The piano is, arguably, one of the most intricate musical instruments existing, not to mention one of the biggest. How did it get to be so big and so intricate? To the untrained eye, all those parts and mechanisms that come along with the piano can be quite intimidating. Breaking down the piano piece by piece will help you understand more about the piano and about how it works.

1. The Anatomy
of a Piano
To the untrained eye, figuring out all the
parts of a piano can be quite intimidating.
Breaking it down piece by piece will help you
understand more about how it works.

2. Keys
Each key corresponds to a single steel
string, and no two strings are alike which is
why each key produces a different sound.
A standard piano has 52 white
keys and 36 black keys.

3. Hammers
This vibration is what
ultimately produces the rich
sound of the piano.
Each time a key is pressed, a
little hammer hits a steel string
causing it to vibrate.

4. Strings
Regardless, the strings are necessary for
creating sounds, or musical notes.
It is debatable whether a piano should
be classified as a string instrument or a
percussion instrument since the strings
are struck rather than plucked.

5. The soundboard helps to
accentuate the acoustics of the
strings to the surrounding air,
resulting in better sound quality.
After being struck with
a hammer, the strings
vibrate against a ribbed
surface called a
soundboard.

6. Usually when you hit a note, the sound is
stopped as soon as you let go of the key.
But pressing one of the pedals at the
base of the piano allows the sound to
continue even after letting go of the key.
The other pedal softens the sound of the
piano, making it ideal for practice time.

7. For more information or questions
about your own instrument,
call B & N Piano at
610-485-4758
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