Explore Keyboard with music dictionary guides to piano, organ, harpsichord, synthesizer, keys, pedals, range, and playing technique.
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.