<^How a Piano Makes Sound> A piano is a keyboard musical instrument in which sounds are made when small padded hammers strike a group of strings. When you press down a key on a piano, the key operates a lever that moves the padded hammer, causing it to strike a tightly stretched metal string. The metal string vibrates and produces a musical tone, just like a guitar string when plucked. The loudness of a tone depends on how hard the key was struck.
A standard piano has seven main parts: (1) keyboard, (2) strings, (3) action, (4) pedals, (5) frame, (6) soundboard, and (7) case. The strings in a piano are of varying lengths and thicknesses. The longest and heaviest strings play the low notes, and the shorter and lighter strings produce higher notes.
