Do you play an instrument? Instruments are grouped differently depending on how they make sounds. They could also be organized by how the instruments are made. Maybe you play a wind instrument like a flute. Or maybe you play brass instruments like a trumpet. Many people play bowed instruments like the violin too.

Instruments can make beautiful music. Have you ever thought about how they're made? Each instrument is unique and goes through its own process. They can be mass-produced. Or they could be carefully handcrafted by a master or an apprentice.

Making a piano is complicated. A piano contains many different parts. There is the outside case for the piano. This is made from sheets of hard maple wood. A machine shapes the wood in a bendy shape. After that, it is put into a warm and dry room. It stays there for 30 days.

The soundboard is another part of the piano. On one side of the board, there are two wooden bridges. All the strings in the piano will be attached to these bridges. The soundboard is glued onto the wooden rim. The rim is smoothed and polished, so it looks shiny and clean. The next part of the piano is the cast iron plate. The iron plate absorbs all the stress and tension from the strings. It has to be very strong. Now, the whole iron plate is painted gold and fixed onto the soundboard!

All the wires of the piano are strung through little holes on one side of the soundboard. They are attached to one of the bridges. Elsewhere, another worker prepares the piano keys. Each key has a hammer. When a pianist presses a key, it catapults the hammer back onto the strings. This action makes a sound. The hammers are little pieces of wood covered in felt. They are attached to the top of the keyboard. The piano just needs some tuning, and then it is ready to be played.

Many people play the guitar, it is a stringed instrument. The first step in making acoustic guitars is to select the wood. The back and sides need sturdy wood. The wood might still be wet from when the tree was alive, so it needs to be dried first. It can be dried in a large metal oven.

Next, the wood has to be cut to the correct shape. Don't forget to make a sound hole. It allows sounds to be projected. Then different designs are added to the guitar. We can't assemble the guitar yet; we still need to glue the braces. The bracing supports the guitar and holds its shape.

Next, the wood is bent using heat and steam. This makes the curves in the guitar. Now all the pieces of wood are glued together. Then some final touches are added to the guitar. Finally, the neck is added to the guitar and it is strung.

Making instruments takes a lot of patience. It also requires paying attention to many details. If one part goes wrong, you might have to go back and do it again. Do you want to try making your own instrument?

Exercises

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