The Piano how it all works The piano has 88 keys—36 black keys and 52 white keys. When you push down a key, the hammer attached to that key goes up (in a grand piano) or forward (in an upright piano) to strike a string. The hammer is a round stick with a head on it (it looks something like a real hammer), and the head is covered with very dense wool felt. When the string vibrates it makes a musical sound; the string is connected to a large soundboard that amplifies the sound much louder than the string could do by itself. When you let go of the key, a felt pad, called a damper, drops back onto the string and stops the sound. Most pianos have around 220 strings that vary in length from 6 to 80 inches. The longest strings have the lowest pitch (bass section), and the shortest strings have the highest pitch (treble section).
Pedals
Here’s how they work: Right pedal - The loud one. Also known as the “forte” or sustain pedal. This pedal raises the dampers. Dampers are the wedges of felt that press on the strings to stop the sound. This pedal keeps the dampers raised so the tone keeps sounding. Left pedal - The soft one. A single piano note is normally created from two or three piano strings hit at the same time. When this pedal is used, it causes the hammer to shift slightly so that it hits only one or two strings, resulting in a softer sound. Middle pedal - The “sostenuto,” is usually found only on grand pianos. This pedal makes it possible to sustain selected notes while the player’s hands are free to play other notes that fade normally.
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left pedal middle pedal right pedal
hammers and strings Soundboard Keys