| Action |
The mechanism of the
piano that produces the sound when the action of the fingers touching the
keys causes the
hammers to strike the
strings. |
| Baby Grand Piano |
The
preferred name used by piano
technicians is Small Grand; it is the smallest size in the grand
piano family. The length is usually less than 5½'. |
| Bass |
Keys that are toward the left end
of the keyboard that
produce the lowest-pitched tone. |
| Bridge |
A strip
of hardwood attached to the soundboard on one side and strung with
strings on the other side,
leaving a gap between the soundboard and the string. When a key is pressed and the
hammer hits the strings, the
actions transfer the strings' vibrations to the soundboard. |
| Bushing |
A
material that acts as a buffer between metal and metal or metal and wood to
avoid abrasion. There are many types of bushings used in the piano:
plate bushing,
key bushing,
flange bushings, and teflon
bushings. |
| Cabinet |
The
external wooden part of a piano. This is the common term for
vertical pianos.
|
| Case |
The
wooden cabinet of a
grand piano, including the
rim and structural
framework. |
| Casters |
The
wheels under the piano legs and cabinets. |
| Concert Grand Piano |
The
largest size in the grand
piano family. The length usually measures over 7½' and up to
9½'. |
| Console Piano |
The
second tallest of vertical
pianos, usually with a height of 40 - 43" and a compressed,
direct-blow action.
|
| Damper Lever |
A lever
that raises the damper off
the string when a key is
pressed. This is used in vertical
pianos. |
| Damper |
A wooden
action part that is covered
with felt to stop the
strings from vibration after
the keys are released.
|
| Damper Underlever |
A lever
that raises the damper off
the string when a
key is pressed. This is used in
grand pianos. |
| Digital Piano |
An
electronic piano that produces sounds to simulate a piano. |
| Direct-blow Action |
When the
action of a
vertical piano is located
above the keys, the action
parts are pushed upward when a key is pressed. This type of action is found in
some vertical pianos - Full-size, Studio, and Console. |
| Double Tuning |
When a
piano's pitch is dramatically
higher or lower than the standard pitch, the piano technician often begins with a rough
tuning followed by a fine
tuning. |
| Escapement |
Also
called Letoff. The release
of the force pushing on the hammer right before the hammer strikes the
strings. |
| Fallboard |
The
keyboard cover that is
part of the piano cabinet. |
| Felt |
A piece
of cloth used to cushion between metal and wood parts. |
| Flange Bushing |
Located
in the action mechanism to
cushion the action parts. |
| Full-size Action |
An
action in a
vertical piano that has
full-size parts. These are used in studio and full-size upright pianos. |
| Full-size Upright Piano |
The
largest size vertical
piano that is usually more than 48" tall and with a full-size
direct-blow action.
|
| Grand Piano |
A piano
with its soundborad and
strings positioned
horizontally. There are three types of grand piano: Small Grand, Medium Grand, and
Concert Grand. |
| Hammer |
A wooden
mallet covered with felt used
to strike the strings to
produce sounds. |
| Indirect-blow Action |
When the
action of a
vertical piano is located
below the keys, the action parts are pulled upward by a wire when a key is
pressed. This is found in Spinet
Pianos. |
| Keyboard |
A
collective term to denote all the keys on a piano. |
| Key |
Wooden
lever covered with wood or ivory in either black or white, used by the player
to activate the action of a
piano. |
| Key Bushing |
A cloth
that buffers the key pins from the wood of the key. |
| Letoff |
Another
term for escapement. The
release of the force pushing on the hammer right before the hammer strikes the
strings. |
| Lid |
The
wooden part of the piano cabinet that covers the top of the piano.
|
| Medium Grand Piano |
The most
popular size in the grand
piano family. The length usually measures between 5½ -
7½'. |
| Music Shelf |
The
horizontal holder on the piano cabinet where music score stands. |
| Pedal |
A foot
lever located at the base of the piano, usually two to three in number. Each
lever has a different function to allow the player produce different sound
effects. The three types of pedals are: soft pedal (una corda pedal), sostenuto pedal, and sustain pedal. |
| Piano Technician |
Often
called piano tuner, a true technician has extensive knowledge on the mechanics
of a piano. A qualified piano technician usually is a member of the
Piano Technician
Guild, an international organization
promoting high standards among its members. Technicians who are certified (CPT)
by the organization must go through extensive testing on tuning, repairing, and
training on other techniques. |
| Pinblock |
A wooden
block where tuning pins,
which holds the strings, are
embedded. |
| Pitch |
The
element of sound determined by the frequency of vibration of the sound wave
reaching the ear. The greater the frequency, the higher the pitch. |
| Plate |
The iron
framework where strings are
attached. |
| Plate Bushings |
A wooden
bushing that buffers the tuning pins from the
plate. |
| Practice Pedal |
A foot
lever located at the base of the piano on some vertical pianos. When the pedal is pressed, a strip of felt moves between the hammer and the
string to muffle the
sound. |
| Regulating |
The
adjustment of action parts
on a piano. |
| Relative Humidity |
The
amount of moisture in the air as compared with the maximum amount that the air
could hold at the same temperature, expressed as a percentage. |
| Repetition Lever |
A part of
escapement in a
grand piano that allows a
key to be played repeatedly
before it returns to rest position. |
| Resonance |
Reinforcement of a sound by reflecting the vibration from one body to
another body, like resounding or reechoing of sound. |
| Rim |
The
wooden curve-shaped structure of a grand
piano. |
| Soft Pedal |
The left
pedal on a
vertical piano. When the
pedal is pressed, the hammers are moved closer to the strings. The shorter striking
distance results in softer sound. |
| Sostenuto Pedal |
The
middle pedal on
grand pianos and some
vertical pianos. When the
pedal is pressed, the damper
of a note lifts up to sustain that note. |
| Soundboard |
The
wooden board where the strings vibrate against its surface to produce
sound. |
| Spine |
The
straight side of a grand
piano stretching from the keyboard to the end of the piano. |
| Spinet Piano |
The
smallest vertical piano
standing no more than 39" tall, with an indirect-blow action. |
| String |
Metal
wire tautly strung across the soundboard that vibrates when the hammer strikes it. |
| Studio Piano |
The
second largest vertical
piano, usually between 44 - 47" tall, with a
full-size,
direct-blow action.
|
| Sustain Pedal |
The right
pedal on all grand and vertical pianos. When the
pedal is pressed, all the dampers are lifted to sustain all the notes being
played. |
| Tone |
A
distinct sound that can be identified by its constant pitch. |
| Treble |
Keys that are toward the right end
of the keyboard that
produce the highest-pitched
tone. |
| Tuning |
The
adjustment of the tension on the tuning pins of the strings to harmonize the pitch. |
| Tuning Pin |
The metal
pin where one end of a string is coiled around it. By adjusting the tension
on the tuning pin it
changes the pitch of the
piano. |
| Una Corda Pedal |
The left
pedal on most grand pianos. When the pedal is
pressed, the whole keyboard
is shifted to the right slightly. The hammer only strikes part of the strings resulting in a softer
sound. |
| Unison |
Having
note with a set of two or three strings tuned to the same pitch. |
| Vertical Piano |
Also
called Upright Piano. A piano with its soundborad and strings positioned vertically. There are four types
of vertical pianos: Spinet,
Console, Studio, and
Full-size. |
| Voicing |
Adjustment on the tone of the piano by using different techniques to
harden or soften the felt on
the hammer. |
