piano action
- noun
- Specialized
:
mecanismo de acción del piano
- A well-maintained piano action is essential for smooth and responsive playing.
Examples
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Grand pianos often have a more sophisticated piano action than uprights.
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The technician repaired the piano action to eliminate sticking keys.
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The piano action needs adjustment for better performance.
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He loves the sound of the piano action when he plays.
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A well-maintained piano action is essential for smooth and responsive playing.
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The technician repaired the piano action to eliminate sticking keys.
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Grand pianos often have a more sophisticated piano action than uprights.
Synonyms
361
6.5
A moving part inside a machine, like a gun, that makes it work
The mechanical part of a device that makes parts move, like in a piano or toy
How Responsive
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the mechanical system in a piano that moves hammers and strikes strings' is directly and compositionally derived from 'piano' (the instrument) combined with 'action' (the moving/mechanical part of a device). Instrument + mechanism compounds are a common, transparent pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The term piano action comes from the simple image of the moving parts inside a piano: when you press a key, levers and a hammer move to hit the strings and make sound. So, piano action means the piano's moving parts that make the sound and that control how the instrument 'responds' to the player's touch.