🎹 How Does a Piano Work?
3rd Grade 🎵 Music
When you press a piano key, a small felt hammer hits metal strings inside, and the vibrating strings make the sound.
Hammers and strings
A piano has 88 keys. Each key is connected to a hammer that strikes one, two or three strings. Short, thin strings make high notes; long, thick strings make low notes.
Pedals
The right pedal lifts the dampers off the strings so notes keep ringing. The left pedal makes the sound softer.
Its full name
The piano was invented around 1700 in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori. He called it the "pianoforte" — "soft-loud" — because players could play both softly and loudly.
Quick quiz
How many keys does a standard piano have?
What hits the strings inside a piano?
Which strings make low notes?