ThePiano/Keyboard

Thepiano,alsoknownasthepianoforte,Frenchpiano,orpianoforte,GermanKlavier, is a keyboard-controlled musical instrument with wire strings that produce sound when struck by hammers coated in felt. The typical modern piano has 88 keys, a rangeofsevenfulloctaves,andafewmorekeys

Abridgeoverwhichthestringsarestretchedtransmitsthevibrationofthestringsto a soundboard, which amplifies the sound and influences the tone quality. The mechanism serves to speed up the motion of the hammer, catch it as it rebounds from the strings, and hold it in position for the next attack. The hammers that strike the strings are attached to a mechanism resting on the far ends of the keys; the hammer and mechanism together make up the "action." Felt now covers hammers, whereas leather was once the material of choice. Unlike early pianos, which had woodframesandcouldonlybelightlystrung,modernpianoshavecast-ironframes that can handle the extreme stress of the strings. As a result, contemporary pianos are significantly louder than those from the 18th century This rise in volume was madenecessaryinpartbythesizeofperformancehallsinthe19thcentury.Theleft pedalmovesthekeyboardandactionsidewayssothatthehammercanonlystrike one of the two or three unison strings of each tenor and treble key (the bass notes are only single-strung); the middle pedal, which is typically found on grand pianos but can also be found on some upright pianos, typically holds up the damped felt dampers above the strings, allowing them all to vibrate freely (The Editors of EncyclopediaBritannica,2018)