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The spinet is related both to the clavichord and the harpsichord. It consists of an oblong wooden box and a keyboard, and the metal strings are arranged perpendicularly to the keys like a clavichord. However, the strings are plucked with little pieces of leather or quill called plectrums, similar to a harpsichord. Unlike the harpsichord, which first appeared several years after the spinet, only one set of strings is present, with each plectrum plucking only one string.
The spinet was used primarily in the 15th and 16th centuries, until the invention of the harpsichord, which gave the player more flexibility with added sets of strings.
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