Guide to the piano: Day Three
At the back of an upright, you will usually find a framework made up of several thick posts, and behind it a large wooden board with wooden bars and handgrips attached to it. These posts, or backposts, serve to strengthen the instrument.
The wooden board behind the backposts is called the soundboard. When the strings vibrate, the soundboard vibrates too. Without the soundboard, you would barely be able to hear the strings. It amplifies the sound of the piano in the same way as the soundbox or body of a guitar or a violin does. The soundboard is reinforced by a set of diagonal bars: the ribs.
On the back of the cabinet, you will also find two handgrips. These make it a little easier to move a piano, as even a small upright can weigh as much as 200kg, or 400 pounds.
Tomorrow… Inside; the action explained.
