Piano Flashcards
Spruce
SOUNDBOARD, keybed, keys, structural beams, any place there will be compressive force, sometimes parts of keyframe, infrequently ribs, bosendorfer rim; Engelman, Adirondak (Eastern), Romanian, Sitka (Alaskan; Steinway)
Maple
RIM, case, action parts, shanks, BRIDGE ROOT AND CAP, PINBLOCK, key buttons, shanks, wipens
Basswood
From the Linden tree, very soft, sometimes keys, key buttons, sometimes case parts
Oak
Long, open pores, very versatile; Sometimes parts of key frame, inexpensive veneer (common on school pnos.), key frame, keybed, glider stud inserts, beams
Poplar
Very light, close-grained, softest of hardwoods, 2- toned (1 is greenish); core for LIDS, fallboard, legs, glider stud inserts
Acacia
Used in past for action parts
Walnut
Key frame, hammer molding, nut hole cores
Ash
Fallboard
Beech
European, similar to maple, used for parts commonly made with maple in US; action parts, key buttons, rim
Ebony
Very hard; sharps, sometimes veneer ( very expensive)
Cherry
Veneer
Walnut
Hammer molding, nut hole cores
Sapele
Fancy veneer
Hornbeam
Renner action parts; used in Europe as substitute for maple
Rosewood
2-toned (quite dark brown/regular wood color), Greasy; veneer, tuning hammers, knuckle core
Mahogany
Greasy; veneer, case parts: lid, legs; hammer molding, key frames, Steinway and many European makers: inside of rim is often a layer of mahogany
Falconwood
American, densely-laminated pinblock material made of maple, ~35-40 laminations per inch
Delignit
European, densely-laminated pinblock material made of beech, ~20-25 laminations/inch
Faux bois
Often, intricately-carved legs or other parts made of poplar or mahogany or something easy to work with are painted to match veneer of rest of pno
Mackerel
Mandulary rays; added to upright hammer shanks for strength
Particleboard
Thin veneer layers on top and bottom with wood chips and shavings and lots of glue in between, really heavy; cheap pnos use for lid or even soundboard
Cast iron
PLATE, action bracket, una corda shift lever, Steinway bell, interlocking plates for legs and lyre, some casters, some pedals (usually plated), aliquot bars
Aluminum
Action rails, upright hammer rest rails, damper lift trays, some sostenuto blades, wng balance and front pins (anodized aluminum: stay shiny and undented)
Brass
Agraffes, casters, ferrules, pedal rods, capstans, flange, escutcheon, pedals often solid brass, some lyre braces, hinges/case hardware(rosettes, lid locks), sometimes fallboard decals, logo visible on side of concert grands, glider studs, damper wires (nickel-plated), some old brands have solid brass pitmans, DROP SCREWS, sostenuto blades, nose bolt nuts, sometimes action brackets
