How Do Pianos Generate Their Sound?
Pianos are complex and intricate instruments, comprising of thousands upon thousands of parts. Each lever, hammer, string and bridge work together in perfect harmony and seamless motion to create the warm, rich tone of a single note when your finger presses a key, and for the greatest sound to be produced, each component must have been precisely and expertly manufactured and perfectly set into place. Steinway & Sons have taken it upon themselves to create some of the finest pianos in the world, and we are able to achieve this through our dedication for quality and deep understanding of exactly how these beautiful instruments work.
To fully appreciate the power and beauty of the piano, it's important to explore how they are made. The processes involved within the generation of sound has been meticulously designed in the 1700's, and carefully developed ever since, to bring you the excellent standard of Steinway pianos which you see today, but how exactly is the sound produced?
The action of a key being pressed, sets a lever connected to a felt hammer in motion. The hammer then elegantly strikes the specific string, causing it to vibrate. These vibrations are carried through a soundboard, which is made possible by bass and treble bridges, converting them into a piano tone. This sound is then amplified, allowing the instrument to emit a note for the player to enjoy. All of this happens within a split second, enabling players to press a combination of keys to create outstanding sound and music.
The misalignment of just one of the 12,000 parts which make up a Steinway would result in the overall sound being compromised, making the precision and care which we put into each and every piano which we produce, absolutely vital. To ensure that all of our pianos are of the highest possible quality, each is built by hand to a rigorous set of standards which must be precisely met. This is a standard which we continue to practice, in order to create stunning pianos time and time again.