Pressing one or more keys on the piano's keyboard causes a wooden or plastic hammer (typically padded with firm felt) to strike the strings. Ī piano usually has a protective wooden case surrounding the soundboard and metal strings, which are strung under great tension on a heavy metal frame. The name was created as a contrast to harpsichord, a musical instrument that does not allow variation in volume compared to the harpsichord, the first fortepianos in the 1700s had a quieter sound and smaller dynamic range. The Italian musical terms piano and forte indicate 'soft' and 'loud' respectively, in this context referring to the variations in volume (i.e., loudness) produced in response to a pianist's touch or pressure on the keys: the greater the velocity of a key press, the greater the force of the hammer hitting the strings, and the louder the sound of the note produced and the stronger the attack. The word 'piano' is a shortened form of pianoforte, the Italian term for the early 1700s versions of the instrument, which in turn derives from clavicembalo col piano e forte (key cimbalom with quieter and louder) and fortepiano.
