Piano sound mechanism and technics

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   When a key is pressed, a hammer inside the piano strikes the strings from below. However, this only produces a soft sound.

So what happens when you press the key of a piano? The key is actually a wooden lever, a bit like a seesaw but much longer at one end than at the other. When you press down on a key, the opposite end of the lever (hidden inside the case) jumps up in the air, forcing a small felt-covered hammer to press against the piano strings, making a musical note. At the same time, at the extreme end of the lever behind the hammer, another mechanical part called a damper is also forced up into the air. When you release the key, the hammer and the damper fall back down again. The damper sits on top of the string, stops it vibrating, and brings the note rapidly to an end.

In the bass region of the piano, the string spectra contain about 50-60 harmonics and extend out to about 5,000 Hz. In the middle region the string spectra contain about 20-30 harmonics and extend out to about 7,000 Hz. In the treble region the string spectra contain less than 10 harmonics and extend out to about 10,000 Hz. The highest couple of notes on the piano may only produce a fundamental and perhaps one harmonic. This trend means that bass notes sound rich and full (since many frequencies are being produced at the same time) while treble notes sound weak and thin.

One end of the strings is supported on bridges, which are attached to the soundboard. The vibrations of the strings are transmitted to the soundboard through the bridges, and a loud sound resonates as a result of the soundboard vibrating the air. The entire piano, notably the soundboard, vibrates to produce sound.

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gushiwen Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 01 Oct 2018 Points: 170	Post Options Post Reply Quote gushiwen Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Piano sound mechanism and technics Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 11:15pm
	When a key is pressed, a hammer inside the piano strikes the strings from below. However, this only produces a soft sound. So what happens when you press the key of a piano? The key is actually a wooden lever, a bit like a seesaw but much longer at one end than at the other. When you press down on a key, the opposite end of the lever (hidden inside the case) jumps up in the air, forcing a small felt-covered hammer to press against the piano strings, making a musical note. At the same time, at the extreme end of the lever behind the hammer, another mechanical part called a damper is also forced up into the air. When you release the key, the hammer and the damper fall back down again. The damper sits on top of the string, stops it vibrating, and brings the note rapidly to an end. In the bass region of the piano, the string spectra contain about 50-60 harmonics and extend out to about 5,000 Hz. In the middle region the string spectra contain about 20-30 harmonics and extend out to about 7,000 Hz. In the treble region the string spectra contain less than 10 harmonics and extend out to about 10,000 Hz. The highest couple of notes on the piano may only produce a fundamental and perhaps one harmonic. This trend means that bass notes sound rich and full (since many frequencies are being produced at the same time) while treble notes sound weak and thin. One end of the strings is supported on bridges, which are attached to the soundboard. The vibrations of the strings are transmitted to the soundboard through the bridges, and a loud sound resonates as a result of the soundboard vibrating the air. The entire piano, notably the soundboard, vibrates to produce sound.