Explore Keyboard with music dictionary guides to piano, organ, harpsichord, synthesizer, keys, pedals, range, and playing technique.
The sustain pedal lifts all dampers from the piano strings, allowing them to vibrate sympathetically and amplifying harmonic overtones. This creates a richer, more resonant sound that transforms the instrument’s timbre and expressive potential.
This guide explains how to create a homophonic piano accompaniment for vocal melodies, covering notation, performance, theory, and creative practice. It traces the historical evolution from Baroque basso continuo to 19th-century Lieder and modern pop, offering step-by-step advice for composers at any level.
The organ is a keyboard instrument that produces sound by driving air through pipes or electronic means. It has a long history from ancient water‑powered devices to modern digital consoles, and it is used in a wide range of musical contexts.
The piano is a versatile keyboard instrument that produces sound by striking strings with felt‑covered hammers. It exists in acoustic, electric, and digital forms and is central to many musical styles from classical to popular music.
A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals which can be shaped and combined to imitate traditional instruments or create entirely new sounds.
Una corda, Italian for “one string,” is a piano notation indicating the use of the soft pedal. The pedal shifts the action so that the hammers strike fewer strings, producing a softer, muted tone.
The sustain pedal, also known as the damper pedal, is a foot-operated lever on piano and keyboard instruments that lifts the dampers, allowing strings to vibrate freely. This creates a resonant, lingering sound that shapes musical expression across many genres.
The celesta is a keyboard percussion instrument that produces a soft, bell‑like tone. Invented in the late 19th century, it is a staple of orchestral and film music, noted for its ethereal sound in works such as Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar‑Plum Fairy.”
The clavichord is a small, string‑strike keyboard instrument that was popular from the late Middle Ages through the early 19th century. It produces sound by striking brass or iron tangents against the strings, allowing for expressive control of dynamics and pitch.
The harpsichord is a keyboard instrument that produces sound by plucking strings with quills. Prominent in Renaissance and Baroque music, it shaped early keyboard repertoire and continues to inspire modern composers.