The piano is a stringed instrument, but it is sometimes classified as a percussion instrument because the sound comes from little hammers 'hitting' the strings. The word piano is the Italian word for 'quiet'- but it's only half the story. The original name for the piano was the 'pianoforte', or soft and loud, because it was the first keyboard instrument that could produce a wide range of volumes depending upon how the keys were struck. It was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori in the early 1700s.

Push play to listen to the sound of the piano.

To hear more examples of all the instruments, check out WHOOs MAKING MUSIC in the App Store!