Piano Index & Glossary

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  • Scale design -- In stringing the piano, scale design the pattern of the strings getting gradually thicker and longer from the treble to the base. The thinnest and shortest strings are at the top and the longest, thickest strings are at the bottom.
  • Serial number
  • Servicing
  • Sharps -- in contrast to naturals, designated by the black keys on the piano keyboard.
  • Shoe -- An hardwood insert at the bottom of the key at the balance rail hole used to reinforce the soft pine wood of the key.
  • Sidebearing -- The angle of deflection from the bridge pin to one of the other termination points of a string. There is an optimal angle to be maintained.
  • Soft pedal -- The popular name for the una corda pedal which shifts the action to the side causing the hammers to hit two strings instead of three. For the bass strings, the shift causes the string to be struck by a softer part of the hammer.
  • Sostenuto pedal -- The pedal that sustains only dampers that have been activated by the keys while the other dampers continue to work normally.
  • Soundboard -- The sound producing part of the piano, activated by the energy of the vibrating string to produce audible sound.
  • Soundboard crown -- The crown is how much the center of the soundboard rises above being perfectly flat. The crown adds tension to the wood in order to make it more resonant.
  • Soundboard, diaphragmatic -- A soundboard that is slightly thicker in the center than it is on the edge. The difference is slight, but it increases the resonance of the soundboard.
  • Speaking length of a string -- The segment of the string that is struck by the hammer that produces the tone.
  • Spine -- The straight edge of the piano cabinet on your left when facing the keyboard.
  • Splicing strings -- A way to repair a broken string by tying on a new piece of similar wire.
  • Straight side -- The straight edge of the piano cabinet on your left when facing the keyboard also known as the spine.
  • Strike-point / Striking point of hammers -- The spot on the length of the speaking part of the string where the hammer hits the string.
  • Stringing -- The procedure of putting strings on a new piano.
  • Stringing scale -- In stringing the piano, scale design the pattern of the strings getting gradually thicker and longer from the treble to the base. The thinnest and shortest strings are at the top and the longest, thickest strings are at the bottom. The stringing scale varies from one piano to another.
  • Strings -- The high quality music wire used for making sound.
  • Sustain pedal -- The pedal that lifts all the dampers at once allowing all the strings to ring.
  • Sustain time -- The length of time a string will ring without stopping it. Also called Decay.
  • Sympathetic vibration -- An undesirable sound that occurs when one string is activated by the vibrations of another string without it being actually struck itself. Often times it's the harmonic of a lower note that is activated when a hammer hits a higher note.

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