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It's a secret trap door in the piano that allows the pianist to escape. No, no, no. Only kidding.
When you press a piano key, two things happen: (1) a damper moves away from the strings for that note so they can vibrate freely, and (2) a hammer strikes the strings.
Now, if the mechanical connection between key and hammer was a simple lever, then the hammer would strike the strings and remain in contact with them as long as you held down the key. That would prevent sustained vibration of the strings. Imagine the muffled "thunk" you would hear if, for example, you pressed your hand down on a guitar's strings and kept it there. To make a sustained sound, you need to touch the strings and then move away.
The piano's escapement mechanism is the clever solution to that problem. Just an instant before the hammer strikes the strings, it "escapes" its connection to the key so that it can strike the strings and then fall away from them, allowing them to continue to vibrate. It's almost as if the key "throws" the hammer, and the hammer bounces off the strings. Bartolomeo Cristofori is generally credited with inventing this mechanism and building the first pianos around 1710. The double escapement mechanism was invented by the Erard brothers in 1821, which allowed the same note to be repeated very quickly.
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∙ 2009-12-09 01:17:56
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What is the difference between the fortepiano and a grand piano?
Fortepiano produces sound by hammers striking the strings. Fortepiano's escapement action allows the hammers to fall back into their position after striking the strings. Modern piano was invented in Romantic period and in 1821, Erard Brothers from Paris invented the double escapement action. The size of fortepiano increased from 5 to 5.5 to 6 to 6.5 octaves, while modern piano has the size of 7 octaves. Also, sostenuto pedal was added by Claude Montal to the modern piano.
What kind of simple mechanism is used to adjust the height of a piano stool?
phone books
Why was the pianoforte given this name?
One of the (then) striking features of the instrument was that you could play softly (piano) or loudly (forte) simply by changing the force exerted on the keys. Harpsichords could not do this (at least not in the fluid and instant way that it can be done on the piano) and clavichords are so delicate that changes in volume are more of a nuance than a full feature. Originally these instruments were called piano i forte, which became pianoforte, and now almost always simply piano. Cristofori's brilliant invention that makes this possible is called the "escapement" action. In a nutshell, the escapement action allows the pianist to set a hammer in motion with virtually any amount of force as long as it is sufficient to get the hammer to strike the wire, the hammer then "escapes" the control of the action and moves freely for a brief moment before striking. It is then free to recoil back and be stopped by the action and set into place for another strike.
Who was the first person to create the piano?
Bartolomeo Cristofori is considered the main inventor of the modern piano-forte. He designed several models which were improvements on the harpsichord and dulcimer which could play loud and soft depending on the players' touch. Sébastien Érard invented the double escapement action, improving Cristofori's piano-forte so that a note could be played in rapid succession. Jean Louis Boisselot invented the sustain pedal, allowing notes to be held for long periods of time after the key is released.
How old is a Deutzer Bros upright piano serial number 46223?
I have a Deutzer Bros upright piano with serial number 53462 and mine was made in 1920. It was originally a player but the player mechanism had been taken out by the time it came to live with me. Hope that helps!
What is a mechanism in a watch clock piano or typewriter with 10 letters?
I think it's escapement.
What is a mammoth piano?
A Mammoth piano is a hybrid 7' tall vertical grand piano that is built by the Mammoth Piano company. It has a full size concert string scale and a double escapement action, and weighs about 1500lbs. The piano is unique, custom built, and there is no other piano like it made today.
How do analog watches tick?
Mechanical watches tick as the escapement mechanism moves to allow the gear train to move ahead one time interval. The period of the escapement is determined by the torsion-spring based pendulum in the watch and the motive power from the coiled main spring.
Why do clocks make tick tock noises?
because they wouldn't go bing bong...it just wouldn't sound rightANS 2Mechanical clocks have an escapement mechanism that allows the clock to turn at a constant speed. The timing comes either by a swinging pendulum or from a "balance wheel" with a hair spring. As the timing mechanism swings or spins first one way and then the other it causes a pivot bar to first let one tooth on the escapement wheel slip past but catch the tooth on the opposite side. for each swing, the escapement wheel can turn only one tooth. The ticking is the sound of the pivot bar catching the tooth on the escapement wheel.
What is the difference between the fortepiano and a grand piano?
Fortepiano produces sound by hammers striking the strings. Fortepiano's escapement action allows the hammers to fall back into their position after striking the strings. Modern piano was invented in Romantic period and in 1821, Erard Brothers from Paris invented the double escapement action. The size of fortepiano increased from 5 to 5.5 to 6 to 6.5 octaves, while modern piano has the size of 7 octaves. Also, sostenuto pedal was added by Claude Montal to the modern piano.
How do you clean a platform escapement?
true
What kind of simple mechanism is used to adjust the height of a piano stool?
phone books
What makes a swinging clock swing?
The pendulum acts as an escape(Anchor) mechanism faciltating the movements of the clock - face e.g. the hour and minute hands . "An escapement is the mechanism in a mechanical clock that maintains the swing of the pendulum and advances the clock's wheels at each swing. " Excerpt from Wikipedia . See links .
What are the ratings and certificates for Escapement - 1958?
Escapement - 1958 is rated/received certificates of: Finland:(Banned) (1960) USA:Approved USA:Passed (National Board of Review)
What are facts about the accordion?
Accordions are members of the wind instrument family and consist of three major components such as the treble mechanism, bass mechanism and bellows. The right hand side consists of keys or buttons while the bass section varies depending on whether its a button or piano accordion. Piano accordions have a Stradella bass mechanism for the right hand side and this is standard for all piano accordions. Button accordions, such as chromatic accordions have a free bass mechanism, and are widely played in French musette. Diatonic accordions can have an eight or twelve bass layout and play different notes depending on the bellows direction. The piano accordion was invented when Bouton of Paris first applied piano keys to the accordion.
Where was the piano created?
It was invented in Padua Italy, by a guy named Bartolomeo Cristofori. He did this in the very late 1600's; the exact date is not known. The distinctive feature of the piano is the "escapement action", that allows a hammer to strike a wire freely and then recoil back, ready to strike again with the key is played. See link for more details.
What are the release dates for Escapement - 1958?
Escapement - 1958 was released on: UK: 4 March 1958 West Germany: 8 December 1959 Austria: January 1960 USA: May 1960
