This article was co-authored by Melissa McDermott and by How.com.vn staff writer, Johnathan Fuentes. Melissa McDermott is a Musician and accomplished Social Media Manager at coBranding Studio based in New York City. She has over seven years of experience teaching piano and music theory, she currently works as a Piano Instructor at O DiBella Music Inc. Additionally, she specializes in creating meaningful, informative, and quality social media content for health and wellness brands and musicians. Melissa received her B.A. in popular music studies from William Paterson University.
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If you’ve ever heard western classical music, you’ve heard pianos and harpsichords. But how are these two instruments different? Though they look similar, pianos and harpsichords are worlds apart. They produce sound very differently, and if you play them both, you’ll realize that one can do things the other can’t. Curious to know more? This article breaks down the most important differences between pianos and harpsichords—including how they sound, how they work, and why pianos became the preferred instrument of musicians all over the world.
Things You Should Know
- Harpsichords and pianos look similar and both make notes with strings, but harpsichord strings are plucked while piano strings are struck by small hammers.
- Harpsichords usually have a 5-octave range (F1-F6), while pianos have a 7¼ octave range (A0-C8). This lets pianos play higher and lower notes.
- Harpsichords can only be played at one volume. The plucking mechanism works the same, regardless of whether the keys are pressed hard or soft.
- Pianos can be played loudly or softly depending on how hard the keys are pressed. This, plus their range, makes them more versatile than harpsichords.
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References
- ↑ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Music/harpsi.html
- ↑ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Music/pianof.html
- ↑ https://www.britannica.com/art/piano
- ↑ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Music/pianof.html
- ↑ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Music/pianof.html#c1
- ↑ https://www.ece.iastate.edu/~alexs/classes/2016_Spring_575/HW/HW5/files/piano-key-freq-wikipedia.pdf
- ↑ https://omeka-s.grinnell.edu/s/MusicalInstruments/item/2136
- ↑ https://promusicvault.com/piano-vs-harpsichord/
- ↑ https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:For_harpsichord
- ↑ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Music/pianof.html
- ↑ https://www.britannica.com/art/harpsichord
- ↑ https://www.britannica.com/art/piano
- ↑ https://www.hpschd.nu/index.html?nav/nav-4.html&t/welcome.html&https://www.hpschd.nu/tech/kb/trans.html
- ↑ https://promusicvault.com/piano-vs-harpsichord/
- ↑ https://www.wqxr.org/story/five-bach-keyboard-pieces-sound-best-piano/
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