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Why is the piano both a percussion instrument and stringed instrument?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Piano is a percussion instrument as every thing about it is percussive. It is non contact (you dont actually touch the strings in conventional piano playing which are the source of the sound) and the strings are hit with hammers which are like mallets to the marimba or vibes. People may think it is a string intrument because the sound is from a string and it would be if the string were plucked or bowed. The piano sounds more like a percusion instrument as well if you compare it to a marimba/vibes/xylophone... and then to a cello or violin,
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
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What are the most common unbowed instrument in an symphony orchestra?
For one thing, "string instruments" and "stringed instruments" are not the same. String instruments are the viol family and stringed instruments are any instrument that has strings. The piano and harp both qualify.Now, the piano is a percussion instrument that has strings and the harp is an unbowed stringed instrument.
Which instrument has characteristics of both string and percussion instruments?
piano
What type of instrument is piano?
Piano is a tough instrument to categorize. Some say "percussion" because you create sound by striking the instrument. Some say "string" because vibrating strings is how the sound is made. If I had to choose between them I'd choose "string instrument" because the reasoning for it being a percussion instrument, IMO, is not very sound. Yes you strike the instrument to make sound, but it's not you making the sound - it's the hammer striking the strings much like the dulcimer. Apply the "percussion" argument to other keyed instruments and you can see more clearly how it's a misnomer. Is the organ a percussion instrument because you're striking the keys? And then there's electronic keyboards - are they percussion instruments? See how we're getting really far out on a limb to rationalize calling piano a percussion instrument. This, and the other examples I gave, is why I like to use "keyboard instrument" as a classification all its own. It allows for an accurate description of how you make sound with the instrument, much like the definition of percussion (striking a membrane or solid object). I like to tell people that if they don't like the idea of "inventing" a new category, then call it a string instrument because that's what it is! :)
What classification is a piano?
Piano is from the Percussion Family. Other instruments in that family are:oCelesta oHarp oTimpani oSnare oSymbols oGlockenspiel The Percussion Family is more international than any other section in the orchestra. Just look at the variety of instruments! With most instruments in the Percussion Family people don't know who invented them or when. In ancient drawings it shows a timpani or African drums being played. But still, no one really knows.
Which type of percussion-instrument is a pianoforte?
A piano is both a percussion instrument and a string instrument. Inside a piano, tiny hammers strike strings to make pitches. It is a string instrument in that the strings are what vibrate to make the sound, but it is a percussion instrument in that it has a keyboard and strikes to make sound.
What are the most common unbowed instrument in an symphony orchestra?
For one thing, "string instruments" and "stringed instruments" are not the same. String instruments are the viol family and stringed instruments are any instrument that has strings. The piano and harp both qualify.Now, the piano is a percussion instrument that has strings and the harp is an unbowed stringed instrument.
What instrument is considered both a string and a percussion instrument?
Piano.
Which instrument has characteristics of both string and percussion instruments?
piano
What type of instrument is piano?
Piano is a tough instrument to categorize. Some say "percussion" because you create sound by striking the instrument. Some say "string" because vibrating strings is how the sound is made. If I had to choose between them I'd choose "string instrument" because the reasoning for it being a percussion instrument, IMO, is not very sound. Yes you strike the instrument to make sound, but it's not you making the sound - it's the hammer striking the strings much like the dulcimer. Apply the "percussion" argument to other keyed instruments and you can see more clearly how it's a misnomer. Is the organ a percussion instrument because you're striking the keys? And then there's electronic keyboards - are they percussion instruments? See how we're getting really far out on a limb to rationalize calling piano a percussion instrument. This, and the other examples I gave, is why I like to use "keyboard instrument" as a classification all its own. It allows for an accurate description of how you make sound with the instrument, much like the definition of percussion (striking a membrane or solid object). I like to tell people that if they don't like the idea of "inventing" a new category, then call it a string instrument because that's what it is! :)
Are pianos string instruments?
Pianos can be classified as either a stringed or percussion instrument... Quoth the wikipedia... "It is sometimes classified as both a percussion and a stringed instrument. According to the Hornbostel-Sachs method of music classification, it is grouped with Chordophones."
What classification is a piano?
Piano is from the Percussion Family. Other instruments in that family are:oCelesta oHarp oTimpani oSnare oSymbols oGlockenspiel The Percussion Family is more international than any other section in the orchestra. Just look at the variety of instruments! With most instruments in the Percussion Family people don't know who invented them or when. In ancient drawings it shows a timpani or African drums being played. But still, no one really knows.
Which type of percussion-instrument is a pianoforte?
A piano is both a percussion instrument and a string instrument. Inside a piano, tiny hammers strike strings to make pitches. It is a string instrument in that the strings are what vibrate to make the sound, but it is a percussion instrument in that it has a keyboard and strikes to make sound.
What music family is the piano?
It's percussion because the strings are hit with hammers. It can be classified as a percussion or string instrument.The piano is in the percussion family because the sound is generated from little hammers and wires inside. When you press a piano key, the hammer hits the wire, producing sound. The action of the hammer hitting the wire is what classifies it as a percussion instrument, like when hit hit a mallet on a bell kit.
What kind of instrument is the xylophone and tympani?
They are percation istruments i play them both
What musical family is a piano in?
The traditional piano is considered a percussion instrument. This is because little hammers strike the strings inside. However, other keyboard instruments work differently; the organ is not a percussion instrument, for example.
Is a piano stringed or percussion?
Yes! The piano is both a percussion instrument and a string instrument. Sound is created when a pianist strikes a key, which causes a hammer to hit a string. Because the hammer hits the string, it is considered percussive.Yes it is considered as a Perscussion instrument due to the hammers that hit the strings inside the piano to produce vibration on the strings that cause it to make sounds.Certainly it is not a stringed instrument or by the same logic a cymbal would be a brass instrument.Technically the piano can be classified as a percussion instrument, because the sound is made from hammers 'hitting' strings, which vibrate and produce specific notes. In this case, it can be grouped with instruments such as the xylophone, or timpani. However, the harpsichord, although similar, is not classified as a percussion instrument as the strings are plucked, rather than hit.Keyboard instruments are numbered among the percussion instruments in Orchestras and bands, not so much because of their mechanisms, but because it is easier than trying to associate them with multiple sections. Sometimes, this leads to inverted definitions, such as:Yes, since the hammer strikes the string to produce sound, it is technically a percussion instrument. Other variations such as the Harpsichord are not though, since the string is plucked rather than struck.While this is true of the piano when it is used as a percussion instrument, with sharp chords or percussive playing of musical lines, the piano is capable of great versatility, and can be considered as a solo instrument, a section unto itself, part of the percussion section, or part of no section at all. In St. Saens Symphony #3, called the "Organ Symphony", the piano is most often treated as a harmonic instrument, sometimes as a soloist, and sometimes as percussion. In cases where the Piano does not serve a clearly percussive function, it is better to consider it as not belonging to a section, per se, like the Harp or the Saxophone: an instrument added to the orchestra without becoming a permanent part.There are other instruments which are played similarly to the Piano, with the three-two sharp/flat groupings within a natural scale of seven notes (before the repeating octave). These include the Celeste, Marimba, Xylophone, Vibraphone, Orchestra Bells, Chimes, and Organ. While the Celeste is generally considered part of the percussion section, and placed within the bounds of the percussion instruments, and the others named (minus the Organ) use mallets held by percussionists and used to strike the tonal bars or tubes of the instrument, the Organ is generally not considered a percussion instrument.Two others are worthy of mention: the Harpsichord and Clavichord, which use the same keyboard arrangement as the piano. The Clavichord strikes strings with a metal tangent when the key is pressed, but is so quiet that it is not used except as a solo instrument (usually in a small, quiet room). The harpsichord was the mainstay of harmony and rhythm in late Renaissance and Baroque orchestras, lasting in orchestral performance until the piano replaced it. Neither of these would be considered part of the percussion section, not because of their method of sound production nor their keyboards, but rather because the Harpsichord would only appear with a modern symphony under very special conditions, and the clavichord wouldn't be bothered with, at all.
What instrument is considered both string and percussion?
A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones. The most common string instruments in the string family are violin, cello, viola, double bass, guitar, and harp.
