The use of raven feathers for quills
The quill after voicing. The lower white part of the quill is gradually cut away until the power of the sound resulting from the stiffness of the quill is balanced with the other notes of the instrument nearby. This is done by making the quill weaker and weaker towards the end of the quill in such a way that the amount of bending is uniform along the length of the quill. By voicing the quills in this way they do not work harden, the amount of sound they produce does not change over time, and the quill does not break with continued use. It should therefore, in theory at least, last forever.
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