Piano

ELI5 - How does a piano work?

Though it might seem odd, pianos are actually considered percussion instruments, like drums. This is because, underneath a piano's lid, in addition to a tuned string for every piano key (230 in total), there're tiny wooden hammers covered in felt for each. When a key is pressed, the appropriate hammer strikes the corresponding string, causing it to vibrate and therefore sound as a musical note. A key's hammer stays suspended as long as the key is held down, so the string continues ringing out. When the key is released, the hammer returns to resting on the string, and the felt dampens, or stops, the sound.

By drollparadox7655 1 year ago