of the class. A $225 deposit is due at the time of registration. Students will have the option to pay in full or pay over time with a weekly payment plan when registering for the class. The payment plan details will be shared during the registration process. 

This course is structured for piano technicians looking to learn more about harpsichords as well as harpsichordists wishing to upgrade their skills in dealing with repairs. The class covers voicing and regulation of a double manual harpsichord with three registers, 2x8', and 1x4'. Topics will include: requilling wood and plastic jacks with Delrin (white acetal plastic) plectra; assembly of wood jacks and repair of plastic jacks; how to set plectra length and shape plectra to set voicing levels; coupler adjustment, timing and regulating three registers; setting key dip and touch; an introduction to selecting and treating feather and voicing with quill; the basic metallurgy of harpsichord wire and how to loop and replace strings.

Optional Field Trip:

• Thursday evening there will be an optional visit to the Musical Instrument Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Tools & Supplies: All tools and supplies are provided for this class. To prepare for class, please familiarize yourself with chapters 7, 8, 9, and 11 from Edward Kottick’s “Harpsichord Owner’s Guide”.

Attire: This is a general list of how to dress for the shop environment, please contact ce@nbss.edu if you have any questions.

• Closed-toe, comfortable, and protective footwear (sneakers or boots)
• No loose clothing
• Long pants suggested
• No loose jewelry
• Long hair must be tied back

Prerequisite: Proficiency in keyboard instrument tuning and a general familiarity with handling keyboard instruments. If you have questions about your experience, please contact ce@nbss.edu. 

Age Requirement: Students must be 18+ to attend adult CE classes. No one under 18 years old is permitted to register for an adult class, even if accompanied by a parent or guardian.