HOW A PIANO WORKS
Traditional pianos create a sound that needs no electronic amplification. How do electric keyboards compare?
WORDS AILSA HARVEY
Musician Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano around the year 1700 in an attempt to give players more control over the volume of sound produced in instruments like the harpsichord. The harpsichord is similar in appearance to the piano, but produces noise using a plectrum to pluck the strings inside when a key is played. In Cristofori’s piano, the strings are hit with hammers instead. This allows the player to change the force applied, and thus vibrations produced, for a softer or louder sound.