Created By: Dustin Null February 8 th 2011

The Piano is a musical instrument with a manual keyboard actuating hammers that strike wire strings, producing sounds that may be softened or sustained by means of pedals. The Piano is a musical instrument with a manual keyboard actuating hammers that strike wire strings, producing sounds that may be softened or sustained by means of pedals.

Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the modern piano in the early 1700’s. Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the modern piano in the early 1700’s. Cristofori came up with the idea of hitting the strings with a wooden hammer and that led to the pianos we hear and see today. Cristofori came up with the idea of hitting the strings with a wooden hammer and that led to the pianos we hear and see today. The piano was first named the pianoforte that means "soft-loud.“ The piano was first named the pianoforte that means "soft-loud.“

What are You Playing?  There are two basic types of pianos, (The Grand and the vertical)  Both kinds come in different sizes and styles.  The Grand can be 4-1/2 feet to 9-1/2 feet long.  The Vertical can be 52 or more inches high around 45 inches long

What Are The Main Parts?  There are two major parts to the piano. The frame and the action.  The frame is the support for the piano. This is what the piano is built around.  The action – A mechanism that translates the downward vertical motion of the piano key when into a horizontal motion as the hammer strikes the strings and the note is played.

What in a Piano  When your first open you piano you will se a cast iron frame. Right underneath you will see a pin block. The pin block protects the action so that its parts do not get damaged, and gives support to the front end of the frame. The bridge is also an important part to the piano. The bridge sits between the soundboard and the frame. This hold the back end of the piano bed in place. The soundboard is at the bottom of the piano and the strings are pulled across the soundboard and get action from the bridge at the back.. The cover of the piano is made of a hard piece of wood and the keys are located in the front of the piano and what are used to play.

Vertical Action Piano

Grand Piano

Key Words  Action the combination of several thousand moving parts that work together to make the piano work.  Cabinet, Case The outside of the piano and looks like a piece of furniture; it covers and supports the internal parts. The outside of a grand piano is called a rim.  Hammers felt-covered wooden mallets that strikes a string to produce a note when a key is touched.  Soundboard the heart of the piano  Strings taut metal wires made of steel or copper vibrate when struck by hammers  Tuning adjusting the tightness of the strings to change the pitch  Keys most pianos have 88 keys spanning the keyboard. When you press it, the motion is transferred to the action. The action causes the hammer to hit the strings and the vibration creates a sound. The piano has 36 black keys and 52 white keys.

Help?  YourPiano.pdf YourPiano.pdf