The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which
the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer
material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early
pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of
keys (small levers) that the performer presses down or strikes with the
fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the
strings.
It was invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the
year 1700.
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