Reading Comprehension · Music Education
Keyboard Family Instruments Lesson
A printable music worksheet introducing the keyboard family — the piano, harpsichord, organ, and synthesizer.
Subject
Reading
Grade Level
Grades 3–7
Resource Type
Worksheet
Skill Focus
Music Education — Keyboard Instruments
The Keyboard Family
Keyboard instruments are played using a row of keys. Each key produces a specific musical note. The keyboard has white keys and black keys. The white keys play the natural notes (A through G), and the black keys play the sharp and flat notes in between. A standard piano keyboard has 88 keys, spanning more than seven octaves.
The piano is the most common keyboard instrument. It was invented around 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori in Italy. When a key is pressed, a small felt hammer inside the piano strikes a metal string, causing it to vibrate and produce sound. The piano is used in virtually every style of music — classical, jazz, pop, blues, and more.
The harpsichord looks similar to a piano but works quite differently. Instead of hammers hitting strings, pressing a key causes a small quill to pluck the string. The harpsichord was the most important keyboard instrument during the Baroque period (roughly 1600–1750) and is still used in performances of music from that era.
Organ and Synthesizer
The pipe organ is one of the largest and most complex musical instruments. Air is forced through metal or wooden pipes of varying lengths to produce sound. The larger the pipe, the lower the pitch. Pipe organs can have thousands of pipes and multiple keyboards (called manuals), as well as a set of foot pedals. They are commonly found in churches and concert halls.
The synthesizer is an electronic keyboard that can produce virtually any sound. Unlike acoustic instruments that rely on vibrating strings, reeds, or pipes, synthesizers generate sound electronically. They can imitate other instruments, produce entirely new sounds, and are central to modern music production.
Keyboard instruments span a remarkable range of history — from the ancient pipe organ to the modern digital synthesizer. Despite their differences, all keyboard instruments share the same basic layout, making it easier for musicians to move from one keyboard instrument to another.
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