The document summarizes how a piano works. It explains that a piano was invented in the 1700s by Bartolomeo Cristofori. When keys are pressed, small hammers hit strings of different thicknesses to produce different tones. The three pedals alter the sound by lifting dampers, shifting the keyboard right or left. Vibration of the strings creates sound that travels through air molecules.

1. I have been playing the piano since I
was four and now I want to know how it
works.
How does the pedal work on the piano?
What type of instrument is it?
How does it make that sound?
By: Lauren.S
HOW THE PIANO WORKS!

2. HISTORY OF THE PIANO
• The Piano was invented around the year 1700. No one is sure of the exact date.
• A man named Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano in the country of Italy.
• Bartolomeo was an expert harpsichord maker. He had great knowledge of stringed
keyboard instruments.

3. STRINGS!
• When you press a key on the piano a small hammer shoots up
and hits a string.
• Then the string vibrates and makes the sound.
• The low keys have thick string so it can make the low sound.
• The high keys have thin strings so it can make the high sound.
• When you take your finger off the key a pad comes down on the
string and stops the sound.

4. The Pedals
The three pedals on a piano have ways
to make the notes sound different. The
first pedal lifts up the pads in the piano
so that the strings can vibrate and make
a vibrating sound. The next pedal shifts
the key board to the right so that all the
keys sound higher. The last pedal shifts
the key board to the left so that all the
keys sound lower.

5. THE SCIENCE OF VIBRATION
Sound is vibration. Vibration can travel through water and air because air
and water are made up of molecules. Molecules in air float around
loosely. You can feel air pass by you and you can force a lot of air
together in a small space like a balloon. Vibration happens when air
molecules cluster together and spread apart and then cluster together
again and spread apart, and again and again.

6. FirstIlearnedaboutthesmall
hammerthathitsthestring.
ThenIlearnedaboutthethick
stringsandthethinstrings.
NextIlearnedaboutthethree
pedalsandthedifferent
soundstheymake.
ThenIlearnedaboutthe
historyofthepiano.
LastIlearnedthescience
ofvibration.
My Learning Time Line