Pluck detector

What will be the name of a circuit that will detect when a cable is touch by a finger ? The cable will have its plastic cover, so it needs to detect capacitance. Correct?

The idea is to simulate the pluck of a harp string. Yes I know there are piezo sensor, optical sensors and other type of transducers...but I want to experiment using other alternatives.

Thanks,

Google? capacitance proximity sensor circuit

Ken

It can detect touch, but "pluck" is different from "touch".

Wave (envelope really) shaping will be required using capacitance.
A sharp leading edge can't come from a capacitance detector.

flat5 said:

Wave (envelope really) shaping will be required using capacitance.
A sharp leading edge can't come from a capacitance detector.

Click to expand...

a comparator can detect a set voltage and generate a fixed predetermine behaviour to output a control voltage. Can the same be done using capacitance? set capacitance compared to a variable capacitance and once it reach a certain capacitance value output a predefine voltage?

"set capacitance compared to a variable capacitance and once it reach a certain capacitance value output a predefine voltage?"

I don't think you want to do it that way. - Harry Enfield

As suggested above, find a proximity sensor circuit.
Here is one. You need one for each string, I suppose.
Circuit - 3V CAPACITANCE PROXIMITY SWITCH - Circuits designed by David A. Johnson, P.E.

This just gives you the trigger. All the plucking for each string comes later. Sounds like a lot of plucking work to me.