Listen to the electric piano
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the electric piano makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the electric piano belongs to the electrophones: sound is produced or shaped electronically – synthesizers, the theremin and electric organs.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into electrical signals by pickups (either magnetic, electrostatic, or piezoelectric). The pickups are connected to an instrument amplifier and loudspeaker to reinforce the sound sufficiently for the performer and audience to hear.
Other electrophones
Frequently asked questions
What does an electric piano sound like?
Listen to 1 recording on this page. As one of the electrophones, its sound comes from the way sound is produced or shaped electronically.
What type of instrument is the electric piano?
It is classified as electrophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 52).
Sources & credits
- Electric Piano Man (Antti Luode) by Antti Luode – CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q1136507 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Electric piano – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by The original uploader was Fetz at German Wikipedia . – Public domain