Larry
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When you push a key on the keyboard, it moves a felt hammer. This hammer strikes a set of strings attached to a large metal sound board. This is what produces sound. Variations in speed and pressure on the key affects the strike, modifying the sound.
The keyboard is made up of black and white keys. The white keys are letter notes, and the black keys are accidentals (sharps and flats.) Pianists refer to the keys by groups of black keys. A 2 group includes the keys for C# and D#, as well as the white keys for C, D, and E. A 3 group includes the black F#, G#, and A# keys alongside the F, G, A, and B white keys. A 3 group and 4 group put together make a 7 group for a total of 12 keys, or one octave. There is a total of 88 keys on a standard piano.
To begin, you need to find middle C, the note between the treble and bass clefts on sheet music. The corresponding key is always in the 2 group closest to the keyboard's center. From here you can count up and down to figure out what note each key plays.
A piano has two or three foot pedals for modifying sound:
Una corda: This pedal is on the left. It shifts the strings slightly so the hammer doesn't hit all of them, or moves the hammers down do they don't strike as hard. In both cases, it creates a softer sound.
Sostenuto: This moves the dampers away from the strings that have just been played, letting the vibrations last longer for long notes, while letting the other strings play normally. This middle pedal is not included on all pianos.
Sustain: This pedal is on the right. It moves the dampers away from all of the strings, letting the vibrations last longer for long notes.
 Posted 5443 day ago
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