One keypress sets off a chain reaction performed by levers, hammers and a sounding board.
Press a key and it acts as a lever, driving the action (piano action) so a felt hammer strikes the strings; the vibration passes through the bridge to the soundboard, which amplifies it, while releasing the key drops the damper to stop the sound. A piano has over 8,000 parts — some grands more than ten thousand.
A piano's sound comes from a precise chain reaction. Press a key and, like a lever, it drives a series of parts until a felt hammer flips up and strikes the strings. The strings vibrate and the sound passes through the bridge to the soundboard, which amplifies it.
Release the key and the damper falls back onto the strings, stopping the vibration and the sound. The harder you press, the more forcefully the hammer strikes and the louder the note — this is how a piano plays 'piano' (soft) and 'forte' (loud), and where its name comes from.
The whole mechanism that drives the hammer is called the action (piano action). Made of thousands of wood, felt and leather parts, it converts the touch of your fingertip into a precise, controllable strike.
A modern grand's action uses the 'double escapement' patented by Sébastien Érard in 1821, whose repetition lever lets the hammer reset quickly so a note can be repeated rapidly — a design still used in virtually all grands. The action's state of regulation directly decides a piano's feel, which is why 'regulation' matters so much.
On their own, vibrating strings are very quiet. The real 'amplifier' is the soundboard — a large wooden resonator. The strings' vibration passes through the bridge to the soundboard, setting a large area of wood vibrating and radiating the sound into the air.
A piano has about 230 strings: most notes sound on three strings, while the bass uses one or two thicker strings. Together they bear up to about 18 to 20 tons of tension, held by a cast-iron plate — a technology invented by Alpheus Babcock in 1825. The agraffes that anchor the strings were invented by Sébastien Érard, improving tuning stability and tone.
Most modern pianos have three pedals, left to right, each an important part of expression.
On a grand, pressing the left pedal shifts the whole action slightly so the hammer strikes only two of three strings, making the tone softer and darker. The idea dates back to Cristofori's pianos in the 1720s.
Sustains only the notes held at the moment the pedal is pressed; later notes are unaffected — letting a player hold certain bass notes while playing other voices cleanly.
The most used pedal. Pressing it lifts all the dampers so the strings keep vibrating after the keys are released, key to a round, connected sound.
A piano's precision often lives in millimetres. The 'key dip' is typically about 10 mm; too deep or too shallow directly changes the feel.
The cleverest part of the action is the 'escapement': the instant before striking, the hammer 'escapes' the part pushing it, completing the strike by inertia and falling back at once so the string can vibrate freely. This is what lets a piano strike hard without 'sticking' to the string and muffling the sound.
A machine of thousands of parts built around wood and felt is naturally sensitive to its environment. In Hong Kong's humidity, the wood and felt readily swell, affecting pitch and touch and even making keys stick.
Regular tuning, regulation and professional inspection are exactly what keep this precise system working — ensuring its 8,000-plus parts keep cooperating accurately.
A piano has over 8,000 parts, some grands more than ten thousand (a Steinway grand over 12,000), with the action (piano action) being the most intricate.
The action is the whole mechanism that drives the hammer to strike the strings, made of thousands of wood, felt and leather parts. A modern grand uses Érard's 1821 double escapement so a note can repeat quickly; it directly determines feel and response.
A piano has about 230 strings — most notes on three, the bass on one or two. The vibration passes through the bridge to the soundboard, a large wooden resonator that sets a wide area vibrating and radiates the sound into the air.
Left to right: the soft pedal (una corda) makes the tone softer and darker; the sostenuto sustains only the notes held when pressed; the sustain (damper) lifts all dampers so the sound continues — the most used pedal.
A piano has over 8,000 parts built around wood and felt, very sensitive to the environment. In Hong Kong's humidity, parts swell and affect pitch and touch. Regular tuning, regulation and inspection keep it working accurately.
Whatever brand your piano is, regular tuning and professional care are the keys to its tone and value.
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