Discover the PARTS of the PIANO

For several centuries we have had at the service of music one of the most impressive instruments: the piano. The piano is an extremely popular instrument that almost anyone knows and knows how to recognize. listening thanks to its sweet sound and the number of works and songs in which it has produced its notes.

Despite being so well known, few people really know how the piano manages to produce its sound, perhaps because of be an instrument with one of the most complex mechanisms, designed and manufactured with excellence and accuracy Awesome. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will talk about the operation of this instrument, we will know the piano parts.

The piano or "pianoforte" (the full name) belongs to the category of stringed instruments. It is an evolution of ancestral instruments such as the harpsichord. Although this type of instrument was very popular since the Renaissance, it is not until the 18th century that the first "pianoforte" is designed with the characteristics that we currently know.

The piano is par excellence one of the more complete and popular instruments in music, both classical and popular. Its high demand has caused a wide availability in terms of versions of the instrument, having Acoustic, electric or digital, upright or wall pianos, grand and MIDI controllers to mention Some.

The acoustic piano It works through a key-actuated mechanism to strike the strings within it, which resonate through your body. Traditionally the piano is a large instrument, but due to the need to fulfill its high demand, versions of it have been made that do not even work precisely with it mechanism. This is the case of electronic pianos or keyboards, that also work with keys but that produce the sound by means of electricity

In terms of sound, the piano is very versatile thanks to its wide range and its property of produce multiple notes simultaneously, which also provides you with harmonic and rhythmic capabilities. For many musicians, the piano is the preferred tool for composing.

Let's get into the subject now and discover the parts of the piano to better understand how this interesting musical instrument is formed. Here we detail them:

Strings

On a traditional piano there are 224 strings made of steel, which are taut at the ends inside the piano. The strings have different lengths and thicknesses and are assigned as a group to a key (eg 3 strings for the same key).

The strings are subjected to a 75kg tension and its tuning mechanism is delicate to manipulate, that is why unlike instruments of string like the guitar, the piano requires specialists who are professionally dedicated to the tuning.

Body or soundboard

It is another part of the piano. It is the space in which the strings resonate. The soundboard amplifies the sound produced by means of 3 main parts designed specifically for this purpose: the harmonic table, the upper table and the frame.

• Harmonic table: It is located below the strings and its main function is to transmit and amplify sound waves.
• Top chart: It is the "lid" of the piano. This can be adjusted to different heights depending on the required volume of the instrument. This is very useful for ranging from concerts on large stages to ensemble performances in small rooms.
• Frame: It is a steel structure that supports all the strings at its ends.

Piano keys

The classical piano has 88 keys, each one corresponds to an individual note. The keys are the pieces with which the musician has direct contact and actuate the mechanism of the instrument to strike the strings. This system is called percussion mechanism. Since each key has its own mechanism, all keys can be pressed independently and also simultaneously.

The percussion mechanism is a complex system built with at least 20 main parts, which can vary depending on the type of piano. Broadly speaking, the important parts of this mechanism are: the key, the hammer, the scale and the damper.

The key actuates the mechanism the scale, which is the set of parts that communicate with the hammer. It is the hammer the piece that hits the strings directly. It has a wood core that is covered by layers of pressed wool. Finally, the damper It is the part in charge of silencing the string when the key is released.

Pedals

And we end with this list of piano parts to talk about the pedals. They are levers that are pressed with the feet and are connected to the system of mechanisms of the ropes. They are used to create effects in the sound, such as prolonging the sound of a note or shortening it. The classical piano has 3 pedals: pedal tonal, pedal unicordio and pedal resonance, in that order of placement. Some pianos have only 2 or even only 1 pedal. The pedal that is held is the damper pedal.

Now that you know how the piano works, the ideal would be that you can find a way to see it for yourself to observe everything you have learned.