L'art de toucher le clavecin (English: The Art of Playing the Harpsichord) is a didactic treatise by the French composer François Couperin. It was first published in 1716, and was followed by a revised edition in 1717.
The treatise was written to instruct keyboard players in performance practice, particularly for Couperin's Pièces de Clavecin; Couperin, upon its publication, noted that it was "absolutely indispensable for playing my Pièces in the style most suitable to them".[1] With the early music revival, it became one of the primary sources for the keyboard fingering system which prevailed in Europe during the Baroque era.[2] It also sheds light on the ornamentation used at the time. It is considered one of the most significant surviving treatises of the period.[1]