Text: An ingenious contrivance whereby a hammer strikes the tongue of a reed and sets it in motion simultaneously with the admission of air from the windchest, thus securing the rapid speech of the reed. Were it not for the percussion, the reed would be only gradually set in motion by the admission of the current of air, and the sound would not instantly follow the striking of the key. It is commonly used in harmoniums, but has also been applied to the largest reeds of an organ.

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Source: 125