Mikes Music Room – Music Articles

If ever you have wondered how a Grand Piano works, then below you’ll find the 8 categories that explain the intricate parts of the Grand Piano and their overall function.

1. Frame

Often called the harp due to its shape or a plate. Made of cast iron it support the stress exerted by the piano strings. The tension stress of the piano strings is astronomical. In a standard 9 foot concert grand piano the tension is almost 30 tons.

2. Soundboard

This part amplifies the sound that the string makes. It is manufactured using Sitka spruce and has to have the correct stiffness and flexibility applied to it to amplify the sound. It is bowed slightly towards the strings which helps to keep its compression and stops it caving in under the tension from the strings.

3. Strings

Each piano contains over 200 strings varying in diameter and amounts. Treble notes commonly have 3 strings and are made of steel, whilst upper base notes have 2 strings and lower bass notes 1. The bass note strings have a steel core with copper winding around the core. This helps the string to vibrate and the thicker the string the lower the note.

4. Bridge

Like a violin, the strings in the piano pass over a wooden bridge. The bridge transmits vibrations of the strings to the soundboard which ultimately amplifies the sound. The strings are kept in place on the bridge by using steel pins which also assist in sound transmission and to terminate the vibrating portion of the string. The other vibration termination of the string occurs at the plate near the tuning pins. Most are made of maple or beech and have to be well constructed to avoid splitting.

5. Pinblock

Often made of maple or beech, the Pinblock runs the width of the piano and is attached to the plate (frame). Tuning pins are embedded in holes in the pinblock and around each tuning pin is one end of a piano string. Friction holds the tuning pins tightly on the pinblock ensuring that the strings have proper tension. This is the common area that a piano tuner works on when tuning strings on the piano.

6. Case

The plate (frame) is bolted and soundboard glued to the rim of the piano which is a wooden framework. There are 2 parts to the Rim: the Inner Rim which to which the frame and soundboard are attached, and the Outer Rim which is added later. More expensive pianos quite often have the inner and outer rim as one piece as doing so provides a crisper sound.

7. Action

This area included cloth, felt, brass, plastic, steel and hammers that all works together, including the keys.

8. Pedals

Pianos will have 2 or 3 pedals that assist the pianist with the volume and sustaining of notes. Connected to the Action by a series of levers, dowel and springs known as the Trapwork.

The important thing to realize is that for the piano to work correctly, all the parts have to work correctly. Changes in humidity and atmospheric conditions can effect the piano sound. Adjustments should be completed by certified tuners and piano technicians.

The sound that a piano creates is made by hammers inside the piano hitting the strings, also found inside the piano. To create the sound variations, most piano contain over 200 strings ranging from bass strings to treble strings.

Treble strings produce the high notes and are found to the right of the piano. Therefore, when you are playing the treble notes, you more than often play with your right hand. Made of steel the higher the note the thinner the string and to help with volume, many pianos will have 3 strings for the treble notes. The highest treble note has strings that are approximately 0.775 mm thick.

Bass strings produce the low notes and are found to the left of the piano, hence playing the bass predominately with your left hand. Made of a steel core with copper wire wound around is, the lower the note, the thicker the string, and due to the volume it can create, you tend to find only one base string. The lowest bass note has a thickness of approximately 1.224 mm. Bass strings tend to be the common strings that will tarnish. When the piano is new they look like polished brass but as the age of the piano increases the tone that the string produces becomes a more dead sound.

One of the most important aspects of the piano string which creates the sound is the tension that each string is under, which is up to 100 kilos per string. When you combine this with the big concert grand pianos it can equate to almost 20 tons of tension in the string. By the addition of a strong cast iron frame in the piano, the tension can be held in place. Assisted by tuning pins on the frame, the tension in the strings is held. The tuning pins can be adjusted, which your piano tuner does when they tune pianos, to assist creating the correct tone that the string makes.

It is always recommended that piano tuning is completed by a certified piano tuner or technician. If not, too much tension can crack the string or worse still, the frame. If the frame is cracked, the chances are, you’ll be better purchasing another piano.