Strings and Things

• Although there are only 88 keys, a piano has over 200 strings - one per note in the low bass, two per note in the upper bass, and three per note in the treble.
• Tension averages approximately 160 lbs per string.
• All together, the strings are stretched to a tension of 18 to 20 tons (close to 30 tons in a concert grand).
• The strings gradually increase in thickness and length from treble to bass, and bass strings are wrapped with copper to make them produce a lower pitch.
• Pianos range in weight from about 300 lbs. for a spinet to almost 1000 lbs. for a concert grand.
• There are 8000-10,000 moving parts in a piano.
• Soundboard cracks
  
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