

This occurs by the way each key makes a note resonate, consisting of small shanks activated when a key is pressed. The unique aspect of a celesta is that it’s an idiophone – meaning that it produces sound by the instrument’s vibrations. Due to its similar playability to a piano – it has a similar key distribution which can make it more relatable to play – the celesta can be executed and included in many music styles without requiring new techniques to be learned. In a piano, the small hammers attached to each key will hit a respective string, thus generating that note instantly on the other hand, the celesta contains smaller shanks, horizontally thicker but vertically thinner than a piano’s, very similar to the mallets found on vibraphones and marimbas. The difference between the celesta and the piano lies mostly in their construction: celesta’s keys are smaller than the piano’s, there are fewer octaves in a celesta, and the way they sound differs a lot.

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