Tiny hammers inside the piano hit the strings when you play. The
vibrating strings make the sounds.
Hammers and strings
Have you ever made music with hammers? If you play the piano, you have.
Small hammers hitting the wire strings make the sounds you hear.
The strings are different sizes. Long, thick strings that vibrate slowly
make the low sounds. And short, thin strings that vibrate very quickly
make the high sounds.
When you press down a piano key, two things happen. A small cushion
swings out of the way so the strings for that key can vibrate. At the
same time, the key pushes a lever. This lever swings the hammer against
the strings.
If you hold the key down, the piano strings keep vibrating and the sound
dies away slowly. But if you take your finger off the key, the cushion
drops back onto the strings. The vibrations stop—and so does the sound
you made.
